Early Season Results

[runner112]

From Wayzata's website:

4:20.9 Josh Thorson (65,66,66,63)
4:27.1 Connor Olson (65,67,67,68)
4:32.2 Derek Peterson (67,71,68,66)


Indoor time trials at the U of M today

Alec Olson 4:28.XX
Docherty was second I believe in low 4:30's


Any other early meets?

[ccdad]

From Wayzata's website:



13 runners sub 5 at the first meet?

[ccguy13]

There were time trials at st. Olaf today. Very low key meet.

[hf.fire]

Jensen Orlow 4:27.15 alone, lane 2 last 3 laps.

[GrIdiot]

heard riley macon's running sometime this week (tomorrow?) at st. thomas.

heard through the grapevine (aka facebook) that Jan Ketterson's training is going well, sounds like skiing has set him up well. Could imply that we should keep an eye on Zach Goldberg and other skiing types too.

[110136]

Its not. I run like a hunched over old man. A couple of 6th grade girls were mimicking me and laughing as I ran by the middle school today :confused:

St. Thomas TT update: Matt Rosen 2:02, followed by a 4:42 directly after

[runner112]

Thorson ran 9:12.9 indoors :eek:

[ccdad]

Thorson ran 9:12.9 indoors :eek:

http://catmacros.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/whoa_damn.jpg

[gcdad]

heard riley macon's running sometime this week (tomorrow?) at st. thomas.

1:59 on first leg of 4x800 at St. Thomas time trial. Mayo ran 2 teams; top 4 splits would have had 8:11.

[jumper81]

Bemidji's Jenna Truedson ran a 5:09.16 indoors in the 1600 on Tuesday at Bemidji State.

[borgy]

1 Rachel, Winona Shakopee 2:22.83 5 2 Hauger, Maria Shakopee 2:22.88

1 Hauger, Maria Shakopee 5:01.02 5 2 Rachel, Winona Shakopee 5:40.60

Bofferding (Marshall) 6.99/23.56/52.29 all by himself pretty much.

1 Kroenke, Daniel Mankato West 2:03.19 5 2 VanKeulen, Grant Marshall 2:04.82

[ccguy13]

U of M indoor Reichow wins 1600 in 4:23.xx; Brandon Clark wins 3200 in 9:27.xx; Will Burke wins 800 in 2:03.xx.

[nikefree21]

Indoor Meet at Mankato just now

Mankato West 4x8 in 8:46
2:05
2:15
2:07
2:19

Delgado split 2:11

1600
Shane Streich 4:39 9th grade
Delgado 4:52 8th grade
West 4:56
Cole Streich 5:10 7th grade

Sally O'Brien 5:34

800
Musa 2:02
Streich 2:03

[asics11]

Musa opens 5ks with faster 800 splits than that.

[runner112]

Musa opens 5ks with faster 800 splits than that.

How'd he finish?

[LedZeppelin222]

Musa opens 5ks with faster 800 splits than that.

quoted for hilarious and true

[nikefree21]

Anyone racing indoor tomorrow at Minnesota State University Mankato?

[asics11]

quoted for hilarious and true

hahaha.

Any outdoor meets yet?

[LedZeppelin222]

Not sure when or where this meet was, all I know is Centennial was there and two of our distance guys got some pretty solid opening times in. Future MSU Maverick Matt Longen went 9:57 and junior Jon Keller went 4:35. Not quite as impressive as Thorson's indoor 9:12, but these two should be able to make a push to come out of 5AA in either the 16 or 32, now that totino grace no longer has a stranglehold on both the spots in both events.

[nikefree21]

Not sure when or where this meet was, all I know is Centennial was there and two of our distance guys got some pretty solid opening times in. Future MSU Maverick Matt Longen went 9:57 and junior Jon Keller went 4:35. Not quite as impressive as Thorson's indoor 9:12, but these two should be able to make a push to come out of 5AA in either the 16 or 32, now that totino grace no longer has a stranglehold on both the spots in both events.

Go Mavericks!

[Runfaster]

This just a thought.... Should Josh Thorson have made the trip to the Arcadia Invite in California? 9:12 indoors is no slouch, and he was all alone. Arcadia would have been a nice opportunity. Illinois runners went...

[C_K]

This just a thought.... Should Josh Thorson have made the trip to the Arcadia Invite in California? 9:12 indoors is no slouch, and he was all alone. Arcadia would have been a nice opportunity. Illinois runners went...

Most likely no, he shouldn't have because it would count as a meet for his entire team. HS track is limited to 14 contests including everything except sections and state. Most (smart) coaches wouldn't spend a meet on just one athlete.

[Runfaster]

Most likely no, he shouldn't have because it would count as a meet for his entire team. HS track is limited to 14 contests including everything except sections and state. Most (smart) coaches wouldn't spend a meet on just one athlete.

Oop, didn't know that. I thought it was independent of MSHSL rules as it was in Cali. Shows how much i know :o

[C_K]

Oop, didn't know that. I thought it was independent of MSHSL rules as it was in Cali. Shows how much i know :o

meh, most people who haven't coached aren't aware of these rules. This is one reason that the Hamline Elite Meet can be a detriment to teams. You send a few athletes and lose a meet.

[borgy]

meh, most people who haven't coached aren't aware of these rules. This is one reason that the Hamline Elite Meet can be a detriment to teams. You send a few athletes and lose a meet.

How many schools actually use the total 14 meets?

[TNG]

How many schools actually use the total 14 meets?

The schools should, most of the athletes not so much.

[borgy]

Maybe these were reported already but Hauger 10:32 and Piepenburg 10:41.
Yetzer's All-Time State Meet Mark of 10:16 could fall, also seems weird that Hauger didn't win either 16/32 last year. It's gonna be hard to imagine her losing either race this year.

Stillwaters big3 put up a nice opening trio of 3200s as well. 9:29/:31/:32.

[nikefree21]

Maybe these were reported already but Hauger 10:32 and Piepenburg 10:41.
Yetzer's All-Time State Meet Mark of 10:16 could fall, also seems weird that Hauger didn't win either 16/32 last year. It's gonna be hard to imagine her losing either race this year.

Stillwaters big3 put up a nice opening trio of 3200s as well. 9:29/:31/:32.

10:06*

[ccguy13]

Didn't Bria Wetsch run the 10:06?

[nikefree21]

Didn't Bria Wetsch run the 10:06?

Yes

All-Time Girls' Best 10:06.98 Bria Wetsch 2006

[Amurica]

Borgy was referring to the state meet record, not all time best.

[TNG]

Didn't Bria Wetsch run the 10:06?

She did, but not at the state meet.

[borgy]

Borgy was referring to the state meet record, not all time best.

Thank you. Glad someone caught that :)
I was aware of Wetsch's NON mark and Yetzer's being 2nd, that was a fun race to watch.
I believe only place Hauger could break that mark would be at NBN where there'd be competition the whole way.

[borgy]

Shakopee Relays pending today with the rain, but should be some pretty good distance times. If not today, it's postponed till tmrw.

[runner112]

Lakeville North Mega Meet is being somewhat streamed here...Quality is very poor and spotty but hey, it's better than nothing. http://www.ihigh.com/school24777/broadcast_222467.html?silverlight=1

[110136]

Some good results yesterday at the Lakeville Mega Meet; Brandon Clark won the 1600 in 4:23, Chanhassen ran around 8:06 in the 4x800, and Minnetonka's 4x4 was amazing.

[GrIdiot]

Some good results yesterday at the Lakeville Mega Meet; Brandon Clark won the 1600 in 4:23, Chanhassen ran around 8:06 in the 4x800, and Minnetonka's 4x4 was amazing.

Maple Grove? Or are the results messed up?

http://www.ihigh.com/school24777/custompage_14862.html

nice race by the way.

[110136]

I guess maple grove. For some reason I remembered Minnetonka winning in a 3:22 or something, but I probably am just full of it.

[TNG]

I guess maple grove. For some reason I remembered Minnetonka winning in a 3:22 or something, but I probably am just full of it.


It was Minnetonka in about 3:25 on the video; and it was a dominating effort.

[borgy]

Thomson 4:17 and Olson 9:26 in a dual with Rosemount

[Runfaster]

Thomson 4:17 and Olson 9:26 in a dual with Rosemount

4:17 is a school record is it not?

[gcdad]

Austin Invite
Riley Macon 1600m 4:18.53
Mayo boys 4x800m 8:11.65

[doggler]

4:17 is a school record is it not?

Yup.

1 Adam Moline 4:18.53 2011
2 Brian Earl 4:18.8c 1976
3 Dan Thour 4:19.07 2003
4 Danny Ducharme 4:19.90 2009
5 David Herman 4:20.01 1996
6 Adam Stuhlfaut 4:20.24 1993
7 Max Johnson 4:20.57 2010
8 Tim Ross 4:20.70 1980
9 George Ross 4:20.5c 1974
10 Jeremy Drenckhahn 4:21.49 2009
11 Pat Hoard 4:21.75 1993
12 Oliver Haugland 4:21.80 2010
13 Kyle Monson 4:22.1c 1975
14 Kurt Runzheimer 4:22.48 1990
15 Jason Overson 4:22.73 2000
16 Josh Thorson 4:22.91 2011
17 Jeff Stewart 4:23.33 1997
18 Vince Trammel 4:23.8 1981
19 Jack Alexander 4:23.9c 1972
20 Eric Nelson 4:24.76 1978

And while Thorson is busy erasing Moline from the record books, Olson is doing the same to him. 9:26 in the 3200 is 9 seconds faster than Thorson's 9:35 freshman record.

[asics11]

Yup.

And while Thorson is busy erasing Moline from the record books, Olson is doing the same to him. 9:26 in the 3200 is 9 seconds faster than Thorson's 9:35 freshman record.


That puts Olson 3rd on the all time Freshman list:
FRESHMAN BESTS
9:06.80 Rob Finnerty, Burnsville 2005
9:23.75 Nick Schneider, Benilde-St Margaret 1998
9:31.25 Garrett Heath, Winona 2001
9:32.85 Wayde Hall, Stillwater Area 2010
9:33.75 Andy Tate, Morris Area 1993
9:34.31 Cole O’Brien, Burnsville 2009
9:35.08 Donovan Bergstrom, Elgin-Millville 1985
9:35.1 John Gathje, Rochester Lourdes 1978
9:35.96 Josh Thorson, Wayzata 2009
9:36.79 Keeghan Hurley, Fergus Falls 2011

[nikefree21]

From Milesplite DESC Invite

Boys 1600 Meter Run
================================================================================
Name Year School Seed Finals Points
================================================================================
1 Drettwan, James Z-M 5:07.57 4:18.04 8
2 Wiebke, Derek KM KoMets 4:24.94 4:33.97 6
3 Hanson, Devin PLEM 4:52.54 4:44.11 4
4 Hoffman, Tyler PLEM 4:51.81 4:49.78 2
5 Youngbear, Max DESC 5:02.50 4:55.09 1
6 Montgomery, Matt DESC 4:53.44 4:56.13
7 Paulson, Alex Chatfield 4:57.31 4:56.74
8 Timm, Aaron PLEM 5:00.99 4:59.72
9 Clark, Dillon PLEM 5:11.21 x5:03.56
10 Pathoulas, James KM KoMets 5:09.70 5:10.60
11 Murry, Nick KM KoMets 5:14.84 5:16.91

Is this real??

[durblady]

From Milesplite DESC Invite

Boys 1600 Meter Run
================================================================================
Name Year School Seed Finals Points
================================================================================
1 Drettwan, James Z-M 5:07.57 4:18.04 8
2 Wiebke, Derek KM KoMets 4:24.94 4:33.97 6
3 Hanson, Devin PLEM 4:52.54 4:44.11 4
4 Hoffman, Tyler PLEM 4:51.81 4:49.78 2
5 Youngbear, Max DESC 5:02.50 4:55.09 1
6 Montgomery, Matt DESC 4:53.44 4:56.13
7 Paulson, Alex Chatfield 4:57.31 4:56.74
8 Timm, Aaron PLEM 5:00.99 4:59.72
9 Clark, Dillon PLEM 5:11.21 x5:03.56
10 Pathoulas, James KM KoMets 5:09.70 5:10.60
11 Murry, Nick KM KoMets 5:14.84 5:16.91

Is this real??

I'm confirming with the coach and will update Milesplit if it isn't correct - the time is from the official results!

MNTrackXC.com

[TNG]

I'm confirming with the coach and will update Milesplit if it isn't correct - the time is from the official results!

MNTrackXC.com

I am wonderring if the they hand time and use Hy-tek there and we have a date entry error. If not this guy has got to share his 3 week training plan.:cool:

4/9/2012 James ran a new season best time of 12:01.45 in the 3200m at Lake City Quadrangular (http://mn.milesplit.com/meets/113017), placing third

[durblady]

I am wonderring if the they hand time and use Hy-tek there and we have a date entry error. If not this guy has got to share his 3 week training plan.:cool:

4/9/2012 James ran a new season best time of 12:01.45 in the 3200m at Lake City Quadrangular (http://mn.milesplit.com/meets/113017), placing third

He ran a 5:18!

[TNG]

He ran a 5:18!


I hoped he used his 9 hours and 40 minutes of fame well!:cool:

[MPLS]

Josh Thorson runs 4:14.64 for a school record in 1600 at Sioux Falls Invite.

[borgy]

Josh Thorson runs 4:14.64 for a school record in 1600 at Sioux Falls Invite.

Glad to see he dropped his mile time to be more superior like his 3200! Props to Josh. We haven't seen a combo runner throw times like this down in about 4 or 5 years.
I can only imagine this will pull others along in the state.

[Sensei]

Josh Thorson runs 4:14.64 for a school record in 1600 at Sioux Falls Invite.

Section 3
1 LEINGANG, JAKE BISMARCK 4:10.70
2 SMORAGIEWICZ, TONY RAPID CITY CENTRAL 4:12.80
3 THORSON, JOSH WAYZATA 4:14.64
4 DEHAVEN, ADDISON BROOKINGS 4:16.48
5 SEIBEL, JOSH BISMARCK 4:21.41
6 SIMMONS, JACOB STURGIS BROWN 4:23.09
7 KRAFT, JASE WESSINGTON SPRINGS 4:26.07
8 LENDS HIS HORSE, DYSAN CHEYENNE-EAG 4:26.13
9 TODD, AUSTIN BISMARCK 4:26.95
10 SCHULTZ, BEN BRANDON VALLEY 4:27.50
11 MUSA, MUBARIK WORTHINGTON 4:29.20
12 TABBERT, ETHAN SF ROOSEVELT 4:31.13
13 AHRENDT, TANNER SF ROOSEVELT 4:31.97

[lowlandsrunner]

Any one see the race? Times from Raceberry Jam look good. Stillwater had 4 guys under 4:25. Linner broke the meet record.

1 Tom Linner, 12, Stillwater 4:19.46 H1
Honor roll qualifier
Meet record
Was 4:21.0; Scott Clark, Osseo, 1976
2 Wayde Hall, 11, Stillwater 4:19.71 H1
Honor roll qualifier
Betters old Meet record
3 Will Burke, 11, Edina 4:21.46 H1
Honor roll qualifier
4 Sean Bjork, 11, Stillwater 4:22.08 H1
Honor roll qualifier
5 Eric Colvin, 11, Stillwater 4:24.72 H1
Honor roll qualifier
6 Jan Ketterson, 12, Bloomington Jefferson 4:26.43 H1
Honor roll qualifier
7 Henry Zurn, 11, Eden Prairie 4:29.67 H1
Honor roll qualifier
8 Elliot Stoltz, 12, Edina 4:31.70 H1
Honor roll qualifier
9 Andrew Hansen, 12, Eden Prairie 4:32.51 H1
Honor roll qualifier
10 Joe Vergeront, 12, Eden Prairie 4:32.53 H1
Honor roll qualifier

[ccdad]

Any one see the race? Times from Raceberry Jam look good. Stillwater had 4 guys under 4:25. Linner broke the meet record.



FAST race -- 10 Honor Roll qualifiers? :eek: :eek: :eek:

[borgy]

I wonder if Stillwater could get into a 4xMile race somewhere? 17:29 for 4xMile is the state record. With the right competition, that could go down.

[runner112]

I wonder if Stillwater could get into a 4xMile race somewhere? 17:29 for 4xMile is the state record. With the right competition, that could go down.

Question: Is that 4xmile or 4x1600?

[borgy]

Question: Is that 4xmile or 4x1600?

4xMile was 17:29, that converts to 17:22 4x1600.

[Runfaster]

This just in: Thorson is fast.

I'm newish to track, so I wasn't paying attention when Mead, Lumbar's, or the Heath's were doing work. This is exciting to see.

[14.90]

This just in: Thorson is fast.

I'm newish to track, so I wasn't paying attention when Mead, Lumbar's, or the Heath's were doing work. This is exciting to see.

The Lumbars still are doing work...:D

[Sensei]

I wonder if Stillwater could get into a 4xMile race somewhere? 17:29 for 4xMile is the state record. With the right competition, that could go down.

New Balance Outdoor Nationals. The same place they can go after their 4x800 state record. Maybe even a DMR for good measure.

[asics11]

New Balance Outdoor Nationals. The same place they can go after their 4x800 state record. Maybe even a DMR for good measure.

They're planning on the 4x16 at new balance.

[honkforcookies]

They're planning on the 4x16 at new balance.

Nice, good luck guys! Gonna be another beast team coming back from them next year, just saw they had an 8th grader just over 10 mins for 3200 also

[GoingHAM]

Nice, good luck guys! Gonna be another beast team coming back from them next year, just saw they had an 8th grader just over 10 mins for 3200 also

Also a 4:37 9th grader...

[nikefree21]

Also a 4:37 9th grader...

A good 15 seconds back from the states best 9th graders...

[GrIdiot]

A good 15 seconds back from the states best 9th graders...

and yet still extremely talented.

Anyone know what Stillwater's youth training is like (i.e. middle school and such)? Would be a good indicator of what this kid could be capable of.

[TNG]

and yet still extremely talented.

Anyone know what Stillwater's youth training is like (i.e. middle school and such)? Would be a good indicator of what this kid could be capable of.

Exactly, and there is two other things to note, this 8th grader is physically a less developed than the guys who were 8th graders last year, and two he is setting grade level records at a school where distance runnning succes is not infrequent.

[LedZeppelin222]

and two he is setting grade level records at a school where distance runnning succes is infrequent.

...stillwater?

[TNG]

...stillwater?

suppose to be "not infrequent," :o

[Trackstar800]

John Milea & David La Vaque reported that Maggie Ewen went 172'7" today in the discus

[14.90]

John Milea & David La Vaque reported that Maggie Ewen went 172'7" today in the discus

That might be impressive...

...and she might be a junior...

...and that might be 10 feet farther than what the record was before she broke it the first time...

[borgy]

John Milea & David La Vaque reported that Maggie Ewen went 172'7" today in the discus

That is very impressive. First thought that came to mind, wind? It was quite windy in Mankato, 20+mph and made it quite difficult to play sand vball btw.
I don't necessarily know how much a wind like that would help in discus if it was with you and maybe a gust comes along as well. Thoughts?

[14.90]

That is very impressive. First thought that came to mind, wind? It was quite windy in Mankato, 20+mph and made it quite difficult to play sand vball btw.
I don't necessarily know how much a wind like that would help in discus if it was with you and maybe a gust comes along as well. Thoughts?

You might need to go to a thrower's forum with that one. I could be wrong, but I doubt any of us on here have enough knowledge in that area to accurately answer that question.

My guess, the wind might have had something to do with it. But it it did, not so much to get it an extra ten feet or so, or even 5 (and probably even less than that. Wind speeds are not recorded in throwing events like they are in running events (at least not as far as I know), and if it did make a significant difference, I am guessing that they would take that into account in the college and elite levels. Besides, the discus is designed so that it does not create lift (and in fact is designed to, more or less, cut through the wind), so the only way the wind would be able to affect it at all would be brute force winds. 20 mph might do it, but the fact remains that she hefted one heck of a toss.

[TNG]

You might need to go to a thrower's forum with that one. I could be wrong, but I doubt any of us on here have enough knowledge in that area to accurately answer that question.

My guess, the wind might have had something to do with it. But it it did, not so much to get it an extra ten feet or so, or even 5 (and probably even less than that. Wind speeds are not recorded in throwing events like they are in running events (at least not as far as I know), and if it did make a significant difference, I am guessing that they would take that into account in the college and elite levels. Besides, the discus is designed so that it does not create lift (and in fact is designed to, more or less, cut through the wind), so the only way the wind would be able to affect it at all would be brute force winds. 20 mph might do it, but the fact remains that she hefted one heck of a toss.

The right wind helps a discus thrower a bit if it is straight at them. When Caigle blasted that one out at state a few years back she benefited from a head on gust. Typically a cross wind or a quartering wind from the non-throwing arm side can undermine a decent throw by magnifying the imperfections and knocking it down.

[Trackstar800]

The wind did knock down many of the throws from the sounds of it. The record toss was her 3rd attempt in prelims with her first attempt being about 143' & the 2nd was 138'. LaVaque said he is working on a story as I contacted him asking for more details.

[XC_lurk]

I saw this on Raceberry and thought it must be a mistake at first, but apparently not... quick google search suggests she is legit, and may qualify for the World Youth Championships in 2013.

100m
Wensia Johnson 8 Alexandria 11.79

[Trackstar800]

She is legit, apparently she ran times last year that would have won the 100/200/400 at the MSHSL Championships. I believe this is her:
http://www.usatfmn.org/Websites/usatfmn/PhotoGallery/2532628/IMG_1997.jpg

[XC_lurk]

She is legit, apparently she ran times last year that would have won the 100/200/400 at the MSHSL Championships. I believe this is her:
http://www.usatfmn.org/Websites/usatfmn/PhotoGallery/2532628/IMG_1997.jpg

Really? She ran under 54.77 in the 400m as a 7th grader?

[14.90]

She is legit, apparently she ran times last year that would have won the 100/200/400 at the MSHSL Championships. I believe this is her:
http://www.usatfmn.org/Websites/usatfmn/PhotoGallery/2532628/IMG_1997.jpg

http://www.eliteyouth.com/rf2011/rf2011JOU.asp?DCODE=YG&ECode=100

100: 12.02

200: 24.53

LJ: 18'02.25"

No 400 time from her, though...

I smell something fishy. I looked back through some of Alexandria's results, and as far as I can tell, she had not competed in a single meet this year until this meet. Not even true team sections. And it would have been nuts for Alexandria not to enter her into the 100 or 200 at the Hamline Elite (after all, they already had sent Piepenburg and several others).

She might be coming back from injury, but if she is, how is she already so fast? If she wasn't hurt, why has she not been running?

Did she just join the high school team? Possible. After all, she certainly wasn't on the team last year. A 12.02 100 would have been notice no matter what the age, especially since they already had Rosey Erickson. But why did she wait until now to just join?

Does the Alexandria school district have a rule against pre-high school on the roster? Possible. After all, Megan and Bethany Hasz are the only other athletes younger than 9th grade on the team's roster (who, I might mention, appear to be rather quiet so far this year for Track). But what school district in their right mind would stop a student who has the potential to win State from joining just because they are in 8th grade? And they let the Hasz's both do CC anyways. And if they only allow junior highers with proven talent join, well, Wensia Johnson is already a proven talent.

By the way, I might add that she looks a tad bit older than 8th grade (although believable for a 9th-grader). After all, if she was 14 last year as a seventh-grader (which results from then seem to indicate), she actually is a year older than her peers...

In there anyone in the state who is familiar enough with the situation to explain?!?

[akneemeya]

This article explains her absence so far this year being due to injury. Will be quite exciting to see what times she can achieve if she stays healthy and has some good weather for the rest of the season.

http://www.echopress.com/event/article/id/94604/

[TNG]

http://www.eliteyouth.com/rf2011/rf2011JOU.asp?DCODE=YG&ECode=100

100: 12.02

200: 24.53

LJ: 18'02.25"

No 400 time from her, though...

I smell something fishy. I looked back through some of Alexandria's results, and as far as I can tell, she had not competed in a single meet this year until this meet. Not even true team sections. And it would have been nuts for Alexandria not to enter her into the 100 or 200 at the Hamline Elite (after all, they already had sent Piepenburg and several others).

She might be coming back from injury, but if she is, how is she already so fast? If she wasn't hurt, why has she not been running?

Did she just join the high school team? Possible. After all, she certainly wasn't on the team last year. A 12.02 100 would have been notice no matter what the age, especially since they already had Rosey Erickson. But why did she wait until now to just join?

Does the Alexandria school district have a rule against pre-high school on the roster? Possible. After all, Megan and Bethany Hasz are the only other athletes younger than 9th grade on the team's roster (who, I might mention, appear to be rather quiet so far this year for Track). But what school district in their right mind would stop a student who has the potential to win State from joining just because they are in 8th grade? And they let the Hasz's both do CC anyways. And if they only allow junior highers with proven talent join, well, Wensia Johnson is already a proven talent.

By the way, I might add that she looks a tad bit older than 8th grade (although believable for a 9th-grader). After all, if she was 14 last year as a seventh-grader (which results from then seem to indicate), she actually is a year older than her peers...

In there anyone in the state who is familiar enough with the situation to explain?!?

She is absolutley legit, she is an 8th grader, she ran as a Youth in USATF last year meaning she was born late in 1997, which is the same situation as the 8th grader from Eagan. I saw where she was 13 when she was at JO's.

I read that she had been nursing a knee injury this spring. As far as something else at play I think the injury, and the ability to recover from it is the reason she hasn't run much this year.

[14.90]

She is absolutley legit, she is an 8th grader, she ran as a Youth in USATF last year meaning she was born late in 1997, which is the same situation as the 8th grader from Eagan. I saw where she was 13 when she was at JO's.

I read that she had been nursing a knee injury this spring. As far as something else at play I think the injury, and the ability to recover from it is the reason she hasn't run much this year.

So she ran a 11.79 on a sore knee...

...I am nearly at a loss for words...

...I guess all I can say is I can't wait until she is healthy...

...actually, I might be able to wait. I don't know if I am ready to conceptually grasp these abilities. I mean, has Minnesota ever had an athlete with abilities even remotely this good?!? Has any other 8th grader ever been this close to breaking the state record (and a pretty solid State record too)?!? I mean, even Jon Boyd was well over half a second from the State record in the 200 in 8th grade. And Rob Finnerty was 13 seconds from the State record in the 1600 in 9th grade. And Elizabeth Yetzer wasn't even this close...

...I don't even know if I want to guess what she will be running by the time she graduates if she stays healthy and focused...

[14.90]

Perhaps Liz Podominick in the shot put. As a freshman, she was less than a foot from the record, but that was even a year older than Wensia Johnson.

And Maggie Ewen is in the same boat as for discus as Liz was for shotput.

[TNG]

The one I know that was kind of close as an 8th grader was Clarida inthe 400, she was mid 55 and the record was 54.6. It would be interesting to see where Kruckeberg was as an 8th grader and Heather Van Norman may have been another who was right in the area that young. The constant though is that kind of talent at that age usually means great success if it doesn't self destruct.

[akneemeya]

Although I agree that this is a very promising start to what could be a very impressive high school career, there is the fact that some female athletes have lessening track skills as they mature during their high school years. Not saying this will be the case for her at all, but the reality is that some girls peak in 8th/9th grade. More common for distance runners I would say. Hope she can continue to impress, because she would certainly put Minnesota HS track in the spotlight. You could also add John Boyd to the lists of early proteges. He was sub 11 in the 100 as a freshman and had that amazing run in Blaine to set the state record in the 200 as a sophomore. Unfortunately he let off the track events interfere with his chance at continued progress.

[C_K]

Although I agree that this is a very promising start to what could be a very impressive high school career, there is the fact that some female athletes have lessening track skills as they mature during their high school years. Not saying this will be the case for her at all, but the reality is that some girls peak in 8th/9th grade. More common for distance runners I would say. Hope she can continue to impress, because she would certainly put Minnesota HS track in the spotlight. You could also add John Boyd to the lists of early proteges. He was sub 11 in the 100 as a freshman and had that amazing run in Blaine to set the state record in the 200 as a sophomore. Unfortunately he let off the track events interfere with his chance at continued progress.

Hardly ever applies to girl sprinters, almost only distance runners. I bet she'll be amazing every year.

[TNG]

Although I agree that this is a very promising start to what could be a very impressive high school career, there is the fact that some female athletes have lessening track skills as they mature during their high school years. Not saying this will be the case for her at all, but the reality is that some girls peak in 8th/9th grade. More common for distance runners I would say. Hope she can continue to impress, because she would certainly put Minnesota HS track in the spotlight. You could also add John Boyd to the lists of early proteges. He was sub 11 in the 100 as a freshman and had that amazing run in Blaine to set the state record in the 200 as a sophomore. Unfortunately he let off the track events interfere with his chance at continued progress.

All you need to do is to look at her as an athlete, and you would forget this notion. She is tall, lean, and very athletic looking.

[14.90]

Although I agree that this is a very promising start to what could be a very impressive high school career, there is the fact that some female athletes have lessening track skills as they mature during their high school years. Not saying this will be the case for her at all, but the reality is that some girls peak in 8th/9th grade. More common for distance runners I would say. Hope she can continue to impress, because she would certainly put Minnesota HS track in the spotlight. You could also add John Boyd to the lists of early proteges. He was sub 11 in the 100 as a freshman and had that amazing run in Blaine to set the state record in the 200 as a sophomore. Unfortunately he let off the track events interfere with his chance at continued progress.

I'd already mentioned Jon Boyd. He was sub-22 (handheld) as an 8th-grader. But he absolutely disappeared after his sophomore year (because of, as I understand it, having some trouble outside of Track), so we weren't able to fully appreciate his potential. Remember, this is the guy who shattered that state record as a sophomore (albeit with some help from the only other sub-21 time in state history in the same race).

Edit: I didn't read your response very carefully, and after I posted it, I realized that I said almost exactly the same thing you did...:o

Hardly ever applies to girl sprinters, almost only distance runners. I bet she'll be amazing every year.
All you need to do is to look at her as an athlete, and you would forget this notion. She is tall, lean, and very athletic looking.

I would say it is actually very rare for female short sprinters (in particular, but applies to long sprinters too) to bloom early and actually fade as time goes on. Remember, the maturation that often hurts young talented female distance runners actually helps young talented sprinters (this from observations and not expertice). I don't think you need to look much further than the current troup of Hopkins girls right now who have dominated the short sprints these past 3 years to see that. But if you want to look further back, there is Sasha Davis (who, by the way, had no idea how to run a good technical 400 race, or if she did refused to do so), Sade Pollard (before she got hurt her senior year), Vanessa Clarida, Kou Lougon (who was second at State, to Clarida, 6 times, and 8 total), and a host of others who didn't quite end up as good as them. But I will admit that even them, early bloomers though they be, never bloomed as early as this.

[akneemeya]

I'd already mentioned Jon Boyd. He was sub-22 (handheld) as an 8th-grader. But he absolutely disappeared after his sophomore year (because of, as I understand it, having some trouble outside of Track), so we weren't able to fully appreciate his potential. Remember, this is the guy who shattered that state record as a sophomore (albeit with some help from the only other sub-21 time in state history in the same race).

Edit: I didn't read your response very carefully, and after I posted it, I realized that I said almost exactly the same thing you did...:o




I would say it is actually very rare for female short sprinters (in particular, but applies to long sprinters too) to bloom early and actually fade as time goes on. Remember, the maturation that often hurts young talented female distance runners actually helps young talented sprinters (this from observations and not expertice). I don't think you need to look much further than the current troup of Hopkins girls right now who have dominated the short sprints these past 3 years to see that. But if you want to look further back, there is Sasha Davis (who, by the way, had no idea how to run a good technical 400 race, or if she did refused to do so), Sade Pollard (before she got hurt her senior year), Vanessa Clarida, Kou Lougon (who was second at State, to Clarida, 6 times, and 8 total), and a host of others who didn't quite end up as good as them. But I will admit that even them, early bloomers though they be, never bloomed as early as this.

I also need to check my reviewing skills as I had missed your Jon Boyd mention. And I guess I agree with you mostly when you mention a number of the recent top female sprinters in the state. I guess maybe I should have stated that some of these girls don't necessarily have big improvements in their times as they progress through high school. Here are the times for a few of those as gleaned from the 2009-2011 honor rolls.

Rosey Erickson 9 Alexandria 12.30
Rosey Erickson 10 Alexandria 12.33[+2.0w]
Rosey Erickson 11 Alexandria 12.47
Rosey Erickson 12 Alexandria 12.58

Sid 'reshia Floyd 9 Robbinsdale Armstrong 12.52[+1.3w]
Sid'reshia Floyd 10 Robbinsdale Armstrong 12.14[+2.0w]
Sid'reshia Floyd 11 Robbinsdale Armstrong 12.08
Sid'reshia Floyd 12 Robbinsdale Armstrong 12.33

Sasha Davis 10 Park Center 12.18[+2.9w]
Sasha Davis 11 Park Center 11.92
Sasha Davis 12 Park Center 12.31

Once again, not a perfect study since not all times are reported and injuries can and do play some role in times, but it does show that a lot of these ladies have not had major improvements in their times over 3-4 years. Instead they tend to maintain. Taylor Anderson from Hopkins is one who does appear to keep improving and I am not shocked given her bloodlines, would be interesting to see what she could do if BBall was out of the picture. I also agree that the picture I saw of Johnson (have not seen her in person) makes me think she has the look of someone who will continue to dominate. Anyway,it's great to have another young sprinter in the state to follow.

[TNG]

I also need to check my reviewing skills as I had missed your Jon Boyd mention. And I guess I agree with you mostly when you mention a number of the recent top female sprinters in the state. I guess maybe I should have stated that some of these girls don't necessarily have big improvements in their times as they progress through high school. Here are the times for a few of those as gleaned from the 2009-2011 honor rolls.

Rosey Erickson 9 Alexandria 12.30
Rosey Erickson 10 Alexandria 12.33[+2.0w]
Rosey Erickson 11 Alexandria 12.47
Rosey Erickson 12 Alexandria 12.58

Sid 'reshia Floyd 9 Robbinsdale Armstrong 12.52[+1.3w]
Sid'reshia Floyd 10 Robbinsdale Armstrong 12.14[+2.0w]
Sid'reshia Floyd 11 Robbinsdale Armstrong 12.08
Sid'reshia Floyd 12 Robbinsdale Armstrong 12.33

Sasha Davis 10 Park Center 12.18[+2.9w]
Sasha Davis 11 Park Center 11.92
Sasha Davis 12 Park Center 12.31

Once again, not a perfect study since not all times are reported and injuries can and do play some role in times, but it does show that a lot of these ladies have not had major improvements in their times over 3-4 years. Instead they tend to maintain. Taylor Anderson from Hopkins is one who does appear to keep improving and I am not shocked given her bloodlines, would be interesting to see what she could do if BBall was out of the picture. I also agree that the picture I saw of Johnson (have not seen her in person) makes me think she has the look of someone who will continue to dominate. Anyway,it's great to have another young sprinter in the state to follow.

I think in the midst of what you have said the words this is more complicated than it seems can be found. I will avoid discussing individuals in anything but the positive. My experience/observation is that the training of an elite sprinter at the HS level is very challenging within a HS program. That being said there is two predictable scenarios. The first is the athlete who trains inside the HS program at a less than optimum training regimen for their given talent. Couple this with a short training season, too many meaningless meets, and perhaps a one size fits all training plan and the result can be less than consistent improvement. The second is the athlete who gets outside training before/during the season and once the HS season begins mixes training or goes with the HS program only. In either case the body usually doesn't respond well with the mixed training load and is prone to an early seaon peak or an injury. So for an athlete to reach their potential in each season they need to train longer than the HS season, and the before season training needs to be understood and built on during the HS season by that coach. I believe the best example of this I know of is when the Mounds View program was very strong they had a number of athletes at the NSC all winter and their HS coaches kept those guys on the same training path and avoided the let down by having them train at the same level as the rest of team during the start of the HS season.

[14.90]

I also need to check my reviewing skills as I had missed your Jon Boyd mention. And I guess I agree with you mostly when you mention a number of the recent top female sprinters in the state. I guess maybe I should have stated that some of these girls don't necessarily have big improvements in their times as they progress through high school. Here are the times for a few of those as gleaned from the 2009-2011 honor rolls.

Rosey Erickson 9 Alexandria 12.30
Rosey Erickson 10 Alexandria 12.33[+2.0w]
Rosey Erickson 11 Alexandria 12.47
Rosey Erickson 12 Alexandria 12.58

Sid 'reshia Floyd 9 Robbinsdale Armstrong 12.52[+1.3w]
Sid'reshia Floyd 10 Robbinsdale Armstrong 12.14[+2.0w]
Sid'reshia Floyd 11 Robbinsdale Armstrong 12.08
Sid'reshia Floyd 12 Robbinsdale Armstrong 12.33

Sasha Davis 10 Park Center 12.18[+2.9w]
Sasha Davis 11 Park Center 11.92
Sasha Davis 12 Park Center 12.31

Once again, not a perfect study since not all times are reported and injuries can and do play some role in times, but it does show that a lot of these ladies have not had major improvements in their times over 3-4 years. Instead they tend to maintain. Taylor Anderson from Hopkins is one who does appear to keep improving and I am not shocked given her bloodlines, would be interesting to see what she could do if BBall was out of the picture. I also agree that the picture I saw of Johnson (have not seen her in person) makes me think she has the look of someone who will continue to dominate. Anyway,it's great to have another young sprinter in the state to follow.


I thought I'd looked up Rosey Erickson...

Interestingly, it appears not only did she not necessarily get better in the 100, she didn't get better in almost all her events. Maybe she was victim to that training issue that TGN mentioned...

Sid'reshia Floyd is interesting in that she was basically a pure, straight-up 100 runner her whole career. I remember what she looked like and remembered thinking how she could be so fast (she was pretty big), and it played against her in the 200 I think. Until her senior year, her 200 time was (according to Apple Raceberry) 26.46 and didn't even have a 200 time reported her sophomore year (which is quite slow for an athlete with the 100 times listed above). But in her senior year, her 200 time actually dropped down to 25.76 and she made State. That is some pretty good improvement late in the career of a stud runner.

And don't forget that Sasha Davis actually was battling an injury during State last year. She didn't run very well in the 400 prelims because of it. It is amazing she ended up winning in the 100 and 200 as it is (and the weather wasn't exactly in her favor either). As for her junior year, she just had the most perfect meet that any athlete could possibly wish for (even the weather was perfect for her), and there is no doubt she could have pulled off the 100-200-400 triple crown again if healthy. There is also no doubt that she could not have pulled it off her first two years (I remember she was wildly inconsistant, particularly in her 400, which also got better as time went on). So she certainly improved a ton in those 4 years, even if the stats don't really reflect it. Interestingly, I looked for her on the U of M stats, but I cannot find her. I was she redshirted?

[TNG]

I believe Davis redshirted.

[akneemeya]

I agree 100% that this is a topic that cannot be analyzed with univariate analysis. As you pointed out HS track, especially in MN, is not conducive to idealized training and performance regimens. Add in the impact of injuries (both reported and most often unreported) and we are stuck just looking at times. I also agree that there is a WIDE variability in skill levels of coaching staffs from district to district. Having personally run for a very low quality staff in HS, coached with one of moderated abilities, and then most recently with what I consider one of the top track programs in the state the difference can be night and day. That often bears out with these athletes progress in the collegiate realm. Once again not a clear cut thing as well, but some never really improve in college as they either peak physically, have injuries, or were already on a great training schedule in HS. Others are going to improve regardless. It's always a fun conversation piece and I don't think many of us will ever know the whole truth. For example, Zach Mellon and Quinn Evans did not have much in terms of improvement in college based on times, while others like Harun Abda and Sean Kings (not trying to make this a UW vs. UMN thread) get better. It's what makes this sport great and fun to talk about for those of us who are passionate about it. I also agree totally with the training outside track. Some athletes are multi-sport and that variablilty in training can impact performance. Also, even outside of other sports, their training outside of organized HS track is widely varied (none at all to very organized programs like the NSC program).

I also by no means meant to denigrate any of these great athletes and what they have accomplished and would never intentionally speak ill of them. It's just interesting to project what a young star may become and then to see what actually plays out on the track.


I think in the midst of what you have said the words this is more complicated than it seems can be found. I will avoid discussing individuals in anything but the positive. My experience/observation is that the training of an elite sprinter at the HS level is very challenging within a HS program. That being said there is two predictable scenarios. The first is the athlete who trains inside the HS program at a less than optimum training regimen for their given talent. Couple this with a short training season, too many meaningless meets, and perhaps a one size fits all training plan and the result can be less than consistent improvement. The second is the athlete who gets outside training before/during the season and once the HS season begins mixes training or goes with the HS program only. In either case the body usually doesn't respond well with the mixed training load and is prone to an early seaon peak or an injury. So for an athlete to reach their potential in each season they need to train longer than the HS season, and the before season training needs to be understood and built on during the HS season by that coach. I believe the best example of this I know of is when the Mounds View program was very strong they had a number of athletes at the NSC all winter and their HS coaches kept those guys on the same training path and avoided the let down by having them train at the same level as the rest of team during the start of the HS season.

[borgy]

Wensia went 12.10/25.06. Both wins are conference records.
Piepenburg 4:56.30/10:42.

[14.90]

Wensia went 12.10/25.06. Both wins are conference records.

Only 12.10?!?

Well, all THAT hype for nothing. Not even a State record!:cool: