OAK PARK HEIGHTS — The Stillwater girls track and field team ensured a full schedule of events in this week’s state meet after capturing the Section 4AAA championship on Thursday, May 30 at Stillwater Area High School.
The Ponies totaled 269 points to outdistance White Bear Lake (156.5) by a comfortable margin for the program’s third straight section crown. Woodbury (146) and Two Rivers (121.5) followed in third and fourth.
“We were just thrilled,” Ponies coach Travis Birklid said. “We felt pretty confident going into it and we knew if everybody trusted their training and themselves that’s probably what would happen and it did.”
Stillwater produced 15 individual state entries and qualified three of its four relays. The Ponies will be represented in 14 of 18 events at state.
“To have 14 of 18 (events) represented is pretty rare,” Birklid said. “It’s so cool, but it’s one event of anxiety after another — but also excitement.”
State bids were earned with a top-two finish in each event, along with any athlete or relay meeting the state qualifying standard — which occurred in two events for the Ponies.
Junior Liberty Quast ensured a busy state meet after winning three individual section titles and contributing to Stillwater’s first-place 4x100 relay team that also includes Angela Taylor, Cayman Pagel and Anya Williams. They posted a winning time of 48.55 to finish just ahead of the runner-up team from Woodbury (48.80).
Quast also placed first in the 100- (12.54) and 200-meter (25.34) races and also soared to a victory in the triple jump with a distance of 37- 1/2. Quast already holds Stillwater’s school record in the triple jump and enters the state meet ranked second in school history behind Alexis Pratt in the 100 and 200 meters.
Stillwater will be represented at state by two athletes in the 400 meters after junior Karina Fischer (57.06) and seventh-grader Ari Riser (57.51) placed first and third in the section meet. Fischer’s time was just .02 off the school record held by Cathy Anderson since 1980 while Riser’s time ranks No. 3 on the program’s all-time list in the event.
“It’s almost like you have video game characters you can just press the button and they’re going to do what they’re supposed to do out there,” Birklid said. “They’re so reliable and you show up and they are just pure professionals and get the job done. I’m spoiled having them on the team and it’s so consistent meet after meet after meet. The kids call that cheat codes, it’s like I have a cheat code in a video game.”
Sophomore Greta Shockey focused on longer races throughout most of the season, but advanced to state with a second-place finish in the 800 with a time of 2:22.14.
“This was her second one (800),” Birklid said. “She would have contended in the mile and two-mile, but we knew this was her best opportunity and it really turned out nice. She was boxed in right away, but made a smart move on that last 300.”
Tartan’s Ellie Volkers won both hurdles events, but Stillwater landed second in both. Senior Kayla Kajer advanced to state with a runner-up time of 16.36 while junior Ella Martens, in her first year competing in track, advanced with a second-place time of 45.85 in the 300 hurdles.
Kajer also advanced to state in the high jump after placing second with a height of 5-0. Teammate Anya Williams won the event after clearing 5-4.
“She has been dinged up and we held her out of conference, but she’s toughed it out and I was really proud of her for getting in and dealing with some pain in her foot,” Birklid said of Kajer.
Stillwater qualified three athletes for state as part of an impressive showing in the long jump. Williams (17-8), Taylor (17-7) and Pagel (17-6 1/2) finished 1-2-3 in the event and all three bettered the state qualifying standard.
“To have them all hit auto is pretty special, and they’re all seniors,” Birklid said. “They get along and compete well with each other so that is pretty special.”
They have been reliable and versatile performers all season and the coach was pleased to see them rewarded.
“It’s similar to Liberty and Karina, they just show up and put up bombs in the long jump pit,” Birklid said. “It’s going to be a pretty big hole (next year) without those three.”
Stillwater totaled 11 first-place finishes in 18 events and Sylvia Boyum contributed one of those with a victory in the shot put with a toss of 38-6.
Sophomore Nora Tweed advanced to state with a victory in the pole vault with a height of 9-11.
“Sylvia showed up and smashed that (PR) and everything she has been doing,” Birklid said. “It was cool to see that — and Tweed in the pole vault was pretty big, too.”
Stillwater also qualified with first-place finishes in the 4x200 and 4x400 relays. Martens, Katie Fischer, Riser and Karina Fischer posted a winning time of 1:44.43 in the 4x200 relay while Martens, Riser, Casey Johnston and Karina Fischer won by more than a second in the 4x400 relay with a time of 4:03.99.
“I think in the finals we showed up, which was great,” Birklid said. “There was a little bit of a headwind, too, so for the sprinters to be hitting some of these auto times was icing in the cake. We’ve got gamers and they showed up great.”
The Class AAA state meet was scheduled to begin on Thursday, June 6 and will continue with finals in most events on Saturday, June 8 at St. Michael-Albertville High School.
Team standings
1. Stillwater 269; 2. White Bear Lake 156.5; 3. Woodbury 146; 4. Two Rivers 121.5; 5. St. Paul Central 90; 6. Cretin-Derham Hall 60; 7. Tartan 59.
Stillwater results
100 — *1. Liberty Quast (St) 12.54; *2. Gabrielle Gerlach (Wo) 12.66; 4. Cayman Pagel (St) 13.11.
200 — *1. Liberty Quast (St) 25.34; *2. Gabrielle Gerlach (Wo) 25.59.
400 — *1. Karina Fischer (St) 57.06; *2. Charlotte Kusch (SPC) 57.44; *3. Ari Riser (St) 57.51; 6. Madison Komarek (St) 1:03.02.
800 — *1. Maggie McEllistrem (TR) 2:18.29; *2. Greta Shockey (St) 2:22.14.
1,600 — *1. Laura McClary (SPC) 5:03.26; *2. Sarah Vaske (Wo) 5:12.04; 10. Casey Johnston (St) 5:48.87; 13. Meredith Christensen (St) 6:02.89; 18. Zola Tuccitto (St) 6:40.63.
3,200 — *1. Laura McClary (SPC) 1:01.96; *2. Sarah Vaske (Wo) 11:26.41; 12. Meredith Christensen (St) 13:25.55; 13. Jaclyn Jurek (St) 13:31.24; 16. Addison Bergstad (St) 14:17.70.
100 hurdles — *1. Ellie Volkers (Tar) 15.54; *2. Kayla Kajer (St) 16.36; 5. Mana’olana Kavapalu (St) 17.34; 6. Addison Brekke (St) 18.02.
300 hurdles — *1. Ellie Volkers (Tar) 45.76; *2. Ella Martens (St) 45.85; 6. Lucy Wilcek (St) 49.56; 7. Addison Brekke (St) 50.30.
4x100 relay — *1. Stillwater (Angela Taylor, Liberty Quast, Cayman Pagel and Anya Williams) 48.55; *2. Woodbury, 48.80.
4x200 relay — *1. Stillwater (Ella Martens, Katie Fischer, Ari Riser and Karina Fischer) 1:44.43; *2. White Bear Lake, 1:45.28.
4x400 relay — *1. Stillwater (Ella Martens, Ari Riser, Casey Johnston and Karina Fischer) 4:03.99; *2. Two Rivers, 4:05.00.
4x800 relay — *1. Two Rivers, 9:34.77; *2. Woodbury, 9:38.83; 4. Stillwater (Jenna Kurth, Lauren Willhaus, Ruby Peterson and Lucy Schacht) 10:30.31.
Long jump — *1. Anya Williams (St) 17-8; *2. Angela Taylor (St) 17-7; *3. Cayman Pagel (St) 17-6 1/2.
Triple jump — *1. Liberty Quast (St) 37- 1/2; *2. Samantha Tretter (Wo) 35-11 3/4; 3. Karina Fischer (St) 35-6 3/4; 6. Katie Fischer (St) 33-10.
Shot put — *1. Sylvia Boyum (St) 38-6; *2. Karen Enow (WBL) 37-8; 7. Karley Galowitz (St) 31-5 3/4; 10. Segolene Yemmene (St) 29-3.
Discus — *1. Keira Windish (WBL) 121-6; *2. Karen Enow (WBL) 110-1; 3. Isabel Isaacson (St) 102-4; 5. Sylvia Boyum (St) 96-9; 7. Segolene Yemmene (St) 92-9.
High jump — *1. Anya Williams (St) 5-4; *2. Kayla Kajer (St) 5-0; 13. Olivia Madison (St) 4-2.
Pole vault — *1. Nora Tweed (St) 9-11; *2. Ellie Kessler (TR) 9-5; 3. Nora Ribolzi (St) 8-11.
* State qualifier
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