With just three teams competing, Monday’s track & field meet in the MSU,M fieldhouse was an appropriate way for Mankato Loyola/Cleveland to start its 2024 season, said first-year head coach Casey Olson.
“I think this was a really good first meet. We we’re kind of knocking the rust off today. It’s a low-stakes meet, so I think this was a good opportunity to get a mark in the system, and I think we’re going to continue to build and improve from here, and we’re going to be competitive from here.”
For Olson, a Harmony, MN native who ran for Gustavus Adolphus College before becoming a social studies teacher at Cleveland last fall, the meet was also an effective way to get started as a head coach.”
“It’s thrilling and nerve racking at the same time, but I’m mostly excited and ready to keep going. It’s a new experience for me.”
Scores for the boys teams were close. With a 57, Waseca won the meet. St. Clair/Immanuel Lutheran was second with 52, four points better than the Crusaders. On the girls side, Waseca had 67.5 points, SC/IL had 42, and the Crusaders weren’t far behind with 39.5.
Both the Crusaders boys and girls won their 4x400 relay.
After taking the baton from Gabby Bemmels, junior Savannah Meyer handed it off to her seventh-grade sister Charlotte Meyer (above). Anchoring the Crusaders, Lily Phillips crossed the finish line in 4:52.97.
Along with Chase Kijenski, Eli Blace and Preston Grams, junior TJ Waldron was a member of the Crusader’s first place 4x400 team. The quartet finished the race in 4:04.83. Waldron ran the second leg.
With an 8.29 finish, Ava Hahn was second in the 55-meter dash and just 0.01 second behind the winner. She won her 200-meter dash heat and was second overall with a 30.26 finish, a second behind the winner.
She was one of three who cleared 4-06 in the high jump, but, based on the number of tries, she ended up in fourth place. The winner cleared 4-08.
It is the first year out for the junior, who is splitting her time between track and softball.
“I’ve always wanted to do it. Mylie (Krenik) does it, and it just seemed like it was fun. I like sprinting. They kind of made me do high jump, but I guess I’m good at it.”
Krenik, a junior, was 14th in the 55-meter dash with a 9.16 finish.
Seventh grader Emma Kortuem was 10th in the 200 with a 32.18 finish.
Savannah Meyer took second in the 800 with a 2:36.92 finish. The winning time was 2:36.18. Along with Lily Phillips and Izzy Endres, the Meyer sisters also teamed up on the second-place 4x800 team. Savannah led off and handed the baton to her sister. Endres ran anchor.
Charlotte Meyer enjoys teaming up with her sister, although the siblings haven’t practiced handing off very much so far. It depends upon the race who is faster, she said. Her sister is in the 400 and 800, but not in races longer than the mile.
“She is stronger because she is older.”
Also for the Crusader girls, Maddi Huiras was second in both the 55-meter high hurdles and 55-meter low hurdles. Brienna Michels was second in the shot put. Kylie Kolars took first in the long jump and was second in the high jump.
On the Crusader boys side, eighth grader Jax Leagjeld was 17th in the 200-meter dash with a 32.49 finish.
With a 5-04 leap, junior Thayne Remiger took third in the high jump. Kijenski won the event with a jump of 5-06. Remiger was fifth in the long jump with a distance of 17-04-5. The winning jump was 19-08-5.
Seventh grader Luke Kortuem’s 1:11.60 finish in the 400-meter was good for eighth place.
Waldron came in third in the 1600 with a 5:36.01. The winning time was 5:16.88. Waldron’s teammate Soren Kelly was second with a 5:19.39 finish. Crossing the finish line in 6:33.78, seventh grader Reece Nelson was ninth.
Also for the Crusaders, Sam Vetter won the 400, and Kyle Zimmerman was second. Casey Fogal won both the 55-meter high hurdles and 55-meter low hurdles. Kijenski was second in the low hurdles. Vetter, Mitchell Buboltz, Zimmerman and Kelly teamed up to win the 4x800. Kijenski won the high jump. Alex Kruse was second in the triple jump.
The Crusaders get back on the track tomorrow (Monday) when they return to the MSU,M fieldhouse.
A few Crusaders were unable to make the meet. Assisting Olson are Loyola alum Landon Javens and Cleveland fifth-grade teacher Bree Meyer.
Jax Leagjeld in the 200.
Luke Kortuem in the 400.
Emma Kortuem in the 200.
Ava Hahn in the 200. She won her heat and was second overall.
Casey Olson took over as head coach this year. He was an assistant for the Crusader cross-country team last fall.