By RICK SOLEM
ricks@mwfbroadcasting.com
ST. PAUL – Travion Clark was under the radar heading into the MSHSL Class AA state track and field championships.
The Winona High School senior came in an 11th seed in the 200-meter dash and had the 15th fastest time in the state during the season.
He was middle of the road in a field of 22 and after the Friday’s preliminary, he had the sixth-fastest time out of nine.
Nobody told him.
Saturday, Clark came away with a silver medal, breaking his own school record with a 22.1-second finish. North High sophomore Akeem Sirleaf won the event (21.97).
BLACKLOCK TAKES THE PODIUM
In her first and last competition at the state championships, Winona senior Ellen Blacklock came away with a third-place medal.
Blacklock, who came in with the fifth-best throw in state, unleashed the best throw of her career in the discus – a flat 136-foot toss – to take the podium.
She was just two inches from Prior Lake junior Kasie Vollmer second-place throw of 136-2.
St. Francis senior Maggie Ewen won her fourth-consecutive title (167-1), which would have also won the boys discus. One of the top recruits in the nation, Ewen holds the Minnesota state all-time record (175-9) and is headed to Arizona State.
OTHER WINONA MEDALS
Winona junior Carly Moran finished seventh in the 400-meter dash (57.99 seconds). Moran came in with the eighth seed and the ninth-fastest time in state (58.04). Cretin-Derham Hall junior Megan Liner won in 57.99.
The senior-comprised team of Evan Albrecht, Kevin Thomas, Eric Birth and Clark got medals in the 800 relay, where a Minnesota all-time record was broken. Those four took eighth overall (1:30.71), while Wayzata set a new record in winning in 1:26.92.
MSHSL TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
CLASS AA
at HAMLINE UNIVERSITY
WINONA RESULTS
GIRLS
400: 1. Megan Liner (Cretin-Derham Hall, jr.) 55.62, 7. Carly Moran (Winona, jr.) 57.99.
SHOT PUT: 1. Maggie Ewen (St. Francis, sr.) 54-7½ (AA record), 10. Audrey Scharmer (Win., jr.) 38-9¾.
DISCUS: 1. Ewen 167-1, 3. Ellen Blacklock (Win., sr.) 136-0.
BOYS
800 RELAY: 1. Wayzata 1:26.92 (MNall-time record), 8. Winona (Birth, Albrecht, Thomas, Clark) 1:30.71.
200:1. Akeem Sirleaf (North, soph.) 21.97, 2. Travion Clark (Win., sr.) 22.1.
3,200: 1. Obsa Ali (Richfield, jr.) 8:57.07 (all-time MN record), 19. Hunter Bailey (Win., soph.) 9:52.67.
LONG JUMP: 1. Jon Osifuye (Woodbury, sr.) 22-3, 11. Eric Birth (Win., sr.) 21-1½.