NORTHFIELD -- The Austin High School boys' track and field team qualified one individual for three events for next week's state tournament and scored 10 more team points at the Section 1AA meet Saturday at Carleton College.

The Packers advanced junior Evan Sorenson to the Class AA state track and field championships in the 110-meter high hurdles, the 300 intermediate hurdles and the pole vault. Sorenson will be Austin's only representative at state, but the Packers came away from Saturday with plenty to celebrate.

"It was a banner day for the Austin track team in general," said coach Tony Einertson. "Obviously Evan had a great day, and the team had a very good day."

The Packers finished sixth out of 16 in the final standings, just one point back of Rochester Mayo and four shy of fourth-placed Winona.

Two AHS relay teams posted season-best times by considerable margins, led by the 4×100-meter relay team's fourth-place finish. Ray and Tony Bissen, Mike Gravelle and Derek Hall clocked in at 45.47 seconds, and also came away with sixth in the 4×200 in 1:34.75.

Junior Mark Cavanaugh winced his way across the finish line in third place of the 400-meter finals.

He qualified fourth and cut nearly one second off his preliminary time despite obvious pain caused by a lower leg injury. Teammate David Larson, a sophomore, placed sixth.

Derek Hinkle chased Sorenson through the finish line in both hurdle events. Hinkle, a sophomore, was seventh in the 110 highs and eighth in the 300 hurdles.

Junior Carl Bauer added a fifth-place finish in the 1,600, that after earning sixth in Thursday's 3,200. David Seibel, a freshman, was 11th in the mile final.

The 4×400 team of Larson, Bauer, Sorenson and Ojulu Ogulla placed 12th, while the 4×800 foursome of Chris Stackenwalt, Chase Kusterer, Ogulla and Kevin Groh was 13th in the day's opening race.

Relays lead AHS girls

The Packer girls' 4×200-meter relay team of Staci and Jenny Tucker, Emily Johnson and Theresa Hirsch emerged as Austin's first state qualifier in at least two years by winning the Section 1AA title in a season-best time 1:46.54.

Hirsch also came away with a near-miss in the 100-meter dash, taking third in 12.89.

The state qualifying time standard was 12.70.

Johnson also earned seventh place in the triple jump, while freshman Bethany Larson was seventh in the high jump on Thursday.

Relays accounted for Austin's only other top-10 finishes. The 4×100 team was ninth, the 4×400 was eighth, and the 4×800 team was seventh.