WAUSA – Wausa varsity track and field had a busy week recently with meets in Hartington and O’Neill as the 2024 season continues.
The Vikings and Lady Vikings competed on April 9 at Cedar Catholic’s Trojan Invitational and on April 11 at the O’Neill Invitational.
The Wausa girls won the Cedar Catholic meet with 127 points, followed up by the host Lady Trojans with 119 points, Crofton with 107 points and Hartington-Newcastle with 59 points.
The Wausa boys finished in fourth place on their side, scoring 74 points and finishing behind host Cedar Catholic, 124 points; Hartington-Newcastle, 104 points; and Creighton, 81 points.
“Tuesday (April 9) was a great day both weather-wise and performance-wise,” Wausa head coach Greg Conn said. “Both teams competed very well in a small but highly competitive seven-team event. This was the first time that we were able to see some of our Lewis and Clark Conference teams, and I thought we matched up very well and both squads scored well in all events.”
A different story in weather all together unfolded two days later in O’Neill, with cooler temperatures and fast winds.
“It’s one of those days that you have to have the mindset that ‘I am going to give everything I have and let the chips land,’ and those are the kids that will do well on a day like this,” Conn said. “Overall, our kids competed very well, and as the dust settled, more PRs (personal records) were earned from the field to the track.
“We know we are going to have days like this and it gets a little stressful when you go back to back with windy days, but it’s the same for everyone, and we just have to keep focused and keep pushing to reach our goals,” he said.
Senior Cashe Carlson set a personal record in the discus with a first-place throw of 131’2” at Cedar Catholic.
“It feels pretty good,” he said. “I just keep trying to get better and better every track meet.”
Carlson noted he has a goal of throwing 140 feet in the discus by the end of the season.
“If I could get 140, that’d be pretty sweet,” he said.
Sophomore Mackenzie Suhr set a personal record in the high jump with a first-place showing of five feet at Cedar Catholic.
“It feels good to actually be able to go somewhere and actually be able to do five (feet) finally, because I’ve struggled with it for a few years,” she said.
Suhr noted she believes she can jump higher than five feet in her favorite event.
“I can do it, definitely,” she said. “I just have to push harder.”
The Vikings and Lady Vikings competed on April 15 at the Hartington- Newcastle Invitational in Hartington. They are set to co-host the Pierce/Wausa Invitational at 1 p.m. April 18 in Pierce and then travel on April 23 for the Creighton Invitational at 1:30 p.m.
Cedar Catholic Trojan Invitational
Boys’ Results: - 100 meters: Senior Jyler Petersen, 11.87, second (PR).
- 200 meters: Senior Jyler Petersen, 23.98, second (PR); Mac Carlson, 25.42, fifth (PR).
- 400 meters: Freshman Brady Kristensen, 59.98, sixth.
- 800 meters: Senior Cade Wakeley 2:18.25, fourth.
- 3,200 meters: Sophomore Luke Woockman, 11:14.97, first.
- 300-meter intermediate hurdles: Sophomore Gaven Nipp, 48.22, fifth (PR).
- 4-by-100-meter relay: Senior Jyler Petersen, senior Cade Wakeley, junior Colton Baue and freshman Mac Carlson, 47.87, fourth (PR).
- 4-by-400-meter relay: Freshman Mac Carlson, senior Jyler Petersen, sophomore Gaven Nipp and sophomore Braydon Hoesing, 4:03.07, second.
- 4-by-800-meter relay: Sophomore Luke Woockman, sophomore Braydon Hoesing, sophomore Gaven Nipp and senior Cade Wakeley, 9:23.59, third.
- High jump: Freshman Brady Kristensen, 5’6”, fifth; freshman Ryan Kleinschmit, 5’6”, sixth.
- Long jump: Junior Colton Baue, 19’0”, third.
- Pole vault: Junior Colton Baue, 8’6”, sixth (PR).
- Shot put: Sophomore Preston Schlote, 40’9”, fourth.
- Discus: Senior Cashe Carlson, 131’2”, first (PR); sophomore Preston Schlote, 108’2”, sixth.
Girls’ Results: - 200 meters: Sophomore Lexi Wright, 28.95, fifth.
- 400 meters: Freshman Reagan Gillilan, 65.04, second (PR).
- 800 meters: Sophomore Taylor Dawson, 2:44.91, fifth.
- 1,600 meters: Freshman Elle Brazel 7:31.39, fifth.
- 3,200 meters: Senior Hadley Vanness, 16:16.24, fourth.
- 100-meter hurdles: Sophomore Mackenzie Suhr, 17.85, second (PR); freshman Kennedy Gillilan, 18.27, third.
- 300-meter hurdles: Sophomore Avery Stevens, 56.56, first.
- 4-by-100-meter relay: Freshman Kennedy Gillilan, freshman Reagan Gillilan, sophomore Avery Stevens and sophomore Lexi Wright, 54.27, third.
- 4-by-400-meter relay: Freshman Kennedy Gillilan, sophomore Taylor Dawson, freshman Carlie Kleinschmit and sophomore Avery Stevens, 4:49.88, third.
- 4-by-800-meter relay: Freshman Elle Brazel, junior Jayden Gillilan, junior Kendall Story and senior Hadley Vanness, 12:34.98, second.
- High jump: Sophomore Mackenzie Suhr, 5’0”, first (PR); freshman Reagan Gillilan, 5’0”, second; freshman Carlie Kleinschmit, 4’8”, third.
- Long jump: Freshman Reagan Gillilan, 15’6”, first; sophomore Lexi Wright, 14’11”, third.
- Triple jump: Sophomore Mackenzie Suhr, 31’9.5”, second; freshman Elle Brazel, 29’3”, fifth; freshman Kennedy Gillilan, 28’7”, sixth.
- Shot put: Senior Kate Lundberg, 32’2”, third; sophomore Tierney Alexander, 30’8”, fifth. - Discus: Sophomore Tierney Alexander, 94’00”, fourth (PR).
O’Neill Invitational
- 400 meters: Freshman Matthew Schindler, 57.35.
- Triple jump: Freshman Mac Carlson, 38’5” (PR).
- 400 meters: Freshman Reagan Gillilan, 64.45, second (PR).
- High jump: Sophomore Mackenzie Suhr, 4’8”.
- Long jump: Sophomore Lexi Wright, 14’4.5”, sixth.
