Eagles hold on for SSC track title
Apple Valley boys edge Rosemount by 2 points
Apple Valley senior Kevin Davis runs the 110-meter hurdles at the Section 3AA preliminaries Tuesday at the University of St. Thomas. Davis won the South Suburban Conference championship in that event last week. Photo by Brian Nelson
A third-place finish in a track and field event isn’t always something that draws cheers, but for Apple Valley’s boys, it was huge.
The Eagles held a six-point lead over Rosemount in the team standings at the South Suburban Conference championships, which meant that if the Irish won the 4×400-meter relay, the final event, Apple Valley would have to finish fourth or higher to hang on to the team title.
Jalen Stewart, Jacob Borman, Jordan Charles and Alex Brandel took third in the event, giving the Eagles enough points to hold off defending conference champion Rosemount, which won the 4×400 at the conference finals May 23 at Burnsville High School.
Apple Valley scored 127 points to Rosemount’s 125. Eastview was third with 88.
Relays were key to Apple Valley’s victory. The Eagles’ DaShawn Lewis, Quinn Hooks, Patrick O’Neil and Steven Wilson set a conference record of 43.48 seconds in winning the 4×100. Apple Valley set the previous record last year in the first South Suburban Conference championships.
Stewart, Charles, Dom McDew-Stauffer and Wilson won the 4×200 in 1 minute, 31.08 seconds. The Eagles were second in the 4×800 in 8:16.52 with Tyler Roberts, Luke Tansey, Nick Hughes and Brandel.
Eagles senior Mitch Hechsel was conference champion in the 400 in 50.56 seconds. Another senior, Kevin Davis, won the 110 hurdles in 15.79.
Charles leaped 45 feet, 6 1/4 inches to win the triple jump. McDew-Stauffer was runner-up to Lakeville South’s Tom Ryan in shot put and discus.
Rosemount’s Charlie Broback, Chandler Dye, Kyle Johnson and Tegan Overbey won the 4×400 relay in 3:28.43.
The Irish also had strong performances in distance events. Dye won the 1,600 in 4:30.27, with Calvin Lehn and Nathan Rock finishing third and fifth. Lehn and Rock were second and third to Burnsville’s Cole O’Brien in the 3,200.
Johnson was runner-up in the 400 and the 800. Rosemount senior Darrell Hunt was conference long jump champion at 21-3 1/2.
Eastview senior Leandre Kennedy was one of the top sprinters at the conference championships, winning the 100 dash in 11.63 and taking second in the 200.
Lightning junior Ryan Lockard was second in the long jump, less than 1 inch behind Rosemount’s Hunt. The Eastview 4×100 relay of Jahkye McClarron, Eric Krupke, Alexander Pearson-Suker and Kennedy finished second in a time (43.83) that was faster than the previous conference record.
SSC girls meet
State True Team champion Lakeville South dominated at the South Suburban Conference championships, winning the girls team title by more than 70 points over Prior Lake.
Apple Valley was fifth overall but had a memorable performance in the pole vault, where senior Emily Bonewell, junior Hannah Linder and senior Kelsey Harms took the top three places. All cleared 10-6, as did the fourth-place finisher, Eastview’s Allie Funk. Bonewell and Linder had to participate in a jump-off to determine the conference champion, and Bonewell won.
Apple Valley’s Megan Maki, Haille Schliesing, Jaryn Pipkins and Amanda Sonneburg won the 4×200 relay in 1:47.63.
Eastview finished seventh in the girls team competition, led by junior Erica Bestul, who won the 800 in 2:22.26. The Lightning also was second in the 4×400 relay with Kathryn Eaton, Cecelia Rivera, Bestul and Melita Ware.
Rosemount senior Natalie Busher was the conference triple jump champion at 37-0 3/4. She also took third place in the high jump.
Madeline Phillips was second in the 300 hurdles for the Irish, who were eighth in the girls team standings.
