By Rich Winter

605 Sports

For 45 years Class B schools have stared at the 1978 Howard Wood Dakota Relays girls sprint medley record (4:14.44) and wondered how that kind of time could ever be possible. 

On May 6, the Colman-Egan girls took down Carol Bailey (Ivy), Lori Ulmer (LaBahn), Brenda Heyden (Schaefer) and Julie Tolstedt (LaFleur) broke Burke’s 45-year old record in 4:10.01.

The Burke ladies noticed.

“Those Colman-Egan girls are impressive,” said Tolstedt (LaFleur) who anchored that 1978 medley record.

To truly appreciate that Burke record you have to travel back in time to 1978. Girls were only allowed to compete in track and field starting in the early 1970s. 

On that early May night in 1978 the Burke quartet set a state record for all classes and a Howard Wood Dakota Relays record that seemed untouchable until Colman Egan’s record run on Saturday. 

“I don’t remember having a close race in the medley relay my senior year,” Tolstedt (LaFleur) said. “My scrapbook says it was cold and windy that day but I don’t remember it being that bad.” 

Carol Bailey and Lori Ulmer ran the 200 legs that day and Brenda Heydon ran the 400 meter leg before handing off to Tolstedt for the anchor carry. 

“Lori was the state 400-meter champ that year but Brenda ran the 400 in the medley relay,” Tolstedt (LaFleur) said.

While Burke’s medley relay record at Howard Wood is gone the quartet of (Smizer, Bailey, Ulmer and Heyden) still hold the Howard Wood Dakota Relays record in the 1,600 meter relay (4:03.94). 

Colman-Egan’s new record run by Daniela Lee, Lanie Mousel, Josie Mousel and Reese Luze is the new standard for Class B schools to aim for.