The state track and field meet began Friday with several area athletes trying for redemption and others attempting to show they belong.

In all 10 larea athletes participated in the first day events and five moved on to the finals, which were run Saturday.

Albert Lea sent sophomore Matt Tiegs made his first trip to state in the 400 meter dash when he won the event in the Section 1AAA meet in Lakeville last Friday.

Tiegs, the first runner to advance to state under Tigers head coach Lisa Deyak, was one of three underclassman in the field of 16 and entered the meet seeded 15th. Tiegs drastically improved upon his mark by running a 51.97 which placed him in 11th.

“I felt good, I had the second slowest time so I planned to come out and do my best,” Tiegs said. “There’s a lot of fast kids out there and I still have two years to go.”

With his appearance in the Class AA meet he has quickly become a model of success for a resurgent Albert Lea track program.

“We have a lot of talented athletes coming up right now,” Deyak said. “We have a lot of kids that definitely have a shot to qualify for state next year.”

While the Tigers hope to send more athletes next year, United South Central/Alden-Conger and New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva returned some familiar faces.

After a one-year absence the Rebels return junior Ciara Christenson to the 300 meter hurdles in Class A. Christenson placed second two years ago and appeared bent on coming home with nothing less than first. She qualified for the finals with a time of 47.16.

“It was tough,” Christenson said of the layoff due to injury. “I came up and watched and that just made me want to go even harder this year to get back.”

The periennally strong USC/AC 4×400 boys relay team, which in this version includes, senior Jacob Elmer, junior Jordan Haroldson, sophomore Matt Wood and senior Bryan Hauge zipped into the finals by qualifying third with a time of 3:28.91.

Hauge also competed in the high jump finals.

For junior triple jumper E.J. Knight Friday served as a disappointing day as he missed the finals by six inches. Knight recorded a jump of 41 feet 1 1/2 inches and might have made the finals if not for a scratch on his third attempt.

“It really wasn’t what I wanted,” Knight said. “I kind of screwed up a little in the first two and the last one I would have done all right but I scratched.”

The Panthers had junior Heather Schmit make her third trip to state, this time in the 100 meter dash. Schmit qualified for the finals with a time of 12.72 and although she has made the trip before it hasn’t gotten any easier.

“It meant a lot for me to be back up here running again,” Schmit said. “It feels amazing just to make it this far.”

Schmit qualified with the sixth best time in the prelims and coach Duey Ferber believes she can perform better.

“She needs a little better start she was a little slow getting out of the blocks,” Feber said. “She’s seeded eighth right now in the finals so anything better than eighth is gravy.”

NRHEG freshman Alyssa Kerkhoff burst into state made the finals once again Friday with a 59.97, improving upon her seed time of 1:00.33, which eased her mind.

“The whole week you think about it, so it’s a great feeling to finally have it done with,” Kerkhoff said. “It’s better once you make it into the finals, but having to come to state and then make it into finals that’s the most nerve-racking.”

You’d never notice any butterflies with Kerkhoff who takes a business-like approach to running her races.

“I just knew that if I wanted to get into the finals I would have to push it in the last 200,” she said. “I was very pleased because I haven’t ran any 59s yet this year.”

Big brother Blake Kerkhoff qualified sixth in his 400 racee and has his sights set on top a five finish after finishing ninth last year.

“Being here one time you realize that you don’t go as hard as you can because you have to save some for the next day,” Kerkhoff said.

Blake will certainly have some left in the tank as he tries to wrap up his senior season on a high note.