NEW ULM - Jenny Petersen has only been to the state track and field meet as a spectator.

"My sister was actually up there before," she said. "She went in the 100 and 200 [meter dashes] and I went up there and watched her run."

This year the Minnesota Valley Lutheran junior finally gets to go as a participant when the Class A State Track and Field meet gets under way Friday at Hamline University.

"It's really exciting to make it," she said. "It's my first year. I really wanted to go last year but I didn't make it when I got fourth."

Petersen qualified in the 100 dash by finishing second in the section meet with a time of 13.28. She said she has talked with her sister about what it's like to run at state.

"She said it's really good competition but it's a really good experience," Petersen said. "I am nervous for every race but once you step on the track all the nerves just go away."

Her goal for the state meet is just to make it to the finals.

"I just want to make it past Friday and still go on Saturday," Petersen said.

Petersen will run in the first of three 100-meter dash heats. Diane Beckius of Albany has the best time in her heat at 12.56.

Also running in the 100 will be Springfield/Cedar Mountain/Comfrey's Brianna Wubben. She has one of the fastest times at 12.69, just behind Ashley Tingelstad of East Grand Forks with a time of 12.69.

Wubben qualified in three events and will also participate in the high jump, where she has the third best height at 5-4. Hanna Schonhardt of Holy Family Catholic has the top height of 5-7. Wubben's final event is the long jump where she has the third best distance at 18-3. Bree Woelber of Pipestone has the best distance at 18-9.

Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial/Nicollet's Tara Roelofs qualified in the 400 dash and has the second fastest time in her heat and third fastest time overall (58.39). Roelofs also qualified in the pole vault with a height of 10-1. Sibley East's Laura Schuneman has the second best qualifying height of 10-6.

Sleepy Eye Unified's Madeline Schmitz qualified for state in the 200 dash with a time of 27.68, she will be joined in that even by BOLD/Buffalo Lake-Hector's Anna Lisa Asmus, who qualified with a time of 26.80. BOLD/BLH's Christine Flemming qualified in the high jump.

The final area qualifier is Abby Busch of Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop/McLeod Westin the discus. Busch, who finished seventh in the discus last year, is undefeated in the discus on the season. She has the third best distance with a toss of 126-05. Elisa Moenkedick of Perham has the top spot at 133-6.

On the boy's side, MVL qualified four events.

Senior Josh Danell was the big winner for the Chargers at the Section 2A Meet May 30, as he won both the 110-meter high hurdles and the 300-meter hurdles.

In the 300 hurdles, Danell has one of the fastest seed times at 40.57, that is second in his heat behind Travis Jimenez of Paynesville, who is clocked in at 40.15. In 110 hurdles, Danell has the third fastest time in his heat at 15.74.

GFW/MW 's Josh Boyda, who was fourth in the same event at last year's state meet, is also in the heat. He was second at the Section 2A meet with a time of 15.88.

Danell also advanced to state as a member of the 4x400-meter relay team with Kyle Bergemann, Bryce Krohn and Christian Evers. The group set a school record with their time of 3:30.23 at the section meet and they have the third fastest time in their heat.

Krohn also qualified for state in the long jump as he won the section meet with a leap of 20-feet-11 1/5-inches. That mark is in the middle of the pack for state qualifiers and was good enough to put him in the second flight. Kruiz Lindblad of Lac qui Parl Valley has the best distance at 21-6 1/4.

GFW/MW's Jay Rogotzke qualified for state in the 400 with a time of 51.38. The best seed time in his heat is 49.57 by Joel Bauman of Benson/Kerkhoven-Murdoch-Sunburg.

Redwood Valley had a pair of qualifiers as the 4x800-meter relay team qualified with the third fastest time at 8:12.97.

Mike Felt also qualified in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:03.33 and Tandy Juell qualified in the pole vault with a height of 12-11.

The other area athlete to advance to state was Andrew Thies of Sibley East. He qualified in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:33.85 and the 3,200 in 10:08.73.

The Class A meet opens at 3 p.m. Friday.