Austin boys track and field team takes second in home invite

Published 10:38 am Sunday, April 27, 2014

Austin's Connor Sheehan runs in the 4 x 400-meter relay in the Packer Invite in Larry Gilbertson track and field Saturday. -- Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com

Austin’s Connor Sheehan runs in the 4 x 400-meter relay in the Packer Invite in Larry Gilbertson track and field Saturday. — Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com

The Austin boys track and field team is showing some vast signs of improvement this year and it continued when they took second place at the five-team Packer Invite at Larry Gilbertson track and field Saturday.

Austin won three of the four relays and they finished just five points behind Mankato East, which had a total of 100 points to win the meet.

Austin's Gabe Gerstner runs in the 200-meter dash in the Packer Invite in Larry Gilbertson track and field Saturday. -- Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com

Austin’s Gabe Gerstner runs in the 200-meter dash in the Packer Invite in Larry Gilbertson track and field Saturday. — Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com

Austin junior Adam Bergstrom won the 110- and 300-meter hurdles for the Packers.

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“It’s going really good this year,” Betgstrom said. “We’re all working hard in practice and it’s paying off. We had a lot of PRs today and that’s good.”

Austin finished the meet on a strong note in the 4 x 400-meter relay. Andrew Baker, who won the 800-meter run, gave the Packers a boost and brought them from third to second place and Connor Sheehan closed the deal when he finished strong and put the Packers in first place. Sheehan said the Packers have already taken 20 seconds off of their 4 x 400 time from last season.

“Compared to last year we’re so much faster and we know what it takes to win relays and open events,” Sheehan said. “We just come out and give 100 percent every time.”

Austin’s 4 x 100-meter relay team of Devin Klapperick, Gabe Gerstner, Jon Gallagher and Tyler Olson took first and the 4 x 200-meter relay team of Zach Coffey, Gerstner, Gallagher and Sheehan took first.

“That’s the determination and heart we have in our relays and that’s making us faster,” Sheehan said. “We’re going to be so much more competitive in the Big Nine. Everybody’s pushing each other.”

AUSTIN RESULTS

110-meter hurdles: Adam Bergstrom (first, 16.51); 100-meter dash: Jon Gallagher (third, 11.78); 4 x 200-meter relay: Zach Coffey, Gabe Gerstner, Jon Gallagher, Connor Sheehan (first, 1:35.78); 4 x 100-meter relay: Devin Klapperick, Gabe Gerstner, Jon Gallagher, Tyler Olson (first, 45.18); 300-meter hurdles: Adam Bergstrom (first, 42.62); Clark Munger (fourth, 44.58); 800-meter run: Andrew Baker (first, 2:07.61); Joseph Kroymann (fourth, 2:14.78); 200-meter dash: Gabe Gerstner (second, 24.21); 4 x 400-meter relay: Connor Sheehan, Zach Coffey, Alec Estrada, Andrew Baker (first, 3:34.15); high jump: Zach Coffey (third, 5-8); pole vault: Ian Christopherson (fifth, 10-0); Andrew Hagan (second, 49-10); discus: Andrew Hagan (second, 131-10)