The Class A state track and field meet is a familiar place for the United South Central/Alden-Conger 4×400 relay team and so is a fourth place finish, but it wasn’t expected that they would achieve the time they did at the end of the meet.

The Rebels shaved three seconds off of their preliminary time of 3:28.91 in the 4×400 finals Saturday for a time of 3:25.21, good for a fourth place finish.

USC/AC claimed the fourth place spot a year ago, but that was with a much different cast. This year included a sophomore and a junior in a normally senior dominated event.

“Bringing on a sophomore to do what seniors were doing last year and Jordan Haroldson running awesome all year, I feel like we gave it our all,” said senior Bryan Hauge who ran the last leg of the relay.

It was the second consecutive year that USC/AC had finished fourth at state, but this time was significantly better than the year before as it just missed out on tying the school record by one one-hundreth of a second.

“That was special,” Rebels head coach Kent Viesselman said of his relay team. “They’re OK with their fourth place and they’re tickled pink about their time.”

Rebels hurdler Ciara Christenson, a second place finisher two years ago, also took home a fourth place finish. She clocked a 45.44, a new school record after a difficult slump last season.

“It’s really an honor to be up on that podium,” Christenson said.

New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale senior Blake Kerkhoff finished fifth in the 400 metet dash with a time of 49.92. The competition was stiff in the event as five runners finished the race in under 50 seconds.

“To get up to state meet is a great accomplishment and then to get to the finals and place in the top five is great accomplishment,” Kerkhoff said. “It’s a great way to go out.”

His sister Alyssa Kerkhoff placed eighth in the 400 with a time of 1:00.1 in a race that saw Ashley Tingelstad of Lake Park-Audubon set a new state record with a time of 55.83.

“The competition was really tough,” Kerkhoff said. “You just try to run your race no matter the outcome.”

Junior Heather Schmit completed her third consecutive trip to state with a eighth place showing in the 100 meter dash with a time of 12.94