November 18, 2020 at 10:57 a.m.
DeNamur, Laggis named fastest harriers in virtual banquet
DeNamur, Laggis named fastest harriers in virtual banquet
The team held a virtual banquet Tuesday, Nov. 10 with coaches M.J. Laggis and Melissa Krueger running the show from Laggis' RHS classroom while the remainder of the team joined in a Zoom meeting from their homes.
How the awards were handed out was different as well - athletes could stop by Laggis' classroom during school hours to pickup their memorabilia -but the format itself was mostly the same as previous years.
The team honored its fastest harriers on the season based on times and results - senior Ali DeNamur and junior Cal Laggis - while handing out several other awards during the roughly 90-minute program. In all, 10 members of the squad we recognized with special awards.
"We think it's so valuable to talk about kids. They said this is the year you don't have to have a banquet, but coach and I both agreed (to have one)," coach Laggis said during the event regarding the team's decision to conduct a virtual banquet.
The fastest harrier award is the most objective of the group, which goes to the runner who had the best performances during the season in terms of time and placement. Krueger noted that was a little harder to determine this year, due to the low number of races, and the number of events held on exceptionally hilly terrain. But, in the end, the two runners who led the team the most wound up taking home the awards.
DeNamur was the team's top finisher in four of the eight races the girls' team ran. Her season was highlighted by top 10 finishes in Antigo, Three Lakes and the second Rhinelander race. She was also the Hodags' top runner at the Great Northern Conference meet (16th) and at subsectionals (21st).
"Anyone who's around her knows she just does not quit," coach Laggis said. "Persistence is her middle name. I've watched her start races and think, 'There's no way she'll be there today,' and she always fights and claws and works through and will surprise you, will shock you. I'm just so proud of her. She's been a leader in every single capacity in this program. She is just a salt of the Earth, dynamic, great kid and I wish her so much success in the next year."
On the boys' side, Cal Laggis, coach Laggis' son, was Rhinelander's top finisher in all seven races he ran before being placed into COVID protocol and having his season come to a premature end. He finished fourth or better in each of his starts and had high expectations for the end of the season.
"He had a goal, after last season, to repeat as an all-conference first-teamer and the only thing that stopped him was COVID," coach Laggis said. "We're going to get over that and next year he's going to go back and hunt that first team and he's got a goal to get to the state tournament."
In addition to the fastest harrier awards, the team named its most improved and most dedicated runners, presented its Long Hauler award and honored the team captains.
Most improved honors went to junior Ty Welk and freshman Leah Jamison. Welk, whose season was interrupted twice due to COVID protocol was fast in the handful of races he ran. He had finishes of 12th, 13th, and eighth in his first three starts before being sidelined. He returned with a 17th-place finish at the GNC meet before getting sidelined again.
"There's a guy that, if you saw him running a year ago and how it looked and you saw him this year, it was just another animal," coach Laggis said. "Had he been able to compete the entire season, and be there all the time, I would have loved to see what he would have looked like at the end."
Jamison recorded a trio of top 10s, highlighted by a sixth-place run in Three Lakes. She earned honorable mention all-conference honors with a 19th-place run in Tomahawk.
"By the end she was right at the top of the varsity team. As a freshman, that's exceptional," Krueger said. "That doesn't happen very often and when it does, you can't help but notice it. It doesn't come by accident. Maybe she has some gifts she was given naturally, but she makes the most of that and puts in the work."
Seniors Abbey Henrichs and Daniel Goldsworthy were honored as the team's most dedicated runners. They were among the varsity contributors all season and among the group that was unable to run at subsections due to COVID protocol. Those two, along with Ali DeNamur, Ella Schiek and Jake Losch were recognized as the team's captains. A pair of juniors - Emma Germain and Jaden Beske - won the Long Hauler Award for their dedication and efforts during practices. Both were solid top-five contributors on the Hodag varsity squad all season.
COVID protocol depleted the Hodag boys' squad heavily at the end of the season. A short-staffed crew finished fifth at the GNC meet and did not have enough runners to qualify for a team score at subsectionals. The Hodag girls' finished fifth in the conference and seventh in the nine-team Medford subsectional.
Coach Laggis said the 2020 season, racing in the midst of a pandemic, was an exercise in resilience.
"It truly was a difficult year. If you don't learn and grow through that, then you miss an opportunity," he said. "As a coach, you get down, and we did. As kids you get down when you see your teammates going to and fro and getting in quarantine. That's a mental stress on everyone and let's remember, the biggest mental stress is on the kids. That's the most important commodity here. It's very difficult, but it's an opportunity to learn and grow. It's an opportunity to get better. It's an opportunity to be more supportive to your teammates and your family. I think a lot of us took those opportunities this year."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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