CLASS AA TRACK AND FIELD: Marshall girls 4×800 relay gains experience in Top 12 finish
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ST. MICHAEL -- When the Marshall track and field team competed in the Class AA meet in 2019, the girls 4×800 meter relay team was able to earn an eighth-place finish. With a young group, the 4×800 relay came back to the state meet on Saturday at St. Michael-Albertville High School, placing 12th overall with a time of 9:46.59. Wayzata took first with a time of 9:08.02.
Marshall girls coach Marie Sample said she was proud of the way they competed, especially for being such a young team, and left it all out on the track.
"I saw a lot of effort just like we've seen all season but to be honest, they're so young and with no track last year; Taleigha's just a seventh-grader and never had track before and we asked a lot out of them this year," coach Sample said. "Running the types of meets we did within our conference and just smaller meets and then for them to get to sections and put together a great race and then coming up here for the state meet for their first time ever except for Bellamy, I felt like they held themselves together and did a good job."
Sukalski said to be able to compete against some of the state's best was an incredible feeling, especially with the uncertainty of their season at the start.
"It's pretty incredible," Sukalski said. "To come here on a weird year like this where we weren't even sure there was going to be a state meet at the beginning of the year, it's pretty amazing to be here and be in the Top 16 teams in the state and race against some of the best."
Sukalski, a junior, was the lone returner from the 2019 relay, and got the relay started. Seventh-grader Taleigha Bigler ran the second leg, followed by sophomore Miracle Tucker and freshman Allyson Sample.
Sukalski said their key was just figuring out where everybody fit the best in the different legs of the relay throughout the season.
"We ran with almost the exact same team all year and every meet we tried to improve and we moved around different positions throughout the entire season just to see what would work out best for us," Sukalski said.
"And just trying to run your hardest even if you're in front because with the smaller meets, that's what you have to do, you've got to go for it," Sample added.
It was the first state appearance for Bigler, Tucker and Sample. Some nerves were felt, but all three runners said it was an amazing experience.
"It was pretty awesome," Bigler said. "A little terrifying, but fun."
The meet was postponed by an hour due to an accident on I-94 that delayed several teams on the road. Being the first event of the afternoon, Sukalski said they were just about to check in at the track when they heard about the hour delay.
"Thankfully we were here [at the track] but we all panicked just a little bit," Sukalski said. "But we all brought it back together."
With everybody coming back next season, Sukalski added they are looking forward to spending the summer and fall training with each other and working towards making a return to the state meet next spring.
"We'll go into the cross country season all together and throughout summer running together so we'll have a whole year of training together to grow as a team and grow faster," Sukalski said.
Coach Sample said they were able to gain a lot of experience as a group this season and hopes they can build off of that going into next year.
"I think they were competitive all season and competed as well as they could with what we were able to give them for competitions and competition level and I felt like they really grew this year and got some great experience," coach Sample said. "Next year hopefully will be a little more back to normal and they'll continue to grow and get faster."
"We've got a great team and it was a great season and we'll be back, Tucker said.