by Les Knutson
Sports Reporter
Larson, Kramer, Overman, Wendorff, Paulzine, Zanini all were state champions
Starting with a fifth-place performance (12-6) in the pole vault by senior all-around athlete Rick Dierks back in 1969 and freshman Morgan Gehl’s recent duplicate fourth-place medals in 2018, there have been an amazing number of Raiders who have placed in various events at the Minnesota State High School Track and Field Meet.
With the help of long-time Fulda High School track and field coach Brad Holinka, a list of FHS athletes who have competed at the state meet since 1969 has been compiled. There is certainly a chance that there are missing performers and, perhaps, some Raiders made it to the state track and field meet prior to 1969.
But the list in this week’s paper, highlights the remarkable performances of six Fulda state champions, including two who held or still hold the Class A state-meet record in their championship event.
Fulda’s first state champion was Ken Larson, who after earning the second-place silver medal in 1980 by clearing the high jump bar at six-feet-seven inches (6-7), soared over 6’10” as a senior in 1981, bringing home the gold medal and the Raiders’ only boys’ state title.
Larson, coached in the high jump by the late Hank Lenards, made state-wide — and even national — news earlier that spring when he cleared seven feet in a meet at Fulda.
“Ken had amazing spring, he could really jump,” summed up Holinka who was completing his collegiate career (football and track) at Mankato State when Larson was competing. “Combining that kind of leaping ability with the high jump technique taught by Hank was what it took to become the best in the state at that event.”
Larson’s winning height of 6’10” is still the Class A state-meet record —- 37 years later!
In the years following Larson’s state-meet gold medal, several other Raiders earned advancement to the big show in the Twin Cities, including mid-distance runner Julie Kramer, who competed in seven state races during her brilliant career as a Raider.
Kramer qualified to run at the state meet in the 800-meter run as a seventh-grader in 1984. The next year, she finished an impressive fifth in the 800, clocking a time of 2:23.15.
Joining her at the 1985 state meet were senior sprinter Diane Oolman (who still holds the FHS school records in the 100, 200 and 400), along with senior all-around performers Karmel Honius and Marti Sturm. Oolman blazed a time of 58.21 seconds to capture third-place in the 400-meter dash, while the team of Honius, Sturm, Oolman and Kramer placed fourth in the 4 x 800-meter relay with a time of 9:51.43.
Kramer finished third in both the 1,600 (5:05.40) and 800 (2:16.75) as a freshman in 1986. After qualifying for both events again as a sophomore in 1987, she was injured in a car accident and was not able to run at the state meet.
To read the rest of this article – pick up a copy of this weeks Fulda Free Press or subscribe to our e-edition at http://eedition.fuldafreepress.net/sub/account_login.asp
