After taking home a pair of silver medals from the state track & field meet, one in the 3200 and one in the 1600, freshman Charlotte Meyer has only one slot left to aim for.
The meet was held at St. Michael High School in Albertville last week.
In the 3200 on Thursday, Meyer finished the 3200 in 11:01.31, 11.83 seconds behind the winner and 19.43 seconds faster than her section time. In the 1600 on Friday, her 4:56.96 finish, only 1.46 seconds behind the winner, bested her prior personal best, which she set at sections, by a whopping 5.72 seconds. It also set a new school record.
“Charlotte had an incredible couple of days,” said Crusader head coach Casey Olson. “She led the first half of each race and set the tone with how aggressive she was. She ran really strong in the 3200, especially with how hot it was, and did exactly what she needed to ensure a top two finish.”
In the 1600, Meyer showed more fight than Olson has seen in any other race.
“She was aggressive from the start, and I think that maybe caught other girls a little off guard, and it's always nice when you're the one able to make others race how you want. Even after she got passed, she made several more moves to regain the lead, so I was proud of the fight she showed. We knew she had a good shot in this one, but finishing within 2 seconds of the State title in a sub-five performance is never anything to be upset about.”
A junior from St. John’s prep won both the 1600 and 3200. Last year, Meyer finished the state 1600 in 5:11.91 for third place and the state 3200 in 11:20.39 for fifth place.
Also at the state meet, Soren Kelly took fourth in the 3200 (9.26.93, 3.89 seconds off the pace) and sixth in the 1600 (4:19.16, 4.59 seconds behind the winner). Both of the senior’s efforts set new school records.
In the high jump, sophomore Charlotte Kirschner’s 5-2 leap was a seven-way tie for seventh place and set a new school record. Sophomore Jocelyn Kortuem’s 4-10 jump put her in a four-way tie for 17th place. The winner cleared 5-4.
“Jocelyn capped off a great first season in track,” Olson said. “She got to be very consistent at high jump, and that's reflected in her performances over the last month of the season. I'm excited to see what she'll do next year when she knows a little bit more of what to expect.”
Christian Barker, a junior, flung the discus 152-9 for 10th place. The winning distance was 181-1. With a 2:02.55 finish in the 800, senior Mitchell Buboltz finished 13th. The winning time was 1:57.11.
“We had a great couple of days at State,” Olson said. “It was awesome to see all our athletes elevate their performances. That's what the whole goal of the season is: get to State and perform well, and each of them did just that. With six of our eight performances resulting in PRs, I couldn't be prouder of the efforts they all gave this week.”
On Tuesday, Meyer ran in the Minneapolis Night of Miles girls high school invitation race at Washburn High School, this time beating her state meet rival by one slot for a 5:05.66, ninth-place finish.
Above: Charlotte Meyer was aggressive right from the 1600 starting gun.
Charlotte Meyer on the 1600 winners podium.
Charlotte Meyer during the Minneapolis Night of Miles.
All photos courtesy of Bree Meyer.