Staff photo by Travis Rosenau New Ulm High School’s Emily Pearson competes in the girls’ pole vault at the Section 2AA track and field finals at Waconia High School on Friday.

WACONIA — While Friday’s Section 2AA track and field finals at Waconia High School didn’t end with a state qualifier for New Ulm, there’s something to look forward to in the coming years for the Eagles’ track and field program: youth and potential.

Emily Pearson finished third in the girls’ pole vault on Friday with a top jump of 10 feet, 4 inches. That didn’t reach her previous school-record jump of 11-1, which she set earlier this season, but Pearson will be back next year to finish her senior season with the potential for more record-breaking moments and a chance to get to the state meet.

“No one wanted that [state appearance] more than her,” New Ulm head coach Andrea Hanson said of Pearson. “She’s super disappointed, she was kind of crushed because she really knows that she deserves to be there and just didn’t have her day. And everybody has that day where it’s not your best. Also giving her credit, she walked off of not making her dream come true and walked right on the track and immediately ran in the 4×100, and that takes some courage.

“She’s definitely one of our leaders and supporting her friends and being a good teammate, and they all felt her disappointment and are disappointed for her. But the thing is, I don’t think she realizes that she didn’t disappoint any of us and we all know what she’s capable of and the quality athlete that she is. All of us are just excited for her next year to watch what she can do.”

Easton Clark is another New Ulm athlete that came up a little bit short of qualifying for state, but he only just wrapped up his sophomore season.

Clark advanced to Friday in the boys’ 400-meter dash with a time of 54.01 on Wednesday at the prelims. He beat his preliminary time on Friday with a season-best time of 53.6, giving him a fifth-place finish.

In the girls’ high jump finals on Wednesday, junior Laura Bertrang took third (5-0). Also on Wednesday in the boys’ pole vault finals, junior Marqavian Haefner finished fifth (11-09).

“What has impressed me about the whole team in general this year is that we’ve been small from the start, but it hasn’t held them back from trying hard and believing that they can get better and working together and being a team,” Hanson said. “Sometimes when you have less kids, it kind of feels disjointed, and I’ve never been around a team that felt more like a family.”