11 southeastern Minnesota girls track and field athlete to watch this season

Here are 11 of the top girls track and field athletes to watch this season from Section One’s three classes.

Reiland is two years removed from winning the state 100-meters Class 1A championship. Last season as a junior she landed fifth in the 100 and sixth in the 200. Reiland ran her best times in last year’s Section 1, Class 1A meet, setting section record times in the 100 (12.30) and the 200 (25.11). Reiland is also one of the top long jumpers in Class 1A, having gone 17-1 at last year’s section meet.

Also a star on the soccer pitch, Hartung made a real name for herself on the track one season ago. Now a senior, Hartung did it with a 45.28 clocking in the 300 hurdles, good for second place in the Class 1A state meet. Hartung also managed a fifth-place finish in the 100 hurdles (personal best 15.41). Both of those times were school records.

The senior is best known as a basketball star. Next school year, she’ll take those skills to Division II Augustana University in Sioux Falls, S.D. Sauer could also easily be a track and field athlete at the college level. Last year, the 5-foot-11 star was seventh at state in the 200 and ran a 25.49 time in the section meet. She also anchored a 4x200 relay team that set a state-meet record (1:43.60). Three of those sprinters were juniors — Sauer, Claire Hearing and Aubrey Schossow.

LaPlante is another star athlete who is known even more for what she does in another sport, volleyball. LaPlante was this past season’s Post Bulletin All-Area Volleyball Player of the Year. Those explosive skills on the volleyball court translate nicely to track and field. LaPlante high-jumped 5-feet-3 last season as a junior and was also a state qualifier in the 200 and the 4x100 and 4x200 relays.

Schmoll was among the top all-around track and field female athletes out of Section 1 a year ago. She showed that by qualifying for the Class 1A state meet in four events — the long jump, 100, 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles. She finished third in the long jump (17-7 1/4), seventh in the 300 hurdles (46.34), eighth in the 100 (12.47) and ninth in the 100 hurdles (15.79).

A junior, Boldt is a versatile athlete. She reached the state meet a year ago in the long jump, triple jump and her best event, the 100 hurdles. Boldt ran a 15.41 in finishing sixth in the 100 hurdles. She was eighth in the triple jump (36-1/2; she went 36-1 1/2 in the section meet) and was 21st in the long jump (she went 17-3/4 in the section meet).

Semling, a senior, gives Cotter one of the top distance runners in the state. Semling was third last year at state in the 3,200, timed in 11:10.80. She was also fourth in the 1,600, in 5:13.68. Semling ran a 5:10.34 in the section meet.

Just a sophomore last year, Pike was one of the top 800 runners in the state. She ran an excellent 2:15.09 in the section meet and then 2:15.65 at state to finish second overall.

Comfere has committed to run next school year at Division I Cornell University. Her best event has turned out to be the 400, where she ran a school-record time of 55.90 at state. That was good for just fifth place in a meet that stunningly saw four others run between 54.30 and 55.76. In one year’s time, Comfere went from running a 58.55 400 to that 55.90. Comfere was also part of a Century 4x200 relay that was seventh at state (3:59.08).

Kurtz also participated at state in an “insanely fast field,” according to Mayo coach Jered Smiley. She competed in the 200 where she ran a 25.16. Some seasons, that would have given her a top-three finish. A year ago it landed her fifth. Only one of the top five finishers was a senior. Kurtz is a sophomore.

A junior, Tri finished eighth at state a year ago in the 3,200, timed in 10:54.05. Tri was the Section 1, Class 3A champion in the event when she posted a 10:54.50 time.