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Kora Kremer -
Parker Olson -
Broox Platt
Murray County Central will send three entries to the Minnesota State Track and Field Championships after a successful showing at the Section 3A Championships in Pipestone. The Rebels qualified the boys 4x800-meter relay team, senior thrower Gabe Wolske, and eighth-grade standout Charley Holm while finishing fifth in the boys team standings and 15th in the girls competition.
Adding to the celebration, MCC boys head coach Tim Bobeldyk was named the Section 3A Boys Coach of the Year, recognizing the success of a Rebel squad that continued to improve throughout the season and finished among the top teams in the state.
The biggest moment of the meet came in the boys 4x800-meter relay. The quartet of Brayden Gilb, Beckett Stelter, Henry Carlson and Alexander Betz put together their best race of the season, winning the section championship in 8:31.77 and securing an automatic berth to the state meet.
Betz was also one of MCC’s top individual scorers. He placed fifth in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:05.53, while Carlson added a seventh-place finish in the same event in 2:09.46. The distance crew helped the Rebels score valuable points throughout the meet, with Micah Janssen placing 11th in the 1600 meters and Carter Larson finishing 13th.
Senior Lucas Kuball delivered an outstanding all-around performance for MCC. Kuball reached the finals in the 100-meter dash and placed seventh in 11.70 seconds. He followed that with a fifth-place finish in the 400-meter dash in 52.82 and added a fourth-place finish in the long jump with a leap of 20 feet, 3 inches.
In the throwing events, Gabe Wolske punched his ticket to state with a personal-best throw of 154 feet, 6 inches in the discus. His third-place finish was enough to earn a state berth and capped a strong senior season. Fellow Rebel senior Broox Platt also scored for MCC in the throws, placing sixth in the shot put with a personal best mark of 45 feet, 6 inches.
The Rebels also found success in the hurdle events. Parker Olson placed fourth in the 110-meter hurdles in 17.27 seconds and later added an eighthplace finish in the 300-meter hurdles. Olson continued on finishing seventh in the long jump with a personal-best leap of 19 feet, 9¼ inches. Tyler Reith placed sixth in the 110 hurdles and 12th in the 300 hurdles, while Dylan Gilbertson finished 13th in the 300 hurdles and ninth in the triple jump.
MCC’s relay teams contributed heavily to the team’s fifthplace finish. The 4x400 relay team of Kuball, Stelter, Gilb and Betz finished fourth in 3:31.85, just three tenths away from the state standard, which would have automatically advanced them to the state meet. The 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams also competed well against a deep field of sectional qualifiers.
The Rebel boys finished fifth among 23 scoring teams, just 6.5 points away from being runners-up. Hancock captured the team championship, followed by Montevideo, Southwest Minnesota Christian/Edgerton and Redwood Valley.
On the girls’ side, eighth grader Charley Holm turned in a remarkable day against some of the section’s top athletes. Holm earned a trip to the state meet by placing second in the pole vault after clearing 8 feet, 8 inches. She also reached the finals in the 100-meter dash, placing fifth in 13.20 seconds, and added a fourth-place finish in the long jump with a personal-best mark of 16 feet, 2 inches.
Holm was also part of MCC’s 4x400-meter relay team that placed 11th. Joining her were fellow youngsters Kenslee Bobeldyk, Isabela Schreier and Kora Kremer. Schreier also competed individually in the 400-meter dash, finishing 10th in 1:04.36.
The Rebels received additional points in the pole vault from Kremer, who tied for sixth after clearing 7 feet, 8 inches. Chloe Kremer also cleared 7 feet, 2 inches to tie for eighth place.
In the distance races, Holland Vogel represented MCC in the 3200-meter run and finished 12th overall.
With the section meet complete, Murray County Central will now turn its attention to the Minnesota State Track and Field Championships. The Rebels will be represented by the boys 4x800 relay team, Gabe Wolske in the discus, and Charley Holm in the pole vault as they look to cap an outstanding season on the state’s biggest stage on Friday, June 5th.
The state qualifiers, combined with Coach Bobeldyk’s Section 3A Coach of the Year honor, made for a memorable championship meet and another successful chapter for the Murray County Central track and field programs.
