DAY 9: MINNESOTA ATHLETE THROWERS MAGGIE EWEN AND MARCUS GUSTAVESON FLEETINGLY HOLD MAGICAL 3RD SPOT BEFORE FINISHING 6TH; IT’S THE PEOPLE!

June 30, 2024 Maggie Ewen, the thrower from St. Francis, Minnesota, has had a storied high school and collegiate athletic career.  She has also competed internationally, most recently placing 7th  in the shot put with a throw of 18.96 meters at the 2024 World Athletics Championships in Glasgow, Scotland in March.  A similar throw still

DAY 8 AT THE US OLYMPIC TRACK & FIELD TRIALS: MAGGIE EWEN MAKES THE FINALS IN WOMEN’S SHOT PUT; CLOSE UPS WITH PAST AND PRESENT OLYMPIANS

June 29, 2024 The highlight for Minnesota athlete fans was Maggie Ewen advancing to the finals of the women’s shot when she launched her second of three throws 60 feet-9 ¼ inches (18.52 meters) for 5th place.  All four athletes who finished ahead of Maggie had throws surpassing 63 feet (19 meters).  The 2013 St.

DAY 7 AT EUGENE: CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY ST. PAUL ATHLETES ADVANCE; DISCUS THROWER SHELBY FRANK 5TH AT US OLYMPIC TRIALS

June 28, 2024 It is surprising not only how many Division II and Division III athletes have qualified for the US Olympic Track & Field Trials but there are 10 HIGH SCHOOL athletes participating—and often advancing.  For example, Quincy Wilson, a Texas high school sophomore placed 6th in the 400-meter dash finals—and has hit the

DAY 2: PAYTON OTTERDAHL JOINS DAKOTAH LINDWURM AS MINNESOTA’S FIRST 2024 TRACK AND FIELD SUMMER OLYMPIANS; AND THE GOLDEN BEARS ARE WELL REPRESENTED

June 23, 2024 The 4th shot put throw by Rosemount athlete Payton Otterdahl edged him into 3rd place in the Olympic Track & Field Trials finals, and a 5th throw of 73 ft and ½ inch (22.26 meters) secured his return to a spot on the US Olympic team behind Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs. 

US OLYMPIC TRACK & FIELD TRIALS: ON DAY 1, MATT WILKINSON TOPS STEEPLECHASE FIELD AND PAYTON OTTERDAHL RANKS 2ND IN SHOT PUT QUALIFIERS

June 22, 2024 While attendance will ramp up, a small and vocal crowd cheered on US Olympic Track and Field qualifiers on the first of eight days of competition at renovated Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Matt Wilkinson, a 2021 graduate and Division III national champion at Carleton College who later pursued running and a

HEADING TO EUGENE, OREGON

June 18, 2024 Please follow the US Olympic Track & Field Trials’ postings on Facebook and http://www.mnathletes.com, a website dedicated to featuring Minnesota athletes in a variety of sports and wide range of eras. A brother and I will be at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, for the majority of the event. While in

LISA BROWN: GUSTAVUS ATHLETE COMPETED IN THE US OLYMPIC JAVELIN TRIALS

May 1, 2024 A young woman from the small town of Lake Crystal, Minnesota (population 2,500), 13 miles southwest of Mankato was competing with the country’s best javelin throwers in 2008 at the US Olympic Trials at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.  “Some of the most respected javelin throwers in the world and people

Minnesota Athletes Celebration Recap

April 8, 2024 A rapt audience of about 60 people appreciated the presentation of 9 Minnesota athletes at the Braemar Golf Club in Edina on Sunday.  Each speaker included teachers, coaches, and teammates who were instrumental in their athletic journey and how sports influenced their life, developing life skills and lifelong friendships.  A listing of

AARON BANKS: OLYMPIC TRIALS FINALIST LOVES HISTORY OF SHOT PUT, DISCUS THROWING

Aaron Banks will be one of the featured presenters at the Minnesota Athletes Celebration on Sunday, April 7th, at the Braemar Golf Club in Edina, from noon to 3:00 p.m. The public is warmly invited. Please call 507-301-4369 or write to pakkem@charter.net for free tickets. March 26, 2024 “The influence of the farm was important

JON HOESE: WACONIA AND COLOGNE BANKER STROVE TO BE AS VALUABLE AND VERSATILE AS POSSIBLE AS GOPHER FOOTBALL PLAYER

March 22, 2022 Born on Independence Day in 1989, Jon Hoese was the youngest of three children raised on a generational farm north of Glencoe, a town of 5,700 people 55 miles west of Minneapolis.  His parents, Terry and Sharon, and life experiences on the farm taught him perseverance which have proven to be valuable. 

AMANDA ANDERSON SCHOENING: ST. FRANCIS HIGH SCHOOL THROWER PROMOTES MANY PURPOSES OF SPORT AS COACH AT ALMA MATER

October 17, 2023 Located 40 miles north of Minneapolis, St. Francis is a city of 8,000 residents straddling Anoka and Isanti Counties on the Rum River.   As the hometown of 2016 rhythmic gymnastics Olympian Kiana Eide, Olympic Trials marathon qualifier Dakotah Lindwurm (Bullen), and 7-time state champion and 2023 national champion shot putter Maggie Ewen,

PAYTON OTTERDAHL: 2020 OLYMPIC SHOT PUTTER FROM ROSEMOUNT HAS A MENAGERIE OF PETS

As a kid, Payton Otterdahl reveled in walking along streams or Lake Superior on the North Shore by the family cabin near Schroeder (about 80 miles north of Duluth), Minnesota.  “I’d spend my entire time flipping over rocks and catching salamanders, snakes, and other critters,” says the 2020 Olympic Trials shot put bronze medalist.  The

BACK ON THE TRACK (AND FIELD) AT THE OLYMPIC TRIALS

Two Minnesota athletes advanced to the finals of the men’s 5,000-meter run as Garrett Heath (Winona) and Hassan Mead (Minneapolis) both finished in the top 5 of their respective heats and will be competing for the three spots to go to Tokyo. Garrett led the heat going into the bell lap and the 4-time Olympic

DRAKE BLUE OVAL SHOWCASE: MINNESOTA ATHLETE RESULTS

Three Minnesota athletes competed in the road mile race, two finishing 9th. Running with the leaders the entire race, Joe Fabe Klecker (Hopkins) ran to a 3rd place finish in the men’s division, clocking a time of 3:59. The recent University of Colorado graduate becomes another Minnesota athlete running a sub-4-minute mile. Placing 9th in

MINNESOTA’S ELITE BACKSTROKERS; MINNESOTA ATHLETES ON THE DIAMOND; AND USA TRACK & FIELD INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Remarkable high school athletes Regan Smith (Lakeville) and Isabelle Stadden (Blaine; daughter of Jodi Stadden) continue to impress at the national level and finished 1-2 in the 200-meter backstroke at the 2020 TYR Pro Swim Series in Knoxville, Tennessee last month. Isabelle also finished 6th in the finals in the 100-meter backstroke while Regan claimed

MIAC COACHES WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE OLYMPICS AND OLYMPIC COACHES WHO ATTENDED MIAC; FINAL INSTALLMENT OF SIX PART SERIES

In a testament to the quality of athletes recruited to coach in the MIAC, there are a handful of MIAC coaches who are Olympians, and one Olympic coach was a graduate of a MIAC school. Roberto Sobalvarro (Owatonna), a graduate of Macalester, was the 2012 Olympic head women’s fencing coach. Seen below with another Olympian

MINNESOTA HIGH SCHOOL STATE TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETES WHO ACHIEVED FAME IN OTHER SPORTS AND CAREERS, PART 3 of 3

A number of US Olympic and national cross country ski team members have excelled at Minnesota state track and field and cross country meets: Todd Boonstra (Burnsville), Barb Jones (St. Paul Central), Ian Torchia (Rochester Lourdes), Ben Husaby (Eden Prairie), Kevin Brochman and Todd Kampainen are premier examples. Three-time Olympian Todd Boonstra (pictured below winning