It was the first time in several years that New Ulm hosted the conference championship, and New Ulm head coach Brian Lundgren and the rest of the New Ulm staff put in a lot of work to make sure it went well.

“We were excited to host it,” Lundgren said. “I don’t recall having done that before, and neither did our current AD, so it was exciting for us. We were happy to be at home in front of our crowd and for our fans to be here. Our kids were excited for it. It’s a lot of work to put on, but well worth it. I think the other coaches were appreciative, and I think it ran smoothly, so we’re happy about that.”

On the boys side, Belle Plaine led with 168 points, followed by Fairmont (101), Waseca (93), St. Peter (85.5), Marshall (79.5), Worthington (75), New Ulm (59) and Tri-City United (40). On the girls side, St. Peter won (182), followed by Fairmont (133), TCU (126), Belle Plaine (98.5), Marshall (79), Waseca (36), New Ulm (31.5) and Worthington (12).

“It was a tough night to PR, just because of the weather conditions,” Lundgren said. “It’s been that way most of the year. We’ve had tough weather with wind, cold weather, battled that last night. Not a ton of PRs, but still had some good performances.

Photo by Brady Dennis New Ulm's Jamison Portner (middle) and Hunter Heil (right of Portner) take off during the 100-meter dash in the Big South Conference Track and Field Championships Tuesday at New Ulm High School.

For the boys, New Ulm had the most success in the sprints and the relays. Hunter Heil placed second in the 100-meter dash (11.27), while Jamison Portner placed fifth (11.51). George Gag took second in the 200m (22.73) and the 400m (51.54). Michael Hames placed third in the 400m (52.60), while Brody Powers placed ninth (56.46). Sabastian Gusso placed 10th in the 300m hurdles (48.20). The 4×100 relay team of Heil, Hames, Portner and Gag placed third (1:32.23), and 4×200 relay team, also consisting of Heil, Hames, Portner and Gag, finished first (3:50.34).

“I think our sprinters have been good as a whole,” Lundgren said. “It’s one of our strengths. George Gag of course has been a top performer all year, very consistent and very high level. I think he had a season PR the week before at TCU, and he’s still running in top form … He’s one of our top hopes to get to state in the 200 and the 400 events. Those are his strong points.

“Also had some good fortune with our 4×100 [relay]. Our 4×200 was looking really good too … 4×200 is one of our strengths.”

Lundgren also highlighted Heil, a sophomore, as a runner to look out for in sections, and Portner, who’s senior leadership has been important for the team all season long.

Gag also placed ninth in high jump (5-4), while Joshua Gordon took sixth in pole vault (10-6). Joey Wise finished seventh in long jump (18-9), with Jayden Broste taking 10th (18-4.75), a personal best.

Last year, New Ulm sent its 4×400 and 4×100 relay teams to the state tournament. Lundgren said the relays continue to be a focus for the team moving forward.

“We’re still hopeful for those events this year,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to what our 4×200 does, because I have high hopes for them. But we’re strong in our sprint events, and that helps for our relays. We have some depth, so that’s our focus in practice right now with those relay teams. Those handoffs are crucial, and good teamwork is needed in those events, so a lot of focus on those areas.”

On the girls side, Zoey Havemeier took 10th in the 100m (13.43), while Brenley Nordby (28.49) and Violet Beranek (28.86) took eighth and ninth, respectively, in the 200m. Isabelle Longtin finished ninth in the 100m hurdles (17.80). Elizabeth Dake placed fifth in shot put (33-4), and Jesalyn Skoglund placed fourth in high jump (4-10). Sophia Berger took sixth in pole vault (9-0), and Kaylee Evans had a personal-best 15-2 long jump to place sixth. Evans also placed sixth in triple jump (32-9.25), where Berger also placed ninth (31-5.25). Megan Gauert also placed 11th in the 800m.

“Megan Gauert has been good on the girls side for distance,” Lundgren said. “She runs the 800 and the mile. We’ve got some versatility on the girls side. We have girls that can run sprints and the mile, we can move them around a little bit. Jess Skoglund has been a consistent high jumper all year, she’s been good for us, we can always count on her. Everything’s geared towards that advancement meet in sections, so that’s our hope.”