Forsberg soars to second title

Blooming Prairie’s Annaka Forsberg was Steele County’s lone champion last week at the state track and field meet, winning her second consecutive state title in the Class A girls' high jump event.

Forsberg capped her junior season with a winning height of five feet, four inches to outlast the pack of competitors and successfully defend her title.

“I think being back for the second year in a row, it was easier for me to be in that position in the later rounds without feeling the nerves as much. I’ve been here before, so I was able to just focus on jumping instead of thinking about everything else. But the second title still feels just as good as the first,” said Forsberg.

She elected to begin jumping in the fourth round at a height of five feet, two inches, at which point only six other competitors remained out of a field of 17.

After successfully landing her jump at that height, Forsberg sat out the next round at just one inch higher.

Only three competitors successfully surpassed that mark and advanced to the next round at five feet, four inches.

While Forsberg was unsuccessful in her first attempt, she nailed her second leap and landed the title after all other jumpers failed to meet the mark.

Forsberg also competed in the girls’ triple jump event, where she took sixth place with a final distance of 36 feet, 3.5 inches.

Also competing at the Class A state meet was a small collective of Medford Tigers and NRHEG Panthers.

Medford’s Jackie Cole was a two-event athlete, competing in the 200-meter dash and long jump.

Cole earned fifth place in both events with a final time of 25.74 in the 200-meter dash and a distance of 17 feet, 5.5 inches in the long jump.

Joining Cole from the Tigers’ squad was sprinter Jesse Ortiz, who finished 10^th in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.86 seconds.

Rounding out the state meet were NRHEG Panthers Lucas Hanna, Evelyn Nydegger, Will Tuttle, and Quinn VanMaldeghem.

Hanna threw in the boys’ discus event, where his final distance of 151 feet earned him seventh place.

Meanwhile, Nydegger and Tuttle both competed in the hurdles.

Nydegger finished in 13^th place in both the 100- and 300-meter hurdles, while Tuttle came in 12^th in the 300-meter hurdles and sixth in the 110-meter hurdles.

VanMaldeghem competed in the girls’ 800-meter race and finished 15^th.