Like the first third of the year, the next four months of 2002 provided plenty of excitement, success and, yes, disappointment for athletes in the area.

In this, the second of three parts looking back at the year, we have the Albert Lea High School boys’ golf team coming frustratingly close to an elusive Big Nine championship. The USC boys’ track team continued to win titles, though the Rebels’ season too ended in disappointment. Injuries slowed Albert Lea athletes as well, but the NRHEG girls’ track and field team enjoyed its best season in school history. The 7th Annual Gus Macker 3-on-3 Jam brought hundreds of basketball enthusiasts back to town in June, and July ended with Glenville’s Kelly Ellingson winning the demolition derby in front of several thousand spectators at the Freeborn County Fair.

The highlights:

– May 2 &045; Freshman Steph Lackey pitched a no-hitter as the Alden-Conger softball team overwhelmed Medford 20-0.

– May 6 &045; The ALHS boys’ golf team knocked off defending Big Nine champion Rochester Century 309-318 in a nine-hole dual meet at Green Lea. Dan Breuer led the Tigers with a 75.

– May 9 &045; The NRHEG girls’ track and field team advanced to state by winning the True Team Section 2A championship.

– May 9 &045; Making up a 14-point deficit in the final three events, the United South Central boys’ track and field team won the True Team Section 2A title.

– May 16 &045; Casey Christenson won three events to lead the United South Central boys’ track and field team to the South Central Conference championship in the Rebels’ final year in the SCC.

– May 18 &045; The NRHEG girls’ track and field team finished third in the True Team State Meet. The United South Central boys placed sixth.

– May 20 &045; The ALHS boys’ golf team finished three strokes away from the Big Nine championship, shooting 315 at the conference tournament while Century had 312 for 18 holes.

– May 28 &045; The United South Central boys’ golf team advanced to state for the first time in school history &045; including Wells-Easton &045; by winning the Section 2A championship. Justin Knutson led the Rebels with a 75.

– June 1 &045; Emily Bartusek and Beth Kolling of Albert Lea qualified for the Class A girls’ state track and field meet. Bartusek won the 400 and was second in the 200 in the Section 1AA meet, advancing to state for the fourth year in a row. Kolling was second in the section in the 100.

– June 1 &045; Area track and field athletes qualifying for state were NRHEG’s Camille Kyte, Nicole Lonning and Kalisha Anthony, USC’s Casey Christensen, and Alden-Conger’s Megan Jensen.

– June 1 &045; Duey Ferber of NRHEG was voted Section 2A Girls’ Track and Field Coach of the Year.

– June 6 &045; Recent ALHS graduate Isaac Walton pitched eight innings as the Albert Lea Colonels amateur baseball team knocked off the Austin Greyhounds 6-3 for its first win of the season.

– June 7 &045; ALHS graduate Justin Bennett of Riverland Community College placed 19th in the National Junior College Athletic Association’s national golf championship. Teammate Jeff Clark of Austin earned All-American status, placing sixth. ALHS graduate Mike Elseth, playing for Rochester CC, finished 30th.

– June 8 &045; Albert Lea’s Emily Bartusek, hampered by an injury and illness, finished seventh in the 400 in the state track and field meet.

– June 8 &045; Nicole Lonning of NRHEG placed third in the shot put in the Class A girls’ state track and field meet. The Panthers’ Camille Kyte was fourth in the 200 and Kalisha Anthony tied for eighth in the pole vault. Alden-Conger’s Megan Jensen was sixth in the 3200 and seventh in the 1500, Casey Christenson of United South Central seventh in the 400.

– June 9 &045; Hundreds of players and fans converged on Northbridge Mall for the 7th Annual Albert Lea Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball Jam.

– June 10 &045; The 12th Annual Williams Fund Golf Outing at Albert Lea Golf Club raised more than $10,000, the most successful local event to date.

– June 13 &045; The Albert Lea Colonels ended a long drought with a 4-3 victory at Waseca, their first win on the Braves’ Tink Larson Field in at least eight years. Isaac Walton was the winning pitcher.

– June 16 &045; Craig Smith and Jeff Schulz combined on a no-hitter as the Colonels beat the Austin Merchants 3-2.

– June 22 &045; The Freeborn County Fast-Pitch Softball Hall of Fame inducted six new members: Fred Schaub, Glenville; Floyd Wangen, Manchester; Allan Tullberg, Albert Lea; Tim Elmer, Albert Lea; David &uot;Dub&uot; Richards, Geneva; Al Batt, Hartland.

– June 23 &045; The Tribune’s Baseball Player of the Year was Mitch Meier of Glenville-Emmons. The Wolverines’ Louie Toulouse was Coach of the Year.

– July 7 &045; Ashley Chrz of Albert Lea was named the Tribune’s Softball Player of the Year. Coach of the Year honors went to Gary Nelson of Alden-Conger.

– July 9 &045; Eleven ALHS cheerleaders brought home four of the top five awards from a camp at Fairmont, including top overall squad.

– July 13 &045; Amy Horejsi, Sophie Jayne Miller and A.J. Kortz advanced to the state level of the Elks Soccer Shoot.

– July 14 &045; Corey Dieser of Albert Lea returned from his third national basketball tournament as a member of the select Minnesota Magic team.

– July 15 &045; The Lake Mills High School softball team won its eighth consecutive district title with a 10-0 triumph over West Hancock.

– July 22 &045; The Albert Lea Elks U-16 girls’ soccer team advanced to the state tournament after winning the district title with a 10-0 record.

– July 26 &045; The Albert Lea U-15 girls’ soccer team qualified for state by winning the district tournament.

– July 28 &045; The Albert Lea 14-and-under girls’ fast-pitch softball team finished the season strong, winning three of four games against opponents headed for the state tournament.

– July 30 &045; The Albert Lea U-16 girls’ soccer team was on track for a state championship after winning its first two games at state, 5-0 over Sibley and 5-0 over the Dakota Rev. The U-15 girls were 1-1 in their first two games at state.

– July 30 &045; Kelly Ellingson of Glenville won the Albert Lea Jaycees Demolition Derby before several thousand fans at the Freeborn County Fair.