March 13, 2019 at 1:01 p.m.
Team preview: RHS track & field
Hodag track eager for drop to D2
Team preview: RHS track & field
With roughly 60 athletes out between the boys' and girls' squads, and a number of returning top performers from the season ago, the Hodags are hoping to make some in roads in a competitive Great Northern Conference.
That will hold extra significance this year as the Hodags drop down to Division 2 and will see all of their conference mates again come WIAA tournament time.
"We're excited that we get a chance to go D2, have a chance to go against our conference in our regional and then our sectional," coach Aaron Kraemer said. "We're excited about the numbers right now, excited about the way the kids are coming along in their skills. These athletes this year are willing to try multiple events and they're excited to come in every single day."
Regional competition is still more than two months away as the Hodags get set to take part in their first meet of the season, a quadrangular meet this afternoon in Wisconsin Rapids.
On the boys' side, the Hodags return all six athletes who made the all-GNC squad last year, highlighted by the GNC-champion 4x100-meter team of seniors Josh Francisco, Anthony Kowalski, and AJ Kopplin, and junior Nick Kriesel. Also back is junior Peyton Erikson, the reigning GNC champ in the triple jump, and junior Drake Martin who was a conference medalist in both the shot put and triple jump.
Erikson and Francisco were both sectional qualifiers last year - with Erikson taking sixth in the triple jump and Francisco seventh in the 100-meter dash.
"It's led by Josh," Kraemer said of the core group of sprinters. "He continued to work hard in the offseason and he's got sights set on sectionals, making it to sectional again, and then pushing on to state. Peyton Erikson is chomping at the bit to get jumping. He's ready to go. He's already talking about what he can do differently this year. I've already looked at his film and talked to him about some things he can work on. He's chomping at the bit to get a chance to jump."
In a word, Kraemer calls the group versatile and he expects them to have a chance to score points in multiple events this year.
"Anthony Kowalski's a 400 runner. He's going to be in the mid-50s, low 50s this year. He's pushing himself to get to that point. Nick Kriesel is going to be a 200 runner and a 100 runner for us, and a guy that's going to score a lot of points for us this year. AJ Kopplin last year was in that and he's going to high jump for us again this year.
"We have depth in our jumping events we haven't had in the past. Josh and Drake both long jump. They're going to continue to long jump. Drake will try out in the triple and see what he can do there with Peyton. You add Nick Kriesel into the mix and a bunch of exciting freshmen, we're going to be good."
On the girls' side, sophomore Rebecca Lawrence, flirted with the 5-foot mark in the high jump as a freshman. She finished fourth in the event at the GNCs with a height of 4-10. She's back and Kraemer said she's taken on more of a leadership role with the jumping group.
"She's starting to think about what she's doing and going out and doing it. She's been a great leader for our high jump group," he said. "Coach (Ryan) Jacques was their coach last year. He moved on got a new job, which is excellent for him, but somebody needed to take a leadership role. We have a couple of coaches helping out in that position, but we needed someone to take leadership in that and to get the group going. That's encouraging for me on the girls' side."
Notable losses off of last year's squad include hurdler Alex Monk, sprinter Ellen Padgett and thrower Lexie Rick. Rick, who placed third in the shot put, was the only member of the RHS girls' team to receive all-conference recognition last year.
A number of freshmen have joined the ranks and Kraemer said three in particular have stood out during the team's opening practices - Caleb Olcikas, Sage Flory and Emma Germain.
"Caleb Olcikas has turned some heads this week and last week, running the second-fastest 40 on our team," he noted. "Someone who's been very competitive in my mind at this moment is Sage Flory. She's looking good. She cycles well and stands tall when she runs. She's very fast. Emma Germain steps out in my mind. She's powerful, strong and could run mid-distance for us."
Kraemer said he expects his throwers to fare well this season with virtually everyone back aside from Rick. Alex Olson is back after finishing seventh in the discus throw at conference last year. Ben Sinclair, Chase Redmond and Connor Lund join Olson and Martin on the boys' side. Shawna Will, Jackie Wells and Olivia Turgeon all return on the girls' side.
Isabella Anderson is back in the sprints for the RHS girls' after narrowly missing the finals with an 11th-place run at conference last year. She returns with a sprinting core that includes Mattia Beske and Samantha Siefert.
The Hodags have a young distance crew this year that looks to improve under the direction of assistant RHS cross country coach Mellisa Krueger.
Rhinelander has its hands full in a tough GNC that includes perennial powers Lakeland, Medford and Northland Pines. The Hodags were fifth in the boys' standings and seventh in the girls' standings at last year's conference meet. However, this year, the Hodags know if they can compete in the conference, they can compete for sectional and state qualifying spots.
"I don't think the drop in the division changes the competition, the highest level of competition, but the numbers certainly work in our favor now in terms of the participants and number of kids involved," Kraemer said of no longer being one of the smallest schools in Division 1 and going into a regionals that included the entire Wisconsin Valley Conference. "Hopefully we see some success moving from regionals to sectionals and into state and those successes continue to build our program moving forward."
It all gets underway this afternoon for the Hodags in Wisconsin Rapids in a limited-event meet. Kraemer said it's the team's first chance to get times on paper in a competitive setting and get a sense of where his squad is at.
"I want to see what each runner has to contribute. I'm going to put them in multiple events so that I can see what they can do, other than what they're necessarily comfortable with - push them to try something new.
"We want to get as many kids into as many events as possible and let them compete and see where the chips fall."
Today's meet is one of four indoor meets for the Hodags this spring, highlighted by the GNC Indoor meet March 26 at Northland Pines High School in Eagle River. Should Mother Nature cooperate, the Hodags' first outdoor meet of the year will be April 11 at Medford.
Other highlights on the schedule include the annual Otto Bacher Invite in Merrill on May 3, the Hodag Quad at Mike Webster Stadium on May 9 and the GNC outdoor meet at Lakeland on May 14.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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