Huskies bring home multiple titles

The Owatonna Huskies track and field teams made the most of their 100-mile journey to the state meet at St. Michael-Albertville High School (STMA) last week by bringing home two state titles.

Winning for the Huskies was Seth Johnson in the 110-meter hurdles and the team’s 4x200 relay squad of Garrett Karsten, Keanan Larson, Nolan Ginksey, and Luke Webber.

Johnson blew past the competition with a personal record time of 13.98, which not only cleared second place by a quarter of a second, but also set the 85^th fastest time of any 110-meter hurdler in the U.S.

The junior was visibly elated after recognizing he had crossed the finish line in first place, earning himself his first state title with the potential to repeat in the 300-meter hurdles later in the day.

Johnson went on to take fifth in the 300-meter event, but according to Owatonna head coach Kevin Stelter, the junior left the state meet with some invaluable experience and a well-deserved title.

The 4x200 relay team followed soon after Johnson’s win in the 110-meter hurdles by posting a 1:26.52 for the state title.

Owatonna entered the 4x200 as an overwhelming favorite and posted its second-fastest time of the season, beating second-place Mounds View by over a second.

The squad faced injuries in sections and finals but managed to heal up in time for the finals and prove why they deserved the top spot in the state.

“Seeing Seth go and win the title, it just gave us that extra motivation to go out there and not just do it for ourselves, but for Owatonna. We’re extremely proud of our guy, and as we walked out, we told him, ‘It’s our time now,’” said Huskies relay anchor Keanan Larson.

Owatonna also featured a host of athletes who took podium spots between the track and field events.

Lighting up the lanes and earning a medal on the track was Carsyn Brady, who took fifth in the 800-meter race with a new school-record time of 2:13.03.

In the field, Owatonna’s Jozie Johnson (triple jump) and Kyleah Miller (shot put) both took fifth in their respective events.

Johnson also set a new school record in her event by jumping 36-feet, eight inches.

Miller was able to capture fifth by throwing 39-feet, seven inches in the shot put.

Also competing and placing were Torrin Smith (ninth place – discus throw), Emma Johnson (13^th – pole vault), Terrell Miller (14^th – high jump), Zach Dahnert (15^th – shot put), Jacob GInskey (17^th – triple jump), Jack Sorenson (19^th - 1,600-meter race) and Halle Theis (19^th – long jump.)

Owatonna’s boys’ team placed ninth as a squad with 30 points, while the girls team took 17^th with 15 points.