April 27, 2023 at 8:14 a.m.
Hodag track takes sixth at Medford meet
Hodag track takes sixth at Medford meet
The Hodags were sixth in both the boys and girls' divisions of the Medford Invite. The nine-team field also featured Medford, Northland Pines and Antigo from the GNC, Division 2 regional opponent Stanley-Boyd and a number of other solid Division 2 and 3 programs.
"It's was definitely a meet to test ourselves today, which was nice," Hodag coach Aaron Kraemer said. "We got to see a few other teams that are going to be in our division - Wittenberg-Birnamwood, Marathon (which is in Division 3) and some of those teams that we'll see in a regional or sectional. They do have strong teams. It was clear right when we got there that they're were some really, really good athletes and some really, really well-coached athletes."
Rhinelander did not win any events on the night but did score a number of top-five finishes.
The Hodag boys were once again led by sophomore Truman Lamers, who scored runner-up finishes in both the high jump (5 feet, 8 inches) and the triple jump (39-2).
"Truman had two good jumps and took second place in the high," Kraemer said. We've been working on high jump more than we've been the triple jump, just trying to get him over six feet. Today was 5-8 and just a sliver short of 5-10 ... (In the triple jump) I think we have one more tweak, and when that tweak happens next week, I think he's going to be over 40 feet."
Fellow sophomore Greyson Gremban scored a runner-up finish in the 3,200-meter run (10 minutes, 35.74 seconds) and was fourth in the 1,600. The Hodags also got a third-place finish out of Conner Jensen in the discus (112-3).
"Conner did well in the disc," Kraemer noted. "He's starting to figure it out. He's got a few technique flaws he just has to work on. Once he figures those out, the disc is already flying off his hand, the release is just a little too high. Still a good throw and a good performance."
Senior Daniel Gillingham was fifth in the 100-meter dash for Rhinelander and was part of a 4x400-meter relay that took third, along with fellow senior Kaleb Winter, sophomore Jackson Fuss and freshman Ben Olson. Abe Barlog added a fifth-place run in the 110 hurdles and Kaden Christiansen cleared a personal-best 9 feet as he took fifth in the pole vault.
"This is his first year in track and field and that really is something to jump over 9 feet. Any time you get into the 9, 10, 11 (range) as a first-year athlete, that's really good," Kraemer said.
Rhinelander added an fifth place finish in the 4x800 with the team of Olin Slette, Shawn Denis, Gremban and Cyrus Leisure.
Sophomore sprinter Lexi Bishop had a strong day on the girls' side. She took fourth in the 200-meter dash, was fifth in the 100 and was part of a third-place finish in the 4x100 relay with Emma Deede, Callie Hoerchler and Reese Gehrig.
"I'm not surprised," Kraemer said of Bishop's performances. "To be honest with you, Lexi sometimes can be her own worst enemy. She is fast. She is a great athlete and she's somebody that, once she gets the mental game correct and she believes exactly what I believe in her - that she is one of the best athletes on our team - then she can do a lot of big things."
Depth, which has been an issue for Hodag girls' teams in the past, proved to be a strength on Tuesday. Not only did the Hodags field a team in all four relay races, they placed in the top five in all four events. Gehrig, Aila Bergman, Gussie Gruett and Luna Grage were the runners-up in the 4x400. Grage, Julianna Smith, Brynn Teter and Maria Hubler were fifth in the 4x800, while Deede, Maddie Legrey, Tori Stella and Millie Gruett were fifth in the 4x200.
"This year our sprints crew has several girls that are fast and that are willing to try it," Kraemer noted. "You've seen it with a couple of our meets this season where we've had multiple girls' relays going against each other in the 4x4 and 4x2. It's good because there's a lot of competition, a lot of looking at splits, a lot of looking at numbers and just trying to figure out who works best."
Bergman, a freshman, added a runner-up finish for Rhinelander in the triple jump and was fourth in the 300-meter hurdles. Hoerchler took third in the high jump and Smith finished fifth in the 1,600.
"We have a really good, young team and it's starting to show. The seniors on our team, and juniors on the team, they're starting to see how special the group is and starting the believe in themselves as well," Kraemer said.
Medford won the girls' division while Northland Pines placed fifth and Antigo took ninth. Stanley-Boyd took the boys' division with GNC rivals Medford, Northland Pines, Rhinelander and Antigo in positions 4-7.
Kraemer said cold was a factor on Tuesday, with the thermometer dropping into the 30s after the sun set at Raider Field.
"Honestly, I think that was the coldest meet I've ever been at. I've been at some cold meets, but when it gets late in the day it's kind of tough," he said. "I think we handled it pretty well and most of the kids rose to the challenge. We had some pretty good results today."
The Hodags were uncertain if their Thursday meet would take place. They were scheduled to take part in the Eagle Relays at Northland Pines, but the event was called off with snow remaining on Northland Pines' track. The team was trying to put together a last-minute replacement for the event, but no details had been finalized as of press time.
Rhinelander will return to action next Friday, May 5, at the Wisconsin Rapids Invite.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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