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Sports Memories by Tom Jones

10 years

• At the Riverland Community College Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Wedgewood Cove, the softball team from the 1979-80 school year was inducted, and Dan Ball, the coach of the team, recalled how longtime Albert Lea coach Karol Hansen caught both games of a doubleheader the day after she had four wisdom teeth removed.
• The Albert Lea Knights 11AA baseball team took second place out of 12 teams at a tournament in Richfield. Will Stene led Albert Lea with nine hits and a .643 batting average in the tournament.
• The Albert Lea girls’ golf team won the Sub-Section 2AA South meet with a score of 391. Team members included Emma Loch, Bailey Sandon, Sara Rasmussen, Samantha Nielsen, Kayla Jensen and Natalie Nafzger.

20 years

• The Albert Lea softball season came to an end with losses to Rochester Mayo and Austin at the Section 1 Class 3A tournament. Marissa Cottrell hit a home run in the first game to account for the Tigers only run in the 14-1 loss to the Spartans.
• Krista Horejsi was the highest finisher for the Albert Lea girls’ track and field team as she finished in fourth place in the 300-meter hurdles at the Big Nine Conference meet. The Tigers team came in tenth place at the meet.
• Devin Kaasa struck out eight to lead the Glenville-Emmons baseball team to the Sub-Section 1A West championship game with a 4-2 win over Faribault Academies. They were set to play Goodhue in the sub-section championship.

50 years

• A friendly dog made an appearance on the field during the District Two playoff baseball game between Albert Lea and Austin, which the Tigers defeated the Packers 11-6. Paul Nies went 3-for-5 to lead the Tigers who were set to play Austin Pacelli in the district finals.
• Rod Carew was leading the American League in hitting with a .375 batting average with Thurman Munson trailing him at .358.
• Albert Lea’s Marilyn Claassen earned a place at the Minnesota State Girls’ Track and Field Meet by placing second at the section meet in the discus with a throw of 110’7.” She also set a school record at the meet in the shot put with a throw of 36’9.5.”
• Steve Prefontaine, regarded as one of the greatest distance runners in the world and the USA’s best home for a gold in the 1976 Olympics died in a car crash in Eugene, Oregon.
• Albert Lea’s Radue Marine was advertising waterskies for sale by EP, O’Brien and Connely.
• Bob McCamy, Dan Fjelstad, Mark Simunds, Rory Larson and Dave Bergstrom were representing the Albert Lea Tigers at the Minnesota State Boy’s Track and Field Meet.
• Waseca scored three runs in the last two innings to defeat Hayward 5-2 in a pre-season baseball game in South Border League Play. Gerald Wacholz went 2-for 4 in the loss for Hayward.
• Albert Lea’s Dennis Bergstrom and Doug Peterson both lost their first-round matches at the Region One Tennis Tournament held in Rochester.
• Miss Freeborn County Linda Greibrok threw out the first pitch in the area junior high baseball tournament. Alden defeated the Eagles Club 9-6 to take the championship.
• Glenville’s Dwight Greibrok took sixth place in the 220-yard dash and fifth place in the 440-yard 100-yard dashes a the Region One, Class B track and field meet held at Hammer Stadium.

Alumni update

Eli Farris, a 2024 graduate of Albert Lea High School, will be back for another season of junior hockey this fall with the Sheridan Hawks. In this past season with the team, based in Sheridan Wyoming, the former Tiger played in 47 games and recorded 19 goals and 16 assists.