As the state golf and track and field competitions kick off this week, Austin will be well represented.

In golf, Drew Osier and Catherine Wagner return to state in tournaments that kicked off Tuesday. Osier tied for 56th last year and is coming off a big performance at the Section 1AAA meet where he shot the back nine even PAR. Wagner enters state as the Section 1AAA medalist and finished second one year ago.

At the track meet, which kicks off this weekend, Henry Darling will compete in the 400-meter dash; Will Darling will compete in the 300-meter hurdles; while Tim Erickson will compete in the 800-meter run.

It doesn’t stop there.

Austin will also be represented by a pair of relay teams, including the 4X400 relay meter team consisting of Will Darling, Jacob Bentley, Erickson and Henry Darling and the 4X800 team of Erickson, Christian Folken, Jacob Larson and Kyle Dammen.

For Lyle/Pacelli, Philline Wittur will compete in the long jump.

Earning a state berth is an accomplishment that’s not only extremely difficult and rewarding, but it’s also something these athletes will remember for the rest of their lives.

We are proud of all of our state qualifiers, and we wish them the best in their competitions.