The Hastings Raiders boys track team used four victories in finals to take the program’s first ever state championship in St. Michael on Thursday.
The 4×200 relay of Sebastian Strauss, Gunnar Hanstad, Lane Hoffman and Cole Zeien won the first title of the day with a season best of 1:25.80, which also was the only time under 1:26 in the state this year.
Strauss won the 400 meters in 49.02 seconds, Hoffman won the 200 meters in 21.22 seconds. The 4×400 relay of Strauss, Hoffman, Jack Cloutier and Johnny Vickney was the deciding race, rallying from an early deficit to get the win on the anchor leg. This gave the Raiders 42 points, enough for their first title in program history. Hanstad’s sixth place finish in the 400 meters also ended up being important, as it gave the Raiders additional points towards their victory.
The Raider girls finished 16th in the standings but had some solid performances as well.
