Milaca girls win title at Pierz Invitational
Posted 4/26/02

Milaca, bolstered by first places in eight events, won the girls title in the Pierz Track and Field Invitational, which was held Friday at Milaca.

The Wolves scored 118.5 points while Pierz placed second with 98.5 and Crosby-Ironton finished third with 93. Long Prairie-Grey Eagle placed fourth at 88, followed by Foley at 85, Mille Lacs with 61, Aitkin with 49 and eighth-place Royalton with 17 points.

"We had a great performance," said Milaca Coach Jeremy Mikla. "Our veterans came through and several of the younger girls had nice efforts."

Milaca also won the girls division in the meet in 2001.

Milaca finished fifth in the boys division.

Crosby-Ironton claimed the boys title with 109 points while Foley finished a close second with 102 points. Pierz was third at 95.5, followed by Long Prairie-Grey Eagle at 88, Milaca with 70.5 points, Royalton at 65 and Aitkin in seventh place with 51.5 points. Mille Lacs didnít enter a team in the boys division.

Junior Casey Carlson won three individual events and junior Jessi Struffert placed first in two events to pace Milacaís girls.

Carlson won the 100-meter dash in 13.9 seconds, the 200 dash in 28.0 and the triple jump with a jump of 31-feet, 8-inches.

Teammate Amber Manke, a sophomore, was third in the 100 in 13.82 and Milaca sophomore Amberly Hirsch was third in the 200 in 29.5.

Struffert won the 400 dash in 60.3 and the 800 run in 2:35.1. Milaca sophomore Janelle Packard, competing in the 800 for the first time, placed seventh in 2:57.0.

Senior Kristine Norberg was Milacaís other individual winner as she won the pole vault with a height of 8-feet, 6-inches. Milaca ninth grader Hannah Coffee placed fourth in the pole vault at 7-6.

Milaca also won the 800-meter relay and the 400 relay.

Hirsch, Packard, Manke and Carlson teamed up for a time of 1:53.7 in the 800 relay while ninth grader Amanda Prasnicki, eighth graders Ashley Brown and Karly Ringham and Manke won the 400 in 56.4.

Packard, Hirsch, ninth grader Anna Phillips and ninth grader Sara Hanenburg placed second in the 1600 relay in 4:35.3. Hanenburg and eighth graders Kirsten Dehart, Alana Wildman and Alyssa Wildman placed sixth in the 3200 relay in 11:24.6.

Hirsch also placed third in the long jump with a jump of 13-5.5.

Senior Craig Kotsmith notched Milacaís lone first place in the boys division as he won the 400 dash in 50.5. Long Prairie-Grey Eagle standout senior Bobby Wershing was second in 55.4 and Milaca ninth grader Axel Totzke was third in 56.0.

Kotsmith placed second in the 200 in 24.0, with Wershing placing first in 23.6. Totzke was fifth in the 200 in 25.9.

Wershing also won the 100 in 11.54, with Kotsmith placing third in 11.78.

Milaca ninth grader Jon Moorlag claimed second in the high jump with a jump of 5-6 and Totzke was third in the triple jump with a jump of 36-4.

Senior Anthony Peterson was fourth in the 1600 run in 5:10 and fourth in the 3200 run in 11.21 while sophomore Paul Bauerly was fourth in the pole vault with a height of 9-0.

Ninth grader Adam Rodin placed fifth in the 800 in 2:27.8 and junior Cody Coffee was fifth in the pole vault at 8-0.

Bauerly added a sixth place in the 300 hurdles in 51.0 and ninth grader Clinton Swenson was sixth in the triple jump at 34-3.

On Monday, April 15, Milaca hosted a triangular.

Foley won the girls division with 77.5 points while Milaca placed second at 48 and Mora was third with 46.5

Mora won the boys division with 85.5 points while Foley was second at 47 and Milaca third with 31.5.

Carlson led Milacaís girls with first places in the 100 (12.8), 200 (26.46) and triple jump (34-6) while Struffert won the 400 in 1:01.7.

The Wolves also won the 800 (1:53.0) and 1600 (4:27.6) relay events.

Kotsmith paced Milacaís boys with wins in the 400 (50.58) and 200 (22.96).

Milacaís boys and girls are scheduled to compete at the Big Lake Invitational Friday at 4 p.m. Both teams travel to Mora Tuesday, April 30, at 4:30.