By any measure the 2009 Farmington girls track season was a rousing success. As a team they won the Faribault Invitational, finished among the top four in almost every other meet and put together a school-best performance at the Class AA state championships.
“We improved as the season progressed and that was the goal of our training,” coach Tom Hart said. “Having to take a bus (instead of a car or van) to the state meet was an awesome problem to have.
PHOTO: Alyssa Parco won the Most Improved award for the Farmington girls track team.
“These ladies were a great bunch to work with. I appreciated the
attitude and effort they brought each day. It made coaching them a real
treat.”
Hart and his staff presented 30 athletes letters for their
contributions to the 2009 effort, including 10 seniors: Jackie Beckett,
Rilee Carufel, Chardea Cornell, Anna Findsen, Katrina Fitzgerald, Maria
Gochenour, Melissa Marshall, Kaitlin Mincke, AJ Olatungi and Breanna
Thompson.
Underclassmen earning varsity monograms included juniors Meredith
Gulsvig, Amy Kiminski, Haley Luhman, Lauren McHenry, Geraldine Mpetey
and Rachel Sand and sophomores Devyn Alberts, Jordan Bridges, Nicole
Clifton, Danielle Froehling, Katie Habeck, Erin Hickey and Amanda Mohr.
A talented group of middle school performers also earned letters,
including ninth-graders Isis Alexander, Betsy Anderson, Emily Gerster,
Bailey Opsal, Alyssa Parco, Marissa Stewart and eighth-grader Maria
Kiminski.
Other athletes honored a the post-season banquet included Lynea Behnke,
Taylor Just, Erin Wynings, Mary Cline, Anna Adrian, Sarah O’Reilly and
Natalia Sitzman.
Mincke, who had her footprints on 12 of the team’s school-record 17
state meet points received the Most Valuable Player award while state
meet qualifier Parco won the Most Improved award. Marshall earned the
Tiger Award for commitment, work ethic and attitude.
Parco and pole vaulter Fitzgerald, a fifth-place finisher at state,
landed all-Missota Conference berths while Mincke, Beckett, Opsal and
Maria Kiminski received all-league honorable mention.
The Tigers also excelled in the classroom where Carufel, Fitzgerald,
Mincke, Amy Kiminski, Luhman, Sand, Clifton, Hickey, Opsal, Parco and
Maria Kiminski all received Academic All-State distinction.
Four new school records went on the books this spring, including Mincke
in the 800-meter run (2:16.87); Parco in the 300-meter hurdles (46.63);
Fitzgerald in the pole vault (11-9) and the third place 4x800 state
meet relay team of Beckett, Maria Kiminski, Clifton and Mincke
(9:25.49).
Hart said that the 10 seniors made a lasting impact on the Tiger girls track program.
“They helped establish a competitive drive and work ethic standard that
will carry over for years to come,” he said. “Many of their names
decorate our record book. I will miss them and I wish them the best of
luck in their adventures next year.”
But even with the departure of such an outstanding group, Hart said that the future remains bright for his program.
“We will return a great nucleus of athletes who will compete and
challenge our rivals,” he said. “Our middle school coaches have been
doing a wonderful job of preparing our younger athletes, so I am
anxious to see which ones will challenge for spots on next year’s team.”
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