Wubben, Lensing each medal twice at state track
ST. PAUL -- After the first day of the Class A Girls Track and Field Championships a small school in southwest Kandiyohi County is in second place.
After four events Friday at Hamline University, Central Minnesota Christian has 20 points. The Bluejays trail only Perham by two points.
Senior Briana Wubben piled up 10 points each in the high jump and long jump. She was second place in each.
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa is fourth on the strenghth of two high finishes by Heidi Lensing.
Four events were completed on the first day.
The Class A meet continues today at 3 p.m. with finals in all remaining events.
Linda Keller, a Paynesville senior, finished second in the 3,200 run, the only running event finalized the first day. Keller, the 2008 champion in both the mile and two mile, ran at or near the front until the last 200 meters when Maddie McClellan of Perham pulled away to win in 11:00.99.
Keller came across the line Klas Field in 11:04.25, one second off her winning time of a year ago.
She'll defend her title in the 1,600 this afternoon.
Wubben long-jumped a personal-best 18-6 in her best attempt to repeat as state champion. It took an all-time state meet record k(both A and AA) to beat her. Analisa Huschle, a sophomore from Bagley/Fosston, went an astounding 19-2¼. It beat a 12-year old record by two inches.
Lensing finished third in long jump with a leap of 18-2.
Wubben cleared 5-5 in the high jump then missed three times at 5-7. Hannah Schonhardt, a Holy Family Catholic freshman cleared the height.
Lensing finished third at 5-2.
Wubben was so busy on the first day that she nearly missed her heat in the 4x100 relay. She got pulled from the long jump pit just in time to get on the track to anchor the Bluejays' relay. The team made the finals at 51.14 and Wubben also made the finals of the 100 dash.
In the Class A boys division, Tandy Juell of Redwood Valley cleared 13-6 to finish third. Nate Walters of Litchfield was fifth in the shot put with a heave of 51-9.
In preliminaries, Justin Hanson of Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City and Travis Jimenez of Paynesville were among the top performers in both hurdles and will be contenders for the top medals today. Only Jimenez broke 40 seconds in the 300 hurdles.
Joel Bauman of Benson/KMS ran the second fastest qualifying 400 dash (50.26) and the Morris 4x400 relay is in the top four after preliminaries.
Ryan Swenson of Lac qui Parle Valley/Dawson-Boyd ran a 1:58.37, the second-best 800 time in qualifying.
Jay Hillbrands of MACCRAY moves on in the 200 (22.77), but missed out in the 100 dash.
The Benson/KMS 4x400 girls relay team posted the best qualifying time. They came in at 4:03.63, but five other teams are within a second of that time.
Defending champion Melissa Varpness of Montevideo set the pace in the two 800-qualifying heats. She posted a 2:16.59 with five other runners below 2:18.
