Southland graduates Maggie and Ashton May are members of the women's track
and field team at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Ashton May is a senior who specializes
in jumps and sprints, while Maggie May is a junior who specializes in hurdles and jumps. Ashton and Maggie both competed at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which were held at the end of May at Baldwin-Wallace College in Ohio. Ashton May qualified for the national championships in four events. She will competed in the long jump, the triple jump, the 100-meter dash and the 4x100 relay. On that same relay team will be Maggie May. UW-La Crosse finished third at last year's Division III outdoor championships, and the Eagles dropped down a bit to seventh this season. However, Ashton May had a phenomenal national meet. She got things off on the right foot during the opening day of competition, placing second in the nation in the long jump. He distance of 19 feet, 2 inches was just 1 1/2 inches behind the national champion. Ashton May was third in her heat race in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.19. She just missed out on qualifying for the finals. In the triple jump, Ashton May earned earned herself another medal. She placed second with a distance of 39-7 1/4. She was a little more than a foot short of the national title. Ashton and Maggie May ran two legs of the 4x100 relay. The Eagles won their heat race with a time of 46.97 seconds. In the finals, Ashton and Maggie May helped the Eagles to a third-place finish with a time of 46.55. Overall, UW-La Crosse had 30 team points. Illinois Wesleyan won the meet with 54 points. The meet wrapped up an amazing collegiate career for Ashton May. She finishes her career with 10 All-America awards, including seven outdoors. She was fourth in the long jump outdoor last season and finished with four career All-America awards in the 4x100
relay. Along with the third-place finish this season, UW-L was fifth in 2007 and 2009 and sixth in
2008. Ashton May had three career indoor All-America awards, including a second-place finish in the long jump and third place in the triple jump in 2010. She was sixth in the long jump in 2009.
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"It was pretty exciting to set the school record," she told the school's website after the national meet. "It was a great way to finish of my college track and field career."
• The Austin High football team will have a busy summer. New coach Matt Schmitt will have 72 players competing in summer practices. The team opened with practices June 7-11, and they were back in action early this week, through today at Wescott field. Schmitt said 72 players
in grades 9-12 competed. The team will also see plenty of action this weekend when it heads to the
annual North Dakota State University team camp. Schmitt said a whopping 42 players are making the trip with the team to NDSU.
"The players are working very hard and have already shown a great deal of progress," Schmitt said via email. "Players are starting to take a leadership role on the field and in the weight room." Schmitt said he's already seen a great deal of support from the community as well. "The community has come out to watch practice and many others have offered their support in the program," Schmitt said. "With 12 coaches, 72 players, hundreds of players parents and many community
members already working hard in July, the AHS football program has many good things to look forward to."
In addition to the football camps and practices, the AHS weight room is open to all students Monday, Wednesday and Friday from now until June 30 and from July 12-30 from 8
a.m. to 9:30 a.m. There will be an Austin High football mini-camp from July 26-30, from 5-7 p.m. each day for 10th through 12th graders, though freshmen also are welcome. There's a camp for fourth through ninth graders from Aug. 9-13 from 10 a.m. to noon each day. AMC physicals are set for high school athletes on Aug. 11, starting at 4 p.m.
