Esko track and field breezes through sections, returns to State

The site of last Friday’s Section 7A track and field meet was the University of Minnesota Duluth, but it might as well have been Esko.

The Eskomos dominated the field, yet again.

Using their blazing speed and strong fielders, the Esko girls claimed their fifth section crown in as many years, while the boys also added another piece of hardware to their trophy case.

“Everyone hit it on that day,” said Esko girls head coach Tim Lindquist afterwards. “They really put it all together and showed how special a group they are.”

Eskomos boys head coach Gary Beaudot agreed.

“It was a great meet,” he said. “There were a lot of personal bests throughout the day. We just ran as fast, jumped as far and threw as hard as we could. And things just fell into place.”

The Esko girls put up a gaudy 148 points on the drizzly afternoon at UMD, while the boys notched 103. To put their dominance into perspective, no other competing squads totaled more than 67 points.

“We’re peaking at the right time,” continued Beaudot. “And the key for us is our depth. We have tons of numbers this year. And because of that, everyone is healthy and performing at their best right now.”

The Esko boys recorded eight personal bests last Friday, as they qualified to compete in seven events at this weekend’s state meet at Hamline University in St. Paul. The girls bettered the boys, qualifying for 11 events this weekend.

“It was definitely a pleasure of mine to see these girls come through again,” said Lindquist. “And afterwards, the girls were excited. They definitely don’t take this all for granted.”

And according to Lindquist, this memorable season is far from over.

“There’s still work to be done,” he said. “These girls are used to getting down to state. Some have been there multiple times. And we’re going down there to compete, because these girls deserve to be at this stage. The competition will be tough, but we’re hoping to have success.”

Beaudot feels the same about his boys.

“The boys are excited to get down there,” said Beaudot. “This was one of our goals, to get to state. And we’ve worked hard to get to this point. Now we’re shooting for a medal.”

Having been to every state meet for the past five years, Lindquist knows its something special to be a part of: win or lose.

“This is something they can look back on when they get older,” said Lindquist. “Not many kids in the state get this opportunity once, let alone year after year, so we’re very pleased. This never gets old.”

Tags: track and field, sports, esko, track