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For the second consecutive year, the Cotter High School senior took home Section 1A wins in both the 1,600 and 3,200 meters to qualify for the state meet.
Wasinger won the 1,600 in 4:20.73 Saturday and begins the trek to defend those titles at 3 p.m. Friday at Hamline University in St. Paul in the Class 1A state meet.
“This was a good one,” Wasinger said of his time, which was a personal best by 11 seconds this season and a personal record by two seconds from his best time set last year.
It’s quite simple why Wasinger is hitting his stride.
“This is the first time I had competition all year,” Wasinger said. “It’s good to have someone out there pushing you. It was a lot more exciting.”
It was for two laps, that is. In the final two laps of the 1,600, Wasinger was in control and won by 3.81 seconds.
Others that were in control, and set meet records, were La Crescent’s Shannon Stever in the pole vault and the Lanesboro/Fillmore Central boys 800 relay team.
Stever, who is also on a 400 relay team that made it, cleared 11 feet, 3 inches, besting the old meet record by two inches. The second-best height cleared on the day was 9-2.
“I’ve gone 12 in practice, but not in a meet” said Stever, who also qualified last year.
In the boys 800, a whopping four teams made it by standard led by L/FC’s record time of 1:31.29. That team consists of Chase Anderson, Jordan Jarland, Ethan Hall and Brayden Hebl, who also qualified in the long jump (21-6¼).
The old record was 11:31.51 set in 2006 by Caledonia/Spring Grove, and that’s the team that qualified with a second-place finish (1:32.14). That team consists of Eddie Hodges, Isaac Fruechte, Andy Bauer and Cody Petersen.
Those schools each sent a pair of relay teams to state, including the defending state champions from L/FC in the 1,600. That relay actually qualified by standard with a fifth-place section finish last year and came out of nowhere to win state. This year, it’s on the opposite side of the spectrum.
“They are a unique bunch,” said L/FC coach Tom Hatleli, who watched all four of his boys relay teams break school records at the sub-section meet. “Things have just snowballed since winning last year. Right now, they’re confident, there is no doubt. The job now is to just keep the ball rolling.”
Qualifying for his second-consecutive state meet was P-E-M’s Zach Flies, but he didn’t exactly do it by the book.
The senior took fifth at state in the 110 hurdles last year, but broke his right foot in basketball in the winter.
The recovery has kept him from the pounding hurdles would do to his foot, but that didn’t stop him from getting to state.
Flies got the standard in both the discus (155-8) and the shot put (52-4½).
“It’s a little different,” he said. “I’m just glad I can go in a couple events. I knew I was on the edge to qualify and had to throw my best to make it.”
Wabasha-Kellogg’s Andrew Taubel will also be going in multiple events. The senior qualified for the 200, long jump and triple jump.
If not for Triton standout Caleb Rissman, who won four events, Taubel could have had some better finishes, including a win.
Regardless, Taubel got the standard in the 200 with a third-place finish (22.95). He took second in the triple jump (43-2½) and third in the long jump (21-6¼). Rissman won all those events and the 100.
Yvonne Freese made no doubt in getting to her first state meet. The L/FC junior won both the shot put (37-8½) and the discus (124-10). Rushford-Peterson/Houston’s Nicole Brown made it with a second-place in the discus (116-1).
Freese holds the school record in the shot (38-2½) and had a personal best in the discus Saturday, but still no school record there.
“I’m hoping to do that at state,” she said.
Like Freese, C/SG’s Samantha Wermager will be doing double duty at state. The junior won the 300 hurdles (47.9) and took second in the triple jump (33-11¾).
Making final trips to state will be R-P/H senior Kristen Ostrem and Lewiston-Altura’s Tanner Ties.
Ties got second in the pole vault (12-3). He will be making his third state appearance.
Ostrem missed out on state last year, but did qualify two years ago in the 800 and 3,200. Saturday’s second-place time of 2:23.76 in the 800 was her best time of the year.
Area State Qualifiers
Area athletes advancing to Class 1A state meet Friday and Saturday at Hamline University in St. Paul:
BOYS
200 - Andrew Taubel, Wabasha-Kellogg
1,600 - Donny Wasinger, Cotter
3,200 -Wasinger, Cotter; Tom Pesch, Plainview-Elgin-Millville
4x100 relay - Caledonia/Spring Grove (Hodges, Bauer, Fruechte, Petersen)
4x200 relay - Lanesboro/Fillmore Central (Anderson, Jarland, Hall, Hebl); Caledonia/Spring Grove (Hodges, Fruechte, Bauer, Petersen)
4x400 relay - Lanesboro/Fillmore Central (Hebl, Jarland, Anderson, Hall)
4x800 relay - Plainview-Elgin-Millville (Herrmann, Dick, Alness, Timm)
Pole vault - Tanner Ties, Lewiston-Altura
Long jump - Brayden Hebl, Lanesboro/Fillmore Central
Triple jump - Andrew Taubel, Wabasha-Kellogg
Discus - Zach Flies, Plainview-Elgin-Millville
Shot put - Zach Flies, Plainview-Elgin-Millville
GIRLS
800 - Kristen Ostrem, Rushford-Peterson/Houston
300 hurdles - Samantha Wermager, Caledonia/Spring Grove
4x100 relay - La Crescent (Stever, Benish, Schiltz, Duffy)
Pole vault - Shannon Stever, La Crescent
Long jump - Lexi Burnikel, Cotter
Triple jump - Samantha Wermager, Caledonia/Spring Grove
Discus - Yvonne Freese, Lanesboro/Fillmore Central; Nicole Brown, Rushford-Peterson/Houston
Shot put - Yvonne Freese, Lanesboro/Fillmore Central
