True Team is a concept promoting the total team, not just individual performance.  Each athlete earns points for their performance based on placement in their event. The first place team advances to the state meet with the second through fifth teams competing on a paper meet for the remaining spots at the state meet.

 

 

The Becker girls finished in fourth place, just three points behind Princeton.  This means they wait until Saturday evening to find out whether or not the Bulldogs advance. 

 

Team scores: 1). Rocori 567; 2). Monticello 463; 3). Princeton 429.5; 4). Becker 423.5; 5). Foley 203; 6). Eden Valley-Watkins/Kimball 339.5; 7). Milaca 253; 8). Zimmerman 248.5; 9). Big Lake 234.5; 10). St Cloud Cathedral 226.5.

 

Teams are each allowed two entries per individual event and one relay.  Becker’s distance girls excelled with the 4x800M relay team — consisting of Dani Nuest, Alli Hendrickson, Lexi Dehmer, and Julia Bengtson  —placing second (9:43.43 season  best time)  to Monticello (9:39.20).  Dehmer and Nuest competed well with good times in the 800M against stiff competition. Dehmer took fifth (2:25.21) and Nuest seventh (2:31.36).

 

In the 1600M, Bengtson was second in a good race time of 5:22.57 and Abby Nelson broke 6:00 for the first time, placing 11th in 5:53.72.

 

Alli Hendrickson was second in the 3200M (11:37.86) and Victoria Kolbinger eighth in 12:30.60.

 

On the sprint side of things, Cassidy Pleoger had a good day placing fourth in the 100M (13.22) and second in the 200M (27.49).  Sydney Stommes was 11th in the 100M (13.69) and  Keeley Holm 16th in the 200M (29.41).

 

 Holm was Becker’s first 400M runner across the line in 11th place (65.47) and Jessica Gruenes was 15th in (66.88).

 

In the 100 meter hurdles, Miranda O'Brien placed second with a 16.60 time (PR) and Kayden Westin was fifth, breaking the 17-second barrier for the first time with a time of 16.97 (PR).  The same girls ran the 300M hurdles with O'Brien seventh in 51.77 and Westin getting a PR of 52.30 in eighth place.

 

In the field events, Becker had Hendrickson (10th) and Bengtson (13th), both jumping   4'6" in the rain. Pole vault had Stommes getting a PR of 7' for 12th and Alli Garding in a three-way tie for 17th at 6'.

 

Long jump had Jessica Gruenes in sixth (14' 10 3/4") and Cienna Pleoger in 15th (14'3 1/2").

 

In the triple jump, Pleoger placed fifth (31'7") and Maruska 15th (28'10 3/4).

 

Madi Kerzman led the Bulldog throwers, placing third (33' 3/4") in the shot put and sixth (93'5") in the discus.  McKenna Edling placed sixth in the shot (31'10 1/2") and Anna Briggs was 14th in the discus (75'8).

 

Becker’s 4x100M team (Sydney Stommes, Callie Doucette, Abby Maruska, Mirand O'Brien) ran a season best time of 55.23, placing eighth out of the 10 teams. The 4x200M team (Cassidy Pleoger, Kayden Westin, Abby Maruska, Keeley Holm) placed fifth after avoiding a near disaster hand off. Their time was 1:56.18.

 

The 4x400M relay team closed out the meet as usual with an exciting race.  Monticello ran away with the race in 4:08.90 but the excitement was for third place with Princeton and Becker vying for the spot.  Both teams ran very well with Princeton edging out Becker 4:19.25 to 4:20.65 which was a season best for Becker. Dani Nuest, Jessica Gruenes, Lexi Dehmer and Julia Bengtson made up the squad.

 

 

The Becker boys team  came in second to Rocori Tuesday.  

 

Team scores: 1). Rocori 532; 2). Becker 473; 3). Big Lake 468.5; 4). Monticello 424; 5). Foley 346; 6). EV-W/Kimball 328.5; 7). Zimmerman 287; 8). Princeton 271; 9). Milaca 238; 10). Cathedral 184.  

 

By finishing second Becker will be entered into a wild card paper meet with all the two-to-five section finishers.  From that computer simulated meet, four teams will be invited to compete in the True Team State AA meet in Stillwater  May 19.  

 

“We have a strong section and I am hopeful that we will be chosen as one of those teams to compete in the state meet," said Head Coach Paul Schmidt.  

 

Becker will find out on Saturday if they made it.

 

The 4x800M team of Johnathan Novak, Basil Ricker, Justin Kringler, and Jordan Gruenes broke the school record that was set last year with a new time of 8:25.89, winning that event.

 

Sidney Boros had a great meet by winning the 200M and placing third in the 400M.  Kevin Andres echoed that by winning the 400M with a personal best time of 50.16 and placing eighth in the100M. He also started out the 4x400M team that placed third with teammates Novak, Kringler, and Gruenes.   

 

“That was a big race at the end,” said Schmidt. “Because we knew we were in second place over Big Lake by seven points.”  

 

That meant Becker needed to beat Big Lake or finish at no worse than two places behind them.  

 

Hemmelgarn was strong in the 200M with a tie for second place and a fourth place finish in the 100M.  Hemmelgarn and Boros were fighting illness but competed well for the Bulldogs.

 

In the distant races, Becker dominated with Gruenes and Kringler going third and sixth in the 800M.  Sam Ricker won the 1600M with a time of 4:33 and Novak added a 10th place finish.  

 

In the 3200M, Becker scored major points with Sam and Basil Ricker running together and placing second and third.  

 

“That event was huge for the Bulldogs as it provided 37 points for our team,” said Schmidt. “Coach Trish Kealy has done a great job preparing our distant runners this year for competition as she coaches both the boys and girls distance runners.”

In hurdles, David Myers placed third in the 300M IH and fourth in the 110M HH.  

 

Ethan Holm ( 40' 5.5") took fourth place and Jack Belde (39'5.5") took seventh in shot put.  Holm also took an eighth place in the long jump.  William Schendel took eighth in the pole vault and Jacob Drury added an 11th place in the high jump.  

 

Nate Croal and Mitchell Emerson took seventh and eighth places in the shot put and Emerson and Devin Johnson placed ninth and 10th in the discus.

 

 

Becker’s next meet is the Granite Ridge Conference championship meet which Becker will be hosting Tuesday.  Come out and support the Bulldogs!!