Sophomore distance runner Morgan Gehl and seventh-grade hurdler Samantha Untiedt were each multiple-event champions at the Red Rock Conference high school track and field meet at Slayton last Thursday, May 16.
Gehl racked up 30 points for the Heron Lake-Okabena / Fulda Coyotes in the girls’ division of the eight-team meet as she finished first in three events, winning the 1,600-meter run (5:02.18), 400-meter dash (personal-record time of 1:04.31) and 800-meter run (PR-time of 2:26.18).
Untiedt ran a pair of PR times to win both hurdle races. She was clocked at 17.30 seconds in her first-place performance in the 100-meter highs and ran to victory in the 300-meter lows with her new best-ever time of 52.13.
“Sam had a great day, winning both hurdle events,” declared HL-O / Fulda head girls’ track and field coach Gary Hildebrandt. “She beat Southwest Christian’s Sommer Schaap (17.34) to win the highs, which is a major accomplishment. Schaap is a senior veteran who has been one of the best girl hurdlers in southwest Minnesota for years.”
Untiedt set a third personal record by leaping an even 15 feet and placing a close second in the long jump. She also ran the third leg on the Coyotes’ second-place 400-meter (4 x 100) relay team, which clocked a season-best time of 55.44, giving her 30 points (10, 10, 8, 2) for the day — matching Gehl for the team lead.
“Scoring 30 points in the conference meet and establishing three new PRs on the same day is a fantastic achievement,” praised Hildebrandt about Untiedt’s remarkable day. “Morgan ran three great races and we had a bunch of other great performances and several other PRs, too.”
Among those PRs was a second-place effort by eighth-grader Anna Fest in the 300-meter low hurdles. Fest led the race much of the way before being passed by Untiedt near the end. The 1-2 finish up front by Untiedt and Fest (52.77) gave HL-O / Fulda an impressive 18 points in that event.
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