NYM to participate in PRC meet on Tuesday

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

With the end of their season in sight, the New York Mills track teams competed in a pair of tough meets last week. After participating in the annual Section 6A True Team meet on Tuesday in Pelican Rapids, the NY Mills Eagles made the trek down Highway 10 to take part in the 28th annual Marvin Daggett Invitational in Frazee on Thursday.

This week the Eagles will participate in the Park Region Conference track meet on Thursday night. 

Tuesday

One year after rain and cool temperatures made running a bit of a challenge at the Section 6A True Team meet, there may not have been more than a few clouds in the sky on Tuesday afternoon as the Eagles traveled to Pelican Rapids to participate in the true team meet.

The Eagles posted nine personal records at the true team meet, as well as four season best performances. Head coach Steve Dunrud said the performance is a testament to the athletes that they keep achieving personal records late in the season. He said the program’s top goal throughout the season was to work to improve each week with times and distances.

As part the true team meet, 16 teams could have up to two people participating in each individual event. 

Top finishes for the Eagles at the true team meet was Shaila Roberts who placed second in the shot put with a throw of 32’9 3/4”,
Tony Nichols who took 10th place in the long jump with a personal best mark of 19’4” and Carl Peterman who took 10th place in the discus with a throw of 95’10”.

Athletes posting a personal best time included Lily Roberts in the 100-meter dash with a time of 14.97, Lucia Constant in the 100-meter dash with a time of 15.57, Rosie Tumberg in the 200-meter dash with a time of 30.51, Lilja Pakkala in the discus with a throw of 63’4”, Ella Holmes in the shot put with a throw of 22’1 1/4”, Tony Nichols in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.28, Elijah Geiser in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:00.45 and Elijah Kaufmann in the discus with a throw of 84’9”.

Setting a personal best last week was Payton Lausten in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 56.09, the 4×200-meter relay team of Payton Lausten, Rosie Tumberg, Lilja Pakkala and Rachel Tumberg with a time of 2:09.14, the 4×100-meter relay team of Jake Martin Zavala, Carter Lien, Grayson Meyer and Tony Nichols with a time of 53.60 and the 4×200-meter relay team of Jake Martin Zavala, Carter Lien, Grayson Meyer and Elijah Geiser with a time of 1:50.9. 

Thursday

The NY Mills Eagles made the trek down Highway 10 on Thursday night for the 28th annual Marvin Daggett Hornet Invitational in Frazee. Even though the Eagles had a relatively small group of competitors, with just nine people participating in the meet due to the rest of the team competing in the Park Region Conference junior high track meet in Wadena, the team competed well in a very strong field of teams. 

NY Mills managed to place in four events, while setting six personal bests and three season best performances.

Shaila Roberts led the charge for the Eagles as she finished in second place in the shot put with a throw of 32’8”. Payton Lausten took eighth place in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 57.24.

On the boys side of the track, Tony Nichols captured third place in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.84, as well as fifth place in the long jump with a jump of 18’4”. 

Setting a personal best last week was Elijah Kaufmann in the 100-meter dash with a time of 13.89, as well as in the shot put with a throw of 26’4”, Carl Peterman in the shot put with a throw of 35’6”, Lucia Constant in the 200-meter dash with a time of 35.17, Rosie Tumberg in the 100-meter dash with a time of 15.38 and Ava Carlson in the shot put with a throw of 21’11”. 

Setting a season best time on Thursday was Elijah Geiser in the 1600-meter run with a time of 5:36.21 and Lausten in the 100-meter dash with a time of 15.25, as well as the 200-meter dash with a time of 32.44.

Head coach Steve Dunrud said the coaches are proud of the effort and class that the athletes continue to show on and off of the track. With just a few weeks remaining in their season, the Eagles will gear up for the Park Region Conference meet in Wadena on Tuesday night. Due to the unsafe heat conditions being predicted this week, the start times of some of the events on Tuesday have been changed. The field events will begin at 5 p.m., while the running events will get underway at 6:30 p.m.