The St. Paul Academy and Summit School track and field teams battled through one of the most challenging weather nights of the season at the 2026 IMAC Conference Championship on Thursday, turning lightning delays, heavy rain, and powerful winds into a night filled with personal bests, school records, and All-Conference performances.
Among the evening’s standout moments was a historic performance from senior Elizabeth Tuttle, who captured the IMAC title in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 13.92. Tuttle’s race broke meet, facility, and school records, set a new personal best, and marked the fastest time in Minnesota this season.
Tuttle added two more runner-up finishes, placing second in the 300-meter hurdles with a season-best 43.68 and second in the 200-meter dash, where she set another school record and personal best in 25.51. Her performance earned All-Conference honors.
The Spartans saw success across nearly every event, with athletes competing in 34 of the meet’s 36 events and delivering numerous personal and season-best performances throughout the night.
Distance runners Sophie Kannapiran ‘28 and Maren Overgaard ‘26 demonstrated remarkable toughness during the girls’ 1600-meter race, which took place in the worst of the storm conditions. Despite the weather chaos surrounding the track, Kannapiran raced to a third-place finish and personal-best time of 5:30.82 after earlier earning runner-up honors in the 800 meters with a season-best 2:22.77. Overgaard added a fifth-place finish and personal best in the 1600 meters, along with a fourth-place finish in the 800 meters.
In the field events, Jocelyn Rog ‘28 delivered one of the strongest meets of her season. Rog earned All-Conference honors with a second-place finish in the triple jump after recording a personal-best mark of 34 feet. She also added a personal best in the 100-meter hurdles and scored in the long jump.
On the boys’ side, Nico Martin ‘27 turned in an impressive all-around performance to earn All-Conference recognition. Competing in the 110-meter hurdles for the first time, Martin placed second with a personal-best 16.64. He also earned third-place finishes in the 300-meter hurdles and long jump while helping the Spartans’ 4×400 relay team to a third-place finish and personal-best time.
Langston Thompson ‘27 earned runner-up honors in the 400-meter dash with a time of 51.47 and helped lead the boys’ 4×400 relay team alongside Martin, Isaac Broderius ‘27, and Roman Hozalski ‘27. Hozalski also posted a personal best in the 100 meters and a season best in the 400 meters to earn Honorable Mention All-Conference recognition.
The girls’ relay teams also delivered strong performances throughout the evening. The 4×400 relay team of Milena Gatto Paz ‘30, Lucy Byrnes ‘28, Leah Passe ‘26, and Overgaard placed second with a personal-best time, while the 4×200 relay team of Phoebe Gottlieb ‘29, Liva Collins ‘29, Hazel McCarthy ‘26, and Sonia Kharbanda ‘26 also earned runner-up honors with a personal-best performance.
Head coach Ben Bollinger Danielson praised the team’s resilience and competitiveness throughout the difficult conditions.
“Our team had an excellent meet at the IMAC Championship,” Bollinger Danielson said. “We had numerous moments of individual and team brilliance, numerous personal records, moments of grit and determination, and positive team spirit.”
The most difficult conditions of the evening came during the girls’ 1600-meter run, where athletes battled heavy rain and strong winds while meet workers worked to secure tents and equipment around the track.
“Sophie, Maren, and Grace demonstrated such toughness in absolutely wild conditions,” Bollinger Danielson said. “It was quite a sight to behold.”
Bollinger Danielson also reflected on the courage it takes to compete at a championship meet.
“It’s an act of vulnerability to go out and decide to engage in the competitive process, and I admire the courage our athletes displayed last night as they did their best, went to the well, and put it all out there,” he said.
Despite the difficult conditions and long night, the Spartans continued to compete with resilience, energy, and team spirit from start to finish, capping off a memorable conference championship meet with record-setting performances and breakthrough moments across the board. | Meet Results | Team Page
The Spartans will continue postseason competition at the Section Meet hosted at Bethel University:
Thursday, May 28, 2026 – Section Prelims @ 12:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 30, 2026 – Section Finals @ 9:00 a.m.
The State Meet will take place June 4-5, 2026.
Go Spartans!