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Fastest in the state

Subhead
Sandbulte ends high school track career as most decorated runner in Luverne High School history
Lead Summary
By
Jason Berghorst

“I guess you could say naturally gifted.”
That's how Ashton Sandbulte describes his athletic — and specifically running — abilities. 
“My training for track is basically the football season and working with my dad on the farm,” said Sandbulte, son of Curt and Jessie Sandbulte.
He completed one of the most decorated track and field careers in Luverne High School history last week in the state meet at St. Michael-Albertville High School. 
He won state championships in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes and anchored the 4-by-100-meter relay team, which placed second and set a school record at the state meet. 
To say that Sandbulte’s senior season was record-breaking would be an understatement. 
In the 100-meter dash, he first broke the school record his junior season and went on to break his own record four more times this season. 
Sandbulte also set the sub-section and Section 3A meet records in the 100-meter dash his senior season.
He was within four-hundredths of a second of breaking the all-time Class A state meet record in the 100 during the prelims at the state meet, establishing himself as one of the fastest high school runners ever in the state. 
“That's crazy to think about,” Sandbulte admitted. 
He also broke the school record earlier this season in the 200-meter dash and broke it twice more at this year’s state meet, in addition to being the anchor of the record-breaking 4-by-100-meter relay team. 
“Until this year I hadn’t really thought of the 200 record, but as it got closer, I knew I wanted to get it,” Sandbulte said. 
“It felt good to have such a successful state meet. There was some pressure and expectations going in,” said Sandbulte, who had the fastest 100-meter speed in the state ahead of the state meet. “It was a relief to win, to be honest.” 
The recent LHS grad began his track and field career in seventh grade and first competed at the state track meet in ninth grade. He was an alternate, and when an older member of the 4-by-400-meter relay was unable to compete, Sandbulte stepped in and ran the fastest time in the relay. 
The pandemic canceled his sophomore season in 2020. 
His final two seasons have been nothing short of historic, however. 
 
‘Coachable and team-oriented’
“Ashton has grown into an extremely coachable and team-oriented kid,” said Pete Janiszeski, LHS head track and field coach.
“Everything I asked him to do for the team this season he accepted without ever batting an eye,” Janiszeski said.
“Anything that was going to benefit his teammates he was willing to do. … As a coach, these are the things you hope to instill in your athletes and the things that make you most proud.” 
Two examples of Sandbulte’s willingness to do what’s best for the team occurred at True Team meets this season when he also ran the 400 and competed in the long jump, entering the maximum number of events in order to gain the most points for his team. 
Sandbulte ended up finishing in the Top 10 all-time for LHS in both events. 
In fact, according to Janiszeski, Sandbulte recorded Top 10 all-time LHS performances in seven different events during his career as a Cardinal: the 100, 200, 400, long jump, 4-by-100 relay, 4-by-200 relay and 4-by-400 relay. 
 
Friendly competition and good coaching
When asked what he enjoys most about track, Sandbulte, who also was a standout running back for the Cardinal football team, said he enjoys how track is both a team and an individual sport. 
“I also like how there’s a lot more interaction with the athletes from other schools,” he said. “You really get to know your competitors but it’s in a way more positive way. In football it seems like you dislike your opponents, but in track you meet more people from other schools on good terms.” 
Sandbulte gave the example of competitors from different Section 3A teams coming together for a photo at the state meet. 
Known for his flowing hair on the track, Sandbulte surprised many at the state meet when he came to race with short, dyed-blonde hair. 
He and senior teammate Eli Radtke both sported the new hairstyles to add some fun to their final track and field meet. 
“We wanted to do something fun and different, while still being respectable,” Sandbulte said, “I'm kind of known for my hair so it was funny. I started talking to some guys from other schools and they didn’t even realize it was me at first.”
Sandbulte plans to continue his track career at Valley City State University in Valley City, North Dakota, next year, where he will also play football for the VCSU Vikings. 
When asked what he would miss most about Cardinal track, Sandbulte recognized his coaches while looking to the team’s future. 
“First, we have great coaches,” Sandbulte said,
“Coach J (Janiszeski) is known all around the area as a great coach. He’s just a well-rounded coach who knows what he’s doing. We even have kids from other schools tell us they wish they had a coach like J. That says something.” 
He also mentioned assistant coach Jodi Nelson, who works with the sprinters on the team. “She’s a great coach, too.” 
Sandbulte added that the future looks bright for the Cardinal track and field program. 
“The team will be very good in the future with a lot of talent coming up,” he said. “For how young they are, they all did very well at state.”
Whatever success the team has in the future, it may be a while until another LHS track athlete puts his or her name on the record board as many times as Sandbulte has.

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