Fall Registration July 24

NEWS RELEASE
FALL REGISTRATION NIGHT

The Farmington Athletics Department will hold its 2012 Fall Athletics Registration Night on Tuesday, July 24th, at Farmington High School (Recital Hall). Attendees should park in the east parking lot and enter the building through the east doors.

All Farmington School District Parents/Guardians and their sons and/or daughters, grades 6-12, who are interested in participating in a fall athletics program offered by the Athletics Department are encouraged to attend.

The Registration Night will begin at 6:00 pm for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders interested in participating in the Middle School athletics programs. Please note that during the Fall, 6th grade participation is limited to Boys’ & Girls’ Cross Country, Girls’ Swim & Dive, and Girls’ Tennis. 

At 7:00 pm, Registration Night will continue for students in grades 9-12.

It is recommended that the 2012-2013 Farmington Athletics Registration Packet be completed prior to attending this event. The 2012-2013 Farmington Athletics Registration Packet may be picked up at any of the following locations: Farmington High School, Boeckman Middle School, and Dodge Middle School or online at the Farmington Athletics website: www.farmington.k12.mn.us/athletics

Parents/Guardians will be able to turn-in their registration packet and meet with coaches to receive information on the upcoming athletics season.

A reminder that all students interested in participating in the athletics programs must complete the registration packet and have a current (within three calendar years) sports-qualifying physical examination on file before any participation is allowed.

HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS (GRADES 9-12)
SPORT/ LEVELS OFFICIAL/START DATE/FEE
Boys’ Cross Country Varsity/JV Monday, August 13th $165.00
Girls’ Cross Country Varsity/JV Monday, August 13th $165.00
Football Varsity/JV/B-Squad/9th Monday, August 13th $165.00
Boys’ Soccer Varsity/JV/B-Squad Monday, August 13th $165.00
Girls’ Soccer Varsity/JV/B-Squad/9th Monday, August 13th $165.00
Girls’ Swimming & Diving Varsity/JV Monday, August 13th $165.00
Girls’ Tennis Varsity/JV Monday, August 13th $165.00
Volleyball Varsity/JV/B-Squad/9th Monday, August 13th $165.00
Cheerleading Varsity/JV Monday, August 13th $165.00
Adapted Athletics (Soccer) Varsity (C.I. and P.I.) TBA $165.00

MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAMS (GRADES 6-8)
SPORT/LEVELS/OFFICIAL START DATE/FEE
Boys’ Cross Country** Middle School Monday, August 27th $130.00
Girls’ Cross Country** Middle School Monday, August 27th $130.00
Football 7th Grade & 8th Grade Monday, August 27th $130.00
Boys’ Soccer Middle School Monday, August 27th $130.00
Girls’ Soccer 7th Grade & 8th Grade Monday, August 27th $130.00
Girls’ Swimming & Diving** Middle School Monday, August 27th $130.00
Girls’ Tennis Middle School Monday, August 27th $130.00
Volleyball 7th Grade & 8th Grade Monday, August 27th $130.00
**Middle School students are encouraged to begin practicing on the High School Start Date: Monday, August 13th.

Please note that there will be separate 7th & 8th Grade Football, Girls’ Soccer, and Volleyball programs at both Boeckman and Dodge Middle Schools. Student-athletes in these sports will play for the middle school they attend.

A reminder that 6th grade athletics participation is limited to Boys’ & Girls’ Cross Country, Girls’ Swim & Dive, and Girls’ Tennis in the Fall 2012.

A Fall Strength & Conditioning program will also be offered at Farmington High School starting Monday, September 10th. This program is available to high school students only.

CONTACTS: Jon Summer
Athletics Director
Farmington School District
651-252-2515 (office)
jsummer@farmington.k12.mn.us

Alumni Tracker: Ex-Tigers return for Dew Run

Carson Jones batting .348 for Dundas Dukes

A large contingent of notable former Tiger athletes were among the more than 500 walkers and runners who took part in the 33rd Dew Run held, Saturday, June 16, in conjunction with Farmington's Dew Days celebration.

2005 Oscar Lubke Award winner Ben Kampf who later ran for the University of Minnesota men's cross country and track teams, clocked 20:29 over the friendly four-mile course to win the race by 42 seconds.

2011 FHS male Athlete of the Year Carl Elmer, now a wrestler at St. Olaf College, placed 11th in the 336-runner four-mile field in 24:22. Sean Fitch, the 1996 Oscar Lubke Award winner and one of the leading rushers in Tiger football history, ranked 36th in 27:25.

1987 Tiger Female Athlete of the Year Julie (Bauer) Mogensen finished eighth in her age group and 2006 male Athlete of the Year Carson Jones and fiance' Heidi Donnelly ran the race together to win the unofficial couples division. 

1996 male co-Athlete of the Year Scott Holmes ran 6:05 in the one-mile race to finish 22nd overall in a 168-runner field.

It was a busy running couple of weeks for Kampf who saw his wife, Heather Kampf, a former Rosemount and University of Minnesota standout, finished seventh in the 800-meter run at the United States Olympic Trials held last week in Eugene, Oregon.

Jones, along with twin brother Tyler Jones are back playing amateur baseball for Dundas of the Cannon Valley League this summer. Carson is the second leading hitter (.348) for the Dukes who own a 14-7 record....Ex-Tiger Kyle Rains who went on to play baseball at Gustavus Adolphus College is playing summer ball for the Hampton Cardinals.

Former Tiger multi-sport athlete Jamie Steffen had another big season coaching the pole vaulters at Apple Valley High School. Three of Steffen's female vaulters competed at the Class AA state meet and two placed among the top four in the event...Ex-Tiger girls track coach Dick Daymont was an official at the state meet.

A pair of former Tigers, Sammy Schmitz and Jon Holmes, along with ex-FHS coaches Terry Holmes and Gerry Greupner cruised to an easy win in the Louie Schmitz Foundation best-ball fundraiser played last Friday at Fountain Valley.

Earlier in the week Schmitz, the defending  state amateur champion, lost in the round of 16 at the Minnesota Golf Association's (MGA) match-play state tournament...Former Tiger state meet golfer Greg Werner, now a member of the Minnesota State, Mankato team, recently qualified for the MGA Publinks Tournament.

Former Tiger three-sport athlete Bob Brownawell, a Doctor of Osteopathy, is currently serving a five-year surgery residency at Mercy Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa...Ex-Tiger Ben Froehling who went on to play football at Wisconsin-Lacrosse will teach and coach sophomore football at Wayzata next fall...

Doug Dingman of the FHS Class of 1977 coached his Prior Lake team to a third place finish in the Minnesota State High School Clay Target State Tournament held recently in Alexandria...Zach Warweg of New Prague, son of Dave Warweg, another 1977 FHS grad, won the state individual shooting title.

Track: Girls receive state academic honor

 Not only did the Tiger girls excel on the track where they finished tied for fourth at the Class AA state meet, they also did outstanding work in the classroom.

Coach Tom Hart and his staff recently received the good news his team had achieved the gold level of Academic All-State distinction determined by the Minnesota State Track and Field Coaches Association.

The award was determined by averaging the highest grade point averages of 10 members of the team's section entrants. Farmington's composite grade point average was 3.93 on a 4.0 scale.

" It is awesome to have student athletes who are as good in the classroom as they are on the track," Hart said.

Boys Golf: A team on the move

Coach Jon Holmes and his team checked out the Section 1 leader board...

and liked what they saw.

Tiger coach Jon Holmes said the best way to describe his senior-dominated 2012 squad was "a team on the move."

"From our first meet to our last there were very few times when we took a step back," he said. "We continued to improve.

"That was very evident in our conference play. We started in sixth place, then went to fifth, fourth and third and we had an impressive team score of 312 at the conference meet at the The Chaska Town Course."

Holmes also gave his Tigers credit for their 316 team score in the opening round of the Section 1AAA Championships where they advanced to the final round for the first time in many years. Farmington eventually placed sixth in the section meet.

Six of the seven varsity players earning letters this spring were seniors: Tom May, Mitch Reed, Jake Hanson, Ryan Kelly, Tony Lalani and Josh Cordes. The lone underclassmen to earn a monogram was eighth-grader Erik Holmstrom.

May had a brilliant senior year, earning all-Missota Conference honors for the first time and advancing to the Class AAA state meet where he finished in a 35th place tie in an 88-player field.

Coach Holmes and state meet qualifier Tom May

Holmes said the 2012 campaign could have been even better had a fourth scorer emerged from the six-player varsity squad.

"Everyone seemed to take his turn at finishing third behind Tommy and Erik," he said, "but we just struggled to get that fourth posting to really give us that breakout team score."

With only Holmstrom returning from this year's team, the Tigers might be looking at a rebuilding project in 2013.

"We will be very young," Holmes said. "We have a couple of juniors with JV experience and Grant Hauswirth played a tournament or two with the varsity this year.

"Other than that we will have to hope the younger guys get in a lot of junior tournaments over the summer and gain some experience."

25 Tigers receive Missota honors

A dozen Farmington High School athletes received all-Missota Conference honors this spring; 13 more earned all-league honorable mention.

The Tiger honorees represented six of the nine spring sports. Because only three conference schools sponsor boys and girls lacrosse programs, all-conference teams were not selected.

Farmington all-conference selections:
Girls track: Nadia Lorencz, Alyssa Parco, Izzie Ferm, Megan Graham and Alicia Hett
Boys track: Reid Taubenheim
Softball: Ashley Betzold, Allie Rice, Brooke Searles,Toni Hunsinger
Baseball: Spencer Merle
Boys Golf: Tommy May

Honorable Mention:
Boys track, Chad Retterath,Tyler Lerbakken, Tommy Weigel, Justin Hyytinen, Eric Stoeckman and Tanner Grubb; Baseball, Jake Baskerville and Ty Vincent; Softball, Taylor Haakana and Amber Doyle; Boys tennis, Blake Olmscheid and Ben Cline; Girls track, Jessica Arey

Softball: A homecoming and a dream season

Team and Offensive MVP Ashley Betzold (photo by Jim Lindquist)

 

The 2012 season couldn't have gone a whole lot better for first-year coach Paul Harrington and his resurgent Tigers.

Coming off two so-so seasons, Farmington finished 17-6, won a share of the Missota Conference championship, went unbeaten to win the Section 1AAA title and earned its second-ever trip to the state tournament.

"It was truly an amazing year," FHS grad Harrington said. "For me it was coming back to my alma mater and coaching a group of girls I knew nothing about. We started practice on March 12 and less than three months later we were playing on the biggest stage in Minnesota at the state tournament.

"These girls worked hard from the beginning to the end. They put in extra time after practice, on Saturdays and at home. That along with a couple of great assistant coaches in Mal Betzold and Trevor Monroe were huge ingredients in our success."

Harrington awarded 13 varsity letters to members of his state tourney team, including seniors Taylor Haakana, Brooke Searles, Erin Wurst and Allie Rice; juniors Ashley Betzold, Rachel Brietich and Toni Hunsinger; sophomores Jordyn Keprios and Mckenzie Nelson; freshmen Molly Berdan, Amber Boyle and Taylor Yousse and eighth-grader Hailey Monroe.

 Allie Rice: Offensive MVP, All-Missota Conference (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Betzold, Rice, Searles and Hunsinger each made the all-Missota Conference team while Haakana and Doyle received all-league honorable mention. Betzold, Rice, Hunsinger, Wurst and Doyle were all-section selections. Wurst and Rice also garnered Academic All-State honors.

Harrington and his staff also handed out several team awards. Betzold, who won all 17 games as a pitcher, was both team and defensive Most Valuable Player. Rice won Offensive MVP honors and Berdan was tabbed as the Most Improved Player. Rice and Yousse were co-winners of the Coaches Award.

Harrington rattled off a long list of on-field highlights from the season just completed but said perhaps the best things about the dream year were the relationships he cultivated with his players.

Toni Hunsinger-All-Missota Conference (photo by Jim Lindquist)

"It was just great getting to know and work with such a great bunch of kids," he said.

The Tiger coach said he couldn't emphasize enough the contributions of the four departing seniors, calling them "great kids and big contributors" but added that he likes his team's look both for next season and the future.

"We have a good group coming back next season," he said, "and we gained a lot of experience this year. Now that the kids have tasted being on the big stage, hopefully they will be motivated to go back. That will be our No. 1 goal next year."

To do that the former Tiger said his players need to avail themselves of several off-season opportunities, including summer and and fall ball, a winter Dome League, local college clinics as well as off-season improvement in the areas of agility, strength and conditioning.

"Those options are there for the kids to initiate and pursue," Harrington said. "Hopefully they will step up and take advantage of them...No position will be guaranteed next year. Those that work hard in the off-season will certainly increase their chances."

Brooke Searles-All-Missota (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Taylor Haakana-All-Missota HM (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Baseball: Tigers come up short in the close ones

Batting champion (.435)  Spencer Merle (photo by Jim Lindquist)

They say baseball is a game of inches and, unfortunately, the Tigers came up an inch or two short too often this spring.

Farmington finished with an overall record of 7-13 and went 4-10 in the Missota Conference play but the rest of the story is that it lost four-run decisions, three of them in extra innings.

"We could have finished above .500 if we had won the close ones," veteran coach Mike Winters said. "Consistent pitching and good situational hitting are the areas where we struggled. We need to get better in both."

Nineteen Tigers earned varsity letters this spring, including 11 seniors: Drew Hegseth, Marty Rivera, Ty Vincent,  Nate Graham, John Stibal, Jake Baskerville, Nick Newman, Ryan Schoening, Andy Scharrat, Andy Morris and Jonathan Ellis.

Eight underclassmen also earned their varsity stripes: junior Kyle Mayer, Jared Lipinski, Spencer Merle, Jordan Lugowski and Kevin Olund and sophomores J.D. Hinks, Johnny Dittman and Jordan DeCrook.

Ty Vincent all-conference HM (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Merle took team hitting honors with a .435 average and Hegseth picked up the Top Gun award for pitching (2-1, 3.65 ERA, 1 save).

Merle also made the all-Missota Conference team while Vincent (.327) and Baskerville (.291) each received all-league honorable mention.

Jake Baskerville all-conference HM (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Nick Newman was named Mr. D (4 errors) and Jordan Lugowski (.271) won Rookie of the Year honors. John Stibal (.266) and Andy Morris (1.50 ERA) shared the Coaches Award.

Winters said his team's sweep of Chanhassen and the opportunity to play on some of Minnesota's finest ball field--Chanhassen, Chaska, Red Wing and Dick Putz Field in St. Cloud--ranked at the top of the list of 2012 highlights.

While he will lose 11 players to graduation, Winters is upbeat about his team's chances in 2013.

"We have a great group of young athletes coming up," he said. "Our team speed and depth should be improved although there were a lot of conference teams playing sophomores this year."

One good omen for the Tigers is that Winters' Farmington VFW team has won eight of its first nine games this summer.

Girls Track: Another banner season

State champion Nadia Lorencz (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Last spring the Tigers ranked fourth in the Class AA state meet with 34 points, scoring top five finishes in four different events. This year they did even better.

Talented junior Nadia Lorenz won state titles in the long jump and 100-meter hurdles to lead the Tiger state contingent to a school-best 40 points and a tie for fourth place in the team standings.

In addition Farmington posted its best-ever finish at both the Missota Conference (second) and Section 1AA Championships (third).

"The year was a great success," coach Tom Hart said. "I don't think I could ask for more from the ladies than what I got. They worked hard all season and the results at the end of the year were awesome."

Hart and his staff awarded 36 varsity letters at the team's post-season banquet with eight of them going to seniors: Jessica Arey, Abby Haugen, Stephanie Hernandez, Bekah Lippert, Elizabeth Okikiolu, Alyssa Parco, Laura Steege and Katyla Watne.

Eleven more letters went to members of the junior class, including Megan Butje, Shelby Doherty, Alex Frost, Courtney Johnston, Maria Kiminski, Callie Kittelson, Kelsey  Lindell, Andrea Nielsen, Jennifer Redepenning, Taylor Schmaltz and Lorencz.

A large number of sophomores and freshmen also earned varsity monograms, including tenth-graders Kathryn Beckett, Kelli Elmer, Izzie Ferm, Aly Grebner, Maricia Pacheco and Lexy Smerekar and ninth-graders Sydney Bockelman, Sarah Cummings, Megan Graham, Alicia Hett, Tori Jacoby, Alexis Johnson, Destiny Schmitz, Jordan Walls, Maricella Pacheco, MacKenzie Vermeire and Jennifer Miller.

Tri-MVP Alyssa Parco (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The team's Big Three of Lorencz, Parco and Ferm put together a phenomenal season. In addition to her two gold medals, Lorencz took fourth in the triple jump at state. She dominated competition in all three events all season.

Parco went unbeaten in the 300-meter hurdles until a fall in the state preliminaries ended her season in that event. Ferm won the conference and section 400-meter run and placed at state in both the 400 and triple jump.

The 4x400 relay team of Parco, Graham, Hett and Ferm won both the conference and section championships and took sixth in the event at state.

Hart named the Big Three as Tri-MVP's with Graham tabbed as the team's Most Improved Athlete. Cummings won the Tiger Award for attitude and work ethic.

"I think Alyssa's fall at state is one of the few disappointments that stands out," Hart said. "She was set to make a run at a state championship...It was also unfortunate that we lost another state meet runner when Maria Kiminski went down with a leg injury."

Tri-MVP Izzie Ferm (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Hart said he will miss his graduating seniors but is optimistic about his chances next year and beyond.

"Our freshmen finished second at the conference meet and we'll return many other contributors from this year," he said.

"We need to continue to have large numbers of athletes in our program. That will give us the depth we need to contribute with surrounding schools....We'll also need to stay healthy because that is key to making a serious run for any championship."











Season-Best Performances
4x800 relay: Vermeire, Frost, Cummings, Pacheco, 10:36.6
100-meter hurdles: Lorencz, 14.36
100-meter dash: Parco, 12.54
4x200 meter relay: Parco, Graham, Miller, Ferm, 1:48.1
1600-meter run: Hett, 5:33.3
4x100 relay: Parco, Ferm, Graham, Hett, 51.41
400-meter dash: Ferm, 58.12
300-meter hurdles: Parco, 44.10
800-meter run: Hett, 2:30.5
200-meter dash: Ferm, 25.94
3200-meter run: Pacheco, 12:23.9
4x400 relay: Parco, Hett, Graham, Ferm, 3:58.5
High jump: Lorecz, 5-2
Long jump: Lorencz, 18-6
Triple jump: Lorencz, 37-6.75
Pole vault: Lorencz, 9-6
Shot put: Grebner, 33-4.5
Discus: Grebner, 93-2

Boys Track: Up and coming

All-Missota Conference pole vaulter Reid Taubenheim (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The record number of Tiger athletes (102) didn't produce any conference or section championships but it did lay a foundation for what coach Brian Helmstetter hopes will be a long run of competitive teams.

"Overall, this was a successful year for Farmington track and field," Helmstetter said. "Our numbers were awesome and we were still (by age) bringing a JV team to all of the varsity meets.

"I am very proud of how we competed and the experience that we got. The athletes are excited about the sport which gets others excited. This was a big step toward the future."

As a team, the young Tigers finished sixth in the Missota Conference and ranked ninth at the 14-team Section 1AA Championships. They also pulled off a major upset, using their superior depth to post a first place finish at the Missota Conference Relays where each event is scored as a "relay."

A whopping 57 runners, throwers and jumpers were awarded varsity letters for their efforts during the 2012 season and only nine of that number were seniors: Aaron Bendix, Trevor Breezley,  Justin Hett, Bret Hoffman, Troy Hoffman, Tyler Jarvis, Reece Lindquist, Joe Ouyang and Chad Retterath.

Junior lettermen included  Leslie Adjei, Athen Ashton, Josh Baker, Alex Chadwick, Tyler Lerbakken, Joe Lipham, Alex Lubbers, Connor Phu, Blake Ross, Clayton Webb, Tommy Weigel, Alec Wilson and Sam Wyatt.


More than half of the letterwinners came from the sophomore and freshmen classes that won both the Missota Conference junior varsity and ninth grade team championships.

The 21 tenth grade winners included Mason Auge, Michael Bakke, Dan Berg, Alexander Burton, Jack Erickson, Mason Gaylord, Tanner Grubb, Jeff Guiterrez, Jacob Hoeve, Derek Klotter, Jake Lee, Sean McHenry, Josh Patterson, Jacob Rogers, Nickolas Ruark, Hunter Sevenich, Cullen Smith. Eric Stoeckman, Reid Taubenheim, Jared Wolt and CJ Wynings.

A record-high 14 freshmen also earned their first track letters: Collin Berquist, Christian Brollier, Jacob Gerdes, Michale Husnik, Justin Hyytinen, Long Lam, Matt Olund, Ryan Parco, Nehemiah Rockett, Luis Rodriguez, Jake Roepke, Daniel Som, Tanner Thode and Tyler Thronson.

Five freshmen school records fell by the wayside this spring. Rockett broke both the 110 and 300-meter marks and Thode and Roepke set new standards in the shot put and discus respectively. The fifth new school-best went to the 4x400 relay team of Parco, Rockett, Hyytinen and Rodriguez.

Pole vaulter Taubenheim was the lone Tiger to gain all-Missota Conference honors, The 4x800 relay team of Retterath, Stoeckman, Lerbakken and Hyytinen and the 4x400 relay foursome of Retterath, Lerbakken, Weigel and Grubb each received all-league honorable mention.

State meet qualifying 4x400 relay team

The 4x400 quartet also took second at the Section 1AA Championships and qualified for the state meet where it came within a fraction of a second of breaking the school record.

Helmstetter said he saw his young team make tremendous strides in all areas this spring but a couple stood out.

"The 4x400 relay team came on strong toward the end of the season and they are only going to get faster," he said. "Our throwers are also walking a little taller now after a very good year and our young hurdlers improved greatly and all have one or more years remaining ."

The Tiger coach said the big numbers should pay dividends down the road but he needs to see improvement in the jumps and sprints if the Tigers are going to make noise in the big meets.

"As of next year, I can no longer say we are a 'young' team," he said. "We will need to see improvement in some areas...I know they're good athletes not competing in the spring. We need them out for track.

" I believe strength is the key to the boys' improvement--that along with a true understanding of goal setting and achieving. It isn't easy to just step on a track and win; they need to earn it during the off season. "

Season Best Performances
4x800 relay: Lerbakken, Stoeckman, Retterath, Hyytinen, 8:27.0
1600-meter run: Hyytinen, 4:31
800-meter run: Hyytinen, Retterath, 2:05
110-meter hurdles: Berg, 15.2
4x100 relay: Chadwick, Erickson, Klotter, Auge, 46.42
200-meter dash: Weigel, 23.53
100-meter dash: Erickson, 11.69
400-meter dash: Grubb, 52.48
3200-meter run: Hyytinen, 10:01
4x200 relay: Parco, Weigel, Erickson, T. Hoffman, 1:34.88
300-meter hurdles: Rockett, 43.1
4x400 relay: Lerbakken, Retterath, Weigel, Grubb, 3:29.76
Long jump: Hett, 19-8
Triple jump: Hett, 40-9
High jump: Berg, 6-0
Shot put: B. Hoffman, 45-2 3/4
Discus: Wynings, 133-2
Pole Vault: Taubenheim, 13-3

Boys Lacrosse: 800 Percent Improved

Team and Offensive MVP Trevor Howard (photo by Jim Lindquist)

What a difference a year makes.

Last spring Farmington won its first game in the short two-year history of the sport. This year coach Paul Sorensen's squad showed an 800 percent improvement, finishing 8-6 overall and winning its first-ever post season game.

"We set some pre-season goals and the only one we didn't accomplish was beating Lakeville North," he said, "so I would say we had a very successful year.

"We excelled in all key areas like ground balls, face-offs, time of possession and goals for and against. Of the teams we lost to, all had winning records except one...We played as a team all season."

All in all, 24 players earned varsity letters for their efforts during the 2012 season, only seven of whom were seniors: captains Matt Ackerman, Mitch Collier, Trevor Howard and Charlie Weierke, Alex Rojesky, Marty Gliva and John Youngkrantz.

Other monogram winners included juniors Brendon Berg, Matt Heinzerling-Wiese, Nathan Brunelle, Alex Osborn, Jake Bauman, Joey Todd and Alex Schrafft; sophomores Alex Aubrecht, Dan Block, Chris Fitzgibbons, Caleb Hakala. Corey Rudrud, Nicholas Workman, Kevin Clifton, Michael Thompson and Max Willis and ninth-grader Garrett Gunderson.

Senior co-captain Charlie Weierke (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Howard, the team's leading point-getter, took home the team and offensive Most Valuable Player awards while Heinzerling-Wiese won defensive MVP honors. Berg who scored a state-record eight goals in a playoff game was the team's Most Improved Player.

Sorensen said the 2012 season was one of firsts for his program. First win over Chaska/Chanhassen, Lakeville South, Rochester John Marshall, Rochester Mayo, Rochester Century, Simley and East Ridge. First winning season. First sectional home game. First playoff win. First year outscoring the opposition for the season.

The Tigers racked up 101 goals, almost double their offensive production in 2011 (51 goals).

Brendon Berg state-record 8 goals in a playoff game (photo by Jim Lindquist)

 Sorensen said he was disappointed in his team's close losses to Holy Angels and Lakeville North and a home defeat to Chaska/Chanhassen but the biggest downer of the year came in the loss of Collier to a broken leg early in the season.

"Mitch was our emotional and spiritual leader and was on pace for a 40-point season," he said.

Sorensen said all seven seniors will be missed once practice time rolls around next spring.

"Our four captains were fantastic role models both in their play and how they faced adversity," he said. "The other three were there every step of the way. All of them persevered through all of the tough times. I'm exceptionally glad they could go out on a high note. They deserved it."

Although the sevens seniors will be missed, Sorensen said he is confident his program is on solid footing for the years ahead.

"We'll have a lot of experienced players back next year," he said. "Our youth numbers are the highest they have been and the coaches are the best we've had. We are looking for that youth movement to carry us into the future."

Statistical Leaders (regular season)

Goals
Berg 25
Ackerman 22
Howard 18

Co-captain Matt Ackerman 32 points (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Assists
Howard 38
Ackerman 10


Points
Howard 56
Ackerman 32
Berg 32
Bauman 10

Girls Lacrosse: One for the record book

First winning season in school history (photo by Jim Lindquist)

To say the Farmington 2012 season was a successful season would be a bit of an understatement. Sort of like saying George Clooney is a pretty decent actor or Donald Trump has a unique hair style.

The Tigers roared through their third season of existence, finishing 9-5 overall and playing competitively in all but one of their games, a season-opening loss to Lakeville North. In its first two seasons, coach Dan Pickens' team won three games and lost 20.

"This was an unbelievable season," Pickens said. "We had a great time and also were able to experience some success on the field...We had a great group of senior leaders that we are going to miss, but they sure went out with a bang."

As a team the Tigers re-wrote their regular season record book, recording new highs in wins (8), goals scored (152), won-lost record (8-4), goals per game (12.7) and goals allowed per game (9.4).

Pickens and his staff handed out 17 varsity letters at the team's post-season banquet with eight of them going to members of an outstanding senior class: Adrienne Jolicoeur, Ally Midboe, Jess Erchul, Haley Bradshaw, Betsy Anderson, Tia Jacoby, Kelli Harstad and Ashley Ganrud.

The underclassmen earning letters included junior Brittany Olson; sophomores Lindsay Benson, Haley Doll, Kylee Glenn, Kaeli Halverson, Maddie Kohlbeck and Rachael Welzin and freshmen Shelby Klotz and Michaela Tonsager.

The Missota Conference still doesn't have enough participants in lacrosse to be recognized as an official league sport and Pickens doesn't give out individual post-season awards, but Bradshaw landed a big one when she was named the the all-state team.

The Tiger JV team, paced by goalie Dani Wright (2.67 goals-against average), also had a stellar year, finishing with a 12-0-1 mark.


Pickens began to rattle off a long list of season highlights, including his team's 15th place state-ranking, but then paused and summed up the season in just a few words.


"Really, the whole season was a highlight," he said. "A great group of hard workers and good leaders...It was a season that produced memories that will last all of us for a long time."


Pickens said the only disappointment in the season just completed was the way it ended.

"We lost to Jefferson by a goal and Apple Valley beat them by a goal to win the section and go to state," he said. "That could have been us."


The senior class scored 127 of the team's record 152 goals this season but Pickens said next year's cupboard will hardly be bare.


"Our JV was unbeaten and our seventh and eighth grade team made it to the state semifinals," he said.

"We have some replacing to do and we'll have to find some scoring but we should pump out another successful season next year. Our future looks bright."

 Statistical Leaders (regular season)

Goals
Bradshaw 42
Jolicoer 32
Erchul 23

Adrienne Jolicoeur 37 points (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Midboe 17

Assists
Midboe 11
Bradshaw 10

Points
Bradshaw 52
Jolicoeur 37
Midboe 28
Erchul 27

Maddie Kohlbeck (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Tonsager 13
                                                   Goaltending
Kohlbeck 9.4 goals per game/53.0 save percentage

                                                         

Boys Golf: May ties for 35th in Class AAA

Tommy May (left) and Tiger boys golf coach Jon Holmes

Tommy May shot a final round of 81 to finish in a tie for 35th place in the 2012 Class AAA state tournament played Tuesday and Wednesday at Bunker Hills Golf Course in Coon Rapids.

May fired 74 in Tuesday's opening round and was tied for 13th place heading into the final 18 holes where he shot 39 on the front nine and 42 on the back.

"On Tuesday Tom dug deep and patiently out-waited the tough holes," coach Jon Holmes said. "He capitalized on the holes where he was positioned for a birdie. Finishing 13th after the first round was phenomenal.

"He didn't play his best on Wednesday. He ended up hitting just two fairways. When you do that you need a lot of luck and that luck sort of ran out at the 16th hole...Still, ending up in the top third of the golfers at the state tournament is no small feat."

May, a regular on the Tiger varsity team since his freshman season, had an outstanding senior year. He won all-Missota Conference honors and finished fourth in the Section 1AAA Championships to punch his ticket to the state meet.

His appearance in the state meet was just the second in the last decade for a Farmington player. Ex-Tiger Greg Werner, a junior on the Minnesota State, Mankato men's team made the state field in 2009.

"I could not be more proud of Tom," Holmes said. "I am thankful for the lifelong memories he has created not only for himself but also for allowing me to share in them. He will be missed."

Boys Tennis: Seniors leave mark on program

MVP Blake Olmscheid (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Tiger Award winner Ben Cline (photo by Jim Lindquist)

 Contrary to to what the won-lost record (2-13) might show, Tiger coach Jack Olwell said the 2012 season was a successful one. Olwell credits a strong senior class for much of that success.

"I know it sounds trite, but those four guys are irreplaceable," he said. "Blake Olmscheid and Ben Cline were the best 1-2 combo we have had in a long time, and their work ethic was exceptional.

"Jeff Zakoski and Tyler Olson made up our No. 1 doubles team. Jeff didn't take up the game until 10th grade and made himself a player through hard work and Tyler's forehand and serve were things of beauty...The senior leadership those four provided was the best in the 30-plus years I've been here"

That foursome and eight underclassmen received varsity letters at the team's post-season banquet. That list includes junior Austin Rau and Drew Corraro; sophomores Trent Kortenbush, Ajay Ramnaryan, Jon Zakoski, Austin Tremmell and Ivan Rodriguez and eighth-grader Bennett Lagro.

Six other Tigers received certificates of participation including junior Chris McLaughlin; sophomores Jake Spindler and Nicolas Makhoul and freshmen Garrett Brown, Mark Dunlop and Christian Makhoul.

Olmscheid was the team's Most Valuable Player and Cline was the winner of the Tiger Award. Both of the Tiger seniors received all-Missota Conference honorable mention.

"I was a little disappointed they didn't make the all-conference team," Olwell said. "Despite their records, they were among the top 16 players in the conference."

Rodriguez who posted the team's best individual record (8-5) playing at third singles was named Player of the Year and Lagro, a fixture at the No. 4 singles spot, was tabbed Most Improved Player.

Olwell said his team's record was deceiving, citing three one-point losses and another where it played five three-set matches.leading after the first set in four of them before losing 1-6 to Chanhassen..

"Despite the losing, we remained focused during practice and intense during matches," Olwell said.
"I'd take a group like this any time."

Olwell will return his third and fourth singles players and second and third doubles teams next spring, but said there is a lot of work to be done between now and then.

"We will need to hit a lot of balls and play a lot of matches to catch up with our more experienced opponents," he said. "We had a couple of players this year  who showed what kind of results that can produce." 

Girls Golf: A season to grow on

Seniors Megan Elliott (above) and Amanda Stienkeoway

With a new coach and a team full of new players the Tigers' to-do list for the 2012 season was a long one with individual improvement sitting on the top rung of the ladder.

Not unexpectedly the Tigers finished at the bottom of the Missota Conference standings in each of the five league meets. But they did beat a couple of teams at the Section 1AAA Championships and had one player, sophomore Brianna Swenson, advance to the final day of competition.

"This was an amazing year," first-year coach Jon Stock said. "It was great to be able to see the improvements that all of the golfers made. I am honored to have had the pleasure of working with such a great group of young people. 

"Coaches teach more than a game. We teach young people how to deal with challenges, follow rules, and how to choose the honorable path. In that sense, this season was a huge success."

Eight players competed on the varsity team at one time or another this season and all earned varsity letters, including seniors Amanda Stienkeoway and Megan Elliott; junior Alexis House; sophomore Swenson and freshmen Kaitlin Jokinen, Jessica Singewald, Jessica Olson and Halea Wright.

Stock said that the individual improvement of all of the girls provided the biggest highlight of the 2012 campaign.

"Everyone on the team achieved a new personal best score," he said. "Everyone did their best and played with honor...One player improved her game by 30 strokes."

Stock said with six letterwinners returning next season, future success will depend on two things: 1) continued individual improvement and 2) the addition of new players to the program. 

"The more practice we get, the more competitive we will be," he said. "We also need to raise our numbers. We have a number of interested parties for next season."

Softball: No wins but a valuable experience

Tiger softball coach Paul Harrington

Farmington's second-ever trip to the state softball tournament didn't produce any wins but according to first-year coach Paul Harrington the trip to Mankato provided a quality experience for all concerned.

"I think now that the kids have a taste of the state tournament, there is no doubt that getting back will be our No. 1 goal next year," he said.

"The experience we gained this year will  be invaluable. Not seeing everything for the first time would certainly help calm the nerves a bit."

The Tigers didn't get a hit in an 11-0 shutout loss to eventual champion Stillwater in the opening round and then lost a tough, 4-3 extra innings decision to consolation champion Bloomington Jefferson in the second.

"We played two awesome teams and really ran into a buzz saw in Stillwater," Harrington said. "They were at the top of their game at the right time.

"Jefferson was ranked no lower than fifth all year. We didn't play a real good game against them and still nearly won, leaving the wining run on second base twice in the late innings. If we make no errors, we win that game."

Despite the Tigers 0-2 mark at state, Harrington said he is proud of his team's accomplishments, both during the season and in the playoffs.

"Most teams, and thousands of kids, would be happy with our season," he said. "I have been to state enough times to know that even winning one game is quite an achievement.

"Last year I went with my best team ever (at Totino Grace), a team that certainly could have won it all. We lost two one-run games and barely won the third. Getting one win is not a very easy thing, let alone winning all three.

"Based on the tournament's structure, two teams will not win a game. This year, we just happened to be one of them."

Boys Golf: May fires 76 at state

Tiger senior Tommy May shot 40 on the front nine but fired an ever par 36 on the back to finish tied for 13th place after the opening round of the Class AAA State Championships played Tuesday at Bunker Hills Golf Course.

May's 76 leaves him seven shots behind first round leader Joe Dutoit of Missota Conference rival Chaska who finished the day with a three-under par 69.

May, who tied for fourth at the Section 1AAA Championships last week, is just two strokes out of fifth place in the 88-player field.

The state meet concludes Wednesday with another eighteen-hole round at the Bunkers Hills course in Coon Rapids.

Boys Track: 4x400 relay runs best time at state

The section runner-up 4x400 relay team of (l to r) Tommy Weigel, Tyler Lerbakken, Tanner Grubb and Chad Retterath

The Farmington 4x400 relay team ranked 13th out of 19 teams in the preliminaries of the Class AA state meet on Friday and did not qualify for Saturday's championship finals.

The Section 1AA runner-up foursome of Tyler Lerbakken, Chad Retterath, Tanner Grubb and Tommy Weigel may not have made the finals but it did lower its section time by three seconds to 3:26.8 and come within a fraction of a second of establishing a new school record.

"That group really came on toward the end of the season," coach Brian Helmstetter said. "The thing that impressed me most at state is that all four runners left everything they had out on the track. No one held anything back."

Girls Track: Lorencz strikes gold twice at state; Tigers finish in 4th place tie

Nadia Lorencz Class AA state champion 100-meter hurdles and long jump (photos by Jim Lindquist)

On Friday Nadia Lorencz leaped into the FHS history book by winning the long jump  with a 17-11.75 effort at the Class AA State Championships at Hamline University. No other Farmington female athlete had ever brought home a gold medal from the state meet.

Saturday morning the talented junior did it again, pulling off what may have been the biggest upset of the meet when she defeated defending champion and state record holder Jessica January of Richfield in the 100-meter hurdles.

Lorencz, who finished second to January in last year's state finals, clocked 14.36 in the race to break her own school record. January was a  half step behind in 14.39.

Later in the meet, Lorencz added a little icing to her sweet state meet performance with a fourth place finish in the triple jump with a leap of 37-4.5

"I definitely wanted to win the long jump," Lorencz said of her ambitions heading into the state competition. "I knew the hurdles would be tough because Jessica (January) is such a great athlete...

But early this week I made up my mind that I could win it. I knew I had to stay focused from the start and stay positive. That's what I tried to do and it worked."

The section champion 4x400 relay team ranked 6th at state

Farmington coach Tom Hart said the key to the Lorencz-January re-match was the first three hurdles.

"I don't think January has been pushed this year," he said, "and I told Nadia if she could win the first three hurdles, she could win the race. When she gets it in her head she can do something, she usually gets it done."

After finishing ninth in Friday's preliminaries to barely sneak into the finals, the Tiger 4x400 relay team of Alyssa Parco, Alicia Hett, Megan Graham and Izzie Ferm moved up to sixth place on Saturday with a finishing time of 4:00.28.

Ferm also placed in two individual events, ranking eighth in the triple jump with a leap of  36-5 and sixth in the 400-meter dash in a personal best  58.16.

The state meet was a bittersweet one for Parco, the only Tiger senior competing at state this year.
She ran quality 400-meter splits in the 4x400 relay on both days but stumbled over the final hurdle and fell to the track in the preliminaries of the 300-meter hurdles on Friday.

"Everyone felt bad for Alyssa," Hart said. "She had the second fastest seed time coming in and she was way ahead in her heat when she fell...She probably could have rolled to the finish line and qualified but I think the fall dazed her a little."

Parco finished seventh in the 300 hurdles at the 2010 state meet before moving up to third place last spring.

Overall, the Tigers put up their second  straight top-five finish in the team standings. They tied for fourth with defending champion Hopkins with 40 points. Lakeville South won the title with 56.5 points.

Farmington finished in fourth place in 2011 with 34 points.

"Alyssa's fall on Friday took a lot out of everyone," Hart said. "but sometimes you're given lemons and you have to try to make lemonade. I think that's what we did for the most part. I'm very proud of all the girls."

Softball: Betzold smacks two homers; Tigers out at state

Ashley Betzold tied a state tournament record with 2 home runs in a game (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Ashley Betzold tied a state tournament record with a pair of home runs but it wasn't quite enough in 4-3 extra-inning loss to Bloomington Jefferson in the consolation finals of the Class AAA tourney played Friday morning in Mankato.

The defeat eliminated the Tigers, 11-0 losers to Stillwater in the opening round, from the double-elimination tourney.

Strikeouts and fielding miscues continued to haunt the Section 1AAA champions. Tiger hitters fanned 14 times against  the Jaguars' Hannah Evavold, giving the locals 25 punch outs in their two games at state.

"When you make it down here (Mankato), you're going to see the best pitching in the state," coach Paul Harrington said. "That's a given."

Farmington also continued to have its problems in the field, committing six errors to give the defense a whopping 10 errors in two games. Eleven of the 14 runs scored by the opposition during that span were unearned.

Jefferson scored a run in the top of the first inning but Betzold tied the count in the bottom of the inning when she led off with a solo home run.

The Jaguars made it 3-1 in the third inning but once again Betzold countered with another long ball to make it a one-run game.

Taylor Yousse RBI single in the 4th (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington knotted the score in the fourth when Taylor Haakana reached on an infield error, moved to third on another Jefferson miscue and raced home on Taylor Yousse's single.

The Jaguars threatened in the seventh, leaving  runners on second and third, before scoring the game-winner in the top of the eighth on a walk and a double by Emily Carr.

Betzold pitched well enough to win on most days, giving up just one earned run on six hits. The junior righthander struck out three and walked four.

At the plate, Betzold was a perfect 2-2 with a pair of walks to go with her homers. Yousse had the only other Farmington hit.

The 0-2 run at state closed the books on an impressive 2012 season for the Tigers that included an overall record of 17-6, their first Section 1AAA championship in nine years and a share of the Missota Conference title.

The game was also the last in a Tiger uniform for four seniors: Haakana, captain Allie Rice, Erin Wurst and Brooke Searles.

Softball: Tigers no-hit in state opener

Pre-game introductions at 2012 Class AAA State Tournament (photo by Jim Lindquist)

 

Stillwater junior righthander Hannah Heacox faced only 23 batters and did not allow a hit and the Tiger defense committed four costly errors as the Ponies rolled to an 11-0 victory in the quarterfinals of the Class AAA state tournament played Thursday in Mankato.

Heacox's no-hitter was the 33rd in the history of the Minnesota state fastpitch tournament.

With the loss, Farmington moved to losers' bracket play beginning Friday morning against Bloomington Jefferson, a 1-0 loser to Mankato West in its opening round game.

Tiger coach Paul Harrington was disappointed in his players' performance in the lopsided loss to the Ponies but reminded them after the game that it was not the end of the tournament.

"It was a bad day and a bad game," he said, "and now we have to leave it behind us and move on."

The contest was delayed by rain for almost three hours, starting closer to noon than the scheduled 9:00 a.m first pitch.

The Ponies touched Farmington ace Ashley Betzold for a run in the first inning on a lead-off double by Carlie Hart and single by Halie Balzart but Tiger catcher Allie Rice gunned down Balzart attempting to steal to keep the damage to a minimum. Rice would go on to throw out two other Stillwater runners on the base paths.

Taylor Yousse tags out a Stillwater runner at second (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Ponies threatened again in the third but with one out and two runners on, the Tigers turned a double play to end the inning with the final out coming with Rice taking a throw from first-baseman Amber Doyle and tagging out a runner at the plate.

A misplayed line drive in the outfield led to three Stillwater runs in the fourth inning before the winners erupted for a pair of scores in the sixth and a deflating five runs in the top of the seventh.

Farmington, meanwhile, managed just two base runners the entire game. Taylor Haakana reached in the second when she was hit by a pitch and Betzold worked Heacox for a free pass in the fourth.

Rice's fly ball out to left in the fourth was the only ball the Tigers hit out of the infield.

Farmington hitters struck out an uncharacteristic 11 times against Heacox who earlier this week was named to the All-Metro second team by the Minneapolis StarTribune.

Erin Wurst is out by a step at first base (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Betzold went the distance in the circle for the Tigers, allowing 13 hits while striking out three and walking one. Only two of Stillwater's 11 runs were earned.

"Give Stillwater a lot of the credit," Harrington said. "They are the best-hitting team we've faced this season and she (Heacox) is the best pitcher we've seen. They really pounded the ball."

The first-year Tiger coach added that the loss, as tough as it was to absorb after his team had fashioned an impressive 17-4 record, was also a valuable learning experience for his relatively young squad.

"It let's us know the level where we are trying to get," he said. "When you get to the state tournament, every team is good. Every pitcher is tough.

Harrington was quick to point out, however, that Farmington's ending to its story book season had not been written.

"Tomorrow is another day," he said. "We'll face another good team and another good pitcher with Jefferson. Like I said, we need to put today's game behind us and move on."

Girls Golf: Swenson 30th in Section 1AA

Brianna Swenson

Tiger sophomore Brianna Swenson posted a round of 97 to finish 30th in a 49-player field in the final round of Section 1AA individual play Monday, June 4, at Cannon Golf Club in Cannon Falls.

Swenson qualified for final round play with an opening-round 98 on the same course the previous Thursday.

Tiger coach Jon Stock was pleased with Swenson's season-ending effort.

"Brianna was one shot away from a personal best," he said.

Boys Golf: May on to state; Tigers sixth in 1AA

Tommy May advances to state tournament

Tommy May followed up his opening round 74 with a two-over par 75 to tie for fourth at the finals of the Section 1AA Championships played Monday at Bellwood Oaks Golf Course in Hastings.

The solid two-day performance earned the Tiger senior a berth in next week's Class AA State Championships slated for Bunker Hills Golf Club in Coon Rapids.

"Tom showed some real character by fighting and grinding around the course," coach Jon Holmes said..

"He was not having his best of days, but the fact that he managed to stick around par really goes a long way in revealing just how much disposition he has developed and how he has taken his game to the next level...I couldn’t be prouder of how he finished ."

May is the first Tiger to make the state meet field since Greg Werner qualified in 2009.

The Tigers, who came into the second round of section team play in seventh place, moved up a notch in the final standings with a two-day total of 316, one of their best showings of the season.

"It was right up there with the 312 we shot at Chaska Town Course, especially since this was a par 73 course," Holmes said. " Everyone played better and we saw what a difference that can make.

Ryan Kelly second-round 78

"I am absolutely pleased at how this group finished the season. They never gave up. They stayed with it through the final hole."

In addition to May's team leading 149,  Ryan Kelly Shot 160 (82-78); Erik Holmstrom 161 (80-81); Mitch Reed 172 (88-84), Tony Lalani 173 (90-83) and Jake Hanson (90-85).

Tiger Scoreboard: June 5, 2012

Boys Golf
Section 1AA Championships at Bellwood Oaks Golf Course in Hastings
Rochester Century 605, Owatonna 615, Lakeville North 616, Winona 623, Albert Lea 639, Farmington 642, Faribault 646, Red Wing 652.

State Qualifier: Tommy May, 4th place tie with 36-hole total of 149 (74-75)

Boys Track: Saving the best for last

The 4x 400 relay team of (l to r) Tommy Weigel, Tyler Lerbakken, Tanner Grubb and Chad Retterath is headed to the state meet

Heading into the final event of the day at Saturday's Section 1AA Championships at Lakeville South it looked as though the Tigers would be sitting out the 2012 state meet.

They had put together a productive day against top flight competition but the best they had to show was a trio of third place finishes, one place short of qualifying for the big show.                                              
Based on seed time it appeared at be the 4x400 relay team of Tyler Lerbakken, Chad Retterath, Tanner Grubb and Tommy Weigel would also do well to finish third.

The Farmington foursome ended the meet with flourish, however, getting quality efforts from all four runners and surviving what coach Brian Helmstetter termed a "horrible" hand-off to take second in 3:29.58.

"I didn't think a 3:29 was going to make it to state," Helmstetter said, "but the hand-off cost us two or three seconds which we are going to need to make it to the the finals st state.

"We will run faster next week as Tanner has only had a half season of training and the other three are competitors. ...I am especially proud of Chad who came back from three injury-plagued seasons to get after it this year."

The Tigers, who ranked ninth among 14 teams in the final section standings with 34 points, earned two third place finishes in individual events. Freshman Justin Hyytinen ranked third in the 1600-meter run and sophomore Grubb was the third finisher in the 400-meter dash.

Justin Hyytinen 3rd place 1600-meter run (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The 4x800 meter relay quartet of Lerbakken, Retterath, Eric Stoeckman and Hyytinen also earned six third place points.

The 4x200 relay foursome of  Ryan Parco, Weigel, Grubb and Jack Erickson took fifth place. Lerbakken finished sixth in the 400-meter dash and Reid Taubenheim ranked eighth in the pole vault to round out the scoring for the Tigers.

 "Overall, this meet was a great learning experience for our younger athletes," Helmstetter said. "Many of them are ninth and 10th graders and they were competing against some strong competition. This will help them for the years ahead."

The 4x400 relay team will run in the preliminaries Friday at Hamline University in St. Paul in an attempt to make Saturday's championship field..

Lorencz, Ferm and Parco dominate section track

Nadia Lorencz: 1st in 100-meter hurdles, triple jump, long jump (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The talented trio of Nadia Lorencz, Izzie Ferm and Alyssa Parco combined for six first place finishes to help the Tigers to a third place finish in a quality 14-team field at the Section 1AA Championships held Saturday at Lakeville South.

The Tigers amassed 87 team points in the two-day meet and Lorenz, Ferm and Parco had their fingerprints on 80 of them.

All in all, Farmington's Big Three qualified for next weekend's Class AA State Championships in six different events: Lorencz in the triple jump; long jump and 100-meter hurdles; Ferm in the 400-meter dash and triple jump; Parco in the 300-meter hurdles and Parco, Ferm, Megan Graham and Alicia Hett in the 4x400 relay.

"As a coach you feel blessed when a great athlete comes along," coach Tom Hart said, "and we have three of them. I can't say enough about what they mean to our team.

"They are such hard workers, both during the season and off-season. And the great thing is they are so coachable... They are getting what they deserve with all of these honors"

Lorencz, who finished runner-up at state in the hurdles and long jump last spring, won all three of her events at the section and set two meet records in the process. Her 14.56 clocking in the hurdles set a new standard as did her 37-6.75 effort in the triple jump. She leaped 17-11.25 in the long jump to lead the field.

Izzie Ferm: 1st 400-meter run and 4x400 relay; 2nd triple jump; 3rd 200-meter dash (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Ferm had an even busier day. For openers, she won the 400-meter dash in 58.51 seconds and anchored the victorious 4x400 relay team that checked in at 4:03.6. The versatile sophomore also ranked second behind Lorenz in the triple jump at 36-5.5 and third in the 200-meter dash (26.21), missing state meet qualification by .09 of a second.

Alyssa Parco: 1st 300 hurdles and 4x400 relay, 3rd 100 dash (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Parco, a three-time state-meet qualifier in the 300-meter hurdles, battled a tough wind to win her signature event in a season-best 44.10 and ran the opening leg for the victorious 4x400 relay team. The tough-minded senior also placed third in the 100-meter dash in 12.54, just .01 of a second away from second place and a trip to state in a third event.

"When I was thinking of a perfect meet for us, I thought we could qualify for nine events at state," Hart said. "We made it in six and came within a fraction of a second of doing in it in two more. That's pretty impressive."

The other Tiger individual points came from senior hurdler Jessica Arey who turned in a career-best 47.64 to take fifth place and freshman Graham who ran 1:02.77 to finish eighth in the 400-meter dash.

The 4x200 relay foursome of Jennifer Miller, Courtney Johnston, Graham and Laura Steege finished seventh in 1:49. 39.

State meet preliminaries take place Friday with the finals set for Saturday at Hamline University in St. Paul.

"I can't say we are going to win everything," Hart said, "but we should be right up there with the best in most of the events we're in."