, 
, 
, 
, 
The Cardinals are back-to-back Class 3A team section champions after defending their titles Thursday in Pipestone. The girls scored 118.92 points, and second-place Redwood Valley had 62. The LHS boys scored 81.66 points, beating Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta’s 67.16.
As has been the case most of the year, the Luverne Cardinals turned in multiple high-placing finishes, sending athletes in 15 events to the Minnesota state Class A meet June 9-10 at St. Michael-Albertville High School. The Cardinal girls finished fifth in the state meet last year as a team.
At the section meet this year, the qualifiers include Tenley Nelson first in the 800-meter dash in a personal record 2:20.46 — the fifth-fastest time in this year’s Class A. She was only four seconds off the top mark of 2:16.82 of Katrina Sortland of Zumbrota-Mazeppa.
Jenna DeBates had a second-place finish in the 3,200-meter dash in a time of 11:57.52. Elizabeth Wagner advances in the 300-meter hurdles after a second-place finish 48.22. Jocelyn Hart finished first in the shot put (38-11) and her sister, Jadyn Hart, finished first in the discus (112-03).
Luverne qualified several relay teams this year for the state meet, and coach Pete Janiszeski said he likes to see that. “You get more people involved, and where you may go to state in an individual event and finish out of the top nine for the podium, on a relay team with other good runners you have a good chance to make the podium,” he said.
The 4-by-800-meter relay team of Elizabeth Wagner, Tiana Lais, DeBates and Tenley Nelson finished first (9:47.93) and face the tall task of defending a three-straight championships in this relay.
Last year the team of Regan Feit, Lais, DeBates and Tenley Nelson ran 9:34.65 for the win. This year the team has run 9:38.06, which is the fastest time in Class A so far. Tenley Nelson finished fifth and Jenna DeBates finished fifth and sixth last year in the 3,200-meter run.
The 4-by-200-meter relay team of Makena Nelson, Isabella Oye, Anna Banck and Sarah Stegenga finished first Thursday in 1:51.11.
The 4-by-100-meter relay of Mia Wenzel, Banck, Oye and Stegenga finished second (52.31).
The 4-by-400-meter relay of Lais, Elizabeth Wagner, Stegenga, and Tenley Nelson also finished first (4:10.23). That time last year in the state meet would have put them seventh overall.
On the boys’ side Ashton Sandbulte won the 100-meter dash (10.91) and was second in the 200-meter dash (22.31). When asked where he gets his speed, Sandbulte said, “My dad was fast, my whole family is athletic.” (The Star Herald will feature Sandbulte’s running in the June 16 edition).
He enters the state meet with the fastest 100-meter time run this year in Class A at 10.63 and the fastest 200-meter dash in (22.25). He finished third last year in the 100-meter dash (11.02) and was part of the 4-by-200-meter relay team with Eli Radtke, who finished fifth in the 2021 state meet.
Sandbulte also was on Thursday’s first-place 4-by-100-meter relay team with Lucky Dara, Zachary Terrio and Eli Radtke, matching their season-best time of 44.61.
Radtke returns to state in the pole vault after his first-place finish (13-3) trying to better his 12th-place state finish in 2021. He is entering the meet tied for the fourth highest vault in Class A at 13-6.
The 3,200-meter run had Camden and Owen Janiszeski finishing first and second, 10.13.92 and 10:25.28 respectively. They also teamed up with Ryan Fick and Sage Viessman for a first-place finish (8:33.65) in the 4-by-800-meter relay.
LHS girls
200 9. Isabella Oye 28.09 10. Mia Wenzel 28.18 12. Anna Banck 28.47
400 5. Tiana Lais 1:04.87
800 4. Cassi Chesley 2:35.56 14. Maria Rops 2:41.94
1600 7. Grace Ingebretson 5:59.02
3200 4. Ella Schmuck 12:47.68 5. Kayla Bloemendaal 13:29.01
Shot put 3. Jadyn Hart 36-06 10. Hannah Sneller 29-07
Discus 5. Jocelyn Hart 104-06 11. Andrea Luitjens 84-10
High jump 4. Mia Wenzel 4-11
Pole vault 7. Corynn Oye 7-04
Long Jump 11. Kendra Thorson 14-10 12. Makena Nelson 14-07.75
Triple jump 9. Kendra Thorson 31-01
LHS boys
400 4. Lucky Dara 53.90 14. Zachary Terrio 58.41
800 7. Ryan Fick 2:11.16
3200 14. Sage Viessman 11:35.49
4x400 15. Lucky Dara, Ryan Fick, Ashton Hood, Zachary Terrio 4:05.32
Shot put 4. Jordan Friedrichsen 47-11 10. Elijah Woodley 42-07
High jump 8. Gavin DeBeer 5-09
Pole vault 5. Noah Mehlhaff 10-09 13. Tyler Rolfs 9-09
Triple jump 14. Gavin DeBeer 36-09