Nevis' Bryon Schuldt and Annessa Feder were favored to qualify for the state Class A track and field meet.
Schuldt entered Saturday's Section 8A meet at Warren with the fastest time in the boys 3,200-meter run while Feder was the top seed in the girls high jump.
Both Nevis athletes lived up to those expectations with winning performances.
Schuldt, who won the Subsection 29-A title with a time of 9:56.38, qualified for his third consecutive state meet with a winning time of 9:54.42. That time broke his school record and helped the Nevis freshman repeat as the section champion.
Feder - who won the subsection title by clearing 4 feet, 10 inches - earned her first state trip by winning the section title by clearing that same height. The Nevis sophomore entered the section meet with the top seed after clearing 5-2 during the season.
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Schuldt was at the front of the pack from the start and took the lead for good during the second lap. Schuldt coasted the rest of the way, finishing almost 30 seconds ahead of Ada-Borup's Spencer Ruebke, who finished second in 10:23.71.
"I'm excited that I was able to make it (to state) again. I hoped to go again, but you never know what's going to happen the day of the race," said Schuldt. "I figured I could do it (repeat as section champion). My race felt very good. I just went out and ran my race and let the rest determine itself."
After missing a trip to state the last two years by clearing 4-10 for third place in 2007 and clearing 5-2 for fourth place last year, Feder was determined to qualify for state this year.
With seven girls clearing 4-8, Feder took control by clearing 4-10 on her second attempt. When Bagley/Fosston's Rachel Bennett was the only other person to clear 4-8, Feder had earned her trip to state.
"My main goal was to get to state this year," said Feder. "I was more mentally ready this year. I was pretty confident, but anything can happen in the high jump. It's a big relief."
Led by Feder's winning effort in the high jump, the Tigers finished sixth in the team standings with 39 points.
The Tigers just missed qualifying for state in the 4 x 400 relay with a runner-up time of 4:13.99. Riley Hanson, Paige Walters, Feder and Megan Stambaugh comprised that relay team, which broke the school record. East Grand Forks won the section title in 4:08.19. Nevis won the subsection title with a time of 4:18.86.
Nevis also placed in the other two sprint relays.
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Feder, Hanson, Maggie Lindow and Jessica Schunk took fourth in the 4 x 100 relay with a time of 52.38. That relay team finished third at the subsection meet with a time of 52.42. East Grand Forks won the section title in 51.48.
Feder, Lindow, Walters and Hanson also took fourth in the 4 x 200 relay in 1:52.52. That relay team took third at the subsection meet with a time of 1:51.47. Bagley/Fosston won the section title in 1:46.00 to break the old section record of 1:46.78 set by Bagley/Fosston last season.
Also placing for the Tigers were Stambaugh in the 400 dash (fifth in 1:03.83), Lindow in the long jump (sixth at 15 feet, 5.50 inches), Kjera Gustafson in the discus (sixth at 89-8) and Walters in the 200 dash (eighth in 28.80).
Schunk finished ninth in the 100 dash in 13.73 and Micah Yliniemi was 15th in the 100 hurdles in 20.39.
Schuldt's winning time in the 3,200 run gave Nevis 10 points for 16th place in the team standings.
The other section qualifier for the Tigers was Sean Howes, who finished 14th in the 110 hurdles with a time of 19.90 and 14th in the 300 hurdles with a time of 47.56.
Schuldt and Feder will compete in the state Class A meet at Hamline University in St. Paul Friday. Schuldt will run the finals of the 3,200 Friday at 6:05 p.m. while Feder will compete in the preliminaries of the high jump at 3. The finals of the high jump will be Saturday at 3.
"I expect both Annessa and Bryon to place," said Nevis head coach Shelly Mahowald. "Annessa has cleared 5-2 this season, which puts here right up there with the other state competitors. What more can I say about Bryon? He's a powerful runner who's gifted with the ability to run consistent splits. I hope to see him at one of the top steps at state."
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"My goal for state would be to make it on the podium," said Schuldt, who finished 18th with a 10:34.30 in his state debut as a seventh grader and placed seventh with a 9:56.41 last year. "Hopefully I'll be able to be in the race and contend."
"I'm hoping for a personal record and get 5-4," said Feder. "I was close to getting 5-4 at the conference meet and at the section meet. If I can get 5-4, I'd be really happy. I think I can get it. It would be cool to get on the podium."
