Hodag track competes in Merrill, eyes weekend events

The Rhinelander High School track team took a lighter than normal crew to Merrill on Tuesday, placing fourth in both the boys’ and girls’ divisions of the five-team Bluejay Indoor Invite.

The majority of Rhinelander’s top athletes either did not compete, or were limited on Tuesday, with the team looking forward to a pair of high-end events this weekend — the WISCTA state indoor championship in Whitewater and the Point Distance Carnival in Stevens Point. 

“This is just a good opportunity to get more experience, more competition,” Hodag girls’ coach Andy Wyss explained. “I kind of like the way this week was built out in the sense that we have the distance carnival on Saturday, indoor state on Saturday and this meet on Tuesday, which was close to home. It gave our entire team top to bottom, the ability to compete. And really that’s what we’re trying to do at this point in the season.”

The lone exception to the resting strategy was Rhinelander’s pole vault group, as the Hodags finished 1-2 in both the boys’ and girls’ divisions in that event. Senior Ayden Myers took the boys’ event with a vault of 13 feet, 3 inches while his sister, and returning state qualifier, Macy Myers cleared a season-best height of 10-9 to take the girls’ division. 

Sophomore Paul Denis was the runner-up on the boys’ side, clearing 10-6 while freshman Marsadies Williams tied for second on the girls’ side with a vault of 7-6. 

“So the strategy there was that for the kids going to the indoor state meet, they had a field event day today at home. So they were back home doing field event. Well, our, our poll vault coach (Jayme Wyss) came with us,” Andy Wyss explained. “So that this was those vaulters that are going to indoor state, this was their field event practice, another fancy practice. This was an opportunity for them to vault, and they did really well with it. So hopefully, that can carry over on a Saturday.”

The small field and limited entries created some unique situations. Sophomore Clara Pudlowski, a thrower by trade, was entered into the 3,200-meter run and ended up taking the win after the two girls she was scheduled to race both scratched out of the event. 

“I’m proud of her for doing that. Her being entered into that two-mile was kind of an error,” Andy Wyss said. “I said, ‘When the heat sheets come out, don’t freak out, you’re listed in the two-mile, and that was kind of an accident. So you don’t have to run that if you don’t want to.’ She said, ‘I’ll do it.’ And at the time, there were only three girls in it. So she was kind of optimistic about it. And then as the night went on, the other two dropped out and, sure enough, by the end, she’s the lone ranger. I was very proud of her, as a thrower who hasn’t had any of that kind of training, to go out there and run that and finish it. I was proud of her.”

Sophomore Dean Gillingham claimed the 800-meter run on the boys’ side (2:18.7) while sophomore Mady Treder cleared 4-2 in the girls’ high jump to take that event. She also added a fifth-place finish in the long jump. 

Junior Alexis Smith scored in three events, taking second in the long jump, fourth in the 200 meters and fifth in the 50 meters. Addison Fish was second in the triple jump, Millie Gruett was third in the 500, Williams added a fourth-place showing in the 50 hurdles, Sam Aschenbrenner was fourth in the high jump and Kaydence Walters was fourth in the shot put. 

On the boys’ side, junior Ryley Hull was third in the 400 meters and also third as part of the 10-lap relay with Amos Bergman, Kamden Kostrova and Gillingham. Collin Rappley was third in the 3,200. Cade Goffe placed fourth in the high jump and fifth in the triple jump. Kostrova took fourth in the 50 hurdles and Leander Sprecksel was fifth in the shot put. 

Sprecksel, along with fellow throwers, Eric Parish, Josh Haselton and Logan Leonard took third in the four-lap relay. Rhinelander was fifth in the six-lap relay with CJ Kanitz, Kane Loka, Colton Spaulding and Elias Simonsen. 

The quartet of Freedom Gorden, Pudlowski, Hope Young and Tori Stella was third in the four-lap relay and fourth in the six-lap relay. 

The majority of Rhinelander’s top athletes will be in Whitewater on Saturday, earning their way to the state indoor meet based on either performances from last year or meeting qualifying standards in an event during one of the first few indoor meets of the season. Much of the team’s distance crew will head to Stevens Point in an event that will feature multiple heats in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 meters.

“These races are great because everybody in their heat, at both of these events, is gonna be exactly your same time,” Wyss said. “You’re not gonna get a huge range of people that you’re gonna lap and people that are lapping you. Everybody that’s in this heat is fast, and they are as fast as you. And so it’s gonna be not just to get good times, but to race and to know what it’s like to compete in the lane next to you. It’s more of an opportunity to race. And we’ve seen these couple meets bode pretty well, (be) pretty good foretellers for, for things later on in the season.”

In the interest of full disclosure, the River News notes the author of this story has a family member who is an athlete on the RHS track team.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].