It all counts now: GMLOKS girls are in prime position for state finals
Published 8:37 pm Friday, June 7, 2019
- GMLOKS’ Riley Queensland runs the final leg of the 4 x 200-meter relay in the preliminaries Friday at the Minnesota State Class A Track and Field Meet at Hamline University in St. Paul. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
ST. PAUL — Grand Meadow junior Riley Queensland has never fallen in a race before, but she scratched that off her checklist on Friday.
Queensland also joined the rest of her GMLOKS teammates, who are in prime position to have a big day in the finals in Minnesota Class A State Track and Field Meet at Hamline University.
Queensland tumbled to the ground while trying to edge out a Stewartville team at the end of the 4 x 200-meter relay race. GMLOK, which won the 4 x 200-meter last year, finished a little over a tenth of a second behind the Tigers and it finished fourth in the preliminaries, but it is still a big contender to win its second straight title on Saturday.
GMLOKS’ Hailey Hindt runs the second leg of the 4 x 200-meter relay in the preliminaries Friday at the Minnesota State Class A Track and Field Meet at Hamline University in St. Paul. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
“I was just trying to push as hard as I could towards the end and my legs just gave out on me,” Queensland said. “(Not taking first) definitely motivates us, especially with Stewartville being from our section. There is a lot of tough competition out here. We’re just going to try and get our handoffs down and run our best race Saturday. It all counts now.”
GMLOKS finished the 4 x 200 with a time of 1:45.41 and Rockford had the fastest time at 1:45.20.
The GMLOKS 4 x 100-meter relay team of Isabelle Olson, Reiland, Kassidy Kirtz and Lauren Buchholtz finished fourth in the preliminaries with a time of 50.28 seconds. Byron had the fastest preliminary time at 49.32 seconds.
Hindt, a sophomore running in her first ever track and field meet, went on to take second in the preliminaries of the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 45.97 seconds. Jaylen Struck-Schmitz of Belle Plaine has the top seed with a time of 44.17.
GMLOKS’ Anika Reiland kicks off the 4 x 200-meter relay in the preliminaries Friday at the Minnesota State Class A Track and Field Meet at Hamline University in St. Paul. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
“The atmosphere is crazy,” Hindt said. “It’s so much more exciting than any other meet I’ve been to. It makes me really pumped for Saturday.”
Buchholtz took 18th place in the long jump with a distance of 15 feet, two inches. Robbie Grace of the Blake School won the event with a 19-15.0.
The Class A finals will take place at 3:30 p.m. in Hamline University Saturday.
GMLOKS RESULTS
4 x 100-meter relay: Isabelle Olson, Anika Reiland, Kassidy Kirtz, Lauren Buchholtz (fourth, 50.28)
4 x 200-meter relay: Anika Reiland, Hailey Hindt, Lauren Buchholtz, Riley Queensland (fourth, 1:45.41)
300-meter hurdles: Hailey Hindt (second, 45.97)
Long jump: Lauren Buchholtz (18th, 15-2)
