Blaine’s Madison Schmidt cleared a jump during the girls' high jump competition at the Class 2A track and field state meet Friday at Hamline University’s Klas Field. Schmidt won the event with a jump of 5 feet, 10 inches. Photo: ELIZABETH FLORES • liz.flo
Repeating as the Class 2A girls’ high jump champion required Blaine junior Madison Schmidt to do something new.
Win a jump-off.
With the bar set at 5 feet, 10 inches, Schmidt and Benilde-St. Margaret’s senior Madison Johnson went to overtime on Friday, day one of the track and field state meet at Hamline University.
Johnson’s attempt failed but Schmidt went up and over for the victory.
“The jump-off was actually kind of fun,” Schmidt said. “Lots of pressure but a good experience.”
Good things came Schmidt’s way all spring. Earlier in the season her jump of 6 feet made her Minnesota’s career record holder. And her height Friday tied the meet record set in 1986 by Rochester John Marshall’s Linda Barsness.
Another Linda, Schmidt’s mother, won the 1984 state high jump title (5-6) for Tower-Soudan.
Correct count
A year ago, Buffalo senior Isaac Basten miscounted the number of laps in the 3,200-meter race and never activated his finishing kick.
“Everybody started sprinting the last 100 meters and I was like, ‘Geez, these guys are going pretty fast,’ ” said Basten, who finished ninth.
Basten used a potent kick Friday to surge past leader Acer Iverson of Roseville as the seventh of eight laps ended.
“Once I made that move, it kind of hit me like ‘Wow, I might be a state champion right here,’ ” said Basten, who won the event on the same track at the Hamline Elite Meet. “But then it was, ‘Stop thinking about that and finish the race first.’ ”
Basten’s time of 9 minutes, 9.96 seconds bested Iverson (9:12.50), the Class 2A cross-country champion last fall.
New team, same result
When Lauren Peterson won the 3,200 title in 2017, she ran for Farmington. A family move during this school year brought her to Rosemount, and Peterson won the 3,200 once again.
She led start to finish and her time of 10:38.03 beat Stillwater sophomore Analee Weaver (10:40.19) and Minneapolis Washburn senior Emily Covert (10:52.28). Covert, the defending champion, was running just her second race of an injury-shortened season.
“I wanted to come back and win it this year and I’m really glad I got it today,” Peterson said. “I used to sit back with the chase pack but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve just practiced pushing the pace.”
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