Under a baking June sun that tested the limits of every competitor, the St. Clair-Immanuel (SC-IL) Track and Field program wrote another historic chapter at the Class A State Championships.
Sending 11 state qualifiers to St. Michael-Albertville—the largest contingent of athletes to reach the pinnacle of the sport during Head Coach Swanson’s tenure—the Cyclones proved they belong among the elite. When the final team scores were tallied, the SC-IL Girls placed an outstanding 15th out of 67 programs, while the Boys claimed a formidable 29th out of 65 teams in the state.
“All of these athletes have worked so hard to get to this point,” said Coach Swanson, praising the relentless determination of her squad. Swanson also highlighted the program’s powerful cooperative agreement with Immanuel Lutheran. “Immanuel Lutheran is so small, but they pack a huge punch and add a lot to our team.”
The road to the state podium was paved with immense preparation, but it was not without heartbreak. Before the meet even began, the Cyclones suffered a devastating blow when standout runner Kate Daly was sidelined by an apparent knee injury. Athletic Director O’Donnell rallied the team before departure, handing out state t-shirts and commending them for a record-breaking season, while Coach Swanson encouraged the athletes to embrace the moment and take advantage of the experience.
Day One: Battling the Heat and Surviving Prelims
Day one was defined by scorching high-80s temperatures and even higher stakes in prelims. The Cyclones brought a potent blend of battle-tested veteran leadership and young, hungry talent to the track.
The girls’ 4x400m relay suffered early heartbreak on Friday evening. Still adjusting to the sudden absence of the injured Daly, the squad faced a steep mental and physical uphill battle, ultimately missing out on a finals berth.
However, the Cyclones quickly found their rhythm elsewhere. In the girls’ 800m prelims, senior star Valerie Quast gave fans a preview of her signature grit, trailing early before digging deep on the second lap to win her heat by a razor-thin tenth of a second. Right behind her, eighth-grade phenom Makiah Loeslie delivered a breakthrough performance on her second lap, qualifying for the finals in the eighth spot.
On the boys’ side, Oliver Schull made good on his off-season promises. After spending five days a week in the gym focusing on power and strength, Schull’s confidence paid off. He clawed his way into the finals of both the 100m and 200m dashes, securing the ninth and final qualifying spot in both events.
The boys’ 4x100m relay team of Schull, McClinton, Lentz, and Lien also advanced, securing their spot in the finals with a strong eighth-place preliminary run.
A Championship Run for the Ages
Saturday’s finals belonged to the history books, headlined by one of the most thrilling races in school history.
In the girls’ 800m final, Quast closed out her legendary Cyclone career with a masterpiece of tactical running. Trailing the pack for the majority of the race, Quast bided her time until she hit the final two turns, then a sudden, explosive burst of speed electrified the crowd. Through clenched teeth and noticeable discomfort, Quast stormed past her competitors—moving from sixth to third, to second, and finally surging ahead in the final strides to capture the State Championship. The roar from the Cyclone faithful was deafening. But this senior wasn’t done making history. She followed up her gold-medal performance with a spectacular bronze-medal finish in the 1600m, fighting off a tight pack of runners in the final meters to secure 3rd place in the State—her second straight year finishing in the top three at State.
“When I first attended state, it was about experiencing and taking it all in,” Quast reflected on her mindset throughout her career. “Now, it’s all about doing well and helping the team.”
The future of the SC-IL ladies’ program was also on full display on Saturday:
- Makiah Loeslie competed as the youngest runner in the 800m finals, finishing 8th in the State and proving she will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.
- The youth-fueled Girls’ 4x800m Relay (L. Quast, A. Loeslie, Anderson, M. Loeslie) held their own against elite competition, placing 8th in the State and rewriting the school record books yet again.
- Sophomore Sophie Rollenhagen, competing in just her second year of track, demonstrated immense growth by waiting out weather and schedule shifts to place 10th in the State in Pole Vault.
For the Cyclone boys, Schull proved he belongs among Minnesota’s elite sprinters. He matched up against the fastest boys in Class A to earn 6th place in the 100m and battled to an 8th-place finish in the 200m.
The boys’ 4x100m relay team faced high drama. Despite a slow exchange in turn one that cost them valuable fractions of a second, the quartet of Schull, McClinton, Lentz, and Lien recovered beautifully to finish 6th in the State, smashing the school record with a blistering time of 43.09 seconds.
Second-time state qualifier Lien summed up the weekend’s intense atmosphere: “There’s always going to be some anxiety during State. I just want to do my best and help my team perform.”
A Passing of the Torch
While the Cyclones bid a bittersweet farewell to a sensational class of departing seniors—including the dominant Valerie Quast and veteran leader Huntly Lentz—the program’s foundation has never been stronger. With a strong core of underclassmen and eighth-graders already boasting state-meet experience, the future of SC-IL Track and Field is incredibly bright.
As senior leader, Quast leaves behind a legacy of championship pedigree, but her final act as a Cyclone was preparing the next generation to take the mantle, “Enjoy these moments, but take it seriously. Success only comes to those who work hard, and there is still a lot of work ahead.”
With the 2026 track and field season officially in the books, the Cyclones redefined success countless times throughout the year. School records were constantly broken by both teams and with such frequency the ink had barely dried before having to be rewritten once more. Of course, the true definition of success is being able to repeat it and SC-IL has laid the groundwork for an even stronger storm to hit the state lanes in 2027.
