Track team names athletes of the year, most improved

Prior to the WIAA state meet, the Rhinelander High School track team handed out its postseason honors during its team banquet last Tuesday in the RHS commons.

Five athletes took home most valuable honors between the two squads —senior Greyson Gremban and Logan Schwinger on the boys’ side and juniors Aila Bergman and Libbey Buchmann, along with sophomore Macy Myers on the girls’ side. Additionally junior Evan Shoeder and senior Averie West earned most improved honors. 

Overall the night served as a celebration of the numerous accomplishments the track team had this year — including both the boys’ and girls’ Great Northern Conference championships, a boys’ WIAA regional title, 25 sectional entries and six entries to the WIAA state meet.

“This is a fantastic group of young men and young ladies that competed all season under the name of Rhinelander track and field,” said Hodag boys’ track coach Aaron Kraemer, who led much of the ceremony. “We’re so proud of them and were thankful that they’re all here tonight to celebrate us their wonderful achievements this season.”

On the boys’ side, Gremban was the Hodags’ track athlete of the year while Schwinger was the team’s field athlete of the year. 

Gremban pulled off the 800, 1,600, 3,200 sweep at the Great Northern Conference meet, helping him to earn conference runner of the year honors. He was also a key part of a Hodag boys’ 4x800 team that qualified for sectionals, placing sixth. He took fifth, individually, at sectionals in the 3,200 and was the top individual scorer on the season for the squad. 

“The biggest heartbreak for me is not being able to watch him run anymore, because the passion that he runs with and how much he cares about the sport, and how much he wants to be the best is unmatched,” Kraemer said. “He’s somebody that is well-driven, he’s somebody that is very special as a student, and as an athlete. He’s somebody that cares a ton about his team. And you see it in the way he runs and the way he carries himself as a young man. I’m fortunate to have coached this young man.”

Schwinger, meanwhile, was the GNC and regional champion in the shot put. He scored a runner-up finish at conference in the discus and was a sectional qualifier in the shot, placing seventh. As was the case in both football and wrestling, Kraemer said he was astonished by Schwinger’s improvement throughout his high school career. 

“This is one story of why you should never, ever sleep on an athlete, because they can always, always, always surprise you,” he said. “This young man, not only surprised me as an athlete, but in his leadership and his growth this season … He’s a young man who cares a ton about shot and disc. He is an absolute knowledge hunter of the game. He wants to know everything about it. He wants to help everybody. He is a film watcher. He’s somebody that, as an athlete, wanted to be the best. He’s somebody also that when I look at the leadership of our throw group, when I look at the knowledge of our throws group,’s sad to watch him go.”

Buchmann and Myers shared field event athlete of the year honors on the girls’ side thanks to their plaudits during the season. Myers broke the school record in the pole vault on multiple occasions and won the conference title in the event with a GNC-record vault of 11 feet, 3 inches.

Buchmann, while she was unable to qualify for state this year, did win the conference title in both the shot put and discus, matching a conference record in the disc (126-2). 

“We had two field athletes that on points were so close with one another, and before the state meet, we couldn’t give an awards to just one,” Kraemer noted.

Bergman, meanwhile, broke her own record in the 300-meter hurdles, qualifying for state in that event. She was also a conference champion in the 100 hurdles and part of the state-qualifying 4x400 relay team. 

In terms of most improved, Shoeder went from focusing on throws as an underclassman to showcasing his talents in the sprinting events as a junior — running on the 4x200 relay that qualified for sectionals.

West earned most improved on the girls’ side as she was the conference runner-up to Bergman in the 100 hurdles and qualified for sectionals in that event, placing 10th. 

Kraemer said he saw tremendous growth from West once she returned to the sport after taking a year off as a sophomore. 

“I’m extremely impressed with what she was able to accomplish as an athlete,” he said. “I’m even more proud of the person that she’s become. Since that time of sophomore year to now, it’s a completely different person. I’m going to miss her a ton. She’s a captain and as well, she is the most improved athlete on the girl’s side of our team.”

In addition to the award winners the team recognized West, Shawn Denis, Lexi Bishop and Callie Hoerchler, Gremban and Schwinger as team captains. While not all received awards, Kraemer saved most of his words for the 18 members of the senior class.

“That is the largest number since I’ve been here, of seniors that stuck around for their senior year in the senior class. This was a senior class that was loaded with talent and a group that we’re going to miss dearly,” he said.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].