Alexandria track and field teams are consistent contenders in their section true team meets, and that was no exception this spring.

It took a bit of a wait to find out, but the Alexandria girls realized on Sunday that they won the Section 8-3A true team championship. Class 3A is the biggest class in the state as the Cardinals now get to compete against other top teams in Minnesota in a virtual state meet.

This year’s section true team meets are conducted with programs competing at smaller competitions from May 17-21 and then entering those results into a virtual meet against other section teams with every athlete’s finish counting toward a team total.

Alexandria used the scores from its meet in Brainerd on May 18 where both the boys (353 points) and girls (413.5) won. Their results from each event were entered into the virtual full section meet where the Alexandria girls finished with 730.5 points, beating a good Moorhead program that finished second with 674 points. Brainerd was third (640.5).

“We absolutely have some powerhouse athletes in some areas on our team, but we really needed our kids to develop quickly in most of the events to be the type of team that can win a true team section title where every athlete scores points based on how they place, not just the top athletes,” Alexandria girls coach Meghan Orgeman said. “This title is the reward from our girls' hard work, coachability, and championship culture...True Team Sections is one of our most important full team efforts of the year so this win means a lot to all of us.”

Alexandria got 40 points right off the bat in Brainerd when the 4x800 relay team of Greta Oldenkamp, Myah Kremer, Giselle Jahner and Emma Reineke won with a season-best performance. Orgeman said that set the tone for the level of competitiveness needed to win.

Relays earn more points than individual events, so adding a 4x200 win from Allie Randazzo, Kaia Emter, Jisella Haskamp and Miah Wessel, a 4x400 relay win from Marisa Rousu, Randazzo, Emma Reineke and Myah Kremer and a 4x100 second-place finish from Hailie Kent, Elena Fuglestad, Emter and Lexi Cole proved important.

The Alexandria girls got individual wins from Kremer (400 dash), Jaelyn Miller (800, 1600 runs), Aleah Miller (3200 run) and Cole (100 hurdles), while depth shined behind those results.

“In individual events, the goal is to place all three varsity athletes in the top 1/3 of a true team meet, or at least the top half,” Orgeman said. “Alexandria girls placed in the top half with every athlete in all events, and in the top 1/3 in 12 of 18 events.”

Alexandria has a program where athletes are encouraged to work for individual gains that better the team as a whole. That has again created a lot of depth with this group.

“They have embraced a championship culture,” Orgeman said. “They rise to every challenge to improve and they welcome strong competition. They have a burning desire for personal bests and they wholeheartedly support and push each other. This team steps into each meet willing to fight to help our overall team succeed. In every event, at every meet, athletes inspire each other through moments of greatness and perseverance, and support each other when performances fall flat. We focus on growing through discomfort and setbacks and living in the courage zone.”

The Alexandria girls will now compete at their home meet on May 27 and submit those results into a virtual state meet against the other top programs in Class 3A. Other girls section champions out of 3A are Lakeville South, Eagan, Rosemount, Maple Grove, Cambridge Isanti, Edina and Wayzata. Results should be available after the upcoming weekend.

“Our eyes are honestly set on CLC, MSHSL Sections, and state from this point on,” Orgeman said. “We are going to put together a strong lineup and compete hard to place as high as a team as we can this week in the virtual true team state meet, but our main focus is to enjoy our last home meet with our seniors and place athletes in events we need to see prior to making lineup decisions for our CLC and Section meets.”

Alex boys see quality results

The Alexandria boys (624) were second to Moorhead (739) in the final section totals and were still waiting to see if they advanced to state true team through a wildcat format as of Monday morning.

The Cardinals got two wins from Jacob Kleven in the 800 (2:02.05) and 1600-meter (4:34.01) runs during their qualifying meet in Brainerd. Both those times were personal bests. Nolan Morical won the 100-meter dash (11.27), Joel Brault won the 3200-meter run in a personal-best time of 9:55.24, and Will Heydt took the triple jump (42-04).

BRAINERD TRUE TEAM QUALIFYING MEET FROM MAY 18

ALEXANDRIA GIRLS TOP-THREE FINISHERS: 100-METER DASH - Elena Fuglestad - fifth, 13.14; Hailie Kent - seventh, 13.41; Allie Randazzo - eighth, 13.48; 200 DASH - Fuglestad - fourth, 27.56; Miah Wessel - seventh, 28.26; Jisella Haskamp - eighth, 28.47; 400 DASH - Myah Kremer - first, 1:01.77; Wessel - third, 1:03.01; Marisa Rousu - fourth, 1:03.34; 800 RUN - Jaelyn Miller - first, 2:25.89; Giselle Jahner - third, 2:28.74; Greta Oldenkamp - fifth, 2:33.38; 1600 RUN - J. Miller - first, 5:10.93; Aleah Miller - second, 5:11.27; Brynn Kosters - fifth, 5:39.65; 3200 RUN - A. Miller - first, 11:30.17; Taelor Dummer - second, 11:40.42; Emma Ecker - third, 11:44.71; 100 HURDLES - Alexis Cole - first, 16.89; Sophia Korynta - second, 17.51; Sara Eddy - fourth, 18.63; 300 HURDLES - Cole - second, 48.70; Korynta - third, 50.90; Marissa Linow - fourth, 51.60; 4x100 RELAY - second, 51.15; 4x200 RELAY - first, 1:49.34; 4x400 RELAY - first, 4:15.83; 4x800 RELAY - first, 9:56.31; HIGH JUMP - Rylee Richards - t-seventh, 4-06; Emma Ballou - t-seventh, 4-06; Wessel - 10th, 4-04; POLE VAULT - Cole - second, 8-00; Ailynn Fettig - t-fourth, 7-06; Bria Luepke - t-sixth, 7-06; LONG JUMP - Fuglestad - third, 16-01.25; Ella Steussy - eighth, 15-01.50; Kaia Emter - ninth, 14-10; TRIPLE JUMP - Marisa Rousu - fourth, 32-04.50; Elizabeth Heydt - seventh, 31-00; Steussy - eighth, 30-11; SHOT PUT - Amaria Sowada - second, 34-02.50; Sophia Vinje - fifth, 32-01.75; Sonja Schabel - eighth, 31-02.25; DISCUS - Sowada - second, 107-10; Vinje - fourth, 94-08; Gabriella Staples - 12th, 86-09

ALEXANDRIA BOYS TOP-THREE FINISHERS - 100 DASH - Nolan Morical - first, 11.27; Christian Doumbia - fifth, 11.70; Mason Teaser - 11th, 12.16; 200 DASH - Morical - second, 22.91; Doumbia - fifth, 23.77; Nicholas Huss - 10th, 24.32; 400 DASH - Jack Theien - second, 52.08; Jordan Nicholson - third, 55.23; Zachary Gundberg - fifth, 56.93; 800 RUN - Jacob Kleven - first, 2:02.05; Myles Sansted - fourth, 2:10.40; Ben Borden - 17th, 2:25.11; 1600 RUN - Kleven - first, 4:34.01; Sansted - third, 4:35.78; Evan Moore - 11th, 5:12.56; 3200 RUN - Joel Brault - first, 9:55.24; Bennett Wirth - second, 10:16.57; Hunter Mohr - 10th, 12:00.47; 110 HURDLES - Gavin Ashmore - fourth, 17.37; Samuel Williams - fifth, 17.40; Dylan Frusciante - eighth, 19.29; 300 HURDLES - Ashmore - third, 44.49; Williams - fifth, 46.02; Logan Rekedal - ninth, 48.71; 4x100 RELAY - second, 44.33; 4x200 RELAY - second, 1:34.97; 4x400 RELAY - second, 3:40.38; 4x800 RELAY - second, 8:45.10; HIGH JUMP - Morical - sixth, 5-08; Ibukunoluwa Taiwo - eighth, 5-04; Frusciante - 10th, 5-02; POLE VAULT - Huss - third, 12-00; Bryr Homelvig - fifth, 10-00; Erik Schabel - seventh, 9-06; LONG JUMP - Will Heydt - fifth, 19-05.50; Fequiere Becker - sixth, 19-03; Christian Doumbia - seventh, 18-10.25; TRIPLE JUMP - Heydt - first, 42-04; Nicholas Borden - eighth, 36-01; Tucker McGrane - 10th, 35-08.50; SHOT PUT - Joseph Lanoux - fourth, 41-09.75; Zander Homelvig - ninth, 38-03.50; Ethan Hoppe - 11th, 37-01; DISCUS - Lanoux - seventh, 111-06; Z. Homelvig - ninth, 106-09; Neko Glaser - 12th, 99-04