Track and field programs mark conference championships

Richfield, Kennedy, Jefferson and Holy Angels each bring home conference championship event titles

Championship season is in full swing for Sun Current track and field teams.

Holy Angels girls wrapped up a busy week at the Class AA True Team State Championships at Stillwater High School on Saturday after winning the Tri-Metro Conference crown on May 16.

At True Team state, Stars placed 12th with 153.5 points, 73 points behind 11th place Winona while Rocori won the state title with 601.5 points.

Seniors Ashley Fisher and Brooke Wisdom picked up the majority of the team points. Fisher won the 100-meter dash final in a season-best time of 12.22 seconds.

Wisdom was third in the pole vault clearing the bar at 10 feet, 6 inches. She was fifth in the triple jump 34-8 1/2 and 16th in the long jump going 15-3 3/4.

Senior Isabel Tri reached personal bests in the throwing events finishing 17th in the discus at 86-8 and 22nd in the shot put 27-5 3/4. Tri was 12th in the 300 hurdles in 51.91 and 13th in the 100 hurdles in 17.51.

Sophomore Claire Kuntz was 17th in the 400 with a personal record of 1:06.79. Classmate Mia Elm was 12th in the triple jump with a personal record of 32-2 3/4 and 21st on the pole vault clearing 6-0.

The Stars joined Kennedy and Richfield at the Tri-Metro Conference Championships at Columbia Heights on May 14 and May 16.

Holy Angels’ girls dominated the field winning with 168 points, 44 points clear of runner-up DeLaSalle while Richfield edged out Kennedy by 2.5 points (64-61.5) for fifth and sixth places, respectively.

Individually, Fisher swept the 100 (12.35) and 200 (25.10, season-best) while Richfield senior Janiya Moore was second in the 200 final with a personal record of 25.42 and third in the 100 final in 12.68.

Fisher also swept the horizontal jumps winning the long jump with a personal record of 17-8 and went 36- 3 1/4 to win the triple jump. Wisdom was fourth in the triple jump going 32-10 and Mia Elm was seventh going 31-8 1/4.

In the long jump, Kennedy’s Daphne Such was fourth at 15-6 1/2 while Stars Audrey Erickson and Elm were fifth (15-4) and sixth (15-1), respectively.

The Stars added personal records in the 400 and 800 events with sophomores Adeline Judson and Claire Kuntz each placing third. Judson finished in 1:02.75 in the 400 and Kuntz finished in 2:32.45 in the 800.

Kennedy sophomore Mischa Campos-Taylor was fourth in the 400 in a personal record of 1:03.13 while Stars junior Cora Kmiec was ninth in the 800 in 2:36.90.

Stars senior Caroline Pierce turned in strong finishes in the distance events winning the 3,200 in a personal record of 12:33.05 and third in the 1,600 run in a season-best time of 5:42.01.

Tri swept the hurdles winning the 100 hurdles in 16.88 a personal record and the 300 hurdles in 48.66 a season best.

Kennedy junior Daphne Such won the pole vault clearing 11 feet for a personal record while Stars’ Wisdom was second clearing 10-9 which was also a PR. Richfield sophomore Addy Taylor was fourth going over the bar at 7-6.

In the relays, the Stars 4x200 relay of Calli Holmes, Judson, Isabella Bonadonna and Erin Spence posted the winning time of 1:47.93.

In the 4x100 it was a second-fourth finish with Richfield’s team of Nyla Fisher, Jazara Moore, Madison Munro and Janiya Moore finishing second in 49.86; Holy Angels was third in 50.35 with the team of Holmes, Widsom, Spence and Bonadonna; Kennedy was fourth in 52.02 with the group of Avriana Jackson, Monica Tyler, Kaliyah Taylor and Daphne Such in 52.02.

Kennedy senior thrower Latasha Carter was second in the discus (101-05) and set a new personal record on the shot put to place third in 30-6 1/2. Richfield senior Parker Pollis was third in the shot put at 29-6 1/2 and Kennedy senior Michelle Sarpong was sixth with a personal record of 27-6. Tri was eighth for AHA going 25-2 1/2. Tri was fifth in the discus (81-05) and Richfield junior Bryn Belland was sixth with a personal record of 80-01.

Kennedy sophomore Angelanna Tillman and Holy Angels’ junior Alexis Heminover each cleared 4-8 to share third place in the high jump.

In the boys standings, Kennedy edged out Holy Angels for third place by 1.5 points (100.5-98) with Richfield finishing fifth (91.5). DeLaSalle won the boys title with 157.5 points and second-place Fridley (109).

Holy Angels picked up wins in the middle, distance, and throwing events with sophomore Louis Ahern sweeping the longest events including the 1,600 run in a personal record of 4:56.57 and the 3,200 run in 10:22.93. Sophomore Thomas Hopkins won the 800 in 2:04.69 and was third in the 1,600 with a personal record of 4:39.18.

Senior Jake Zitek hit new personal records while winning the shot put (46-8) and discus (135-00) while Kennedy sophomore Jayveon Kelly was second in the discus (126-05) and third in the shot put (43-10 1/2) with both results a personal record.

Richfield senior Joaquin Jamison soared over the high jump bar set at 6-3 as the Tom Spooner Award winner won the conference high jump title while classmate Musa Sanneh was third at 5-10 which was also a personal record.

Kennedy senior Jerrik Miller won the 110 hurdles in 15.96.

Kennedy senior Enoch Dablaka was third in the 100 finals in 11.43 and classmate Yoonis Hashi was sixth in 11.55. The pair were sixth and eighth in the 200 with Hashi (23.63) and Dablaka (24.12), respectively.

Richfield’s Jamison was third in the 400 final in a season-best 51.09 and fourth in the 200 final in 23.52. Sanneh was fifth in the 400 final with a personal record of 51.13 and fifth in the 200 final with a 23.59.

Richfield sophomore pole vaulters picked up team points with Joshua Punzal placing second and Brendan Smith finishing fifth as each cleared the bar set at 10 feet.

In the jumps, Kennedy junior Ammar Elmustafa reached a personal record to place fourth in the triple jump at 39-11 and classmate Roosevelt Osano was ninth going 37-9 1/2.

In the long jump, Kennedy seniors Esosa Ogbebor and Antonio Wendlandt finished fifth (20-6) and sixth (19-10), respectively. Sophomore Ryan Kruger was eighth with a personal record of 18-7 and Richfield junior Drew Bartle was seventh clearing 19-8 and placed 11th in the triple jump going 37-5.

In the relays, all three schools were on the podium to pile up the team points. Richfield won the 4x800 relay in 8:44.06 with the group of Smith, Knut Linne, Tait Johnson and Thomas Madrid with Holy Angels’ team of Elias DeCrans, Xander Atiq, Sawyer Johnson and Samuel Rodriquez-Paiz in 8:46.79 and Kennedy was third in 9:00.33 with the relay of Daviyon Lofton, Sid Rezac, Hunter Heinz and Osano.

Kennedy won the 4x400 with Ogbebor, Jaden Baidoo, Braden Rhodes and Lofton in 3:32.89.

In the 4x200 relay, Richfield’s team of Sanneh, Lindberg, Bartle and Jamison was second in 1:32.82 and Kennedy’s Miller, Kruger, Ogbebor and Wendlandt was third in 1:33.33.

Kennedy’s 4x100 relay team of Hashi, Miller, Wendlandt and Dablaka was second in 43.83.

Jefferson

Jefferson was at the Metro West Conference Championships at New Prague Wednesday with the boys garnering 101 points to share third place with Orono while Waconia held off Chaska by 10 points (141-131) for the crown.

The Jefferson girls picked up 55 points to place seventh among the eight teams.

The Jaguars were crowned champions in two events on the boys side with the 4x800 relay of Patrick Altstatt, Andres Westanmo, Alexander Altstatt, and Forrest Noeske posting the winning time of 8:21.30.

Senior David Schiller won the discus going 155-08 and was fourth in the shot put going 44-10 1/2.

Junior Zach Tapajna was second in the 3,200 with a personal record of 10:05.84 and fourth in the 1,600 with another personal record of 4:39.26.

Noeske was fourth in the 800 in 2:01.57 and also ran the third leg of the Jaguars’ third-place 4x400 relay which finished in 3:32.58 with Westanmo, Joe Nyagaka and Ismail Ali.

Senior Ethan Ishaug was third in the pole vault clearing 12-6 and Westanmo was fifth clearing 11-6.

Senior Daniel King cleared 19-2 to place seventh in the long jump.

The top performances for the girls included two relays finishing second including the 4x800 relay of Avery Rich, Maren Myers, Jamie Drewitz, and Megan Schrooten in 9:56.00.

The 4x100 relay of Alyssa Atkins, Kaylynn Barns, Giada Requejo, and Alorah Czeskleba finished in 51.72.

Junior Charlotte Bellmont was third in the discus going 96-06 and was seventh in the shot put with a personal record of 30-7 1/4.

Sophomore Brooke Paetzel was third in the triple jump with a personal record of 33-9 1/2 and Barns was fifth in the long jump going 15-4.

Sophomore Sara Grant set a personal record to place fifth in the 300 hurdles in 50.44 and Rich was also fifth in the 3,200 run in 12:03.36.

Czeskleba was fourth in the 100 in 13.21 and Schrooten was fifth in the 800 run in a personal record of 2:22.95.