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Sports Memories by Tom Jones

10 years

• Carlie Wagner of NRHEG cleared 5’6” to win her second high jump title at the Class A State Girls’ Track and Field meet held at Hamline University.
• Albert Lea’s Preston Smith took 13th place in the 300-hurdles at the Class AA State Boy’s Track and Field at Hamline with a time of 41.48.
• At the Class AA State Boys’ golf meet in Jordan, Lucas Peterson shot a 157 to lead the Tigers with Brady Loch shooting a 160 and Alex Syverson a 161.

20 years

• At the Albert Lea High School girls’ golf banquet, Kaeli Wayne was named Most Valuable Player and Mariah Howe Most Improved Player.
• The Albert Lea VFW baseball team opened their season with 11-0 and 10-0 wins over the Rochester Knights. Aric Mattson and Nick Hagen picked up the wins in the sweep.
• Albert Lea’s Dan Breuer, a freshman on the Riverland Community College boys’ golf team shot an opening round 76 at the National Junior College Athletic Association Championships in Chataugua, New York. He was tied for 24th place among 102 golfers.
• NRHEG’s Sonny Berg and Kalisha Anthony qualified for the boys’ and girls’ track and field meet which was being held at the National Sports Center in Blaine.

50 years

• Leland-Dress Realty was sponsoring an all-comers track meet at Hammer Field that was put on by the Albert Lea Track Club.
• Jan Dale, Jan Theobald and Beth Dale hit home runs to lead the State Bank of Clarks Grove to a 50-12 win over the Elks Club in women’s “B” softball action.
• Jeff Sather drove in the winning run in the bottom of the fifth inning with two men on to lead First National Bank to a 4-3 win in YMCA Little League baseball play.
• At a 10-cent beer night that was played in front of 25,134 fans at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium, the Indians forfeited the game to the Texas Rangers when fans ran onto the field and also threw chairs, bottles and lit off fireworks from the stands in the ninth inning.
• In the second round of the Major League Baseball free agent draft, the Minnesota Twins selected Harold “Butch” Wynegar, a catcher from York, Penn.
• Mark Simmonds, Bob McCamy, Jim Ellinghuysen, Jerry Brandt and Dave Bergstrom were representing Albert Lea at the state boys’ track and field meet being held at St. Cloud Apollo High School.
• Minnesota Twins Rod Carew was leading the American League in hitting with a .404 average with teammate Tony Oliva hitting .333.
• Darrel Johnsrud, Joel Matheson and Bob Olsen were selected to the Big Nine All-Conference baseball team. Brad Haase was named to the Honorable Mention team.

Former coach inducted

Albert Lea High School long-time golf coach Ken Ulman, who passed away in 2023, was inducted into the Minnesota Golf Coaches Hall of Fame on Monday night in a banquet held at the Park Ballroom in New Prague. Ulman coached the Tigers from 1963 to 1991 and led them to the state championship in 1982. His teams also won Big Nine titles in 1979 and 1981.

His son Jon Ulman gave his acceptance speech, which can be viewed on You Tube.

Alumni update

Recent Albert Lea High School graduates Jack Skinness and Spencer Jones, along with 2023 graduate Jacob Skinness, are playing adult amateur baseball this summer with the Wells Wildcats, The squad will be on the road with a 2 p.m. game at Waterville on Sunday.