As the Track and Field season approaches the City Conference and Section 4AA meets, four standout Como athletes have legitimate opportunities to win titles and achieve personal bests.
Senior Trey Clay is the defending state champion in the 110-meter hurdles and was also third in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles at state last season. Clay’s training has brought new records this season, including an all-time Mounds View track record at the Dick Stewart Memorial Meet.
In total, Clay earned four first-place finishes at the Mounds View meet, winning the long jump, triple jump and both hurdling events. That exceptional performance was backed up by winning the 110 hurdles at the Hamline Elite meet and finishing second in the long jump. Clay will head into the St. Paul City meet as the favorite in all four of his events.
Coach Roy Magnuson said Clay may scale back to three events (both hurdles and the long jump) for the Section 4AA meet and the state meet, which will be held at Hamline University on June 10 and 11.
Innocent Murwanashyaka, a junior, has the goal of getting back to state for the second time this school year. Innocent finished eighth in the state cross-country meet last fall. In track he’s running the 3200-meter. He will battle a friendly rival from Highland Park for the city title in that event and try to qualify for state against a deep pool of talent in Section 4AA.
On the girls’ side, senior Mary Miles has achieved three years of city conference places and championships in the 1600-meter and 3200-meter. She has enjoyed her years of running cross-country and track’s distance events, and aims to finish her high school career back on the podium at the conference meet.
Junior Florence Uwajeneza will be one of the other top competitors in the girls’ distance events. Florence was the city champ in cross-country last fall. A peak performance at the city track meet could earn a place on the podium again.
Check next month’s Bugle for these track results and a summary of all Como and Murray spring sports.
Eric Erickson is a social studies teacher at Como Park High School and a longtime coach of school and youth sports in St. Paul.
