Fisher blasts off to state long Jump title, Moore helps lower Richfield records
Richfield and Holy Angels track programs were well represented during the Class AA state track meet on Saturday at St. Michael-Albertville.
Stars senior Ashley Fisher added another state title to her impressive resume claiming the long jump title on Friday going a Class AA state meet record 18 feet, 5 1/2 feet. With consecutive 100-meter dash state titles already to her name, the Notre Dame commit added the long jump crown, four inches ahead of Kasson-Mantorville’s Arabella Knudson who was second.
Fisher was only getting started with her final appearance at state as she went from the long jump pit to lining up for the 100-meter dash prelims in a matter of moments Friday morning. She ran a season-best 12.08 seconds to place second in the prelims and a 12.28 to place third in the final on Saturday morning. Fisher was one-hundredth of a second behind runner-up Sasha Steinbach of Monticello while Providence Academy senior Brooke Hohenecker set a new Class AA state meet record of 12.07. Mankato West sophomore Ruby Marble was only two-hundredths of a second (12.30) behind Fisher.
Fisher also anchored a pair of record-setting relays as the Stars 4x100 relay was second in 48.63 with the team of Isabella Bonadonna, Brooke Wisdom, Erin Spence, and Fisher. Tri-Metro Conference rival DeLaSalle won the title in a Class AA record-setting 48.24 while the Star’s time also beat the previous record and was the ninth-best time posted this spring. DeLaSalle’s time was the fourth-best time turned in in the state.
The 4x200 relay was third in 1:41.65 with Bonadonna, Adeline Judson, Spence, and Fisher. The same foursome turned in a 1:43.06 in the prelims after winning the section title in 1:44.12 with Callie Holmes in the leadoff spot followed by Bonadonna, Spence and Fisher.
Wisdom, also a senior, qualified for state in three field events. After winning the section pole vault title by clearing 10-9, she managed to clear 10-6 at state to finish ninth on Saturday. She also placed ninth in the triple jump on Saturday going 34-11 1/4 after setting a personal record of 36-4 1/2 to place second at sections. In the long jump, she was 29th going 15-9 1/4 after posting another personal record at sections of 16-5 1/2 to place third.
Holy Angels junior Alexis Heminover set a new personal record of 4-11 to place 19th in the high jump on Friday as Detroit Lakes senior Grace Gunderson cleared a new personal record of 5-6 to win the title ahead of co-runner-ups Kyleigh Noble of Princeton and Ginger Pogorelc of Forest Lake which cleared 5-5. The Stars placed sixth as a team collecting 40 points while Alexandria beat out Monticello for the championship 79-68.50 points, respectively.
Richfield represents
Richfield senior Janiya Moore competed in three events at state earning a fifth-place podium finish in the 200-meter dash while setting a new personal-best time of 25.12.
Qualifying for the finals was a huge accomplishment for her after finishing 10th in the prelims of the 100 and 200 events at state last year.
She was eighth in the prelims on Friday going 25.77 but lowered her personal record in the final after turning in times of 25.45 (first place, Section 3AA final) and 25.42 (second place, Tri-Metro Conference Championships).
The future St. Thomas sprinter and Athena Award recipient was 10th in the 100 prelims, despite setting a new personal record of 12.44.
She also anchored the Spartans 4x100 relay, taking the baton from younger sister Jazara Moore who is only an eighth grader.
Three-quarters of the relay should be back with sophomore Nyla Fisher leading it off followed by junior Madison Munro. The team broke the school record for the second time this season with a 49.46 to place eighth in the prelims and qualify for the finals as the team placed ninth in 49.64. The group broke the school record at the Tri-Metro Conference Championships going 49.86 and knocked a half second off in the state prelims on Friday.
Coach Beth Johnson said the familiarity of being at state before helped Janiya Moore relax which helped the largest group of Spartans perform their best at the end of the season.
“This was our biggest crew going to state,” Johnson said while records and personal records continued to fall. As for training between section and state, Johnson said they focused on quick starts and smooth handoffs while focusing on the taper to be in the best possible form at state.
“Really, it is about staying relaxed, out of their heads and having fun,” Johnson said. “We had a great start in the (4x100) and smooth handoffs with sisters handing off to one another and it was just fantastic. Last year Janiya was more deer-in-the-headlights and came in way more confident.”
Last year, Janiya Moore qualified for the Hamline Elite Meet. She was enamored with everyone else.
“But you are Janiya Moore and are one of them, if not better. So that mental piece is huge for her heading onto St. Thomas next year,” Johnson said as she is the lone NCAA Division I track runner in her 25 years of coaching.
Janiya Moore brought the idea of running with Jazara Moore on the relay to coach Johnson. “I was like, I promise you she can do it and I’m super hard on her but I’m so proud of her and she is going to be super good, and running with her, she hands it off to me,” the older Moore explained. “Knowing my little sister is coming to hand it off to me, we have perfect chemistry and she hands it off so clean.”
The pair sits one, or two in the 200-meter dash school record charts with Janiya only slightly ahead of Jazara at 25.12 to 26.87. In the 100, Jazara is fourth with a 12.98 while Janiya’s record is 12.44.
As for her younger sister breaking those marks in the coming years, Janiya welcomes it – just after this season.
“You can beat my times once I graduate but while I am here, don’t disrespect me like that,” she joked. They raced the 200 against each other at sections. “Okay, I couldn’t let my little sister beat me but once we crossed the finish line we always give each other a hug and my mom just loves it so much, she thinks it’s the cutest thing.”
Janiya didn’t get into the track until sixth grade and took it seriously once in high school.
“I just liked being the fastest person in gym class,” Janiya said. “And trying to beat the boys.”
Not only is she burning up the track for Richfield but she plans to run at at the University of St. Thomas, joining Providence Academy’s Brooke Hohenecker who swept the 100, 200 and 400 titles at the Class AA state meet.
“Well, I basically won too since we are going to be teammates,” Janiya Moore joked.
“It’s a lot of mental for me, I doubt myself a lot with so many fast people here but I have to remind myself that I belong here too and just get out of my own head,” Janiya Moore said after the meet on Friday.
Realizing she belongs among the elite sprinters in the state took some convincing that only comes from doing well against the best and getting to know them as friends.
“I’m close friends with most of these girls and to hear them say ‘You are amazing’ and are super friendly and nice to each other,” she said. “To hear that from someone I think is so good, that they think I am good to helps you feel better.”
When she was warming up for prelims, Moore, briefly thought about the final time at state and the emotions that are part of the experience as a senior.
Later on Friday, she joined her Class of 2024 graduates to make it official at Richfield High School, adding “All the feels are happening.”
Coming into the state, Moore was hard on herself for not grabbing one of the two automatic qualifying spots in the 100m dash at sections. “I can’t be perfect all the time but then I was section champ in the 200 so that made me feel really good for myself and gave me the push that I can do that too.”
She already owns the program record in the 100 (12.44) and 400 (1:02.33) and added the 200 record in the state final (25.12).
Richfield senior and Tom Spooner Award recipient Joaquin Jamison was in three events, joining classmate Musa Sanneh in three of them.
The pair qualified for the 400 finals with Jamison edging out Sanneh for sixth place in 50.26. Sanneh set a pesonal record of 50.33 while finishing seventh.
Jamison was sixth in the prelims in 50.49 while Sanneh was ninth in 51.29. Sanneh’s previous personal record of 51.03 came in the second-place finish at sections one week earlier.
The unique chance to line up alongside a friend in the starting blocks wasn’t lost on either Sanneh or Jamison.
“It means a lot for us to be here together,” Sanneh said in only his second track season. As for lining up side-by-side for prelims at state, that allowed them to pace off each other in the one-lap event. “We’ve been together over the year so why not do it again today at state and just go all out,” Jamison said.
Mound-Westonka’s Jack Markstrom set a new state meet record time of 47.28 which was the third-best time in the state this spring after turning in a 48.07 in the prelims.
The pair bookended the Richfield 4x200 relay with sophomore Kenneth Lindberg and junior Drew Bartle taking up the second and third legs while the team was 17th in 1:31.73.
Jamison cleared the high jump bar set at 6 feet to place 17th on Saturday, two inches below his third-place section finish and three inches below his Tri-Metro Conference championship clearance of 6-3.
Jamison cleared 5-10 at state on his first attempt but needed a third attempt to clear the bar set at 6 feet. He missed all three attempts at 6-2 on Saturday.
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