Photo by Jenny Kirk Marshall’s Kaia Sueker, Morgan Radel, Nichole Sample and Natalee Sample pose for a photo after taking fifth in the 4x800 meter relay at Day 2 of the Class AA meet on Saturday at Hamline University.

ST. PAUL – The Marshall girls 4×800 meter relay team gave everything they had and closed out the season with a fifth-place finish at the 2018 Class AA Minnesota State Track and Field Championships on Saturday at Hamline University in St. Paul.

Along with earning recognition as the fifth-best team in the state, the Tiger runners also shattered their season-best performance by about seven seconds. Junior Kaia Sueker, seniors Morgan Radel and Nichole Sample and sophomore Natalee Sample ran the race in 9:21.26.

“I think the race went really well,” Natalee Sample said. “We were hoping to medal again, so we’re super happy with the results.”

By the end of the race, Sample could barely stand because she had pushed herself to the maximum.

“We all wanted to give everything for our team,” she said. “This is our only event (on Saturday), so I was going to kill it for my team – go get another one, last one, best one.”

Minnetonka won the 4×800 with an impressive time of 9:09.54, followed by Wayzata (9:16.12), Eden Prairie (9:19.68) and Rocori (9:20.52).

“It was super exciting,” Sueker said of the race. “I think we were just going to focus on running this one for each other because it’s the last one with the seniors and it’s just been a fun ride with them. We’re going to miss them so much, but I think we had super fun and just ran hard, our last one, for each other.”

As the leadoff runner, Sueker oftentimes sets the tone for the entire race.

“I actually really enjoy it,” she said. “I try to get a good start and get in a good spot for my teammates, to try and set them up to be as successful as we can. So I really enjoy starting the relay off.”

Competing in track and field for the first year, Radel performed exceptionally well. She’s known the other athletes for a long time, having participated in cross country with them.

“They’ve been trying for a couple of years to get me to come out and do track,” Radel said. “I really love running with this team. They make it so much better than running alone. It’s great. I love being part of this 4×800 this year.”

Earning a fifth-place medal at state sealed the experience.

“It’s great,” Radel said. “I love it.”

As the second leg of the relay, Radel is in charge of cutting in 100 meters into the race.

“Usually I try not to go out too hard and just stick with the pack and then see if I can kick it at the end,” she said. “But I didn’t really think much during the race. I just tried to give it all I had.”

As the veteran on the team, Nichole Sample had been in similar scenarios the past few years. She knows how much hard work it takes to even get to the state level, so the experience never gets old, she said.

“It feels amazing,” Sample said about placing fifth. “And it’s our season PR for sure. It’s my sixth year on this 4×800 and I think this has been the most fun. It’s great. I can’t think of a better group of girls both on and off the track. They’re my best friends.”

Marshall has advanced its girls 4×800 relay team the past five years. This year, the 4×400 relay also qualified. Sample said having a strong support system has helped the teams succeed.

“This is our fifth year in a row being up here for the 4×800,” she said. “It’s our third year medaling out of four. It is also our first-ever taking the 4×400.”

Girls coach Marie Sample said Marshall has built a winning tradition, especially in the 4×800 relay.

“It’s their fastest time of the year by about 7.5 seconds,” coach Sample said. “It was pretty close to 2:20 splits across the board. And we haven’t hit that, so they should be really happy with that. But what I really likes that when they were all done, they weren’t coming and asking me for splits. It was really just like, ‘Hey, we got another medal as a team.’ They’re just really into this team concept and doing something bigger than themselves. And I really, really like that about them.”

Coach Sample said that quality of character is reflective of how the athletes will likely handle jobs, family and friends when they leave high school.

“I think that’s a life skill that’s really important,” coach Sample said. “It’s pretty cool.”

While both were positive role models, the two seniors came into the season in completely different places.

“This was Morgan’s first year of track,” coach Sample said. “She did some softball and then some track. She did well doing both this year. We put her in that second position so we could try to separate from the pack a little bit. She’s super gritty and determined. I thought she’d go out there and try and keep the team up there, and hopefully make that separation so that the last two runners can just run a solid race.”

Coach Sample said there’s oftentimes a lot of congestion in the 4×800 race.

“With these state teams, we’re kind of on top of each other,” she said. “It’s really hard to run your best time. So that separation was really key. To take that position and get up there like she did was awesome.”

Having been on the team for six years and competing in the relay at state for five straight years, Nichole Sample is the epitome of perseverance as she knew how much work was involved.

“It’s difficult to do,” coach Sample said about consistently returning to the state meet. “There’s a lot of prep that goes into it. It’s a year-round prep and it’s some mental prep. And then they have to get past their nerves, past what they think their expectations are and they have to get on the track and actually have to carry it through to get the job done.”

Natalee Sample said preparation is a big part of the team’s success.

“We get together in the summer and we run a lot together,” she said. “In the winter, some of us play basketball, so we play basketball and then whenever we can, we run together. Then getting pumped up for races, we play some music and try to get ready with each other. We try to get each other pumped up. It’s super fun.”

As a coach, Sample said she’s grateful to witness the athletes rally and compete hard together.

“I’ve watched this year after year up here,” she said. “They’ll rally for one another way more than they’ll rally for themselves. That’s a really neat thing to watch.”

Coach Sample said the state meet is a really fun environment to be part of and that the excitement and success is “kind of contagious.”

“You have (4×800 alternates) Kate Bucher, Bellamy Sukalski and Jersey Leyson standing on the side, these young ones who are like, ‘We want in next year,’ and they’re trying to see themselves in those roles and it’s kind of fun. We’ll see what filters through and what they do with it as we continue building for the future.”

Leyson is a seventh grader, while Sukalski is an eighth grader and Bucher a sophomore.

“It’s not just four people on a team and then your alternates,” Nichole Sample said. “It’s seven people on a team and four of you happen to run.”

Sueker agreed, saying that all of the members of the relay team were importance.

“It’s everyone, including our alternates, who works toward this goal,” Sueker said. “It’s everyone who contributes. Before sections, they were rolling us out and getting us pumped up for the race. It’s super awesome.”

Section rival Shakopee also made the state awards stand, finishing in ninth place. All four runners are underclassmen, so the team looks to be competitive again next season. But the Tigers believe they’ll be ready to fight for the right to represent their section at the state meet again next year.

“We’re hoping to get back next year,” Natalee Sample said.

Sueker said she felt the same way.

“We have really strong 800 runners,” she said. “We have three more that can run a 2:25 or under, so I think it’s possible.”