
By Brenda Erdahl
Sports Editor
The Maple Lake track and field team will be well represented at the prestigious Section 5A meet at St. John’s University this week thanks to stellar qualifying performances.
After a day’s postponement due to weather, on Thursday, May 23 Maple Lake hosted the sub-section west competition. Thirteen teams took part in this section qualifier meet. To go on and keep their seasons alive, athletes had to finish in the top five individually or be among the top six performers from the combined west and east subsections. The top three relay teams immediately advanced to St. John’s on Wednesday, May 29 plus the next best two times between the sub-sections.
Advancing from Maple Lake is Kingsley Okoro in the 100-meter dash and the long jump. Okoro, a 2023 state meet qualifier in the 100-meter dash, continued a solid season with a second-place finish in the 100-meter dash last week. He was also third in the long jump with a distance that was better than the state automatic qualifier.
“If he can do that (at St. John’s) he will be in the state meet,” Irish Coach Ben Youngs said.
Nick Lind will compete at St. John’s after top finishes in the 1600- and 3200-meter runs; Carter Courtright will advance in both the shot put and the discus after throwing a personal best shot put; Jonathon Carl made it in the triple jump for the first time in his track and field career; Alan Haglin will enter the section meet with the second best 300 hurdle time and two of the four boys relays qualified. Those runners include: Okoro, Carl, Gus Riviere and Luke Goelz in the 4×100 and Hans Peterson, Jacob England, Haglin and Lind in the 4×400.
The girls qualified four relays including the 4×200 team of Reese Hartkopf, Avery Lee, Sydney Breimon, and Alex Kiebel that bettered the school record by about a half second.
The advancing 4×800 team includes Carmyn Anderson, Peyton Walberg, Seyla LaGrande and Addison Kramer; the advancing 4×100 team includes Avery Rowe, Sydney Breimon, Abby Torblaa and Avery Lee and the advancing 4×400 team includes Anderson, Hartkopf, Avery Lee and Kiebel.
Kiebel will also advance in the long jump with a personal best that bettered the state standard. She is also moving on in the high jump.
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