Six members of the Cardinal girls track team headed to Hamline University in St. Paul for the 2012 Class A State Track and Field Meet, Friday and Saturday, June 8 and 9. The Cardinals’ 36 points earned them third place honors, only three points behind the 2012 team champion, Blake.
It was a great season for the Cards, six school records fell, a second-place conference finish, titles at both the subsections and section meets, third place at the state meet, six All-State athletes, and a State champion.
Brooke Aeikens – State champion
It was a big day for Brooke Aeikens on Saturday. Aeikens had earned the No. 2 seed in the 100 meter dash going into the final, with a time of 12.43 seconds. The top seed, Sommer Haugrud of Pelican Rapids, had a time of 12.27. This was Aeiken’s second time in the 100 meter dash state finals.
At about the 50 meter mark, the runners looked like a wall in the close race. In the final 50 meters Aeikens and Haugrud pulled away and remained even as they approached the finish line. Aeikens edged ahead and earned a state championship by .05 seconds. Her winning time in the final race was 12.52.
All season long Brooke has been a finisher and has made a habit of slamming the door in the last 25 meters and she did it again," said coach Bo Wilke. "Brooke has won some big races in her career, but I have never seen her smile like she did after that race," Wilke said.
Katie Gruys
Katie Gruys set a personal record and extended her own school record in the discus. Gruy’s throw of 134 feet, three inches topped her best throw last season by four feet. Gruys’ discus throw earned her third place in the discus competition. In the shot put finals Gruys tossed a 411/4 feet, good enough for fifth place in the state meet.
Courtney Alama
Sophomore Courtney Alama qualified in both the 3,200 meter run and the 1,600 meter run. On Friday, the first day of the competition, Alama ran the 3,200 and placed ninth, but extended her own school record to 11:33.86.
"For sprinting events, athletes perform better in the heat, but distance runners prefer it cool and the heat of the weekend and the 3,200 on Friday, influenced Courtney’s performance on Saturday," Wilke said.
Alama finished 11th in a very competitive field of runners, with a time of 5:34.72. "Courtney was very disappointed in her performance, but she had the best season of any distance runner in Annandale history, setting records in both the 1,6000 and 3,200," Wilke said.
4×100 – second place
The 4×100 team of Calisha Norgren, Katie Provo, Jenna Loch and Aeikens took second place with a time of 49.82, being edged out by the team from Byron by .06 seconds. The time set a new Annandale school record that had stood for 32 seasons. The previous record was set by Julie Alberg, Jackie Horn, Lisa Horn and Tina Nelson; that team earned a state championship in 1980.
"I think the girls, like myself, were a little shocked by the team’s time. I knew they could go a little faster, but to take more than a second off in the 4×100 relay is remarkable," Wilke said. "I could not be more proud of these girls and the talents they have developed. It was a great day for the seniors, Brooke Aeikens and Katie Gruys to end their Cardinal careers."