It was Luverne’s boys edging out host Worthington Thursday in boys competition at the Worthington Invite track and field meet.
The Cardinals finished with 141.25 points, while the Trojans were closed behind at 135. Windom Area’s 84 points were good enough for third.
Worthington turned in multiple first-place finishes in the meet. Fanuel Wolday picked up a pair of victories, taking the 1600 meters with a time of 4:30.6 and the 3200 with a clocking of 9:55.01. Austin Kinser captured the 400 meters in 51.99, and Tethlouch Gach was victorious in the 110-meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 15.96. Also placing first for the Trojans were the 4x200 relay team of Welbaka Morke, Permeye Okony, Mak Lia and Jacari Swinea with a time of 1:34.19 and the 4x400 relay team of Lia, Isaiah Bates, Gach and Swinea with a time of 3:35.69,
Other top-three efforts for WHS on the day came from: Okony, who placed second in both the 200 meters and triple jump; Isaac Kinser, third in the 400; and Thet Tay, third in the high jump. The Worthington 4x100 team also had a third-place finish.
Among area athletes, Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda’s Aiden Lorenzen earned a first-place finish in the pole vault at 11 feet. Other strong showings for the Coyotes came from Jon Olsen, who was third in the 800, and Evan Baumgardner, who was third in the 1600. The HL-O/F 4x800 relay team also placed third.
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Luverne won the girls competition Thursday at the Worthington Invite track and field meet, as the Cardinals finished with 181 points. Canby/Minneota was second at 133, Southwest Minnesota Christian/Edgerton was third at 62 and Worthington fourth at 54.
The Trojans’ lone first-place finisher on the day was New Gora, who captured the high jump with a leap of 32 feet, four inches. Worthington also had two placers in the pole vault as Kenadie Thiner was second and Lauryn Ahlers third. The WHS 4x100 relay team also took third.
For Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda, Laiken Ferris was second in the 1600 meters, Alabama Hoonhorst second in the discus, Rebecca Cheadle second in the high jump and Mara Clarke, third in the 3200. Adrian-Ellsworth had Taylor Wieneke finish third in the discus and its 4x800 relay team take third,
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In high school softball Thursday, it was visiting New Ulm over Worthington, 7-0. The Eagles are unbeaten on the season at 7-0, while the Trojans are now 3-5.
New Ulm got three runs on four hits in the first inning to move ahead quickly, then added single runs in the second and third and two more in the sixth. Maddie Petersen had a good day at the plate for Worthington, connecting for a single and double. Bailey Ponto added a double for the Trojans, and Hannah McNab had a single.
WHS is scheduled to host Windom at 5:30 p.m. Friday, though the weather forecast calls for rain. If the game is played, you can catch the action on 104.3 The Bridge.
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In boys tennis Thursday, visiting New Ulm topped Worthington 6-1. The lone triumph for the Trojans came at No. 1 singles, at which Ian Barber rallied to earn a 1-6 6-2 10-1 victory. All of the other matches were decided in straight sets.
