March 16, 2023 at 12:03 p.m.
Team preview: RHS Track & Field
Hodag track looks to reload with young squad
Team preview: RHS Track & Field
"How can we respond as the GNC incumbent (champions)?" he asked.
The Hodags have begun working on that question, and we will have an answer by the time the GNC championship rolls around in the middle of May. In the meantime, it will be a process of reloading the Hodag boys' and girls' squads that lost some significant star power off the top, but have a number of key pieces returning.
Rhinelander's first meet of the season took place yesterday, albeit a low-key affair in Wisconsin Rapids. The event, which concluded after deadline for today's edition, did not feature the full suite of high school events and a number of athletes were missing as the event fell during the middle of Rhinelander's spring break.
A more accurate representation will take place this Thursday when the Hodags travel to Ashland for an invite, one of four indoor meets prior to the start of the outdoor season.
The Hodag boys have to replace eight different seniors who earned all-conference honors in at least one event last year. That includes conference runner of the year and state-qualifier Cole Worrall, along with 100-meter dash champion Caleb Olcikas.
"I don't think you can ever replace Caleb or Cole," Kraemer said. "Leadership-wise, both of those guys - Cole leading by example and Caleb being who Caleb is with the personality that he has - you can't replace them that way but, as a team, we certainly can replace those points and work to do the best we can to make up that distance."
The Hodags graduated another key sprinter in Beau Howard, along with twins Jaden and Aric Beske, the former of whom was the conference runner-up and a sectional qualifier in the high jump. Thrower Brock Snyder, who is helping the team in a coaching role this year, and distance runners Ty Welk and Jack DeNamur round out the group of graduates who scored at least one top three finish at last year's conference meet.
The Hodags do have some returning speed, however. Senior Brendon Eckrich and junior Payton Campbell are back. They were on both the conference-winning 4x100 relay squad last year and runner-up 4x200 relay. Eckrich also took fifth in the GNCs in the 100 while Campbell qualified for the finals in the long jump at a WIAA D1 regional in Wausau, finishing ninth.
"We have a ton of athletes that are willing to push into those positions," Kraemer said.
Kraemer also noted that a couple of guys who had success elsewhere could possibly factor into the sprinting mix this year. Senior Kaleb Winter was the conference runner-up in the pole vault while Truman Lamers broke onto the scene last year with a second-place finish at conference in the triple jump as a freshman, and followed that up with a sixth-place finish at regionals.
"He's a guy that makes the finals of a D1 regional as a freshman. That's nothing to turn your nose up at," Kraemer said of Lamers. "He's really, really thrown (himself) into that position. I know he's going to want to jump 42, 43 feet this year and I don't think that's out of the realm of possibility. I know that Jack Gjovick up a Northland Pines is a great kid and an awesome athlete. I would just ask Truman to push him and get up to that level by the end of the season."
The Hodags figure to have some strength in the distance events as senior Cody Ruetz and sophomore Grayson Gremban - the fastest two athletes on the RHS cross country team last fall - return. They were both part of a third-place finish for the Hodags in the 4x800 last year. Senior Shane Petrick is back after finishing fourth in the long jump at conference last season. And Rhinelander gets a boost with Conner Jensen returning in the throwing events. The senior has just been cleared to return to competition after injuring his knee late last September during the football season. He was third off the Hodags in the discus at conference last spring. Winter overcame his own knee injury scare last fall and appears ready to go for the spring season.
"It was really good to see Conner and Kaleb both there because, at the end of football season, you would have never though that you'd get both of them during track," Kraemer said. "It was good to see Kaleb have a good basketball season and Conner rehabbed and he's fully cleared. We get him and that's huge for us, considering that we also have a lot of those younger throwers who are really impressive."
The Hodag girls' squad is also looking to replace a core trio of sprinters from last year, having graduated Emma Germain, Sage Flory and Megan Brown. They were three-fourths of the Hodags' 4x100 and 4x200 relays that narrowly missed advancing to sectionals, with fifth place finishes at regionals last year. Germain was a two-time conference champion in the triple jump while Brown took third in the 200 last year.
Overall, however, Kraemer sees a group that could improve. The team welcomes back three all-conference performers from last year, including one sectional qualifier, and brings in a number of freshmen off a squad that won the middle school conference title last year. Given that only 22 points separated third and seventh place in the conference last season, there's plenty of room for growth.
"The girls, for a very, very long time, they haven't had the numbers to compete. We've had a lot of very solid athletes ... we just haven't had the numbers and the collective spirit and talent to be able to push toward scoring points as a team," Kraemer said. "Now there's 30 girls and if they push together and figure out together where they all fit and they can build a team out of this, they're going to be successful. It's going to take a little bit for me to settle in with all of them and get to know all of them but the good thing about what I see right now is the positive attitude, the willingness to work and learn, and just raw athletic talent and ability."
Senior Gussie Gruett headlines the list of returning athletes after qualifying for sectionals in the 400-meter dash last year. She was also on the 4x200 relay with Germain, Brown and Flory.
"Hopefully, this year, she continues to grow in that craft and just continues to push herself," Kraemer said. "That's what she is. She's a grinder and hopefully she grinds it out and keeps working and does the things we know and expect and lover from her."
Another senior, Abby Swanson, returns after finishing third in the conference in the shot put and fourth in the discus last year. Sophomore Reese Gehrig was part of the team's 4x100 relay last year and was eighth individually in the 100-meter dash. The team is also looking for big things from sophomore Callie Hoerchler, who scored top-six finishes in the high jump and both the 100 and 300-meter hurdles at last year's GNCs.
"Callie is an amazing hurdler and is another one of those people where she does so many things, and so many things well," Kraemer said. "She comes to practice and she wants to be coached. She listens. She comes with a smile on her face. She's her hardest critic and when she stops being her hardest critic and realizes, 'Hey, I've got something going on,' and is confident in what she can do, the sky's the limit for her in both the hurdles and the high jump."
The biggest change in Rhinelander's favor this year is a return to Division 2 for the first time since 2019. The past two seasons, the Hodags have had to face mainly Wisconsin Valley Conference opposition in the postseason. This year, the regional will mostly mirror the GNC meet, plus a few others.
Kraemer admitted he had mixed emotions about the change.
"Some of our athletes are hooting and hollering that we're in D2 (but) it's still a major, major challenge and, at the end of the day, the top level talent in D2 is very similar to the top level talent in D1," he said. "It's going to take a lot to get through that sectional to state and we're going to see a lot of different teams with a lot of different stud athletes in that D2 sectional.
"The conference meet is going to tell us a lot about who we think can make it through regionals and into sectionals. The last time we were in D2 the boys won the regional. I'm not expecting that for us this season. I'm hoping that happens, that would be awesome, but it's as difficult in D2 to make it to state. That's what I'll say about it."
As for the conference. Mosinee figures to be the runaway favorites on the girls' side. The boys' race appears to be much more open. Rhinelander has won two of the last three conference titles. Lakeland was the runner-up last year, but perennial contenders Medford and Mosinee cannot be discounted.
"I wouldn't count anybody out, to be honest with you," Kraemer said. "I think the athlete of the year could probably be Jack Gjovick from Northland Pines. He can pull them in the right direction. Tomahawk, I know they've struggled with numbers, but if they get the numbers out they have great coaching there too. Antigo, it's the same thing. It's a numbers game."
The Hodags will get their first look at the rest of the conference April 6 at Northland Pines in the GNC Indoor Invite. Rhinelander will visit every GNC school except Mosinee during the outdoor portion of the schedule.
The Hodags are slated to host two meets this year. The Hodag Hybrid meet April 11 will feature a number of field events inside the Hodag Dome and weather and track conditions permitting, running events outside at Mike Webster Stadium. The Hodag Invite will take place May 11. Last year's event was canceled due to thunderstorms.
Lakeland will host the GNC championship meet May 16. Colby will host regionals May 22. Sectionals will take place May 25 in Arcadia.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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