Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: St. Edmond teammates Liam Shannon (right) and Anthony Valles complete a handoff exchange during a 4x800 relay in Manson.

The St. Edmond track and field teams will compete for North Central Conference medals on Thursday night.

Action begins at 5 p.m. The boys compete at Clear Lake; the girls are in Iowa Falls.

Joining the Gaels will be Algona, Humboldt, Webster City, Clear Lake, Clarion-Goldfield/Dows, Hampton-Dumont/CAL and Iowa Falls-Alden.

Over the course of the spring, St. Edmond has had several meets to see what the other league teams present.

The Gael girls are ranked fifth in the NCC behind Clear Lake, Algona, Humboldt and Iowa Falls-Alden. They feature eight individual events ranked in the Top-3, led by Anna Lursen.

Lursen, a junior, has the best time in the conference in the 800-meter run at 2:20.21 this year. She is also second in the 400 and 400 hurdles behind only Clear Lake and Kansas State University recruit Reese Brownlee, who won three Drake Relays titles along with sitting fourth in the 200 and 1,500.

Mariah Myers, a senior headed to the University of Iowa to play softball, is second in both the shot put and discus behind state and Drake champion Charlee Morton of Hampton-Dumont/CAL.

Josie Harvey, also a senior, is third in the 100 hurdles, seventh in the 400 hurdles and eighth in the 100. Lily Eslick is ranked eighth in the 3,00.

The sprint and distance medley relays for St. Edmond are second, as Faith Shirbroun runs the lead leg of both. Shirbroun, Sasha Hess, Harvey and Lursen clocked the best sprint medley time, with Shirbroun, Brianna Saathoff, Hess and Lursen the distance medley.

Sitting fourth for the Gaels are the 4×100, 4×200, 4×400 and 4×800 relays. Members of those relays include Shirbroun, Harvey, Lursen, Hess, Saathoff, McKenna Kvale, Ava Bradley, Myrah Lemon, Alex Leiting and Naomi Valles.

Algona’s Natalie Johnson is first in the 100, while teammate Macy Knapp is second in the 800. Maya Lentz sits second in the high jump and third in the long jump.

The Bulldogs also have the fastest 4×200 relay, and are second in several others.

Humboldt’s Aubry Fisher is second in the 1,500 and 3,000. Webster City has Cloe Savitski second in the 100 and fifth in the 200. Fellow Lynx athlete Isabel Grossoehme is third in the 400.

MaKayla Beisel of Clarion-Goldfield/Dows is first in the high jump, second in the 100 hurdles, third in the 400 hurdles and fifth in the long jump.

On the boys’ side, senior Liam Shannon and junior Anthony Valles are both second in events for St. Edmond. Shannon has the No. 2 time in the 3,200 to go along with the fifth fastest 1,600 and 10th-best 800.

Valles, meanwhile, is second in the 1,600, fourth in the 800 and fifth in the 3,200.

Aaron Hindt is ranked fourth in both the 200 and long jump along with being fifth in the 100.

Three relays are fourth for St. Edmond: the 4×400, 4×800 and distance medley. Those quartets include Levi Odor-Westrum, Grant Galles, Matthew Crimmins, Valles, Hindt and Shannon.

Webster City’s Jayden Weinzetl has the quickest 100 and is second in the 200. Humboldt’s Tyler Carlson is first in the high jump, Elliot Carlson is second in the long jump and the Wildcat 4×800 is sitting No. 1.

Algona’s Gavin Weber is the distance leader, holding the best times in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200. Teammate Evan Allie is first in the 400 with Max Nevitt first in the shot put and second in the discus.

The Bulldogs are also first in the 4×100, 4×200, sprint medley and distance medley relays.

Clear Lake, Algona and Humboldt hold the top team places in the power rankings.