A 32-year old Langford Area record fell by the wayside at the state track meet held in Sioux Falls Thursday through Saturday.
The girls 400 relay mark of 52.91 had stood since 1993, but the LA quartet of Paytyn Marlow, Brooke Dwight, Bailey Dwight, and Lizzie Gustafson posted a 52.58 effort to break the long-standing mark and finished 12th at the state meet. The team had ranked 24th heading into state and beat its season best by 1.25 seconds. Members of that 1993 team included Jenn (Cutler) Gustafson, Cari (Carlson) Price, Jenn (Hupke) Franzen, and Kari (Jensen) Furman.
“The Lions competed really well at the state meet,” said Coach Brian Schuring. “I was pleased with the efforts they put into their events. We peaked at the right time and that’s what we were aiming for, and breaking the 4x100 relay record was exciting and gratifying. We really enjoyed the efforts the kids (both JH and HS) put into the track program this spring and are excited for the future of track at Langford.”
Seven LA tracksters qualified for the state meet. Marlow was a three-time qualifier, also earning spots in the 100 dash and long jump. She placed 13th in the 100 dash, moving up from the 14th qualifying spot, with her time of 13.12. Her long jump of 15-5.75 was 15th after qualifying in the 24th position.
Emily Olson earned a three-way tie for 11th in the triple jump with a leap of 31-10.25, moving up from the 24trh qualifying spot. Two boys qualified in the 110 hurdles – Caleb Mertz and Julian Rodriguez. Mertz placed 16th in 17.62 and Rodriguez was 23rd in 18.73. Mertz’s effort bumped him up from the 23rd qualifying position and his time beat his best of the season by .12 of a second.
