True Team Track State Championships

The Prior Lake girls track team had to rely on its depth a little more than it usually does.

Minus two of their top performers, the Lakers finished fifth out of nine squads at the Class AAA State True Team May 20 in Stillwater. Prior Lake was making its seventh appearance at the competition in the last eight years.

The Lakers scored 654 points. Lakeville South won the title with 794.5 points, followed by Mounds View (788), Edina (769.5) and Minnetonka (745). St. Michael-Albertville was sixth (605), followed by White Bear Lake (604), Anoka (531.5) and Eagan (522.5).

Prior Lake was missing senior Ella Francis, a three-time state qualifier, who is out for the season with a knee injury. Eighth-grader Taynain Walgrave, a top hurdler and relay member, was also out with a knee injury. Sophomore hurdlers Claire Houle and Doris Mor were also unavailable.

"We were at No. 5 and 6 on the depth chart in hurdles and in the 4x100," said Lakers coach Scot Jaenicke. "Considering that, I was real happy with our leaders and the kids who stepped up in their place. The kids had a great attitude and we had a lot of personal bests.

"Hopefully, we can get healthy here in the next couple of weeks," added Jaenicke.

Prior Lake is back on the track May 24-25 in the South Suburban Conference Championships at Lakeville North.

Junior Madi Scholl had the Lakers' lone win at the state true team. She tied her own school record in the high jump, winning with a height of 5-6.

Eighth-grader Mallory Stach finished second in the 1,600 for the Lakers with a time of 5:07.86 and was sixth in the 3,200 (11:22.28). Sophomore Kristyn Arends was runner-up in the 400 (58.58) and sixth in the 800 (2:19.99).

Prior Lake's 4x200 relay team of seniors Olivia Schroeder, Nicole Hoepner and Alyssa Altendorf and sophomore Hannah Caldwell finished second (1:46.33). The 4x400 team of Scholl, Schroender, Arends and sophomore Serena Pfeiffer was fifth (4:07.05), while the 4x800 team of Pfeiffer, senior Olivia Thielen, junior Grace Jondal and sophomore Jadin Heilman was sixth (9:55.97).

The 4x100 team of Altendorf, ninth-grader Lexi Wiskow, junior Meghan Keating and sophomore Cassandra Flaata ended up seventh (52.61).

Caldwell finished fifth in the 100 (13.03), while Hoepner was eighth in the 200 (26.82) and ninth in the 100 (13.18). Junior Gabi Brinkley took seventh in the 3,200 (11:29.50).

Sophomore Madison Bremer was eighth in the high jump (5-2), while Jondal finished seventh in the pole vault (9-6). Senior Hannah Duckson ended up eighth in the shot put (36-9).

Other finishes: Scholl in the 100 hurdles (11th, 16.53) and the 300 hurdles (14th, 48.82), junior Christina Hanson in the 100 hurdles (15th, 17.33), Brinkey in the 1,600 (14th, 5:27.87), sophomore Gwen Anderson in the 1,600 (16th, 5:33.88), Thielen in the 400 (11th, 61.32), Pfeiffer in the 800 (2:25.22), Caldwell in the 200 (10th, 26.98), Altendorf in the 200 (16th, 27.20), junior Sophie Zak in the long jump (16th, 15-8) and triple jump (16th, 33-0 1/2), Bremer in the triple jump (15th, 31-1 1/2), senior Sarah Ring in the high jump (14th, 5-0), junior Lauren Benedict in the pole vault (16th, 8-0), Duckson in the discus (14th, 106-10) and senior Jazmen Henderson in the shot put (11th, 35-0) and discus (11th, 110-05).

First long course meet for Mike!!

Day 1 swim meet at the University of MN in the books!  50 meters is a lot farther than a 25 yard pool.  Mike got up there, and swam like a champ.  Got 10 th place out of 24 swimmers in the 50m backstroke, and got a GREAT time too!  For never even practicing in a Olympic sized pool.   Tomorrow he swims the 50 m freestyle and the 50 m breaststroke.  GO MIKE!!

Girls Track is going to State!!!!

The Prior Lake girls track outlasted the competition at the Section 3AAA True Team May 10 in Apple Valley.

The Lakers earned their seventh trip to the Class 3A state meet in the last eight years, winning the section with 976.5 points. Rosemount was Prior Lake's biggest challenger, finishing second (916.5).

Eastview was third (772), followed by Bloomington Jefferson (752.5), Shakopee (730), Apple Valley (578.50), Burnsville (598), Chaska (449) and Bloomington Kennedy (278).

The state meet is set for May 20 in Stillwater at 3 p.m.

Meanwhile, the Lakers won five individual events and the section true team and was runner-up in nine, including three relays.

Sophomore Hannah Caldwell was a double winner for Prior Lake, taking the 100 meters with a time of 13.31 and the 200 (26.37). Sophomore Kristyn Arends was in the top spot in the 400 (58.83), while eighth-grader Mallory Stach claimed the 1,600 (5:06.55) and was runner-up in the 800 (2:20.73).

Senior Ella Francis won the long jump (16-3 1/4) and was second in the 100 hurdles (16.60) and the pole vault (10-6).

The Lakers' 4x200 relay team of Arends, seniors Alyssa Altendorf and Nicole Hoepner and sophomore Claire Houle was second (1:48.41), as was the 4x400 team of Stach, junior Madi Scholl, senior Olivia Thielen and sophomore Serena Pfeiffer (4:10.36) and the 4x800 team of Thielen, Pfeiffer, junior Grace Jondal and sophomore Jadin Heilman (9:58.72).

The 4x100 team of senior Olivia Schroeder, ninth-grader Lexi Wiskow, Altendorf and Hoepner was fifth (52.31).

In the high jump, the Lakers went two-three-four. Scholl was runner-up (5-2), followed by Maddy Bremer (5-0) and senior Sarah Ring (5-0).

Junior Gabi Brinkley was second in the 3,200 (11:37.07) and sixth in the 1,600 (5:21.84). Houle was second in the 300 hurdles (49.69), while Scholl was third (50.0). Junior Christina Hanson was fourth in the 100 hurdles (17.28), while Scholl was sixth (17:41).

Arends was fifth in the 800 (2:23.43), while Jondal tied for fifth in the pole vault (8-6).

Senior Jazmen Henderson was third in the discus (112-6) for Prior Lake and sixth in the shot put (34- 2 3/4). Senior Hannah Duckson was fourth in the shot put (35-10 1/2) and sixth in the discus (105-0).

Other finishes: Hoepner in the 200 (7th, 27.54), Thielen in the 400 (9th, 1:02.56), Hanson in the long jump (8th, 15-2 3/4), junior Sophie Zak in the long jump (15-0 1/4), Bremer in the triple jump (8th, 32-10) and junior Ashlynn Pepper in the shot put (33-11 1/2).

Following the state true team, the Lakers will compete in the South Suburban Conference Championships May 24-25 at Lakeville North.

Yesterday's Track meet....

YEAH LAKERS!!!

Strong depth continues to be the best friend of the Prior Lake girls track team.

But the Lakers are not void of top-end talent either. Both were on display at the South Suburban Conference Relays May 3 with Prior Lake winning handily with 212 points.

Rosemount was a distant second (177), followed by Lakeville South (134), Shakopee (133), Eastview (130), Lakeville North (109), Burnsville (89), Apple Valley (75) and Farmington (59).

The Lakers will compete in the Wayzata Relays May 6, before setting their sights on the Section 3AAA True Team May 10 in Apple Valley, which starts at 4 p.m. Last year, Prior Lake had its strong of six straight berths into the state true team meet snapped.

Meanwhile, at the SSC Relays, Prior Lake claimed the top spot in two relays. The 4x800 team of sophomore Serena Pfeiffer, junior Grace Jondal, senior Olivia Thielen and eighth-grader Mallory Stach was first (9:44.25), as was the 1,600 sprint medley team of seniors Aylssa Altendorf and Olivia Schroeder, ninth-grader Lexi Wiskow and sophomore Kristyn Arends (4:21.79).

The 800 sprint medley team of Wiskow, Altendorf, junior Lauren Benedict and sophomore Hannah Caldwell was second (1:54.74), as was the distance medley team of Stach, Pfeiffer, Thielen and junior Gabi Brinkley (13:06.83).

The 4x200 team of Arends, Schroeder, sophomore Claire Houle and senior Nicole Hoeper was third (1:49.98), as was the 4x400 team of Caldwell, Hoepner, Arends and junior Madi Scholl (4:09.79). The 4x100 team of Caldwell, Hoepner, Schroeder and eighth-grader Taynian Walgrave ended up fourth (51.84).

Senior Ella Francis was second in triple jump (34-6) for the Lakers and tied for second in the pole vault (9-6). Scholl and sophomore Maddy Bremmer both tied for second in the high jump (5-2). Scholl was also fourth in the 300 hurdles (49.24), while Bremer was seventh in the triple jump (33-10 1/4).

Walgrave was fourth in the 100 hurdles (16.05) and fifth in the 300 hurdles (49.33).

Other Laker finishes: Brinkley in the 1,600 (5th, 5:23.34), junior Christina Hanson in the 100 hurdles (10th, 17.14) and the long jump (6th, 15-7 3/4), junior Lauren Stach in the 3,200 (6th, 12:28.75), sophomore Gwen Anderson in the 3,200 (7th, 12:30.74), senior Sarah Ring in the high jump (7th, 5-0), Jondal in the pole vault (9th, 8-6), junior Sophie Zak in the long jump (9th, 15-4 3/4) and junior Ashlyn Pepper in the shot put (10th, 35-2 1/2).