Track and field roundup: Minnewaska hurdler eyes a 2nd title – West Central Tribune

ST. MICHAEL — Owen Meulebroeck has gotten better compared to his state championship showing at last year’s Minnesota State High School League Class A State Track and Field Championships.

In 2024, Meulebroeck was the boys’ 300-meter hurdles champion in 39.86 seconds. Now in his senior season, Meulebroeck ran a personal best of 39.56 on Tuesday at St. Michael-Albertville High School.

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But, while Meulebroeck has gotten better, so has the competition.

Meulebroeck finished third overall in prelims behind Osakis’ Andrew Jones (37.86) and Pelican Rapids’ Aiden Checco de Souza (39.62).

“People have gotten faster,” Meulebroeck said after the prelims, “but it kind of pushes me just to do better. It was fun to run a PR.”

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In analyzing his race, Meulebroeck liked his start but says he “stuttered” on a few hurdles. Cleaning that up will be paramount to his chance to repeat as a state champion.

With no plans to compete in track in college, Meulebroeck hopes his finale is strong.

“Adrenaline will definitely be pushing me knowing it’s going to be my last race,” said Meulebroeck, who plans to attend North Dakota State for mechanical engineering.

“Hopefully it all goes good.”

The Class A finals are scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at St. Michael-Albertville. The Class AA prelims take place at 9 a.m. Wednesday, with the finals set to begin at 9 a.m. Thursday.

Another defending state champ from Minnewaska secured a medal on Tuesday.

Junior thrower Jayda Kolstoe finished fourth in the girls’ discus. Kolstoe’s best toss was her first of the competition with a personal record of 126 feet, 1 inch. That beat her previous PR by an inch.

“It felt really good knowing that it was a good mark to start,” Kolstoe said. “It felt really good coming off the hand.”

Kolstoe’s second-best throw was in the finals at 124-0.

Clearbrook-Gonvick’s Allison LaVine won the discus at 146-3. Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda’s Alabama Hoonhorst was second at 129-11 and West Marshall’s Emily Marquis was third at 128-4.

Kolstoe finished ahead of Litchfield’s Chloe Kowalczyk. The top seed heading into state, Kowalczyk’s best toss, 123-9, put her in fifth.

It was a return to form for Kolstoe in discus. She previously qualified for state as a freshman and an eighth-grader but missed out last season as a sophomore.

“Stuff started clicking again,” Kolstoe said on making it back in discus. “It just made me feel better knowing that I was back to where I was before.”

Now, her focus changes to shot put on Wednesday. She won the shot put last season with a toss of 43-9.25. She’s the 10th seed with a qualifying toss of 36-8.

“Just knowing I was able to do really well in discus, I know that it’ll go well with my shot,” Kolstoe said.

Sophia Vogel won’t have too much time to practice with her teammates in Central Minnesota Christian’s 4×100-meter relay.

Turns out, she’ll have a busy finals with three events on Wednesday.

Vogel qualified for the girls’ 300 hurdles finals with a fifth-place time of 44.91. She’s one of three area girls to make the finals in that event, joining Benson/Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg’s Ava Noble (second, 43.99) and Minnewaska’s Lauryn Ankeny (seventh, 45.64). St. Paul Academy’s Elizabeth Tuttle is the top seed at 43.82.

Vogel is also competing in the girls’ triple jump on Wednesday. She’s the eighth seed at 35-9.5.

Vogel, along with Stella TeBrake, Naomi Asake and Carene Jean Louis, took third in prelims in the 4×100 relay at 49.40. Concordia Academy is the top seed at 48.77.

She also placed 14th in the 100 hurdle prelims at 16.14.

“I felt really well prepared for today, especially since I’ve been here the past two years,” Vogel said. “Having this experience and knowing what the meet is like and knowing what is coming ahead I think prepared me really well for today.”

Vogel’s in the second flight of the triple jump. The 4×100 finals are slated for 6:05 p.m. and the 300 hurdles finals are at 6:32.

That’s not a lot of time to refocus. But Vogel isn’t daunted by that fact.

“I’ll keep my legs loose, warm and ready for that 4×1,” Vogel said. “Since my events are so close, I don’t do a lot of warming up with my relay teammates but I stay warm throughout the meet. Make sure I’m taking carbs when I need them, drink a lot of water and just sit, relax and then check in when I’m ready and just go.”

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• Lac qui Parle Valley/Dawson-Boyd senior Brayson Boike was unable to repeat as the boys’ triple jump champion. He finished 10th with a leap of 43-0. He won state last season at 45-3.25. Osakis’ Trenton VanNyhuis won at 45-3.5. VanNyhuis was the runner-up to Boike last season. Boike competes in two more events Wednesday: the high jump and the long jump.
• The Minnewaska boys’ 4×100 relay got the two seed for the finals. Tristan O’Neil, Kaiden Harvey, Carter Meyer and Asante Adams ran a time of 43.19. The top seed is Minneapolis North at 42.81.
• Montevideo’s Adam VanBinsbergen is finals bound in the boys’ 800 with a time of 1:57.39. That time was good for fifth place. The top seed is Grand Meadow/LeRoy-Ostrander/Kingsland/Southland’s Tate Goergen at 1:55.54.
• Along with qualifying for the girls’ 300 hurdles, Ankeny is the seventh seed in the 100 hurdles at 15.46. Tuttle is also the top seed in the 100 hurdles at 15.13.
• LQPV/D-B’s Brynn Gloege is headed to the finals in the girls’ 800 run after placing fourth at 2:19.21. Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton’s MaKenzie Westphal is the top seed at 2:17.10.
• The Litchfield girls’ 4×100 relay reached the finals. The quartet of Samantha Turck, Josy Turck, Eden Harless and Josie Bjorkman placed eighth at 49.96.
• The Benson/KMS and Minnewaska girls both have relay teams in the 4×400 finals. The Braves’ Carly Tolifson, Kaida Helgenset, Izzy Wirth and Noble were second at 4:02.73. The Lakers’ Dacia Fleury, Nori Song, Olivia Danielson and Ankeny were eighth at 4:04.04. The top seed is Park Rapids at 3:59.48.

Joe Brown / West Central Tribune