Stuart Groskreutz

More than 1,200 runners completed one of the four distances as part of the Stillwater Lift Bridge Road Race on Saturday, June 27 in Stillwater.

Several athletes for the St. Croix Valley Lumberjacks did not have far to travel as members of Team Minnesota thanks to the Special Olympics USA Games taking place around the Twin Cities on June 20-26. The USA Games featured 16 Special Olympic team and individual sports — traditional and unified — and Team Minnesota racked up 136 medals, including 48 gold, 43 silver and 45 bronze.

Hailey Schmit was honored as the Most Valuable Athlete for the state champion Stillwater synchronized swimming team. The senior contributed to an impressive run of success over the past six seasons for a program that has produced remarkable results for more than half a century. Stillwater finished with a 6-0 dual meet record to win the East Metro Conference championship and also cruised to the Section 5 title before capturing a sixth straight state championship and the program’s 24th overall.