ALL-AREA BOYS TRACK AND FIELD TEAM
Spencer Lade (HLWW)
For his height and size, Spencer Lade’s jumping abilities in multiple events were something to behold.
The University of Mary signee dominated conference play in the long jump and high jump, eventually reaching the State Meet in long jump and placing fifth with a PR of 20’9.5”.
Lade won seven high jumps and five long jumps this spring while sprinkling in various other events throughout the season like 110 and 300 meter hurdles and triple jump.
Joel Selseth (Dassel-Cokato)
The 200 meter dash is one event that doesn’t necessarily have the flare of the 100 or the endurance of the 3200, but if anyone made it worth watching in the Wright County Conference, it was D-C’s Joel Selseth.
The senior took home five wins in the 200 and qualified for state with a PR of 22.70 seconds, eventually taking 14th among some elite competition at state.
He also played a big role at the true team meet which D-C qualified for, helping out depth in the 100 meter dash by placing fifth.
Selseth teamed up with three other speedsters and was part of the groundbreaking 4×100 squad that finished second at state and set a new school record.
Cole Schmidt (Delano)
Not only was Schmidt fast on his feet, he was fast in the air too. That was proven by his state qualifying time for the 300 hurdles. He ended up in sixth place out of 16 at state, tying his personal best of 40.40 seconds.
Schmidt also won three different 100 hurdle titles at various competitions this season.
Brandon Knott (HLWW)
Knott surprised some people with his state meet performance in the 300 hurdles, setting a personal best with a 41.46 time which was good for sixth place.
All of his previous nine outings in 300 hurdles leading up to state were top-four finishes. He also set some big personal bests in the 110 hurdles throughout the season, culminating in a 17.05 time at the sub-section meet.
Parker Helmbrecht (HLWW)
Hembrecht’s pole vaulting campaign was a steady upward trend. He broke the school record multiple times and didn’t lose an event until finishing an impressive fifth place at the Class A State Meet.
His 13’7” vault at the Section 5A championships was the top highlight in a season full of them, and he also threw the discus consistently all the way to the sub-section meet.
TayVaire Davis (Watertown-Mayer)
It was clear during basketball season that TayVaire Davis had that extra juice in his step. It really shined during the track and field season, where Davis was able to compete in high jump and long jump at the state meet and just missed a berth in the 100 meter dash.
His PR in the 100 dash came in at 11.30 seconds May 13 and he won three times in the course of the season. His high jump qualifier for state was a PR at 6’0” and his best long jump came at the right time, posting a 20’5” at the section meet to reach state. He finished 12th at that final meet of the best of the best in the long jump.
Collin Asplin (Dassel-Cokato)
The long-legged senior was a star in 300 hurdles all year, consistently dropping times and getting top-three finishes. His long jump performances were equally impressive.
The calling card for Asplin was as a key member of the state entrant 4×100 team that took second place with a 42.65 time. He also was a part of the 4×200 squad that narrowly missed state with a third-place landing — it was also the first time the Chargers put together a fully healthy 4×200 team.
Zach Jackson (Lester Prairie)
Not often does your third try at something land you among the best of the best, but Zach Jackson did it.
He qualified for the state event in triple jump, but prior to the section meet, he’d only attempted it twice all season. He finished 11th out of 16 at the Class A State Meet with a jump of 40’9.5”, a new personal best.
Jackson also competed in the 400 meter dash and the long jump at the Section 2A championships, placing sixth and fourth, respectively.
Dylan Nelson (Mayer Lutheran)
Everything about Dylan Nelson’s 2021 season screams top-five, and that’s because he rarely ever dipped below that ranking in any meet he competed in.
The junior took first place in the 100 meter dash four separate times and set a PR at the sub-section meet with an 11.48.
His 11.75 at the Section 2A meet was just a hair behind state qualification, finishing third.
His 200 meter dash results were just as good and just as close to state level, finishing third at the section meet with a 24.22 time.
Nelson was also a key member of the 4×100 relay squad that reached the section championships with a 46.31 time.
Blake Aurich (Mayer Lutheran)
Pole vaulting is a niche skill that takes a lot of practice. Blake Aurich made it look easy against his Minnesota River competition and the Section 2A foes, winning five times and taking fourth in the section with a PR of 11’1”.
He also was a member of the Crusader 4×100 team that reached the section championship meet.
PK Moore (Delano)
There’s something about watching sprinters reach their next gear that is exhilarating to see. PK Moore of Delano had that gear which allowed him to push across nine top-four finishes in the 100 meter dash this season, including one victory.
His personal best was accomplished at the Section 2AA meet with an 11.48, but he narrowly missed the state cut by finishing third.
Moore also had seven different top-six finishes in the 200 dash, concluding with a sixth-place stop at the section meet.
Tanner Scheevel (Lester Prairie)
Few athletes can be on top of their events in such drastically different landscapes like Tanner Scheevel was this spring for Lester Prairie. Now fully recovered from a football injury last fall, he posted five top-five finishes in the 100 meter dash and won the 200 dash once.
He trotted over to the field as well and put up big distances in shot put and discus, a personal best 39’4” at the sub-section meet in shot and a 124’7” discus back in a May conference meet. He had to scratch from both at the Section 2A championships, but will be back for more next season.
Monte Gillman (Dassel-Cokato)
Just a freshman, Gillman has all the makings of a dominant sprinter. He was one of the foursome that reached state in the 4×100 relay, where the fastest of the fast compete, and helped his squad take second place with another school record broken.
He ran the 200 meter dash consistently, placing top-three five separate times, and pole vaulted for a PR of 10’0” multiple times this year as well.
Caleb Barnhart (Watertown-Mayer)
One of the better distance runners in the area, the freshman Barnhart posted eight top-ten finishes in the 800 and 1600 meter runs combined this season.
His May 20 PR of 5:39.96 in the 1600 was a huge drop in time from early in the year, and he consistently stayed around the 2:40 mark in the 800 run.