ABOVE: The 2024 boys Sentinel Relays champions.  Submitted photo.

FAIRMONT – An experienced Fairmont Cardinal track & field squad is headed to Mankato for an early season meet and their first taste of competition this year.

“On the guys’ side, the guys’ team went and got sixth place at the True Team State Championships last year,” said Fairmont head coach Jesse Walters. “A lot of these kids that are now seniors, juniors, and sophomores were competing at that meet. So they’ve been to a lot of big meets, and they competed well at them last year. And I expect the same out of that core group this year.”

The girl’s team is just as competitive as the boys.

“The girls’ side was just out of getting to go to the True Team State Championships last year,” said Walters. “And again, a lot of those upperclassmen have been running these big meets for a number of years. So we’ve got quite a few kids that have been through a lot of big meets. We’ve kind of tailored our schedule throughout the year that we’re at a lot of big schools with a lot of good competitions. So I think they do a great job handling the kind of the big pressure moments.”

The early season meet limits varsity athletes to four per event, but the junior varsity side has plenty of room for all to compete.

“Each meet has different entry limits,” said Walters. “So, this specific meet has its own specific entry limits that only give you so many entries in each event, and some meets are going to have unlimited entries. That’s a big driving force as to what kids get to compete in which events at each meet.”

Jadyn Montgomery, Bella Schroeder, Avery Chambers, and Makenzie Gerhardt will compete at the varsity level at this event for Fairmont on the girls side in the medley. In the 4×800, Ella Wubbena, Avery Steuber, Delaney Klug, and Abbie Simpson will be competing. The 4×400 will be run by Avery Chambers, Wubbena, Madi Thompson, and Simpson. Running the 4×200 are Nathaliah Johnson, Nora Fitzgerald, Kennedy Becker, and Mollie Leiding.

Devin Hanson, Carter Hanson, Cooper Gudahl, and Brier Lenort will compete in the boys 4×800. Caleb Chambers, Jaydon Putney, Dakota Wiley, and Nolan Schultze will run the 4×400. Elijah Johnson, Chambers, Jeremiah Lebbi, and Schultze will participate in the 4×200. Seth Siebring, Ethan Siebring, Hogan Artz, and Putney will run the medley.

Early on, the team focuses on getting everyone to the same level of preparedness, as some athletes are fresh off winter sports and others only compete for the track and field team.

“Early season’s a lot about just trying to catch up the kids that aren’t in that cardiovascular shape that it takes to run really fast and really well throughout a season,” said Walters. “And then also taking some of those kids who have been in multiple sports and activities all year and making sure we don’t overwork them and get them injuries. So it’s a balancing act that kind of got to play it almost day to day with your practice plans.”

This meet resembles the old conference format, which Walters is familiar with and has enjoyed competing in as an athlete on the team.

“This is more or less what South Central Conference was comprised of,” said Walters. “And so it’s fun to see those teams. For me, it’s kind of nostalgic to get to go to the same meet that we’d been going to back in 2006, 7 and 8 when I was running. And they’re all good teams, and they all have their own strengths and weaknesses, just like ours. Preseason, early season, it’s way too soon to be predicting who’s good and bad. You got band concerts and choir and speech. So, nobody has their full lineup available to them. And at the same rate, we don’t know a few of these kids that are going to pop off midway through the season and really end up being great at a certain event. So I would really say all these teams are, you know, when I’m looking at registration, it looks like they all have good numbers.”

The meet will start at 5:30 p.m. at MSU Mankato on Friday.