Track and field roundup: Osakis' Stewart Jones and Kiley Kranz break conference records to lead teams to wins

The 2023 Prairie Conference meet on Wednesday was a big day for the Osakis track and field program as both teams won the conference title and broke some records.

The Osakis girls track and field team continued their dominance in the Prairie Conference by winning their 20th conference meet title in the last 21 years, after posting a team score of 129 at St. John’s University on Wednesday.

The girls win was led by a record-breaking performance by Kiley Kranz in the shot put. Kranz finished with a personal record with a throw of 42-05.50 and broke the conference record that was previously set by Jessica Bliese of Osakis (2017) and it broke the school record that was set by Elizabeth Pahl.

She also won the discus with a personal record of 119-07, and Madison Douvier finished second in the discus (88-11) and in the shot put (35-06.00).

Sam Stuve / Alexandria Echo Press

Along with Kranz’s win, Kiana Kendall won the 100m (13.50), 200m (27.74), and Kaia Fiskness won the 400m (1:00.72). Osakis also had wins with Stephy Marthaler, Kaelyn Walker, Hailey Walker, and Kendall 4x100 (53.70) and Addison Wildman, Ally Boyer, Hailey Walker, Addison Roering, won the 4x400 (1:54.14).

Roering also won the 300m (51.50).

“The win for the girls was a special one with us winning the conference ten years in a row (20 out of the last 21 years),” VanNyhuis said. “It shows the culture that has been established and the continued work that has been put in by the girls over the years. These seniors (Kiley and Madi) have worked so hard over the years. So it was special to see them have great performances and lead us in this win. They've bought into what we do 100 percent and that permeates through the team.”

The Osakis boys also won their conference title with a score of 118 to win their sixth conference title in seven years.

“After scouting out the other teams, we knew that St. John's was going to be scoring a ton of points in the open events on the track,” Osakis head coach Lee VanNyhuis said. “We knew that we had to get a bunch of points in the field events, to gain a sizable lead before the track events got going. We also wanted to try to win all the relays, since we thought they'd put their best runners in open events. We did both of those things.”

Stewart Jones broke the conference record in the 300m hurdles (42.10), which was previously held by Brad Stish of Royalton (1999). That time is a personal record for Jones and was one of four first place finishes Jones had.

He also won the 110m hurdles (16.16), the high jump (5-10.00) and long jump (20-06.25).

Osakis dominated the relays, winning first place in three out of the four relays.

The boys won the 4x100 with Keaton Lien, Noah Goodwin, Jack Petrich, and Duncan Tronicke (53.70), the 4x200 with Kaleb Helberg, Trenton VanNyhuis, Noah Goodwin, and Tronicke (1:38.01) and 4x400 with Helberg, Trenton VanNyhuis, Joseph Aaser and Zackery Bruder (3:42.32).

McCarter Kirksey won the shot put (44-02.50).

At the start of the week, the SIlverstreaks were dealt a tough blow with Brennen Gustafson suffering a sprained ankle. But the SIlverstreaks found a way to rally.

“Our top sprinter sprained his ankle in practice on Monday,” VanNyhuis said. “That really changed things for us. Based upon the seed times, St.John's and us should score about the exact same number of points, there was really no room for error. I thought if we could find a way to score 100 points that we'd have a really good chance of winning. So that was the target for us. The boys really exceeded the expectations that we had for them. We had a ton of PRs in the field events. That set the tone early, and they all kept their focus and intensity level high through the duration of the meet.”

Osakis is now set for the sub-section meet in Barnesville at 3:30 p.m. on May 25, 2023.

PRAIRIE CONFERENCE MEET -

GIRLS TEAM SCORES - 1. Osakis, 129; 2. Browerville, 67; 3. Upsala-Swanville, 66; 4. Long Prairie-Grey Eagle, 48; 5. St. John’s Prep, 43

BOYS TEAM SCORES - 1. Osakis, 118; 2. St. John’s Prep, 96; 3. Browerville, 60; 4. Long Prairie-Grey Eagle, 43; 5. Upsala-Swaville, 36

OSAKIS GIRLS TOP-SIX FINISHES - 100m - Kiana Kendall, 1st, 13.50; 4. Kaelyn Walker, 14.05; 5. Stephy Marthaler, 5th, 14.70; 200m - Kiana Kendall, 1st, 27.74; Emma Nobles, 5th, 30.55; 400m - Kaia Fiskness, 1st, 1:00.72; 800m - Kaia Fiskness, 2nd, 2:33.61; Bella Weisser, 4th, 2:39.64; 3200m - Olivia Christians, 6th, 15:20.84; 100m hurdles - Addison Wildman, 3rd, 18.04; Harlie Schwope, 4th 19.27; 300m - Addison Wildman, 1st, 51.50; Harlie Schwope, 5th, 55.66; 4x100 - Stephy Marthaler, Kaelyn Walker, Hailey Walker, Kiana Kendall, 1st, 53.70; 4x200 - Addison Wildman, Ally Boyer, Hailey Walker, Addison Roering, 1st, 1:54.14; 4x400 - Kaelyn Walker, Bella Weisser, Abbi Helwig, Ally Boyer, 3rd, 4:26.90; 4x800 - Bella Weisser, Abbi Helwig, Natalie Albert, Ally Boyer, 3rd, 11:13.59; Shot put - Kiley Kranz, 1st, 42-05.50; Madison Douvier, 2nd, 35-06.00; Annie Anderson, 3rd, 30-04.00; Discus - Kiley Kranz, 1st, 119-07; Madison Douvier, 2nd, 88-11; Addison Kranz, 5th, 78-05; Long jump - Kiana Kendall, 2nd, 15-00.50; Kaelyn Walker, 3rd, 14-07.50; Stephy Marthaler, 6th, 13-07.50; Triple jump - Bella Weisser, 2nd, 29-11.50; Harlie Schwope, 3rd, 29-08.00; Stephy Marthaler, 5th, 28-07.50;

OSAKIS BOYS TOP-SIX FINISHES - 100m - Keaton Lien, 3rd, 11.98; 200m - Duncan Tronicke, 3rd, 24.40; Keaton Lien, 4th, 24.77; 400m - Kaleb Helberg, 5th, 56.19; 800m - Zackery Bruder, 2nd, 2:09.49; 3200m - Jaxon Christner, 4th, 12:29.08; Chase Johanson, 6th, 14:07.97; 110m hurdles - Stewart Jones, 1st, 16.16; 300m hurdles - Stewart Jones, 1st, 42.10; 4x100 - Keaton Lien, Noah Goodwin, Jack Petrich, Duncan Tronicke, 1st, 46.78; 4x200 - Kaleb Helberg, Trenton VanNyhuis, Noah Goodwin, Duncan Tronicke, 1st, 1:38.01; 4x400 - Kaleb Helberg, Trenton VanNyhuis, Joseph Aaser, Zackery Bruder, 1st, 3:42.32; 4x800 - Joseph Aaser, Jaxon Christner, Zackery Bruder, Trenton VanNyhuis, 2nd, 9:03.74; Shot put - McCarter Kirksey, 1st, 44-02.50; Jack Petrich, 4th, 37-08.00; Mikkel Stienert, 5th, 37-04.00; Discus - McCarter Kirksey, 2nd, 125-00; Logan Karnes, 3rd, 117-07; Kaleb Helberg, 4th, 117-02; High jump - Stewart Jones, 1st, No. 5-10.00; Noah Goodwin, 2nd, 5-10.00; Long jump - Stewart Jones, 1st, 20-06.25; Zackery Bruder, 4th, 18-01.50; Triple jump - Duncan Tronicke, 2nd, 38-07.00;

Sam Stuve / Alexandria Echo Press

The Minnewaska girls track and field finished as the best in the West Central Conference Championships as they scored 162.1 meet points

“The girls are really starting to hit their stride and it’s a huge point of emphasis to stay focused and stay hungry going into this Saturday’s State True Team meet,” Minnewaska boys head coach Zach Traphagen said. “It’s a very exciting time of the year, and we believe the best is still yet to come.”

The Minnewaska Lakers had eight wins, including Jayda Kolstoe’s wins in discus (92-03.00) and the shot put (34-01.75) and Phemie Oeltjen won the pole vault (8-00.00).

Elsey Hagen won the 3200m run (12:43.15), while Lauryn Ankeny won the 300m hurdles (48.15) and McKenzie Luetmer won the (1:00.62).

The Lakers won the 4x800 with Luetmer, Brooke Kolstoe, Olivia Danielson, and Teagan Stark (10:32.11) and the 4x400 with Stark, Danielson, Luetmer and Ankeny (4:11.55).

On the boys side, the Lakers played fourth.

“The boys finished fourth overall behind some very good competition which will only make us better,” Traphagen said. “We saw some very good results from kids hitting new PRs, but saw some inconsistencies in other areas. Really proud of the progress this team has made. Now we can focus on cleaning up a few things, get some time to rest and get healthy, and be at our best for the Sub-Section meet next Tuesday.”

Sauk Centre won the meet with 179 points.

For the Lakers, Maeson Tank won the 400m (51.99) and was on the winning 4x800 relay team with James Ward, Jayce Kovarik and Nick Ankeny (8:47.60).

The Minnewaska girls compete in the Class A True Team State Meet on Saturday, May 20, 2023, at 10 a.m. in Stillwater.

The West Central Knights also competed in the meet and placed seventh in both.

The WCA girls scored 40 points and were led by a fourth-place finish in the triple jump by Jayden Styba (31-06.25) and by Terina Blascyk in the high jump (5-00.00).

The WCA boys scored 52 points and Roman Mihailovschi won the high jump (6-00.00).

The Knights also compete in the sub-section meet in Barnesville on May 25, 2023.

GIRLS TEAM SCORES - 1 . Minnewaska, 162.1; 2. Benson/Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg, 104; 3. Melrose, 102; 4. BOLD/Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart, 99.6; 5. Morris/Chokio-Alberta, 83.1; 6. Sauk Centre, 70.2; 7. West Central Area, 40; 8. Montevideo, 34

BOYS TEAM SCORES - 1. Sauk Centre, 179; 2. Montevideo, 137.5 ; 3. BOLD/Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart, 98; 4. Minnewaska, 81; 5. Benson/Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg, 59; 6. Morris/Chokio-Alberta, 52.5; 7. West Central Area, 52; 8. Melrose 42

MINNEWASKA GIRLS TOP-SIX FINISHES - 4x800 - Brooke Kolstoe, Olivia Danielson, Teagan Stark, McKenzie Luetmer, 1st, 10:32.11; 100m - Mya Lindemann, 3rd, 13.31; Dacia Fleury, 6th; 4x200 - Teagan Stark, Esryn Dahl, Dacia Fleury, Mya Lindemann, 2nd; 4x100 - Alannah Christensen, Brooklyn Meyer, Lyla Stadtherr, Payton Andreas, 5th, 55.58; 400m - McKenzie Luetmer, 1st, 1:00.62; 300m hurdles - Lauryn Ankeny, 1st, 48.15; 800m - Olivia Danielson, 2nd, 2:29.95; Brooke Kolstoe, 5th, 2:38.75; 200m - Mya Lindemann, 3rd, 27.23; Lauryn Ankeny, 3rd, 27.61; 3200m - Elsey Hagen, 1st, 12:43.15; Kiearra Wilmes, 2nd, 12:49.73; 4x400 - Teagan Stark, Olivia Danielson, McKenzie Luetmer, Lauryn Ankeny, 1st, 4:11.55; Long jump - Lauryn Ankeny, 4th, 15-00.75; Triple jump - McKenzie Luetmer, 5th, 31-05.00; Dacia Fleury, 6th, 31-04.75; Pole vault - Phemie Oeltjen, 1st, 8-00.00; Lexi Bosek, T4th, 7-00.00; Shot put - Jayda Kolstoe, 1st, 34-01.75; Discus - Jayda Kolstoe, 1st, 92-03.00; Olivia Danielson, 5th, 81-01.00;

MINNEWASKA BOYS TOP-SIX FINISHES - 4x800 - James Ward, Jayce Kovarik, Nick Ankeny, Maeson Tank, 1st, 8:47.60; 110m hurdles - Owen Meulebroeck, 5th, 17.44; 4x200 - Carter Meyer, Kaiden Harvey, Owen Meulebroeck, Asante Adams, 3rd, 1:36.90; 1600m - Nick Ankeny, 6th, 5:05.13; 4x100 - Tristan O’Neil, Kaiden Harvey, Conner Stein, Carter Meyer, 4th, 46.67; 400m - Maeson Tank, 1st, 51.99; 300m hurdles - Owen Meulebroeck, 3rd, 42.97; 800m - Maeson Tank, 2nd, 2:04.49; James Ward, 6th, 2:15.20; 3200m - Zachary Palmer, 3rd, 11:08.20; Triple jump - Blake Andreas, 6th, 37-02.00; High jump - James Ward, 6th, 5-04.00;

WCA GIRLS TOP-SIX FINISHES - 100m - Keira Gehrke, 5th, 13.24; 4x200 - Keyanna Gehrke, Macy Grosz, Whitney Westrom, Keira Gehrke, 6th, 2:00.99; 1600m - Kyra Beyer, 5th, 5:52.35; 4x100 - Keyenna Gehrke, Madelyn Westrom, Whitney Westrom, Keira Gehrke, 6th, 55.67; 3200m - Taylor Bennett, 5th, 13:28.62; Long jump - Jayden Styba, 6th, 14-09.25; Triple jump - Jayden Styba, 4th, 31-06.25; High jump - Terina Blascyk, 4th, 5-00.00; Keira Gehrke, 6th, 4-08.00; Shot put - Maci Robinson, 5th, 30-08.75;

WCA BOYS TOP-SIX FINISHES - 4x100 - Grant Lindquist, Braydon Stark, Roman Mihailovschi, Anthony Sykora, 5th, 47.12; 4x400 - Braydon Stark, Anthony Sykora, Eli Bergman, Roman Mihailovschi, 2nd, 3:37.24; Long jump - Grant Lindquist, 5th, 18-07.75; Triple jump - Grant Linquist, 5th, 37-04.50; High jump - Roman Mihailovschi, 1st, 6-00.00; Braydon Stark, 3rd, 5-08.00; Shot put - Isaac Kreft, 5th, 40-01.00; Discus - Benjamin Nyreen, 5th, 118-01;