Madison Kunshier dashing off to state track championships

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Mikayla Johnson (above) and Kassie Salo (left) tied for third in the pole vault at the Section 7AA Championships. Photos by Victoria Dahlin

By Victoria Dahlin

Madison Kunshier will be representing North Branch at the Minnesota State High School State Track and Field Championships. The freshman took Champion running the 400m dash in 59.65 at the Section 7AA Championships last Saturday in Princeton.

Also medaling and earning points at the section meet for the girls team were senior Kassie Salo and Mikayla Johnson who tied for third in the pole vault; Hayley Huset, fourth in the 800m run; Rhianna Rinke, fourth in the 1600m run; Gina Amundson, sixth in the high jump and 4x400m relay with Kunshier, Cassidae Kunshier, Kadie Mattson, Huset and M. Kunshier finishing sixth.

Claire Schraufnagel left everything on the track in the 1600m run at the Section Championships.

Rinke came in seventh in the 3200m run; Sheralynn Linkert, seventh in the 300m high hurdles and 4x100m relay with senior Becky Ramberg, Mikayla Hensch and C. Kunshier; and Johnson ended with eighth as well as the 4x200m relay team with M. Kunshier, C. Kunshier, Ramberg and Mattson finished eighth to earn points for the team.

Section 7AA Champion junior Abbigale Forsman of Chisago Lakes congratulated Vikings seventh grader Rhianna Rinke for her great run to finish fourth in the 1600m run.

Carl Neumann, a senior, took third in the pole vault and was the only Viking boy to earn a medal, while Brandon Thauwald took eighth in the high jump to earn points for the team.

Only the top two finishers in each event or any athlete meeting that event’s state standard qualifying time, height or distance qualify to advance to the State Championships.

The girls team tallied up 42 points to come in ninth place ahead of Princeton, Zimmerman, Big Lake, Hermantown, Cloquet and Hibbing, while behind Elk River, Forest Lake, Grand Rapids, Andover, Duluth East, St. Francis, Chisago

Madison Kunshier, a freshman, took Champion running the 400m dash in 59.65 at the Section 7AA Championships in Princeton last Saturday to qualify for the Minnesota State High School State Track and Field Championships.

Lakes Area and Cambridge-Isanti.

“Madison worked hard to get this achievement,” said Coach Norm Nagel. ”Battling an illness was Sherahlynn Linkert just missed medaling by one place. Kassie Salo and Mikayla Johnson were in a dog fight all day in the girls pole vault. The 4×400 relay was fun to watch. The girls really earned the medal.

“The girls’ future looks bright with just four girls graduating and a ton of young talent coming up from the junior high program. Just like the girls, the boys only graduate a few.

Madison Kunshier

“With the younger athletes having one more year of experience, I expect the boys to a lot stronger next year. Looking forward to next year. Is it March yet?”

North Branch Section 7AA Champion Madison Kunshier (pictured) will be running in the State Championship preliminaries at Hamline University in St. Paul at 11:16 a.m. Friday, June 8. If she qualifies she will run in the 400m dash finals at 11:35 Saturday, June 9.