By John RittenhouseThe Luverne girls’ track squad successfully defended its 2003 team title during the Sub-Section 10 Track and Field Championships in Pipestone Thursday.The Cardinals compiled 155 points during the event, outscoring second-place Pipestone (119) by 36 points to run away with the championship in a seven-team field.Along with succeeding as a team, LHS had 14 individuals qualify for the Section 3A meet that will be staged in Luverne today. The meet begins at 2 p.m.Thirteen of the 14 girls who earned the right to compete today advanced by locking up automatic berths that go to individual and relay teams that place in the top three positions at the sub-section level.Under a new qualifying format that compares times and distances with athletes representing all four sub-sections that make up Section 3A, four LHS individuals (one that didn’t earn automatic berth into the section field) and one relay team locked up qualifying positions in the section field.Luverne athletes won four sub-section individual championships during the meet in Pipestone.Marissa Stewart claimed a pair of titles by winning the shot put and discus competitions with respective 35-3 1/5 and 101-6 distances.Cassie Pap won the triple jump crown with a distance of 31-8, and Lexi Heitkamp took top honors in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 5:22.75.Jenni Christensen, Victoria Arends and Katie Schneiderman placed second in individual events at the sub-section meet.Christensen ran 200 meters in 27.45, Arends cleared the 300-meter hurdles in 51.09 and Schneiderman cleared 7-6 in the pole vault.The 3,200-meter relay team of Kelsey Dooyema, Tera Boomgaarden, Arends and Heitkamp placed second with a time of 10:08.03.Other individuals securing automatic berths into the section meet by placing third include Callen Bosshart (13.54 in the 100-meter dash), Kelsey Dooyema (5:50.41 in the 1,600), Amanda Saum (12:32.81 in the 3,200) and Maggie Kuhlman (51.46 in the 300 hurdles).Automatic berths also went to Luverne’s 800- and 1,600-meter relay teams, which placed third with respective 1:51.2 and 4:19.09 times. Bosshart, Amanda Dooyema, Nicole Willers and Christensen formed the 800-meter team. Christensen, Amanda Dooyema, Arends and Heitkamp teamed up in the 1,600.Individuals advancing to the section meet under the new qualifying format include Boomgaarden, Kayla Raddle, Kuhlman and Heitkamp.Boomgaarden placed fourth in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:32.1, Raddle placed fourth in the 3,200-meter run in 12:32.81 and Kuhlman and Heitkamp cleared 4-10 and 4-8 to place fourth and fifth respectively in the high jump.Luverne’s 400-meter relay team qualified for the section meet based on a time comparison. Bosshart, Amanda Dooyema, Pap and Willers placed fourth with a time of 54.49 in Pipestone.Here is a look at the rest of Luverne's individual performances and the team standings from the sub-section meet.Girls’ standings: Luverne 155, Pipestone 119, Fulda 104, Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth-Edgerton 84, Murray County Central 80, Adrian 74, Southwest Christian 61.Individual resultsFourth place: Jessica Willers, 300 hurdles, 18.44; C.Bosshart, long jump, 14-8.Sixth place: Natalie Willers, shot, 30-5 1/2; LaRae Kor, discus, 90-1.Seventh place: Nicole Willers, 200, 28.73; Amanda Kannas, 3,200, 13:14.7; Pap, long jump, 14-4.Eighth place: Jessica Willers, 300 hurdles, 54.59; Morgan Bosshart, 400, 1:09; Brittany Mulder, 200, 28.74.
