Huskies track tops third at state
Owatonna’s David Smith competes in a relay race at the Class AAA State True Team meet last week. Smith and the Huskies finished a program-best third at the meet. Staff photo by Jacob Seykora
The Owatonna boys track and field team finished a program-best third place with 987.5 points at the Class AAA State True Team meet last Friday at Stillwater Area High School.
Owatonna managed to edge out hosts Stillwater in the final event of the meet to earn its place on the podium.
“It’s really gratifying to see their hard work pay off and for them be able to go up to the cities and be able to compete with the best teams in the state,” said Owatonna Coach Kevin Stelter. “Obviously, they have to do it again soon for individuals, but once they get there, they know that they can run with anyone in the state.”
Owatonna’s third-place finish came down to the wire as the Huskies benefitted from a late disqualification by Stillwater in the 4x400-meter race that boosted the squad into third place.
According to Stelter, the team had figured a fourth-place finish would be likely with one event remaining; however, a late disqualification on Stillwater came after a member of the Pony’s squad was deemed by officials to have cut off a passing opponent.
Stillwater’s mistake cost the team 48 points while giving Owatonna an extra four points to create the five-point cushion that Owatonna went on to finish with to step onto the podium.
Owatonna’s Justin Gleason was the team’s lone winner on the day finishing first place in the long jump with a distance of 21 feet and 10.5 inches.
The Huskies also benefitted from three second-place finishes from Carter Johnson in the 110-meter hurdles, Ryan Gregory in the 300-meter hurdles and the team’s 4x200-meter relay squad.
Earlier in the week, Owatonna’s boys and girls teams finished first and fifth respectively at the Section 1AAA True Team meet.
Owatonna's boys squad won handily with 1,026 points while the Huskies girls team finished 27 points behind Mankato West in fifth with 778 points.
Johnson and Gregory got the job done for Owatonna in the 110-meter hurdles, with Johnson taking first and Gregory finishing in second, while Gleason won both the long jump and triple jump, and Eli Spurgeon took home first in the discus.
For the girls, the squad’s lone win came in the 4x200-meter relay where Owatonna’s team of Laken Meier, Lauren Waypa, Taylor Schlauderaff and Ava Wolfe took first with a time of 1:46.47.
Owatonna’s boys team advanced to the Class AAA State True Team meet with the win, while the girls team’s team season came to a close after finishing fifth.