Track: RHS boys 3rd, girls 4th at Lakeland Invite

Even with a number of its top athletes at home or competing in different events, the Rhinelander High School track team still fared very well on Tuesday against a number of conference rivals.

The Hodag boys were third in a 10-team field while the Hodag girls were fourth out of 12 teams at the Lakeland Invite in Minocqua. While the team rested a number of starters for tonight’s Otto Bacher Invite in Merrill, the team still found plenty of success. The Hodag boys had three wins and 15 other top-five finishes on the day. The Hodag girls had two wins and 10 other top fives. 

“We have a deep team and it’s good to, first of all, be able to get a bunch of kids in that don’t get the opportunity every single meet to do what they do, but also to have success doing it,” Hodag boys’ coach Aaron Kraemer said. “It’s a luxury that you get when you have so many athletes, but also at the same time (athletes) working hard and getting better at what they’re doing.”

The highlight of the day once again came in pole vault. Sophomore Macy Myers broke the school record in that event for a second straight meet, and the fourth time overall this season. After becoming the first female in RHS history to clear 10 feet last Friday in Kaukauna, Myers did it four more times on Tuesday, finally finishing at 10 feet, 10 inches as she came away with the win. 

Hodag girls’ coach Andy Wyss noted that Myers was the last girl standing after making 9-6 and then went for 10-1 to break her own record. After that she made it over the bar at 10-4 and 10-7 before finally clearing 10-10. 

“That’s a big meet where we can jump multiple heights,” he said. “I think she jumped up three poles where she’s vaulting on bigger implements that are heavy and not going to give her as much bend, but she’s getting that getting to that skill level where she can handle that and start to progress up those ranks. That was it was fun to watch. It just kept coming. Pretty exciting for her.”

    Rhinelander’s Shawn Denis, center, Avrom Barr, front right, and Greyson Gremban, back right, run together in the pack at the start of the boys’ 800-meter run during a track meet in Minocqua Tuesday, May 6. Denis, Barr and Gremban finished second, third and fourth in the race. (Brett LaBore/Lakeland Times)
  

Once again, the distance crew scored a large chunk of points for the Hodag boys. Senior Greyson Gremban won the 1,600 meters (4 minutes, 43.14 seconds), and sophomore Avrom Barr took the 3,200 (10:38.76). But the race of the night came in the 800 where the two went head-to-head with senior teammate Shawn Denis. 

Denis proved to be the best of the trio in that race, taking second at 2:05.59, but Barr and Gremban were close behind in third and fourth. 

“It was a battle all the way until the last corner. I think that you saw those guys really giving it to beat each other, which was good to see,” Kraemer said. “Their goal is to all run in the 2:05s, 2:03s, low 2:00s. You saw him battle it out for a close finish there. I think that their ultimate goal is to make the state in the 4x8. When you have a team that runs like that and you get a finish like that in a race together, that’s really cool to see.”

Logan Schwinger got the other win of the night for the Hodag boys, unfurling a throw of 46-6 to win the shot put. Teammate Bo Stott finished third in that event (42-5 1/2).

“Logan’s been throwing some real bombs in practice and he’s doing a fantastic job, just learning from his own film, coming to practice with a great idea of what he needs to do to be successful,” Kraemer noted. 

The Hodag girls’ took the 4x100 relay with a young squad that included sophomore Shyanne Hueckstaedt, junior Violet Biolo, freshman Ellie Cummings and freshman Mady Treder (52.47). 

“It was good to see them run and they executed handoffs. This is the first time they’ve had that opportunity with that fast group,” Wyss said. “They executed them, I would say, surprisingly well, based on some nerves going into the race. They ran well, and it was a pretty big win. So hopefully they can build on that.”

Junior Aila Bergman did not run her specialties, the 100 and 300 hurdles, on Tuesday and instead dabbled in the sprint events. She finished runner-up in both the 100 and 200 meters. 

“It was a good opportunity to get her, get her kind of doing those types of races without the hurdles in the way just to get that top speed and see what that feels like,” Wyss noted. 

Sophomore Ryley Hull was the runner-up in the boys’ 300 hurdles and was edged in a photo finish as the anchor of Hodags 4x200 relay that also consisted of Ben Olson, Renin Craig and Evan Shoeder. The Hodags lost that race by 0.01 seconds to Medford. 

Charlie Antonuk cleared 10-6 to score a runner-up finish in the pole vault, Sam Zwaard was fifth in both the 100 and the 200, Kamden Kostrova took fifth in the triple jump and Leander Sprecksel was fifth in the discus. 

Rhinelander was third in the boys’ 4x800 with Konner Bex, Wyatt Crowell, Dean Gillingham and Jonathan Campbell. Hull, Denis, Colton Spaulding and Craig ran to a fourth-place finish in the 4x400.

Kara Monk was the runner-up for the Hodags in the girls’ 3,200 meters while Rhinelander took second in the 4x400 with Biolo, Cummings, Treder and freshman Freedom Gorden. Lucy Eddy was third in the 400, Brynn Teter took fifth in the 800, Tori Stella was fifth in the long jump and Emily Schiek was fifth in the 3,200. Rhinelander also claimed fifth in the 4x200 relay with Averie West, Karly Gillingham, Gorden and Teagan Turcotte. 

In exhibition races on Tuesday, Rhinelander took second in both the boys’ and girls’ 4x100 throwers relays. Schwinger, Eric Parish, Bo Stott and Sprecksel made up the boys’ quartet while Sam Aschenbrenner, Taylor Dahlquist, Josie Stella and Wendy Fronk ran for the girls. Rhinelander took fourth in the mixed 4x400 relay with the team of Jackson Weinzatl, Callie Hoerchler, Sebastian Lieder-St. Peter and Addie Currie. 

Medford won the boys’ meet with 152 points. Lakeland was second with 118, edging Rhinelander by six markers for the runner-up spot. Lakeland won the girls’ meet with 144 points, ahead of Wausau Newman (124), Medford (103) and Rhinelander (84). 

Wyss said it was important to get a closer look at Lakeland and Medford’s full lineups ahead of the GNC meet in Mosinee May 20. Both teams figure to be in the mix for what could be an extremely competitive conference title fight — especially on the girls’ side. 

“I know that Lakeland is real strong with their girls in that mid-distance range, where they could put a lot together,” he noted. We’re going to have our work cut out for us. It’s definitely not anything that’s going to be given. So we’ll have to take it.” 

Rhinelander travels to Merrill tonight for the 12-team Otto Bacher Invitational. The entire GNC is slated to be in attendance, though some teams may not field their strongest lineups. The Hodags are expected to field most of their starters tonight in one of their final major dress rehearsals before conference. 

“It’s one of the meets that we wait for all year long, and it looks like it will be spectacular weather,” Kraemer said. “We’re excited for a nice night at the track. Otto Bacher is one of the ones that all of our kids enjoy because it’s one of the lights, it really gives you that championship feel. We’re looking forward to competing on Friday and putting our best team out there and doing the best we can.”

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].