BLAINE &045; With the Gopher Conference and Section 2A True Team titles intact, it was already a memorable season for the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva girls’ track and field team.

But Saturday was a day the Panthers will never forget.

They brought home a trophy from Blaine, placing third in the Class 1A True Team State meet at the National Sports Center.

&uot;It’s awesome,&uot; said junior Camille Kyte, who led the Panthers with three first-place finishes.

&uot;Everyone was cheering each other on. The whole team united. We came out here and did what we had to do.&uot;

&uot;We’re very happy to come out with third,&uot; said co-coach Duey Ferber. &uot;You never know what you’re going to get until you get up here and see what the other teams have. It was a very positive experience, and it speaks well of our program. We had so much fun, I think we want to come back next year.&uot;

Mayer Lutheran topped the nine-team field with 413.5 points, followed by Tracy-Milroy/Balaton with 406.5, NRHEG 379.5, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 369, Byron 348, Warren/Alvrado/Oslo 302, Lake of the Woods 242.5, Pierz 235 and Hawley-Ulen-Hitterdahl 231.

Kyte swept the sprints, winning the 100, 200 and 400 meters and taking fourth in the triple jump.

Nicole Lonning was second in the shot put and discus, Alison Anderson second in the 100 and Kalisha Anthony second in the pole vault.

The Panthers were third in two relays, the 4×800 with Jessica Brouwers, April Bayerkohler, Melissa Maurer and Michel Maurer, and the 4×200 with Emily Kofstad, Brandis Hagen, Anthony and Anderson.

Kofstad, Ellen Johnson, Michelle Dobberstein and Anthony finished fifth in the 4×100. Ashley Misgen, Alicia Kaplan, Amber Sommers and Melissa Barber took seventh in the 4×400.

Other NRHEG places: Anderson, eighth, 200; Kaplan, 16th, 400; Michel Maurer, eighth, 800; Melissa Maurer, 11th, 800; Karla Lewer, ninth, 1600 and 12th, 3200; Bayerkohler, 10th, 1600; Brouwers, 11th, 3200; Jean Raimann, seventh, shot put; Anthony, fifth, 100 hurdles; Kelsie Hansen, 15th, 100 hurdles, eighth, 300 hurdles and fifth, high jump; Misgen, fourth, 300 hurdles and 14th, high jump; Kaplan, eighth, long jump; Kofstad, 14th, long jump; Mackenzie Tappe, 16th, triple jump; Brittany Schwartz, eighth, discus; Megan Groskreutz, 12th, pole vault.

The Panthers begin their quest for the traditional state meet when they host the sub-section competition Thursday at 4 p.m. at New Richland.