Red-hot Huskies take on state

The Owatonna Huskies saw five individuals and two relay teams compete at the Class AAA state track and field meet at St. Michael-Albertville High School last week but left without a title.

Coming the closest to topping the podium was the team’s 4x200-meter relay squad of Justin Gleason, Nolan Ginskey, Lucas Webber, and Keanon Larson, who took third place in 1:28.80.

“For the most part, we feel really good about everything. It was a good meet for us. I know the guys were hoping for a bit of a better finish than we had after such a stellar season, but all in all it was a fine track meet,” said Owatonna head boys coach Kevin Stelter.

Highlighting the Huskies’ pack of individual athletes was Gleason, who competed in four events.

Gleason won the Class AAA long jump state title in 2022 with a leap of 23 feet, 1.375 inches, and took third place in 2023 with a final distance of 23 feet, 5.75 inches.

The senior also competed in the triple jump (10^th – 43 feet, 8.50 inches) and the 200-meter dash (12^th – 22.43 seconds) as an individual.

“Justin’s going to be an awful tough kid to replace in our program. I can’t remember in the 33 years I’ve been in Owatonna that we’ve ever had a kid compete in four events at the state meet. He’s competed at the highest level throughout the course of his career at Owatonna, and I know he looks to continue to do so at the college level,” Stelter said of Gleason’s career.

Earning a podium finish in the field alongside Gleason was senior thrower Trever Schirmer in the boys’ discus event.

Schirmer took fourth place with a final throw of 168 feet, nine inches, but found controversy as his final throw – one that would have potentially put him in second place – was scratched.

However, the senior was still able to take fourth in a stacked field of athletes that was ultimately topped by Rosemount’s Hayden Bills.

Bills broke the Minnesota state all-time record with a throw of 207 feet, and his mark is currently the third-best in the entire country for the 2023 season.

Also finishing in the top 10 in the finals were 800-meter athlete Carsyn Brady (seventh – 2:16.68) and the boys’ 4x800-relay team of Jacob Ginskey, Trevor Hiatt, Jack Sorenson, and David Smith (seventh – 8:04.41).

Also competing at the state meet were 110-meter hurdler Seth Johnson and triple jumper Jozie Johnson.

The former Johnson took 12^th in 15.48 seconds, while the latter took 16^th with a final jump of 34 feet, 2.5 inches.

The conclusion of the state meet spelled the end of the Huskies’ 2023 track and field season.

Owatonna earned 28 team points in the event, with the boys team taking 15^th with 25 points.