Thursday was a beautiful day for a track meet as the Becker Bulldog boys and girls track teams converged on Pillager High School for an 11-team meet.

 

The girls took home third place and were only four points out of second. 

 

“We enjoy coming to this meet that is named for my father and held on the track named for him as well,” said Head Coach Trish Reimer-Kealy.  “The meet is very well run and has a variety of competition for us.” 

 

Becker had three individual first place finishers at this meet.  

 

Sam Angell, doing well in her first year on the team, won the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 16.87, which places her fourth on Becker's honor roll (her mother Stacy is number two on the roll). 

 

Hannah Schmidt won the pole vault at 9'8", setting a new facility record in the process.  

 

Alli Hendrickson handily won the 3200 meter run, dropping 29 seconds off her previous personal best mark with a 12:05.4.

 

Lexi Dehmer had a great day as well, bringing home a pair of seconds in the 1600 with a personal best time of 5:34.77 (dropping nine seconds off her previous PR) and the 800 in 2:32.65 — also a PR.

 

Becker’s relays started with the 4x800 team of Alli Garding, Alli Hendrickson, Tate Spinner and Jada Rositas and they finished in third place with a time of 10:52,94.

 

The 4x200 relay ran well, finishing second in 1:53.33 for a season best time. Running  on the relay were: Sydney Stommes, Angell, Shannon Sydow and Emily Cox.

 

The 4x100 relay was run by Haley Hubbard, Kassidy Severson, and Shannon Sydow, coming in sixth with a time 56.88.

 

Finishing the meet was the 4x400 team of Aubree Lahr, Lexi Dehmer, Alli Garding and Nikki O'Brien, placing fifth with a season best time of 4:30.51. 

 

Along with those outstanding performances, Becker had 11 PRs for the day as well.

 

Top 10 finishers for this meet were: 100 hurdles: Angell, first, 16.87 PR and honor roll; Aubree Lahr, 6th, 18.48.

 

100M: Sixth, Hannah Schmidt, 13.70. 

 

1600M: Second, Lexi Dehmer,  5:34.77; fourth, Jada Rositas, 5:55.36; seventh, Nikki O'Brien, 6:07.46 PR.

 

300 hurdles: Third, Sam Angell, 51.50 PR and honor roll; fifth Aubree Lahr, 52.46; ninth, Miranda O'Brien, 54.08.

 

800M: Second, Lexi Dehmer, 2:32.65, PR; seventh, Alli Garding, 2:39.88 PR; ninth, Kayden Westin, 2:44.59 PR.

 

200M: Fifth, Sydney Stommes, 29.03.

 

3200M: First, Alli Hendrickson, 12:05.4 PR; fourth, Victoria Kolbinger, 13:36.7 PR; fifth, Tate Spinner, 13:48.8 PR.

 

Shot Put: Eighth, Madi Kerzman, 30'4.

 

Discus: Ninth, Madi Kerzman, 88'10.

 

Triple Jump: Sixth, Haley Hubbard, 31'2-1/4;  eighth, Sam Angell, 30'7.

 

High Jump: Tie for sixth, Hannah Schmidt, 4'8.

 

Pole Vault:  First, Hannah Schmidt, 9'8; fourth, Aubree Lahr, 7'; tie for seventh, Kassidy Severson, 6'6.

 

1). Pequot Lakes 115; 2). Holdingford 94.5; 3). Becker 90.5; 4). Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 65;  5). Pillager 51; 6). Pierz 34; 7). Bertha Hewitt Verndale 29; 8). Pine River-Backus 24; 9). United North Central 21; 10). Prairie Valley 18; 11). Upsala/Swanville 16.

 

The 4x800 team got things started on the right note for the boys by running their top time of the year at 9:12.01. Team members were: Jonathan Novak, Luke Lahr, Brett Parson and Olsen Pancoast.  

 

The relay teams kept things rolling with the boys 4x200 team — made up of Sydney Boros, Matthew Davalos, Andrew DaValos and Kevin Andres — taking first place with a time of 1:36.36.  

 

The 4x100 team of Bhavin Bhakta, Conner Huebner, Logan Anderson and Colton Demant continue to improve and grabbed  a second place finish with a 47.04 time. 

 

The highlight of the night was a great race in the 3200 where Becker’s Luke Lahr and his competitor from Holdingford locked on to each other and blew away the competition until the end. Lahr barely got nipped at the line for second place.  Because these two pushed each other, they both ran 9:50's and this was a personal best for Lahr by 24 seconds. It also gave him the school record which had been held by Jesse Babler since 1998.

 

“Luke ran a great race and was super consistent with his splits,” said Head Coach Paul Schmidt. “It was the first 3200 this year that he was pushed in and I couldn't have asked for anything more out of his performance. He has really shined his senior year in cross country and now in track.”

 

Dillon Radunz, back from injury, impressed in the shot put by winning the event with a toss of 47'2". He also finished sixth in the disc with a throw of 108’.

 

Andrew DaValos continues to be a work horse for the Bulldogs as he won the 400 meter race with a time of 52.53.  Tanner Neidenfeur finished fourth in the 300 intermediate hurdles and sixth in the 110 high hurdles. He also filled in for Kevin Andres and helped the 4x400 relay team to a fifth place finish along with Boros and both Davalos brothers. Boros captured sixth in the 400.

 

Freshman Brady Sheeley took home a fourth place finish in the triple jump with a leap of 38'6" and freshman Blake Angell tied for fourth in pole vault with a clearance of 10.'

 

As a team, the Bulldogs finished fourth with 69 points.  Winning the meet was Holdingford with 136 points. 

 

Next meets are next Tuesday at Sartell (True Team) and Thursday at Princeton.