MOVING ON — Fairmont’s David Maakestad glides over a hurdle in the 300-meter event to place first at Thursday’s Section 2A, Sub-Section 5 track & field competition in Mapleton. Maakestad, along with Blue Earth Area’s Gabe Smith (right), qualified for next week’s sectional competition in Mankato. Smith placed third in the event. (Photo by Greg Abel)

MAPLETON — Cardinals advanced in nearly every event.

Fairmont won both the girls and boys team portions of the Section 2A Sub-Section 5 Meet Thursday in Mapleton.

Fairmont’s girls scored 286 to beat Blue Earth Area (129), Martin County West (74), New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva (65), United South Central (60), Madelia/Truman/Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Martin Luther (35) and Maple River (30).

The Cardinal boys led the meet with 199.5 points, while Maple River (144) took second, BEA (127) finished third, NRHEG (67) claimed fourth, USC (56.5) took fifth, MCW (49) finished sixth and the Jayhawks (40) took seventh.

The top four competitors in each individual event qualified for the section meet and they will join the top two teams in each relay.

Fairmont started qualifying individuals for next Saturday’s 9:30 a.m. Section 2A meet at Mankato West early. Field events at the section meet start at 9:30 a.m., prelims on the track begin at 10 a.m. and the track finals begin at 11 a.m.

The Cardinals’ 4×800-meter relay teams both qualified, with the girls taking first.

Hannah Neusch, Carys Gudahl, Tabitha Thatcher and Ellie Ortega took gold after Thatcher overtook USC’s team and built a 20-meter lead before handing off to Ortega, who built to a 150-meter win in 10:46.76, while NRHEG’s team placed second at 11:19.95.

The Cardinal boys team of Taylor Austin, Ty Nawrocki, Isaac Sheard and Connor Artner took second in 9:11.48 after MCW’s squad took the lead during the first leg and held on throughout for a top time of 8:47.94.

Ellie Hernes advanced for the Cardinals in the long jump with a leap of 16-4.5, while Brooklyn Meyer advanced with a second-place jump of 15-4.25 and Emily Frank took third at 14-11.25 to advance. BEA’s Haley Kalis claimed fourth with a leap of 14-2.

Hernes then earned herself a section spot in the 100-meter high hurdles with a time of 16.2, while BEA’s Eloise Blair timed in at 17.01 for second. Fairmont’s Hadley Artz claimed third at 17.81 and Meyer finished fourth at 17.86 for an area sweep.

Hernes (37-1), Frank (34-4.25) and Jazlyn Geerdes (31-10.5) all advanced in the triple jump, while the Jayhawks’ Johnnie Zaharia added a fourth-place leap of 30-6.5, before Hernes claimed a spot in the 300-meter hurdles with a first-place time of 49.21, while BEA’s Blair took second at 50.18.

Sabrina Segar then claimed the first of her two spots advancing for the Cardinals, with a win in the 100-meter dash at 13.57. MCW’s Kari Matejka finished second with a time of 13.76 and BEA’s Blair took third with a time of 14.01.

Segar also advanced in the pole vault when she cleared 8-6 for third, while the Cardinals’ Rachel O’Connor took second at the same height and BEA’s Addison Armstrong cleared 9-0 for first.

On the boys’ side, Hudson Artz took the first of his three golds for Fairmont in the 100 with a time of 11.34, while BEA’s Riley Anderson took second at 11.65 and Fairmont’s James Johnson finished third when he timed in at 11.94.

Artz then claimed gold in the open 400 with a time of 51.68, while the Jayhawks’ Ryan Koberoski took second at 53.22 and BEA’s Gabe Torres finished third in 55.15.

Artz added a final gold in the 200-meter dash at 22.98, with teammate David Maakestad finishing second at 23.9 and the Jayhawks’ Koberoski taking third with a time of 24.23.

“We’ve just been waiting for a nice warm day without major wind,” Fairmont head coach Bob Bonk said. “The kids performed remarkably. Every relay was by far their best this year. The big guns, as always, came through. Ellie (Hernes), Hudson (Artz) and Laura (Thompson), Sabrina (Segar), too. She (Segar) runs well in the 100, but nothing compared to her 4×100. That was a fun, fun finish. … The girls’ 4×200 and 4×400 were much better than they were all year, and the 4×800, considering they didn’t have Laura (Thompson) or Macy (Hanson) in there, did a really nice job.

“The horizontal jumps, the 300 hurdles, the girls were dominant. I would say this, in the boys event, is as good an area in the throws as any. There was concern we wouldn’t get a lot of throwers, but we got our three best boys and two best girls. I think we got all we can possibly get in the throws, led by Hank Artz with a great throw over 48 feet in the shot. … Overall it was a great day for most events, and we haven’t had many meets with more than three or four teams and it was nice to get a bigger meet.”

Maakestad added an easy gold in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 41.38, while BEA’s Gabe Smith took third at 43.75 and Fairmont’s Kainen Craig claimed fourth with a time of 45.09.

Fairmont nearly swept the top three spots in all three girls distance races.

In the 800-meter run, Ortega and Neusch led the whole way through the race, finishing at 2:38.44 for first and 2:39.49 for second, respectively, while Gudahl surged for a comeback in the final 50-meters moving from fifth to third and running a time of 2:50.4.

Laura Thompson grabbed the first of her golds to lead the Cardinal girls sweep of the 1,600 with a time of 5:22.98, while Macy Hanson took second at 5:37.8 and Thatcher claimed third at 6:14.46.

Thompson then dominated the 3,200 with a time of 11:35.21, while Hanson finished third at 12:10.34. MCW’s Katie Hartke split the pair and ended the Cardinal run of distance sweeps with a second-place time of 12:09.46.

MCW’s Makena Larson won the girls’ portion of both the shot put (39-4.5) and the discus (103-8), while Fairmont’s Segar took second in the shot put with a heave of 36-6 and the Cardinals’ Natalie Tonne took fourth at 33-3. Tonne added a toss of 96-0 for second in the discus. The Cardinals’ Shaye Dietz cleared 4-10 for first in the high jump, while BEA’s Sophie Keister tied for second at 4-8 and Fairmont’s Hannah Linse took fourth at the same height.

Fairmont’s three other girls relay teams all advanced.

The 4×100 team of Linse, Meyer, Ellie Schultze and Segar won when Segar overcame a 10-meter defecit as the anchor, beating BEA’s team for the top spot. Fairmont timed in at 52.75, for a season’s best, while BEA took second at 53.09.

The Cardinal 4×200 team of Schultze, Meyer, Carissa Saxton and Moeller won when Saxton overtook BEA’s team in the third leg and Moeller held on as the anchor. Fairmont ran a time of 1:52.36, again a season’s best, while BEA took second in 1:55.23.

The Fairmont 4×400 team of Hadley Artz, Moeller, Saxton and Thompson won after Saxton overtook BEA’s team for a five-meter lead to hand off to anchor Thompson, who built a big advantage in her lap. Fairmont finished in 4:16.33 for first, while BEA’s squad used a time of 4:21.99 for second.

BEA’s Te’a Armstrong collected a gold in the 200-meter dash with a time of 28.02, while MCW’s Matejka took second at 28.07 and Fairmont’s Karalyn Closs (29.08) and Frank (29.4) grabbed third and fourth, respectively.

BEA’s Addison Armstrong joined her sister with a gold in the 400 when she ran a time of 1:03.71. Armstrong and Fairmont’s Moeller (1:03.64) ran neck and neck until Armstrong pulled ahead on the final straightaway. The Jayhawks’ Zaharia finished third in 1:06.85.

William Saari qualified for the Cardinal boys in the 1,600 with a fourth-place finish in 5:05.96, while MCW’s Jamesson Forsberg (5:02.24) placed second and the Jayhawks’ Josiah DeMaris claimed third at 5:05.15.

Fairmont’s Hank Artz outdid his seeding throw in the shot put with a heave of 48-1.5 for first, while the Cardinals’ Noah Rahm (44-8) took third and BEA’s Nick Frank (47-8.5) finished second.

BEA’s Cameron Germain (2:12.47) finished second, Fairmont’s Andrew Johnson (2:12.49) took third and the Cardinals’ Connor Artner (2:14.12) claimed fourth to all advance out of the 800-meter run, while MCW’s Jake Harris took the top spot in the 3,200 with a time of 10:49.28, before Fairmont’s Saari (11:09.63) finished second and the Cardinals Alex Cruz (11:17.91) took fourth. The Jayhawk’s DeMaris (11:17.14) just held off Cruz for the third-place spot.

Austin Thielfoldt claimed gold for the Bucs in the long jump with a leap of 19-6, while Isaiah Lockwood took fourth for the Cardinals at 17-4.5.

Fairmont’s 4×200 boys relay team of James Johnson, Trey Tumbleson, Craig and Maakestad claimed first with a time of 1:35.24 to advance.

BEA advanced with a first-place time of 45.71 in the 4×100-meter relay, while MCW took the top spot in the 4×400 with a time of 3:42.05.

Fairmont’s Sawyer Tordsen (123-5) will continue his season in the discus after placing third, as will BEA’s Luke Norman (128-3), who took second, and Frank (122-6) who finished fourth.

Fairmont’s Armando Hernandez finished second in the triple jump with a leap of 38-7.25, while the Cardinals’ Lockwood took fourth at 37-3.75. Hernandez added a tie for second in the high jump when he cleared 5-6.

The Cardinals’ Craig will continue competing in the pole vault after finishing fourth when he cleared the bar at 9-6.

Section 2A Sub-Section 5 Meet

Boys Division

Team standings: 1. Fairmont 199.5; 2. Maple River 144; 3. Blue Earth Area 127; 4. New Richland-H-E-G 67; 5. United South Central 56.5; 6. Martin County West 49; 7. Madelia/Truman/GHEC/Martin Luther 40.

(Top four individuals, top two relay teams advance to sections.)

100: 1. Hudson Artz (F) 11.34; 2. Riley Anderson (BEA) 11.65; 3. James Johnson (F) 11.94; 4. Max Seltun (NRHEG) 12.1.

200: 1. Hudson Artz (F) 22.98; 2. David Maakestad (F) 23.9; 3. Ryan Koberoski (GHEC) 24.23; 4. Isaac Burgett (USC) 24.7.

400: 1. Hudson Artz (F) 51.68; 2. Ryan Koberoski (GHEC) 53.22; 3. Gabe Torres (BEA) 55.15; 4. Brock Hanson (MR) 56.48.

800: 1. Daniel Nydegger (NRHEG) 2:09.61; 2. Cameron Germain (BEA) 2:12.47; 3. Andrew Johnson (F) 2:12.49; 4. Connor Artner (F) 2:14.12.

1,600: 1. Cole Stencel (MR) 5:00.42; 2. Jamesson Forsberg (MCW) 5:02.24; 3. Josiah DeMaris (GHEC) 5:05.15; 4. William Saari (F) 5:05.96.

3,200: 1. Jake Lewis (MCW) 10:49.28; 2. William Saari (F) 11:09.63; 3. Josiah DeMaris (GHEC) 11:17.14; 4. Alex Cruz (F) 11:17.91.

HH: 1. Will Trio (MR) 16.33; 2. Riley Staloch (USC) 16.73; 3. William Tuttle (NRHEG) 18.02; 4. Michael Proehl (MR) 19.11.

300H: 1. David Maakestad (F) 41.38; 2. Riley Staloch (USC) 43.54; 3. Gabe Smith (BEA) 43.75; 4. Kainen Craig (F) 45.09.

4×1: 1. BEA 45.71; 2. USC 46.59.

4×2: 1. Fairmont 1:35.24; 2. USC 1:37.27.

4×4: 1. MCW 3:42.05; 2. NRHEG 3:42.4.

4×8: 1. MCW 8:47.94; 2. Fairmont 9:11.48.

HJ: 1. Davynn Nusser (MR) 5-8; 2. (tie) Sawyer Prigge (NRHEG), Armando Hernandez (F) 5-6s; 4. Jaxon Beck (NRHEG) 5-6.

PV: 1. Brock Hanson (MR) 10-6; 2. Cale Hansen (MR) 9-6; 3. Ryan Musser (MR) 9-6; 4. Kainen Craig (F) 9-6.

LG: 1. Austin Thielfoldt (BEA) 19-6; 2. Ethan Dallman (USC) 18-8; 3. Davynn Nusser (MR) 18-4; 4. Isaiah Lockwood (F) 17-4.5.

TJ: 1. Will Trio (MR) 38-8.5; 2. Armando Hernandez (F) 38-7.25; 3. Cale Hansen (MR) 38-3.25; 4. Isaiah Lockwood (F) 37-3.75.

Girls Division

Team standings: 1. Fairmont 286; 2. Blue Earth Area 129; 3. Martin County West 74; 4. New Richland-H-E-G 65; 5. United South Central 60; 6. Madelia/Truman/GHEC/Martin Luther 35; 7. Maple River 30.

100: 1. Sabrina Segar (F) 13.57; 2. Kari Matejka (MCW) 13.76; 3. Lauren Bleess (BEA) 14.01; 4. Kyra Spies (NRHEG) 14.17.

200: 1. Te’a Armstrong (BEA) 28.02; 2. Kari Matejka (MCW) 28.07; 3. Karalyn Closs (F) 29.08; 4. Emily Frank (F) 29.4.

400: 1. Addison Armstrong (BEA) 1:03.71; 2. Corene Moeller (F) 1:04.64; 3. Johnnie Zaharia (GHEC) 1:06.85; 4. Evelyn Nydegger (NRHEG) 1:07.58.

800: 1. Ellie Ortega (F) 2:38.44; 2. Hannah Neusch (F) 2:39.49; 3. Carys Gudahl (F) 2:50.4; 4. Martha Price (MR) 2:51.24.

1,600: 1. Laura Thompson (F) 5:22.98; 2. Macy Hanson (F) 5:37.8; 3. Tabitha Thatcher (F) 6:14.46; 4. Tori Vaale (NRHEG) 6:22.38.

3,200: 1. Laura Thompson (F) 11:35.21; 2. Katie Hartke (MCW) 12:09.46; 3. Macy Hanson (F) 12:10.34; 4. Quinn VanMaldeghem (NRHEG) 13:27.97.

HH: 1. Ellie Hernes (F) 16.2; 2. Eloise Blair (BEA) 17.01; 3. Hadley Artz (F) 17.81; 4. Brooklyn Meyer (F) 17.86.

300H: 1. Ellie Hernes (F) 49.21; 2. Eloise Blair (BEA) 50.18; 3. Melany Ehlert (USC) 52.96; 4. Natalie Johnson (NRHEG) 54.55.

4×1: 1. Fairmont 52.75; 2. BEA 53.09.

4×2: 1. Fairmont 1:52.36; 2. BEA 1:55.23.

4×4: 1. Fairmont 4:16.33; 2. BEA 4:21.99.

4×8: 1. Fairmont 10:46.76; 2. NRHEG 11:19.95.

HJ: 1. Shaye Dietz (F) 4-10; 2. (tie) Ryann Klammer (MR), Sophie Keister (BEA) 4-8s; 4. Hannah Linse (F) 4-8.

PV: 1. Addison Armstrong (BEA) 9-0; 2. Rachel O’Connor (F) 8-6; 3. Sabrina Segar (F) 8-6; 4. Madison Klingbeil (USC) 8-0.

LJ: 1. Ellie Hernes (F) 16-4.5; 2. Brooklyn Meyer (F) 15-4.25; 3. Emily Frank (F) 14-11.25; 4. Haley Kalis (BEA) 14-2.

TJ: 1. Ellie Hernes (F) 37-1; 2. Emily Frank (F) 34-4.25; 3. Jazlyn Geerdes (F) 31-10.5; 4. Johnnie Zaharia (GHEC) 30-6.5.

SP: 1. Makena Larson (MCW) 39-4.5; 2. Sabrina Segar (F) 36-6; 3. Kylie Niebuhr (USC) 33-8.5; 4. Natalie Tonne (F) 33-3.

DISC: 2. Makena Larson (MCW) 103-8; 2. Natalie Tonne (F) 96-0; 3. Kylie Niebuhr (USC) 87-4; 4. Lydia Hiebuhr (USC) 84-0.