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Jun. 5—ST. MICHAEL — Maddison Molacek's redemption arc is complete.
At last season's Class AA State Track and Field Championships, Molacek scratched all three of her throws in the girls' discus. She did not place at state.
Back on Friday on Day 1 of the Class AA state meet, the Willmar junior got a mark. As it turns out, she got the best mark in Class AA history.
Molacek claimed the discus championship with a throw of 143-8 inches at St. Michael-Albertville High School.
"I came in with so much confidence," Molacek said. "I knew my abilities and I had no doubt that I was gonna throw nothing less than what I did."
The Willmar girls had three medalists on Friday. That put the Cardinals in first place in the team standings through four events with 27 points. St. Peter is in second with 23.
Molacek opened the day with a throw of 142-3. That was the best after one round. And, she had a mark on the board. It was time to build from there.
"Hearing a good mark right away is always awesome," Molacek said. "You don't have to worry about it. You can let it rip and see what happens. If it's bad, it doesn't matter because you still have a really good mark before that."
Her second throw was her best of the day and set a new Class AA state meet record. Molacek's first throw in the finals was her best at 141-2.
Molacek was the only athlete to throw over 140 feet. Stewartville's Ella Theobald, last year's state champion, placed second at 132-0.
"It's unreal," Molacek said. "I can't explain how I feel."
And, Molacek wasn't the only Cardinal on the podium. Willmar freshman Isabelle Engel placed fifth with a top throw of 121-3.
"I really wanted it but honestly, I didn't think I was gonna get it," Engel said. "But this last week, I've been doing a lot of footwork and my coaches have been helping me. I realize a lot of it is mental, too. You have to get out of your head."
Willmar freshman Cami Oehlers missed out on the finals after placing 11th at 114-10. The top nine earn medals.
"I'm so glad we got to do that," Engel said of standing on the podium with her teammate. It would have been so much better if Cami was up there with us, too. But it was awesome just getting to experience that."
The trio will have another chance to get three medals. Molacek, Engel and Oehlers are all returning next season.
"We've definitely shown that all the work that we put in has paid off for all of us," Molacek said.
Willmar senior Mallory Beier had to regroup after some near-misses on the track.
Competing in three events on Friday, disaster struck for the girls' 4x100-meter relay when the Cardinals dropped the baton on the final handoff. The quartet of Lily Bastin, Kamryn Zwagerman, Mallory Swenson and Beier finished in 21st place in 54.43 seconds. They came in seeded 10th.
Then in the 400, Beier was the first out of the finals after finishing 10th in 59.11. The final spot went to Westonka's Morgan Johnson at 58.75.
"We were really confident in our 4x1 but it didn't go as planned," Beier said. "You just have to shake it off and put it all into your next event."
As disappointing as the track events went, Beier more than made up for it in the long jump.
Beier capped off her prep career with a second-place jump of 18-7. Her high mark came on her first jump of the day.
"First jump, just like last year, I set a good PR there," said Beier, who placed fourth as a junior at 17-8.75. "I was free from there. ... It makes me more comfortable. I can settle in after that."
The 18-7 was the top jump in prelims. In the final, Minneapolis Southwest's Logan Webster took the top spot with her first jump at 19-1.
"(Webster's) been hurt all year," Beier said. "She kind of came out of the dark."
Beier added, "I gave it all I could."
Beier was still pleased with her day. She set a new personal best. And her track and field career will continue in college at Minnesota State-Mankato. She plans on competing in the long jump and the 400 for the Mavericks.
"I'm proud to end the year this way," Beier said.
Elsewhere for the Willmar girls, junior Allison Mages was 12th in the 3,200 with a time of 11:56.44. St. Peter's Keira Friedrich won at 10:28.34.
All Owen Sportel wanted was to get onto the podium.
The Willmar sophomore earned that chance after taking eighth in the boys' 300 hurdles prelims with a time of 40.43.
"I wanted to make it to finals," Sportel said. "Now I'm there (on the podium), no matter what place I get."
Blake's Otis Friesen is the top seed with a qualifying time of 38.46. The 300 hurdles final is set for 12:11 p.m. Saturday back at St. Michael.
Now the goal is to get a new personal best. Sportel set that at the Section 8AA championship at 39.62.
Although he's been dealing with shin splints on his right leg in the buildup to state, Sportel hopes the competition pushes him to a new high mark.
"I was just thinking, 'Just don't underperform,'" Sportel said. "I missed my PR by a decimal, so I'm not mad at that. I just wanna go out tomorrow and improve. Show out a little bit."
Also competing on Saturday for the Willmar boys is sophomore Samuel Huisinga. He's the third seed in the boys' discus at 172-1.
The Cardinals had two relays compete on Friday. The 4x400 relay of Sportel, Bentley Nash, Briar Schuett and James Groen just missed out on finals with a 10th-place time of 3:28.38. The 4x100 team of Kailen Thompson, Alex Groen, Schuett and Nash was 15th at 43.54.
Continue reading...
At last season's Class AA State Track and Field Championships, Molacek scratched all three of her throws in the girls' discus. She did not place at state.
Back on Friday on Day 1 of the Class AA state meet, the Willmar junior got a mark. As it turns out, she got the best mark in Class AA history.
Molacek claimed the discus championship with a throw of 143-8 inches at St. Michael-Albertville High School.
"I came in with so much confidence," Molacek said. "I knew my abilities and I had no doubt that I was gonna throw nothing less than what I did."
The Willmar girls had three medalists on Friday. That put the Cardinals in first place in the team standings through four events with 27 points. St. Peter is in second with 23.
Molacek opened the day with a throw of 142-3. That was the best after one round. And, she had a mark on the board. It was time to build from there.
"Hearing a good mark right away is always awesome," Molacek said. "You don't have to worry about it. You can let it rip and see what happens. If it's bad, it doesn't matter because you still have a really good mark before that."
Her second throw was her best of the day and set a new Class AA state meet record. Molacek's first throw in the finals was her best at 141-2.
Molacek was the only athlete to throw over 140 feet. Stewartville's Ella Theobald, last year's state champion, placed second at 132-0.
"It's unreal," Molacek said. "I can't explain how I feel."
And, Molacek wasn't the only Cardinal on the podium. Willmar freshman Isabelle Engel placed fifth with a top throw of 121-3.
"I really wanted it but honestly, I didn't think I was gonna get it," Engel said. "But this last week, I've been doing a lot of footwork and my coaches have been helping me. I realize a lot of it is mental, too. You have to get out of your head."
Willmar freshman Cami Oehlers missed out on the finals after placing 11th at 114-10. The top nine earn medals.
"I'm so glad we got to do that," Engel said of standing on the podium with her teammate. It would have been so much better if Cami was up there with us, too. But it was awesome just getting to experience that."
The trio will have another chance to get three medals. Molacek, Engel and Oehlers are all returning next season.
"We've definitely shown that all the work that we put in has paid off for all of us," Molacek said.
Willmar senior Mallory Beier had to regroup after some near-misses on the track.
Competing in three events on Friday, disaster struck for the girls' 4x100-meter relay when the Cardinals dropped the baton on the final handoff. The quartet of Lily Bastin, Kamryn Zwagerman, Mallory Swenson and Beier finished in 21st place in 54.43 seconds. They came in seeded 10th.
Then in the 400, Beier was the first out of the finals after finishing 10th in 59.11. The final spot went to Westonka's Morgan Johnson at 58.75.
"We were really confident in our 4x1 but it didn't go as planned," Beier said. "You just have to shake it off and put it all into your next event."
As disappointing as the track events went, Beier more than made up for it in the long jump.
Beier capped off her prep career with a second-place jump of 18-7. Her high mark came on her first jump of the day.
"First jump, just like last year, I set a good PR there," said Beier, who placed fourth as a junior at 17-8.75. "I was free from there. ... It makes me more comfortable. I can settle in after that."
The 18-7 was the top jump in prelims. In the final, Minneapolis Southwest's Logan Webster took the top spot with her first jump at 19-1.
"(Webster's) been hurt all year," Beier said. "She kind of came out of the dark."
Beier added, "I gave it all I could."
Beier was still pleased with her day. She set a new personal best. And her track and field career will continue in college at Minnesota State-Mankato. She plans on competing in the long jump and the 400 for the Mavericks.
"I'm proud to end the year this way," Beier said.
Elsewhere for the Willmar girls, junior Allison Mages was 12th in the 3,200 with a time of 11:56.44. St. Peter's Keira Friedrich won at 10:28.34.
All Owen Sportel wanted was to get onto the podium.
The Willmar sophomore earned that chance after taking eighth in the boys' 300 hurdles prelims with a time of 40.43.
"I wanted to make it to finals," Sportel said. "Now I'm there (on the podium), no matter what place I get."
Blake's Otis Friesen is the top seed with a qualifying time of 38.46. The 300 hurdles final is set for 12:11 p.m. Saturday back at St. Michael.
Now the goal is to get a new personal best. Sportel set that at the Section 8AA championship at 39.62.
Although he's been dealing with shin splints on his right leg in the buildup to state, Sportel hopes the competition pushes him to a new high mark.
"I was just thinking, 'Just don't underperform,'" Sportel said. "I missed my PR by a decimal, so I'm not mad at that. I just wanna go out tomorrow and improve. Show out a little bit."
Also competing on Saturday for the Willmar boys is sophomore Samuel Huisinga. He's the third seed in the boys' discus at 172-1.
The Cardinals had two relays compete on Friday. The 4x400 relay of Sportel, Bentley Nash, Briar Schuett and James Groen just missed out on finals with a 10th-place time of 3:28.38. The 4x100 team of Kailen Thompson, Alex Groen, Schuett and Nash was 15th at 43.54.
Continue reading...
