Klug is third in the 300 hurdles
By Brenda Erdahl
Maple Lake Senior Maggie Larson defended her triple jump title last week at the State Track and Field Meet in Albertville and set a new Class A state record.
Larson improved upon her winning jump last year of 38 feet, 7 inches to a personal best jump of 40 feet, 10.5 inches. She also set a new state record earlier in the day with a 39-foot, 6-inch jump. Her 40-foot jump couldn’t be counted as a record setter because of a wind advantage.
“I was very happy to defend my title,” the senior jumper said. “I could not have asked for a better ending to my high school track career.”
Larson attended the state meet Thursday and Friday of last week, June 17 and 18, along with teammates Jack Klug and Mary Miller. Klug and Miller, also seniors, had successful days as well with Klug getting on the podium with a third place and personal best 300-meter hurdle (40.61) race.
Larson also claimed a second-place finish in the long jump with a personal best leap of 19 feet, 1.75 inches. It was her first time advancing to state in that event. Klug finished eighth in the 110 hurdles in a time of 15.89 and Miller was 11th in the 3200-meter run (11:50.03) and 13th in the 1600-meter run (5:31.46).
Larson said she was nervous going into last week’s contest. She has been battling with arthritis in both of her Achilles Tendons and a difficult problem in her back and hip. At sections she had trouble getting on the board and was worried that might happen again. But when she hit that 39-foot, 6-inch jump in her second attempt, she knew the competition well enough to know nobody would come close to it.
Larson plans to compete at Boise State University next year on a scholarship.