The Hastings Raiders track and field teams made a powerful statement Thursday, May 1, in Mendota Heights, where they competed against St. Thomas Academy and North High School at St. Thomas Academy’s home track. The Raiders left no doubt about their depth and talent, sweeping both the boys and girls varsity titles with commanding performances across nearly every event.
The Hastings boys edged out the host school 91 to 81, with North High trailing far behind at 3 points. On the girls’ side, the Raiders delivered an even more dominant showing, piling up 130 points compared to North High’s 11. The meet highlighted Hastings’ strength in sprints, relays, distance events, and the field, reinforcing their position as a force in the conference this season.
Boys highlights
In the sprints, Hastings controlled the 100-meter dash with a clean sweep of the top three spots. Lane Hoffman led the charge, winning in 10.93 seconds, followed by Zachary Shatek at 11.14 and Cole Zeien at 11.21, both personal bests. Hoffman doubled up in the 200 meters with another victory, clocking in at 23.71, and Zeien added a third-place finish in that event.
The Raiders were just as dominant in the 400 meters, taking four of the top five positions. Sebastian Strauss blazed to a personal best of 48.24 to win the event, followed by Gunner Hanstad (50.10), Jack Cloutier (50.96), and Johnathan Vickney (52.43).
In the middle distances, David Tireman (2:16.89) and Gabriel Peterson (2:19.53) claimed fourth and fifth in the 800 meters. Tristan Herbst (4:41.25), Aiden Reuter (4:48.08), and Parker Stoltz (4:55.18) finished second through fourth in the 1600, while freshman Benjamin Schwanke secured eighth place with a personal best.
Hastings shined in the hurdles as well. Isaac Clark placed third in the 110-meter hurdles and came back to win the 300-meter hurdles in 41.68. Landon Johnson followed him with a runner-up finish, and seventh-grader Liam Magnus rounded out the top five.
The Raiders’ relay teams were nearly untouchable. The 4x100 squad of Zeien, Shatek, Cloutier, and Hoffman ran 43.05 to win. The 4x200 team of Matthew Jelks, Johnson, Brayden Thomsen, and Richard Boyer also finished first in 1:38.21. The 4x400 team won handily with Cloutier, Hanstad, Vickney, and Strauss combining for a 3:27.19 finish. In the 4x800, the Raiders’ top group clocked 8:59.42 for the win.
In field events, senior Lukas Foss swept the throws with two commanding wins. He threw 45'7.25" in the shot put and 137'0" in the discus. Jacob Reuter backed him up with second-place finishes in both events. Charles Colvin also made the podium in the shot put, placing fifth with a personal record of 39'3".
Ryder Ashcraft cleared 5'2" in the high jump for sixth, and Aidan Cullen landed second in the long jump at 18'8". Cullen also took third in the triple jump at 37'5.25", just ahead of Ashcraft in fourth.
Girls highlights
The Hastings girls left no doubt in their victory, sweeping numerous events and stacking the top five with Raider blue.
In the 100-meter dash, Ellie Magnus ran a personal-best 12.21 for the win, with Olivia Schuster (13.14), Jersey Appert (13.31), and Brooke Mace (13.71) claiming second through fifth. Magnus doubled up in the 200 meters, winning easily in 25.21, followed by Schuster and Grace Braucks.
The Raiders also took the top three in the 400 meters, led by Kayleigh Giesen (1:06.61), with Elsie Bauer and Schuster following close behind. In the 800 meters, Linnea Ronning (2:27.83), Lucy Burmeister, Emily Beaudet, Fiona Myers, and Savannah Barlow claimed the top five.
In the 1600 meters, Clara Hochmuth led the way with a sub-six-minute run, followed by Dakota Bauer, Elsie Jacobs, Mattea Quigley, and Audrey McNamara, all in the top five.
Carlee Kordosky dominated the 100-meter hurdles in 15.97, followed by teammates Jenevieve Behnke and Braucks. Hastings also owned the relay races. The 4x100 team won in 52.52, the 4x200 squad finished in 1:45.05, and the 4x400 cruised to victory in 4:41.99.
In field events, Lauren Whitfield swept the shot put and discus with personal bests of 38'5" and 138'8", leading a deep group of Hastings throwers that filled every top-five spot in both events. Rylee Kimmes and Piper Brockman followed closely in both competitions.
Mya Bauer won the high jump at 4'8" and the triple jump at 33'5", while Olivia Schuster cleared 9 feet to win the pole vault. Paisley Grunzke led the long jump at 14'3.5", followed by Avery Klippen.
Raiders rising
Across the board, Hastings showed not only strong front-runners but also remarkable depth. Nearly every event saw multiple Raiders in scoring positions, with numerous personal records set throughout the meet. The coaching staff has cultivated a balanced team where experienced seniors and promising underclassmen are both contributing heavily.
Up next
May 9, the team travels to Duluth Denfeld High for a 3:00 p.m. start and they head to Tartan for the Metro East Conference meet on May 13, also starting at 3:00 p.m.
With the conference championships on May 22 at Two Rivers, Hastings appears poised to contend at the highest level. Thursday’s meet in Mendota Heights made it clear, the Raiders are fast, focused, and ready for more.