NTL TRACK & FIELD: CANTON'S MCROBERTS CLAIMS ANOTHER DISTRICT RECORD, HALBFOERSTER MAKES STATES IN THE 1600 (2026-05-17)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
MILTON — Another day, another district record and gold medal for Canton's Alexis McRoberts. The senior won the shot put in 40-feet, 11 1/4-inches, besting the district record by a foot at the District IV Track and Field Championships Saturday.

"It's a great feeling," McRoberts said about collecting her second district record and title after winning discus on Thursday.

Canton's Lawrence Halboerster earned his second state berth of the weekend, taking fifth in the 1600 as he got under the state time.

While McRoberts hit the state standard with her first at 37-feet, 11 3/4-inches she was second going into the finals.

After unleashing a 39-foot, 9 1/4-inch toss in her fourth throw, she uncorked the big one next. Just to show it wasn't an aberration, McRoberts threw 40-feet, 8 1/4-inches in her final throw.

"I knew I could do it, and I knew I had to attack on the throw," McRoberts explained. "We fixed a couple of things with my release and I ended up getting a bigger throw in."

The nearly 41-foot toss is a new PR for McRoberts, and a new school record.

"It's a great feeling knowing that I've worked so hard for this," she said. "It's finally paying off."

Now that the weekend is over McRoberts is looking ahead to states.

"I just have to stay focused."

Halbfoerster made states in the mile by the skin of his team with his time of 4:24.53 just under the state mark of 4:25.48.

"It's awesome," Halbfoerster said. "I wanted to make states in the mile more than I did in the 2-mile, if I'm being honest."

It was quite the field with the top seven hitting state time, and the eighth just a second out.

"It was nerve wracking, for sure," remarked Halbfoerster. "I knew that some of those guys were way past the state standard, so they could help me get over that state qualifying mark, and just drag me to the finish."

Halbfoerster opened with a 1:04.02 first lap but saw his time drop over the next two laps. Two packs emerged, a lead pack and a chase pack with Halbfoerster finding himself in the second pack halfway through the race.

Halbfoerster planned to close the gap at the end, and he finished strong with a 1:03 last lap.

"I knew I was on pace, but I had to keep up the intensity, and that's exactly what I did," he said. 

He'll be running the mile on the Friday at states and the 2-mile on Saturday, both the first events of the day.

"I'm going to prioritize the 2-mile because I'm more competitive in that," said Halbfoerster.

On the girls' side Daveian Crowley nearly made states coming out of the slow heat in the 400. She took fourth in 59.92, just missing the mark by .07.

Danah Wesneski was 11th in the 300 hurdles in 49.67, and Emilia Pepper was 12th in the javelin at 99-feet, 10-inches.

The girls 4x100 of Wesneski, Stella Rockwell, Hayley Larsen, and Crowley was ninth in 51.81, while their 4x400 of the same group took 12th in 4:26.98.

On the boys' side Manuel Halbfoerster was 15th in the 1600 (4:41.55) and 21st in the 800 (2:12.46).

Wyatt Hilton was 15th in the discus at 114-feet, 11-inches with John Whitehead 17th in the 300 hurdles in 44.85.

The boys 4x400 of Lawrence Halbfoerster, Manuel Halbfoerster, Whitehead, and Landon Lake took 14th in 3:46.59.

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PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING