Austin gets its due respect

Published 12:00 am Monday, June 5, 2000

Four starters on Austin’s state-bound softball team were named All-Big Nine last week.

Monday, June 05, 2000

Four starters on Austin’s state-bound softball team were named All-Big Nine last week.

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First baseman Brooke Gentzler, second baseman Lauren Feller, center fielder Sara Turvey and pitcher Amy Kelly earned all-conference honors. Twenty four players from 10 teams were selected.

Rightfielder Jamie Nieland and third baseman Megan Olsen were named honorable mention All-Big Nine.

Austin’s four All-Big Nine selections was the third highest total in the conference behind Mankato East and Mankato West, the top two teams in the conference standings; each had five all-conference players.

Austin (18-7) finished third in the Big Nine.

Gentzler, Feller, Turvey and Nieland are seniors. Olsen is a junior and Kelly a freshman.

Austin opens play in the Class AAA state tournament in Caswell Park in North Mankato on Friday.

Austin will play defending champion Minnetonka in a 1 p.m. quarterfinal game. Austin will also play at 7 p.m. in a winner’s or loser’s braket game.

Austin clinched its second-straight state berth on Friday by winning the Section 1AAA tournament. The Packers went 5-0 in the tournament, outscoring their opponents 26-2.

Town team Packers fall

The town team Austin Packers, scheduled to play four games this weekend, got in only one.

The Packers lost 2-1 to Jordan in the opening game of the New Prague tournament, which was later called off because of rain.

Austin got solid pitching from Scott Meyer (5 1/3 innings) and Nick Dolan (2/3 innings), who combined to shut down Jordan on three hits.

However, Jordan lefty Adam Samms allowed just one hit in a seven-inning complete game win.

Austin (9-5) next plays Thursday at Albert Lea in a make-up game.

Austin won’t play its scheduled game at Marcusen Park on Wednesday against Rochester, because the field won’t be ready by then.

Section 1AA track highlights

As reported in Sunday’s Austin Daily Herald, five Packers will be competing in the Class AA state track and field meet beginning Friday at the Blaine National Sports Center.

Senior Preston Horton will represent Austin in the 100-meter dash and eighth-grader Brittney Erichson will run in the 800 run.

Also, the Austin boys’ 4 x 200 relay of Horton, Mike Milli, Jaime Zavala and Bryan Larson will be competing for a state championship.

All of Austin’s state-bound track athletes earned their berths at Saturday’s Section 1AA meet at Carleton College.

The results:

Austin girls’ results

400 dash: 4. Meriel Bednar 1:00.47 (personal best)

800 run: 2. Brittney Erichson 2:18.29 (new school record)

4 x 200: 4. Kari Loger, Meriel Bednar, Laura Nace, Theresa Hirsch 1:49.10 (season best)

4 X 400: 4. Theresa Hirsch, Laura Nace, Brittney Erichson, Meriel Bednar 4:07.18 (new school record)

1,600 run: Kristi McHugh 5:51.4 (personal best)

Triple jump: Megan Seibel 30 feet, 10 inches (personal best)

Pole vault: Theresa Hirsch 8-0 (new school record)

Shot put: Sarah Heins 30-6 2/4 (personal best), Renee Ludwig 29-10 (personal best)

Austin boys’ results

100 dash: 2. Preston Horton 11.07 (earned state berth)

200 dash: 3. Mike Milli 22.86, 6. Preston Horton 23.21

400 dash: 5. Jaime Zavala 51.68, 7. Bryan Larson 52.74

300 hurdles: 7. Drew Oesterle 43.44

4 x 200: 2. Mike Milli, Jaime Zavala, Bryan Larson, Preston Horton 1:30.51

4 x 400: 3. Austin 3:30.63

High Jump: 5. Bryan Larson 6-1