In triple jump, Ely’s Milkovich shines
Ely sophomore Steve Milkovich has owned the triple jump at area high school boys track meets this spring.Until Thursday, Milkovich had finished first in the event at each and every Timberwolves meet.That streak ended when Two Harbors’ Roy Levitt won the event at the O.J. Belluzzo Invitational on a chilly spring event.Milkovich, who won the triple jump five days earlier in Hibbing at the Doc Savage Invitational, was second to Levitt.Nonetheless, Milkovich’s performance have been among the highlights for the Timberwolves, who finished an impressive fourth out of 14 teams at Thursday’s meet and wound up ninth in an 18-team field at the May 8 Doc Savage.Depth helped the Wolves Thursday. They didn’t win any events and had just three second-place finishes, but compiled enough points (54) to lead 10 other schools and place behind International Falls, Hermantown and Hibbing.Ely picked up a second-place finish in the 800 relay, with Gavin Bialke, Shaun Hall, Dan Krunkkala and Mike Krunkkala combining to take second in 1:39.70.Hall also had a high individual finish, taking third in the 800 run with a time of 2:11.10. Adam Shultz was right behind in fourth place (2:11.30).Milkovich not only scored points in the triple jump, but in two other events as well. He raced to a second-place finish in the 110 hurdles (17.10 seconds) and wound up fourth in the 300 hurdles (47.40).The Wolves had three sixth-place relays, scoring points in the 3,200, 400 and 1,600 events.Ely’s Travis Cunningham was sixth in the 3,200 run (11:23.90) and Mike Krunkkala took seventh in the 200 dash (24.40).At the Doc Savage meet, Milkovich won the triple jump (38-11), while Bialke, Hall and the Krunkkalas teamed up to place third in the 800 relay (1:37.5).The Wolves also scored in the following events:• 3,200 relay - 7. Mike Pettit, Cunningham, McDonald, John Eininger, 9:33;• 400 run - 8. Hall, 53.9;• 200 dash - 8. Mike Krunkkala, 24.3;• 3,200 run - 6. Cunningham, 11:02.9;• 1,600 relay - 7. Eininger, Shultz, Bialke, Hall, 3:45.9;• Shot put - 7. Bialke, 42-7.
