Lakeville South Girls are State AA Track and Field Champs

The Lakeville South Cougars girls track and field team won just one state championship in an event, but their depth came through to earn them the state title.

The event was held on the campus of Hamline University in St. Paul. The Cougar 4x400 meter relay team of junior Haley Lubow, seniors Caroline Slattery and Kaytlyn Larson and sophomore Jenny Mosser got state title ribbons.

Lakeville South had 49.50 points to eke by St. Michael-Albertville with 46. In other Cougar results, senior Kaytlyn Larson placed second in the 800-meter run. The winner was Wayzata junior Ruby Stauber, who set a new Minnesota record of 2:06.50.

Senior Caroline Slattery was third in the 300-meter hurdles to earn all-state honors. Her time was good enough to break the AA record, but junior Meleah Biermaier of Thief River Falls had an all-time Minnesota record of 42.13. The record had stood since 1987. Slattery also achieved all-state status with an eighth-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles. Lakeville North senior Michaela Preachuk was second.

Cougar senior Kacy Rodamaker was eighth in the 100-meter dash and the 4x800 meter relay was seventh. Freshman Patty Jo English started them off followed by seniors Erin Meyers, Andrea Brekken and Kaytlyn Larson. Red Wing out of the Big Nine was fourth.

The Lakeville South 4x100 meter relay team of seniors Mallory Butchko, Kacy Rodamacher and Madison Strong was joined by junior Abby Mullenbach in achieving all-state status by finishing sixth. Lakeville North's team of seniors Clarice Tuma and Michaela Preachuk were joined by sophomores Temi Cerda and Virginia McCoy to place eighth for all-state honors.

Northfield senior Alexis Kiefer nabbed the second spot in the pole vault with a vault of 12 feet, 6 inches. Junior Andrianna Jacobs of Rochester Century is the state champion after clearing the bar at an all-time Minnesota record 13 feet, 1 inch. The previous record of 13 feet was set two years ago by Jacobs.

Junior Natalie Manders of Eastview is the champion in the discus with a toss of 153 feet, 3 inches. Rochester John Marshall junior Nicole Fautsch was fifth with a heave of 130 feet, 10 inches.

Junior Emma Christensen of John Marshall placed sixth in the 1,600-meter run.