How sweep it is!

MOSINEE — The Rhinelander High School track team has had plenty of individual and group successes over the past several seasons, but the program, collectively, has never been able to celebrate a victory like the one it achieved Thursday night. 

Both the RHS boys and girls’ track teams were victorious at the Great Northern Conference meet in Mosinee. It’s the first time the Hodag girls have ever won a conference title and marked the third conference title for the Hodag boys in the last seven years.

For coaches and athletes, old and new, Thursday marked a moment years in the making.

“For us both to win it on the same night, I’m not sure how many times it’s been done in our conference. It can’t be very many and so this one this one is extra sweet because of that,” Hodag boys’ track coach Aaron Kraemer said. “Just to see the looks on their faces after we won tonight, especially with winning both, and getting some honors — athletes of the year on both sides — it’s really, really special.”

In fact it marked the eighth time in GNC history that the same school swept the outdoor conference titles in both the boys’ and girls’ divisions in the same year. Mosinee was the last to accomplish the feat in 2021. Before that, Lakeland did it six times in a seven-year span between 2012 and 2018. 

Kraemer this year let go of some of the coaching reigns, bringing in former Three Lakes head coach Andy Wyss to oversee the girls’ program. In year one, Wyss was able to help the Hodag girls achieve something they never done. In fact, before Thursday night, the team’s best finish in an outdoor conference meet in the last three decades was fourth place — earned by last year’s RHS girls’ squad. 

“It was all set in motion by all the work that all these other coaches had done prior to me, you know, Kraemer and (hurdles coach Rod) Olson,” Wyss said. “They got this thing off on the right track where, like in the beginning of the year when we interviewed and I said, I’m just hoping to be that the gasoline to the fire that’s already going. I think tonight kind of showed that, that was able to happen with the right pieces in place and the right foundation that was already set in place before me. I’m really, really thankful to those guys for setting this up the way it was that I could take and run with it.”

    Rhinelander’s Libbey Buchmann throws the discus during the GNC championship track meet in Mosinee Thursday, May 22. Buchmann won that event, the shot put and was named GNC girls’ field athlete of the year. (Jeremy Mayo/River News)
  

The Hodag girls didn’t just run with it on Thursday, they ran away with it. Rhinelander won eight events on the night and set or matched three conference records in the process. Junior Libbey Buchmann matched the conference record in the discus with a toss of 126 feet, 2 inches. She also won the shot put and was named the GNC’s female field athlete of the year. 

“All of our team, as individuals came together, and everyone performed well, a lot of records and PRs were broken, and it’s just amazing to see,” she said. 

    Rhinelander’s Greyson Gremban leads Tomahawk’s Sam Zastrow, and teammates Avrom Barr and Shawn Denis, to the finish line of the 800-meter run during the GNC championship track meet in Mosinee Thursday, May 22. Gremban swept all three distance events as he was name GNC boys’ track athlete of the year. (Jeremy Mayo/River News)
  

The Hodag boys claimed five events on the night, including a Herculean effort from senior Greyson Gremban, who swept the distance events — winning the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 meters — to claim runner of the year honors on the boys’ side. 

It marked some symmetry for Gremban, whose placement in the 3,200 mathematically clinched the last GNC title for the Hodag boys back in 2022. He missed much of last spring due to a foot injury and was back in only a very limited capacity as the Hodags finished fourth at last year’s conference meet — missing out on the title by only eight points. 

“It’s a full circle moment for me. The amount of time I’ve dedicated to this sport. What my season looked like last year, not winning runner of the year in cross country, I’m really proud that I was able to work myself onto the first team today,” he said. “More importantly, it’s 30 points toward our total, toward our goal of winning a conference championship as a unit, as a distance team, and that’s what I’m most proud of.”

Kraemer said for athletes like Gremban, and all of those who went through last year’s close defeat on the boys’ side, Thursday victory was much needed redemption. 

“The big thing for me tonight was to get those guys last year that maybe had heartbreaking ends of the season, their opportunity for redemption, and we did that,” he said. 

    Rhinelander’s Alia Bergman competes in the 300-meter hurdles during the GNC championship track meet in Mosinee Thursday, May 22. Bergman won that event, the 100 hurdles and was on the Hodags’ winning 4x400-meter really team. (Jeremy Mayo/River News)
  

Rhinelander junior Aila Bergman was in the running for GNC female runner of the year, but lost out to Lakeland’s Kieran Petrie, who swept the 100, 200 and 400 meters on Thursday. Bergman put up a strong case. She broke the conference record in the 300-meter hurdles (46.97 seconds), won the 100 hurdles (16.20), was part of a victorious 4x400 relay team and added a third-place finish in the long jump. 

“It definitely made a very strong case,” Wyss said. “Not only that, but then she did well in the long jump for us. So if you took the whole package as a track and field athlete, she certainly had to have been up there near the top with the amount of athleticism she brought to that meet. So certainly deserving to be in the conversation.”

Not to be outdone, sophomore Macy Myers broke both the school and conference records in the pole vault (11-3), was also on the winning 4x400 relay with Bergman, Ellie Cummings and Lucy Eddy, and finished second in the 800 meters — losing that race in a photo finish with Lakeland’s Stella Meza.

“She runs a PR time in the 800, comes over, breaks her own school record in the pole vault, goes back to the 4x4, and then runs her fastest split there too,” Wyss said. “It’s almost superhuman, what she’s able to do in that short span of time. And those specific events, those are hard events.”

Both Bergman and Myers credited their success to the workouts that Andy Wyss and his wife, Jayme, have brought to the program this year. 

“I’m just so thankful for, like, the coaches that we have Mr. and Mrs. Wyss. They’ve given us a lot of harder workouts this year. Like, way harder than last year. That’s just helped us to get so much better,” Myers said. 

“The workouts that we’ve been doing really help,” Bergman added. 

    Rhinelander’s Ellie Cummings hands the baton to teammate Lexi Bishop for the anchor leg of the 4x100-meter relay during the GNC championship track meet in Mosinee Thursday, May 22. The Hodags won that race, one of eight victories on the night for the RHS girls’ squad. (Brett LaBore/Lakeland Times)
  

Relays also helped to carry the Hodag girls on Thursday, as they took the 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400. The trio of Cummings, fellow freshman Mady Treder and sophomore Shyanne Hueckstaedt were on both the 4x100 and 4x200 squads. Junior Violet Biolo anchored the group in the 4x200 (1:51.88) while senior Lexi Bishop brought it home for the Hodags in the 4x100 (52.53).

“We put some young kids up on those relays, some freshmen and sophomores, to get us a good start and then to hand it off to those veterans to take it home,” Wyss said. “Being able to have those pieces where I could utilize them in such a way in that I could give those underclassmen a chance to really get us off to a good start, and be able to plug those second-tier fast people in and get it all the way around, that showed our depth in the sprints.”

    Rhinelander’s Ben Olson competes during the 4x100-meter relay during the GNC championship track meet in Mosinee Thursday, May 22. The Hodags won the event, one of five victories on the night for the RHS boys’ squad. (Jeremy Mayo/River News)
  

The Hodag boys rolled the dice in the sprinting events. Sam Zwaard was the team’s only entry in the 100, coming home sixth, and the team did not put any runners in the 200. Instead, the team went all-in on the relays with good effect. Rhinelander defended its conference title in the 4x100 with the squad of Ben Olson, Zwaard, Cyrus Leisure and Landon Catlin (44.92); took second in the 4x200 with Olson, Matthew Haselton, Evan Shoeder and Zwaard (1:35.39) and was third in the 4x400 with Olson, Haselton, Leisure and Denis (3:40.74).

“It took a lot of guts to do what we did tonight,” Kraemer said. “When you look at the open 400, the open 200 in the open 100, you knew that there were going to be a lot of guys that could score in those races, and that it was going to be difficult for us to do that. So what we set our sights on was, can we go out and try to win every single one of the relays? We almost did that tonight.”

Ironically, the Hodags took the opposite strategy for the 4x800, taking their top runners out of that event to focus their efforts in open events. That strategy worked to gain significant points for the team. In addition to Gremban’s distance sweep, sophomore Avrom Barr was the runner-up in both the 1,600 and 3,200 and took third in the 800. Denis finished fourth in the 800 and Jackson Weinzatl added a sixth-place run in the 3,200.

“We had a goal in mind today. We knew we would have to do some lifting. The team, as whole, knew we needed to have good runs today,” Gremban said. “I’m really proud of what I was able to accomplish, what it means for myself and my teammates. I’m so incredibly proud of Avrom Barr, a sophomore, who fought himself onto three all-conference teams today.”

    Rhinelander’s Logan Schwinger throws the shot during the GNC championship track meet in Mosinee Thursday, May 22. Schwinger won the event with a throw of 49 feet, 3 1/2 inches. (Jeremy Mayo/River News)
  

The Hodag boys also loaded up on points in the throwing events. Logan Schwinger led a 1-3-5 finish with teammates Reid Schultz and Bo Stott in the shot put. Schwinger laid down the gauntlet early with what proved to be the winning toss of 49-3 1/2 and added another 49-foot throw in the finals. Schwinger added a third-place effort in the discus (129-10).

“For me to come out and throw a three-foot PR to start discus get third place while I was seeded fourth, that was pretty exciting on my part,” he said. “And then for me, my first throw to have just a big throw (in the shot put), was just like a relief of pressure off my chest because I knew I had it sealed away there.” 

The top three finishers in each event earned all-conference honors. Rhinelander ended up with 14 honors each on the boys’ and girls’ sides. 

Senior Averie West was the runner-up to Bergman in the 100 hurdles while Jalyn Zadnik finished second to Buchmann in the shot put. Callie Hoerchler took third in the high jump and Emeline Hintz was third in the pole vault. 

“Honestly, that’s the difference maker. We have very strong, top-level athletes, but it is those types of things that is able to win you a team trophy like this. Being able to pick up those third-place finishes, those runner-ups,” Wyss said. “Averie phenomenal, Jalyn phenomenal. Emeline’s been really putting things together in the pole vault again. She’s back where she needs to be. We picked up a lot of points in the 300 hurdles, in the shot put and we really pulled out some good stuff today in the triple jump that we didn’t have before.”

Truman Lamers added a runner-up finish for the Hodags in the boys’ high jump. Sophomore Ryley Hull overcame a false start disqualification in the 110 hurdles to take second in the 300 hurdles, Leisure was third in the 400 and Ayden Myers added a third-place showing in the pole vault. 

While the all-conference awards were special, parading both conference championship trophies around Veterans Park made the celebration even more enjoyable. 

“We can do it as a whole entire team instead of a split group here. I’m so excited,” Schwinger said. “I’m so proud of everyone on our team and the amount of work and dedication that they have toward the program here.”

Rhinelander was projected at 14 1/2-point favorites over defending conference Tomahawk on the girls’ side and won the meet by 31 markers over Lakeland. Tomahawk was third, one point further behind.

“I felt good about our ability as the girls, but we had seen some good things out of Lakeland and Tomahawk,” Wyss said. “Even coming up halfway through the meet when the scores were real tight, you kind of wonder, do we have the pieces to pull it out? Then it comes out after everything comes in, it came across very convincing.”

Rhinelander entered as 40-point favorites on the boys’ side, but ultimately eked out a nine-point win over Medford.

“Even with some of the adversity that we had, we had guys pick us up all around the shop tonight and do things that, you know, we weren’t counting on coming in, which was what we needed,” Kraemer said. 

The Hodags had to get back to work quickly following the conference meet — which was pushed back two days due to rain. Rhinelander is back on the track this afternoon as it hosts a WIAA Division 2 regional at Mike Webster Stadium. GNC foes Lakeland and Northland Pines will join Rhinelander in the eight-team regional.

“It’s going to be a quick turnaround. We’ve got to get entries in for regionals tonight yet,” Wyss said following Thursday’s meet. “So (I’m) kind of looking at how things went tonight and figuring out where we want to push for regionals. It’ll be a little bit different lineup, but definitely with an emphasis of trying to go the whole nine yards.”

“Now the interest turn turns to, how do we stack up kids to make it to the next level. We got several kids that can do it,” Kraemer said. “It’s going to be fun and I can’t wait, especially with this group. It’s going to be a lot of fun and hopefully we can get a lot of kids down to (the state meet in) La Crosse and get to enjoy that experience.”

Today’s meet gets underway at 4 o’clock. The top four finishers in each event will advance to the sectional round Friday at Durand-Arkansaw. 

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].