TRACKSTERS RETURN — Fairmont sprinter Corene Moeller crosses the finish line first in the 200-meter dash during a triangular track & field meet with Mankato East and Maple River on April 9 at Bob Bonk Track in Fairmont. Moeller, who’s evolved into a top-notch sprinter, captured a medal as an eighth-grader during the last Sentinel Relays back in 2019. (Photo by Greg Abel)

FAIRMONT — For an athletic event based on time and distance, the Sentinel Relays track & field invitational seems to have been suspended indefinitely due to the collateral effects of the covid pandemic.

Minnesota’s longest-running regular-season track & field competition will officially kick off its 67th version on Friday, starting with the field events at 4 p.m. and the girls’ 4×800-meter relay at 4:30 p.m. at Bob Bonk Track on the Fairmont High School campus.

Unfortunately, the numerous uncertainties of the initial covid outbreak in mid-March forced the Minnesota State High School League to wipe out the entire 2020 prep spring sports seasons.

One year later, due to the lingering effects of the world-wide virus, the MSHSL cautiously limited track & field meets to only a handful of squads at one site, therefore nixing the 30-team invitational that legendary Sentinel newspaper sports editor Lyle Domek created in 1955.

After perusing both legendary Fairmont head coach Bob Bonk’s big booklet of track stats and back editions of Fairmont’s only daily periodical, hopefully some interesting numbers and facts will jog area fans’ recollections of where the Sentinel Relays left off in 2019 and what’s happened during the interim.

Long-time Cardinal assistant track coach Scott Geerdes served as the event’s referee — an honorary moniker — three years ago. On Friday, Geerdes definitely will perform a true hands-on role as the invitational’s starter.

Fairmont literally ran away with the 2019 Sentinel Relays’ Class AA girls team championship, coasting to a 192–107 margin of victory over rival Hutchinson. It was the sixth consecutive crown for the Cardinal girls program.

Ironically, Fairmont began the winning streak in 2014 — the first year after the 2013 Sentinel event was cancelled due to a tornado that dumped heavy rain in a short period of time. Unfortunately, inclement weather also washed and/or snowed out the Relays in 2008, 2010 and 2012.

Fairmont dethroned 2018 champion Hutchinson by a 190 1/2–127 1/3 margin for the Class AA boys title three years ago, St. Clair captured its fourth straight Class A boys team championship by a commanding 184–106 differential over Martin County West, while Martin County West outdueled Fulda/Heron Lake-Okabena for the Class A girls trophy, 145 1/2–126 1/2.

The end of an era.

The Fairmont senior quartet of Hudson Artz, Ellie Hernes, Carissa Saxton and Laura Thompson — along with North Union senior Sam Nielsen and Madelia/Truman/Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Martin Luther senior Brooke Grathwohl — will step to the tarred surface in Fairmont on the first Friday in May one last time as prep standouts.

The fleet-footed Hudson Artz ran the third leg on the Cardinals’ first-place 4×400-meter relay, anchored the winning 4×800 foursome and sprinted the third leg of the gold-medal medley relay squad as a freshman at the 2019 Sentinel Relays.

Artz utilized the early May invite as a springboard for greats things to come as he traded handoffs with Jordan Wolter, Andrew Moeller and Dylan Kennedy to capture the MSHSL’s Class A 4×400 state crown with a combined time of 3:23.96.

Artz, Kennedy and Moeller also joined forces with Caden Baarts to finish fifth at state in the 4×200 relay in 1:31.74 three years ago.

After the MSHSL’s one-year hiatus, Artz struck bronze in the open 400 (50.04), garnered more all-state honors with a ninth-place time of 11.24 in the 100-meter dash and took 13th in the open 200 (23.31) during the 2021 Class A state meet.

Artz is fresh off a second-place showing in the Hamline Elite Meet’s mixed 4×400 relay at the St. Paul campus last Friday night. Artz exchanged the baton with junior David Maakestad, junior Corene Moeller and Saxton to post a time of 3:43.99.

Artz also combined with Evan Meade, Trey Tumbleson and Maakestad to finish eighth in the 4×200 at Hamline, to go with running a leg on the Cardinals’ ninth-place 4×400 with Taylor Austin, Nolan Schultze and Maakestad.

As a freshman phenom, Ellie Hernes exited her hometown track & field facility with one gold, one silver and one bronze medal from the 2019 Sentinel Relays. Hernes won the triple jump at a mark of 35 feet, 4 3/4 inches, netted runner-up accolades in the 300 hurdles (49.72) and sprayed sand in the long jump pit at a third-place distance of 15-7.

Hernes parlayed the May 3 event’s results into an all-state seventh-place leap of 35-4 1/4 in the triple jump en route to team MVP honors that spring.

Two years later, Hernes earned all-state honors via a second-place triple jump of 38-0 1/4 and a seventh-place time of 15.73 in the high hurdles. Hernes added an 11th-place showing in the long jump (16-5 1/4) and a 12th-place effort in the 300 hurdles (48.71).

Now Hernes is one week removed from hopping, skipping and jumping to a silver medal at the Hamline Elite Meet by clearing 37-0 1/4 last Friday night.

Laura Thompson captured three medals during the 2019 Sentinel Relays by garnering second place in both the 1,600-meter run and the 3,200 to complement striking gold in the 4×400 relay. Saxton followed Karalyn Closs and Rayah Quiring before handing off to Thompson for the anchor leg.

Thompson then pocketed all-state accolades by crossing the finish line in eighth place in the 3,200 in 11:43.79 during the 2019 MSHSL Class A state competition. The then-freshman exchanged handoffs with Closs, Joni Becker and eighth-grade standout Corene Moeller to place 15th in the state’s 4×400.

Two years later, Thompson established a school-record time of 10:54.4 by capturing second place in the MSHSL’s Class A state 3,200. Thompson displayed her stellar stamina by earning the bronze medal in the 1,600 in 5:04.65 last spring.

As a freshman, Carissa Saxton took the baton from Corene Moeller and ran the third leg of Fairmont’s second-place 4×800 relay at the 2019 Sentinel Relays. Tabitha Thatcher and Quiring ran the other two legs for the Cardinals, who ran a 10:59.71.

Corene Moeller, who’s now a junior, and Saxton are coming off the above runner-up showing in last Friday’s Hamline Elite Meet in the mixed 4×400 relay in St. Paul. Moeller and Saxton will represent a formidable tandem in this year’s Sentinel Relays’ sprints.

In Friday’s Class A portion of the Sentinel invite, North Union’s Sam Nielsen is coming off a tie for 21st place in the high jump at the Drake Relays last week in Des Moines, Iowa. Nielsen cleared the bar set at 5 feet even.

Nielsen, who claimed the gold medal in the 2019 Sentinel Relays’ small-schools division, went on to clear 5-0 to earn an eighth-place medal at the Iowa Class A state meet later that spring.

Nielsen then displayed her outstanding vertical leap by clearing 5-1 3/4 to pocket ninth place at the 2021 Drake Relays before meriting a share of second place with a high jump of 5-2 at the Iowa Class A state competition.

The Jaguars’ Brooke Grathwohl will test her skills on the Fairmont track one more time at the Sentinel Relays after capturing second place in the high hurdles with a time of 17.55 in the 2019 small schools’ division.

North Union junior speedster Bryer Prochniak will be worthy of Sentinel Relays fans’ attention in Friday’s small-school division. Prochniak, who earned numerous all-state and all-regional accolades as a running back in football last fall, is coming off two all-state sprinting performances at the 2021 Iowa Class A state meet. The power-packed Prochniak captured sixth place in the open 100 (11.36) and eighth in the 200 (23.37).

Prochniak lowered those stately times just last Thursday when he captured first place in both the open 100 (10.84) and 200 (22.63) at the John Larson Relays in Armstrong.

The admission price for the Sentinel Relays on Friday is just $5 per person.

Sorry — Fairmont High School seasonal passes are not valid.

Fairmont’s varsity, Blue Earth Area, Hutchinson, Jackson County Central, Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial/Nicollet, Minneapolis South and St. James Area will compete in the Class AA portion — highest enrollments among the teams present — on Friday.

Fairmont’s junior varsity, Madelia/Truman/Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Martin Luther, Martin County West, North Union, Fulda/Heron Lake-Okabena, Mountain Lake Area, St. Clair and Sleepy Eye United will represent the Class A competitors at Bonk Track in Fairmont on Friday.

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