When the Section 1AA meet begins Thursday at Lakeville South High School two of Albert Lea’s top performers from last season’s section meet will return a little wiser and more determined.

Senior Ethan Marquardt and junior Matt Tiegs were the highest placing individuals for the Tigers last season at the section meet with Tiegs winning the 400-meter dash and Marquardt earning fourth place finishes in both the 1,600 and the 3,200 meter events, but both have missed time this season with injuries and are ready for the biggest meet of the season.

Both helped the team go from scoring four points the year before at the section meet to scoring 37 last year.

Marquardt will try to add a trip to the state track and field meet to his two appearances at the state cross country meets, but his path there includes facing some familiar opponents in Owatonna’s Jacob Bastyr and Winona’s Jon Michael Brandt. It’s been a good rivalry between the three, a friendly one that pushes each to perform better.

“If one of us gets better the other one gets better because we tend to use each other to race,” Marquardt said.

Brandt won the 3,200 last year with a time of 9 minutes, 46.88 seconds and Marquardt beat Bastyr by 16 seconds for fourth place.

After missing a portion of the season with a pulled glut muscle Marquardt has been better than ever.

Marquardt placed second in both the 1,600 and 3,200 at the Big Nine Conference meet. He also set personal bests in each event, running the 1,600 in 4:28 and the 3,200 in 9:44.82.

“It’s an important meet and I’ve been thinking a lot about it,” Marquardt said of the section meet.

He’s changed his diet and sleeping habits in order to focus on the meet. Marquardt, who works part-time, often worked until 12:30 a.m. and he’s cut his hours to prepare for section meet. He said he’s also changed his diet.

Marquardt has also become a smarter runner this season.

“There’s a lot of racing strategy involved, especially in those longer races and he knows better how to race because of the type of runner he is,” said Albert Lea head coach Lisa Deyak. “There are some runners that go out and try to get a big lead and they run a really stable race. That’s just not Ethan’s style. Ethan likes to actually get in there and race and compete. He’s a great finisher. He can finish with anybody in the state, I would say. He’s been learning how to race instead of worrying so much about what his splits were.”

Tiegs, a sprinter, has been learning race strategy as well this season, and even some tough lessons.

He’s the defending section champion in the 400 when he ran a 50.97 last season, but missed meets this season with an injury as well.

“I just run a lot smarter now,” Tiegs said. “When I was younger I used to run just to be first all the time. Now I pretty much ignore the competition when I’m running, just run my own race.”

Earlier this season Tiegs ran a 400 where he led the entire race but was edged out at the finish line after he let up at the end. He called it a learning experience.

“No matter what I want to go hard through the whole race and not let up even if I think I’ve got it won because you never know,” he said.

Tiegs finished second in the 400 at the conference meet with a time of 50.60, well below what won the section for him last season.

“It’s the section meet, so the only thing you get out of this meet is you qualify for state,” Deyak said. “This is the time of the season where people are peaking, and that’s what you train them for. I’m excited to see our guys run because they’ve been running hard. They’re going to be in there, they’re going to be competing.”

For the girls’ team several Tiger athletes will try to build off a strong Big Nine meet.

At the top of that list is eighth-grader Chrissy Monson, who won both the 1,600 and the 3,200 and both were personal bests.

Both events she will run will have tantalizing matchups with some of the state’s top runners competing in the event against Monson, including Winona’s Claire Guidinger and defending section champions Hannah McRaith, of Waseca, and Kayla Ewart, of Winona.

Monson finished fifth in the 1,600 and 11th in the 3,200 last season in her first of varsity competition.

Sarah Wenum finished tied for third in the 800 at the conference meet with personal best time and she will try for a state meet berth in that event.

“We’re real anxious to see what they’re going to be able to do,” said Albert Lea head coach Margo Wayne. “We have an incredibly tough section.”