Rushford-Peterson Boys and Minneapolis Edison Girls State Class A Team Track Champions

Thanks in large part to multi-sport super athlete Noah Carlson, the Rushford-Peterson boys finished their season state Class A champs in track and field.

The meet was held Friday and Saturday at Klas Stadium on the campus of Hamline University in St. Paul.

The Pine Island Panthers finished just two points behind the Trojans in their quest for a state team title in boys competition.

Carlson is a junior and won the 200 meter dash, long jump and triple jump to amass 36 of his team's 57 points. He repeated championships in the triple jump and long jump.

Pine Island senior Kyle Groven finished his high school career in style with a first-place finish in the 400 meter dash and was a member of the state champion 4X400 meter relay team of seniors Mitchel Acker, Tristan Akason and junior Jack Williams. Groven also turned in a All-State performance in the 100 meter dash, finishing third.

Acker is also the 800 meter run State Class A Champ and junior Jack Williams placed fourth in that event.

The Panthers 4x800 meter relay came in fifth place and consisted of Acker, eighth-grader Connor Bailey, senior Jacob Higgins and junior Jack Williams.

In other Class A boys results, Tri-City United senior Michael McCrady was sixth in the 400 meter dash and senior Thomas Franek finished sixth in the pole vault.

Le Sueur-Henderson junior Rhett Stewart placed ninth in the 200 meter dash and was fourth in the 100 meter dash.

Faribault Bethlehem Academy sophomore Avery Hunt didn't make it to the finals in the triple jump and senior Kyle Ell cleared six feet in the high jump but didn't place in that event.

On the girls side, the Tri-City United Titans placed fifth and Waterville-Elysian-Morristown seventh with Minneapolis Edison winning the title by four points over Blake School.

Byron was 14th and Kenyon-Wanamingo 20th thanks to junior Mara Quam.

Quam defended her long jump title by having her longest jump of this season and bested her mark that won the competition last year but she finished second to junior Morgan Shindelar of Plainview-Elgin-Millville by half an inch. Quam also ended up fourth in the 100 meter hurdles and eighth in the triple jump.

The Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Buccaneers had a number of girls participate.

Defending pole vault champion Samantha Petry went into the competition with the highest vault of the season. She was the only pole vaulter to clear 11 feet, which was the height that won the title last season. This year the junior finished sixth after going only as high as 10 feet, 6 inches.

Buccaneer freshman Maelea Harmon was third in the 100 meter dash.

Senior Tierney Winter finished eighth in the 1,600 meter run and seventh in the 800 meter run.

Senior Lily Anderson was fourth in the 200 meter dash and fourth in the 400 meter dash.

Tri-City United senior Briana Berninghaus was eighth in the 200 meter dash and seventh in the 100 meter dash.

Senior Kristi Frederick collected All-State status by placing fifth in the 300 meter hurdles.

Senior Megan Rutt was third in the 100 meter hurdles, second in the high jump and third in the triple jump.

Byron junior Hannah Coleman placed ninth in the pole vault and sophomore Ayoka Lee was seventh in the shot put.