Esko Girls Win State Class A True Team Title

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May 21

Wes Vork-NSO

After four years of coming closer and closer, the Esko Eskomo girls track team won the Minnesota Class A True Team Title on Saturday in Stillwater. Esko beat out second place Blue Earth by 17 points to win its first ever State True Team Championship.

This year marks the fifth consecutive year Esko has made the trip down south to Stillwater. In the previous four trips to the state meet, Esko has yet to go backwards, finishing 6th in 2007, 3rd in 2008 and 2009, 2nd last year and now in 2011, prevailing as state champions.

In capturing the top prize, Esko accumulated 452 points to beat out the last two winners of the event, 2010 defending champ Luverne who finished third with 372 points and 2009 champion Blue Earth Area, who finished as runners-up to the Eskomos with 435 points.

TrueTeam
was started in 1987 by the Minnesota High School Coaches Association, making 2011 a milestone year.
“The meet celebrated it’s 25th anniversary with many of the founders of the meet in attendance in which they had a ceremony for honoring them. That made the championship even more special.”
Esko Girls Track Coach Tim Lindquist explained.

The event was originally held at the National Sports Center in Blaine and moved to Stillwater High School following the 2006 season. One team from each of the eight sections in Minnesota as well as a wild card team, which is one of the section runners-up and is chosen by the True Team Committee, compete for an overall team championship. Of the 27 girls teams that competed at all three levels, Esko is the only team to not have a home track to practice on.

True Team track meets are designed to show the overall depth and competitiveness of a program with points awarded all the way down to the final finisher. The winner of each event receives two times the points of the amount of teams entered. So with nine teams competing, winners received 18 points for a win and scored all the way down to the 18th place finisher receiving one point. Relays are awarded points equal to three times the amount of teams entered.

“The top performers are the ones noticed more often,
but with this format of scoring, everyone through the line-up has an important contribution, as the meet has often been decided by less than 10 points.”
Lindquist mentioned.

Taking the top individual honors in helping Esko to the win was Alyson Glumac who finished first in the 100 meter dash (13.36), second in the triple jump and fourth in the 200 meter dash. Kaitlin Lilly finished first in the long jump (16’-1.75”) and third in the 300 meter hurdles. Sophomore Marisa Shady won the 800 meter run (2:24.77), finished fifth in the 100 meter hurdles, and eighth in the long jump.

Other notable finishes for the Eskomos were: Kate Shelerud, finishing in third place in the 400 meter dash, Kallyn Knutson, third in the 3200 meter run and fifth in the 1600 meters,
Eighth grader Kailee Kiminski third in the 1600 meters and fifth in the 800 meter run, and
Seventh grader Olivia Rengo who finished fourth in the 400 meters and sixth in the 200 meter dash.

In the relays, Esko placed first in both the 4×400 and 4×800 relays while placing second in the 4×200 and third in the 1×100 relay.

Lindquist was quick to point out that although they were small in numbers, the seniors played a huge role at the meet by
providing invaluable leadership. “The
three seniors (Aly, Kelsey, and Rachael) at the meet and (Janae before the meet who encouraged us that we could do it without her) were definately our leaders.”

Even after claiming the top prize this year, the future looks just as bright in the years to come for the Eskomos. Seniors only accounted for points in four of the individual events with Glumac contributing a first, second and fourth place finish and Rachael Mills adding a ninth place finish in the pole vault. By comparison juniors accounted for points in 10 individual events, sophomores in 10 events, one by a freshman,
two by an eighth grader and two by a seventh grader.

“There definately looks to be a target on us to defend the state title with the strong underclass, but we certainly can’t just expect to show up next year and win.” Commented Lindquist.

As an added bonus the team received even more reason to celebrate on the rainy afternoon when they learned that Lindquist was named Cass A True Team Coach Of The Year.

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