Lincoln—Paul Creger of Lincoln earned a Cornhusker State Games Triathlon silver medal despite a short delay during the running portion.  The 22 year-old made time to get down on one knee and propose to his girlfriend Emma Hinrichs, who was cheering him on near the finish line at Holmes Lake.  She said “yes”.

Wade Fornander, 37, of Lincoln was the triathlon overall male winner with a time of 1:03:40.  Lori Merritt, 37, of Grand Island was the fastest female, finishing in 1:11:24. The Triathlon was one of 10 sports taking place Sunday, the final day of competition in the Games.

Team Silage successfully defended its title in ultimate frisbee, edging out Fire at the Circus.  In contrast, Dino’s Storage, playing ultimate frisbee for the first time, lost all six of its games Saturday and Sunday at Fleming Fields, but still raved about the competition and camaraderie.

“Our boss, who is big on fitness and team-building, signed us up even though none of us had ever played.  We were playing Fire at the Circus and getting whooped when they stopped the game and spent about 15 minutes coaching us.  Nothing condescending; you could just tell they loved seeing new players in the sport,” said Dale Cymens, who played for Dino’s Storage.

Lincoln’s Dan Mulgrue, 54, was supplanted by Mark Kraus, 51, of Madrid, as the top overall foosball player.  Mulgrue did earn one gold medal though, teaming up with Justin West of Lincoln to win the Level 1 doubles division.

Team Steel Curtain from Omaha won the CSG Flag Football Tournament, edging team Motivated in a hotly contested final at Air Park fields.  Sport Director Wyatt Godfrey, like all of the sport directors, was grateful for the unseasonably cool weather.  The Sunday temperatures topped out at 80 degrees, 21 degrees below the final Sunday temperature of 2012.

Final participation numbers were still being tabulated as late entries trickled in, but Nebraska Sports Council Executive Director Dave Mlnarik said the early Sunday total of 12,186 was the highest since 2009.

“This was a great year in every way, thanks to our volunteers.  These people are so dedicated, and they understand the spirit of friendly competition and good sportsmanship, which makes the Cornhusker State Games unique and successful.  We have some serious mojo heading into planning for 2014 and the 2015 State Games of America,” Mlnarik said.