The Hastings Raiders track and field teams opened Metro East Conference competition Thursday, April 9 at the Simley MEC meet, facing Mahtomedi, North, Hill-Murray, and host Simley in a conference meet that produced strong early season results across the board. Hastings swept both varsity team titles, with the boys scoring 145 points and the girls finishing first with 120 points.
The boys team set the tone early in the sprints. Zachary Shatek won the 100 meters in 11.17 seconds, while teammate Matthew Jelks placed third in 11.45. Hastings controlled the 200 meters as well, with Lane Hoffman winning in 22.00, Shatek taking second in a personal best 22.51, and Jelks finishing third in 23.02.
The Raiders were even stronger in the 400 meters, sweeping the top four spots. Sebastian Strauss won in 48.76, followed by Gunner Hanstad in 49.71, Brayden Thomsen with a personal best 52.93, and Cody Weber in 53.03.
Distance runners added more points in the 800 meters, where Hastings swept the top four again. Aiden Reuter won in 2:05.63, Parker Stoltz ran a personal best 2:07.36 for second, Finn Cullen took third in 2:07.63, and David Tireman finished fourth in a personal best 2:08.50. William Carry and Tristan Herbst delivered another one two finish in the 3200 meters, winning in 10:31.80 and 10:47.05.
Hastings also picked up a hurdle victory from Aven Johnson, who won the 300 hurdles in 44.67. Davion Navarrette added a third-place finish in the 110 hurdles and placed sixth in the 300 hurdles, while Liam Magnus took fourth in the 110 hurdles and seventh in the 300 hurdles.
Relay teams continued the momentum. The 4x200 relay team of Shatek, Hanstad, Strauss, and Hoffman won in 1:27.09. The 4x400 relay team of Johnson, Hanstad, Weber, and Strauss followed with another win in 3:26.65, and the Hastings B team placed second. The 4x100 relay team finished second in 45.87.
In field events, Cooper Nelson placed third in the high jump at 5 feet 10 inches, Cole Ebeling finished second in the pole vault at 9 feet, and Samuel Taylor placed sixth. Henry Naber earned second in the triple jump with a personal best 38 feet 5 inches, while Ryder Ashcraft added a fifth-place finish. Xavier Timm took third in the shot put with a personal best 39 feet 7 inches and placed seventh in the discus, while Jackson Clark finished fifth in the discus with a personal best 96 feet 7 inches.
On the girls side, Ellie Magnus led the way with wins in both the 100 meters at 12.23 and the 400 meters at 57.87. Olyvia Erickson added a second-place finish in the 400 in 58.49, and Paisley Grunzke took third in 1:05.68.
Kaylin Jelks placed second in the 200 meters with a personal best 27.53, and Avery Klippen finished fifth. Jelks also added a fifth-place finish in the 100 meters.
Distance events brought additional strong finishes. Linnea Ronning placed third in the 1600 meters in 5:47.77, Sara Siebenaler finished fourth in 5:58.20, and Lucy Burmeister took fifth in 5:59.73. Annika Hauck placed fifth in the 800 meters in 3:04.26, while Savannah Barlow added ninth. Hauck also finished 13th in the 1600 with a personal best 6:40.54.
Grace Braucks had a standout day in the hurdles, finishing second in the 100 hurdles in 18.40 and winning the 300 hurdles in a personal best 53.43. Graceann Olson added ninth in the 100 hurdles and placed 10th in the 300 hurdles with a personal best 1:00.91.
Relay teams were another highlight. The 4x100 relay team of Braucks, Klippen, Mya Bauer, and Jersey Appert won in 51.69. The 4x400 relay team of Grunzke, Erickson, Ronning, and Magnus also placed first in 4:13.69. The 4x200 relay team placed third in 2:05.96.
In the field events, Natalie Knutson and Amelia Quinn tied for second in the shot put at 28 feet, with Quinn recording a personal best. Lauren Wagner added a sixth-place finish at 26 feet.
The team titles reflected Hastings depth across events. The boys finished first with 145 points ahead of Mahtomedi with 98 and North with 58.5. The girls scored 120 points to top Hill-Murray with 106 and Mahtomedi with 82. Event wins from Magnus, Braucks, Johnson, Hoffman, Shatek, Strauss, Reuter, Carry, and multiple relay teams highlighted the meet, along with several personal best performances across both lineups.
Hastings will compete next at the Warrior Relays on Friday, April 17, then return to conference action Tuesday, April 21 at the Metro East Conference Mid-Season Meet.