The Two Harbors Agates track team was a young one this year, with only four seniors leading the pack. However, the team shows great potential for growth in the upcoming years. “We have one of the larger 7th and 8th grade teams we have had in a long time,” Ryan McIntyre, head track and field coach at Two Harbors High School, wrote in an email exchange. “So, the future is bright for the program.”
Seniors Peter Jonson, AJ Mattson, Amaya Grinde, and Jocelyn Carr leave big running shoes to fill. “We’d like to thank Peter, AJ, Amaya, and Jocelyn for all their hard work over the years and for what they have done for the program,” the coach wrote.
The team finished strong this season. On May 30th, the Agates made their way to UMD to participate in the 7A Championship Meet. The boys finished 7th place out of 23 schools. The girls, of which there were only 5 competing in the meet this season, finished 2nd place overall. That was only 1 point behind 1st place Esko.
“There were a lot of personal best performances in the meet,” the coach reported. Delaney Nelson set a new school record with a 12.50 second race. Her time also broke the Section 7A record in the event.
Even more personal best performances were met at the state. Amaya Grine competed in the 100 hurdles in her first trip to state. She placed 20th overall but unfortunately injured her leg and wasn’t able to continue. She was also unable to compete in the high jump or run the 4×400 meter relay.
Gwen Fagerland stepped up and filled in on the 4×400 relay, a race she had not run before. She did well with her teammates Delaney Nelson, Rachel Bopp, and Trinity Giddings. They would finish in 17th place overall.
“This was Delaney Nelson’s 3rd time at state in the 100m dash and her first time making it to the finals,” Ryan wrote. She placed 9th, earning All-State honors. It was also her first time at the state for the long jump and she finished 23rd out of 27.
Delaney, Brooklyn Nelson, Rachel Bopp and Trinity Giddings broke their own school record they had set earlier in the season in the 4×100 relay with a time of 50.63 seconds. They finished 7th place and earned All-State honors. It will be fun to see what these girls will accomplish next year, as well!
Trinity had a beyond amazing season. She placed 4th in the 400m dash and 7th in the long jump. She earned All-State honors in both. Her 400m time was her personal best this season at 57.88 seconds. “The difference between 1st place and her 4th place time was about 7 tenths of a second (.75) in the tightly contested race.”
The lone boy for the Agates at the state meet was Tommy DeChantal who, according to the coach, “gained valuable experience in his first trip to state, finishing the 300m hurdles in 14th place out of 17 competitors. He’ll be able to build off of this season and come back stronger the next 2 years.”
At the team banquet on June 3rd, exceptional teammates were awarded and presented with plaques. You may see some familiar names below:
- Most Improved (Girl) – Olivia Hagglund
- Most Improved (Boy) – Chase Peirce
- Agate Heart Award (Girl) – Jocelyn Carr and Brooklyn Nelson
- Agate Heart Award (Boy) – AJ Mattson
- Rookie of the Year (Girl) – Olivia Hagglund
- Rookie of the Year (Boy) – Jonathan Kinsey
- MVP (Girl) – Trinity Giddings
- MVP (Boy) – Tom Lampela
There is much more to brag about with this year’s track and field team. 6 Agates earned Academic All-State honors for their work in the classroom and their accomplishments in their sport. Great work Jace Gomez, Carter Nelson, Brooklyn Nelson, Delaney Nelson, Amaya Grinde, and Rachel Bopp.
Ryan showed much gratitude to all the helpers the team’s had this year.
“I would like to thank my assistant coaches for all that they do for the kids.” He said. “Jim Anderson, who works with our jumpers. Carley Challender, who works with the hurdlers. Logan Gow, who coaches the throwers. Max Kelley, who works with our distance runners. Eddie Brown, who works with the distance runners. Cheyenne Deters, who helped several event groups, and was our main Jr. High coach. Tom Nelson, who ran our strength program and helped out with sprinters and jumpers when needed. And Dan Thewis, who helped with the throwers, and with the Jr. High team. Several of the coaches helped with the Jr. High team at their track meets throughout the season, and we all worked with them in practice.”
Congratulations to the Two Harbors Agates track and field team, their coaches, and their fans for a great season!
