Mayo, Winona Cotter track teams sending select groups to nationals

Jun. 15—PHILADELPHIA — The track and field season concluded for most high school athletes this past week.But some runners from Rochester Mayo and Winona Cotter are still going.

They are prepping for the same meet, the New Balance Nationals at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, June 18-21.From Mayo, that is the 4x100 relay team of sophomore Lyric Urban, junior Taylor Kurtz, sophomore Emma Clarey and eighth-grader Josie Van Brunt. Kurtz, the state Class 3A champion in the 100 and 200 dashes, will also be competing in those open events.

Van Brunt is entered in the middle school division of the open 100.From Cotter, the 4x100 relay combination of junior Dave Hanson, senior John Gibson, senior Isaac Meinke and senior Ezra Burros is making the trip. Meinke, Gibson, senior Brayden Novaskoski and Burros will also be entered in the 4x200 relay and Burros will compete in the open 200.

Both sets of competitors are eager to compete."I'm super excited that we get this opportunity," Clarey said. "We got what we worked for."

Burros is primed for the competition."We are looking forward to facing some really good teams, teams that are going to push us," said Burros, whose 4x100 collection was a state champion and meet record setter in 45.05 seconds.

Cotter's 4x200 team finished in a meet-record 1:27.08 for first place."We'll try to get a (personal record), maybe a 1:26 in the 4x200," Burros said.

"Track is my favorite sport, so this is a lot of fun. Most of my buddies do track, and we've been training together since the seventh grade. We always realized we have fast kids in our class."

Mayo girls track and field coach Jered Smiley will accompany his track athletes to the meet.Smiley looks at it as an ideal opportunity for a bunch of supremely talented and like-minded people to go test themselves against each other.For some of them, there are long careers yet ahead of them."

I think there are quite a few of these girls who know that running is in their (college) future," Smiley said. "I thi