ST. PAUL — Despite it being her final year, Fairmont Cardinal senior Jenna Pavich has the opportunity to have a first in her soon-ending prep career.

Pavich qualified as an individual in the 400-meter dash and as the anchor of the 4×800-meter relay team during the first day of the Class A state track & field meet on Friday at Hamline University.

“(It feels) great. I’ve never been to state in three events for a Saturday, so it’s going to be really amazing,” Pavich said. “It’s going to be something new for me, so I’m really excited.”

Cardinal teammate Wyatt Quiring also advanced to the open 400 finals, while Martin County West’s Marissa Whitehead and Fairmont’s Iliana Ramon placed sixth and 14th, respectively, in the 3,200-meter run’s finals.

Pavich finished fourth in her heat during the 400, racing in the same heat as returning champion and Class A record holder Chloe Bermel of Pequot Lakes. The time of 58.26 allowed Pavich a sixth overall finish and a spot in the finals. Meanwhile, Bermel finished third (57.89) behind The Blake School’s Robbie Gace (57.31) and Kya Phillips of Cristo Rey Jesuit School (56.65).

A little over an hour later, Grace Higgins led off the Cardinals’ advancing 4×400 relay team. Higgins handed off to Molly Hawkins before Joni Becker and Pavich took the third and fourth legs, respectively, in a fifth-best time of 4:02.59 to qualify for the finals.

Ironically, the identical team ran the race a year ago, finishing second to Pequot Lakes, which finished first during Friday’s preliminaries (3:57.98). Pavich believes having the same teammates in the relays will serve as an advantage as the team looks to trade in last year’s silver medals for gold ones.

“I think that definitely gives us an advantage over the other teams just to know what my teammates are going to do and what they’re capable of,” Pavich said.

Pavich begins today running the 4×800 relay with Becker, Hawkins and Iliana Ramon at 3:30 p.m. before running in the 400 finals at 5:50 p.m. Her final 4×400 relay race takes off at 6:57 p.m. today.

Like Pavich, Quiring earned a spot in the finals during the boys’ preliminary 400 by pacing a 50.58 race, good for sixth place. Tysen Schmidt of Plainview-Elgin-Millville had the fastest advancing time with a 49.17. The runners return to Hamline’s track at 5:58 p.m. today for the finals.

Whitehead shaved nearly a minute off her sectional time in the 3,200 to place sixth with a time of 11:27.90.

“I felt good coming in. It was awesome,” Whitehead said.

In a Class A state cross country flashback, Math & Science Academy’s Tierney Wolfgram won the 2-mile run in 10:41.84. Wolfgram and Whitehead went 1-2 in the meet seven months prior.

Ramon took 10 seconds off her section time to complete the 3,200-meter run in 12:01.01 for 14th place.

Fairmont hurdler Lizzy Subbert missed the 100-meter hurdles finals by 0.02 for a time of 15.61 to Osakis hurdler Kayla Sorenson’s ninth-place time of 15.59. Defending hurdles champion Millie Klefsaas was third with a time of 15.31.

Jordan’s Jenna Kes (15.24) and Belle Plaine’s Selin Dikmen (15.27) were first and second in the preliminaries and run the finals at 4:20 p.m. today.

Fairmont’s Hayden Berhow, Alli Lardy and Brenna Cutler, and Blue Earth Area’s Nicole Lium all make their state debuts at 3:30 p.m. today. Berhow competes in the high jump, while Lardy and Cutler hope to place in the shot put. Lium will participate in her first-ever state pole vault event. Also at 3:30 p.m. today, MCW’s Cora Olson looks to place in the triple jump.