Hodag track sweeps home invite

The Rhinelander High School track team had plenty of success Thursday, May 14 as it hosted its home invite. The Hodags are hoping for similar success at home this afternoon with the Great Northern Conference titles at stake.

Rhinelander ran away with the boys’ and girls’ titles in the 14-team Hodag Invite at Mike Webster Stadium. While some teams rested so key athletes, the Hodags used the event as a final tune-up for conference and showed well, claiming seven wins on the girls’ side and five victories on the boys’ side. 

“I heard that maybe some of the other schools went a little bit lighter, but we really look at this is like, this is our last tune-up,” Hodag girls’ coach Andy Wyss said. “We’re checking the last things, making sure we’re ready to go for the for the big meets coming up. So it was a good opportunity. We didn’t go heavy in a lot of things, but it was exactly what it was. We got the final tune-up in, the final checks, making sure everything’s good, and I felt good about it.”

On the girls’ side, senior Aila Bergman knocked down a school record, but not in one of her typical events. She took the long jump with a leap of 17 feet, 9 1/2 inches, breaking the mark of 17-8 set all the way back in 1980. Bergman won all three of her events Thursday, also taking the 100-meter hurdles (16.57 seconds) and the 200-meter dash (27.15), but Wyss said her long jump was a best-case performance in an event she’s only tried a couple of times this season.

“I wouldn’t say that this jump was a fluke, but it was an anomaly,” he said. “I mean, she hit everything perfect. She was running the right strides. She hit the perfect mark on the board. I think on a normal day, she’s going to be jumping kind of low 16s, she hit it just right, and it all came together, and it only takes one. Even as good as that jump was, it might not be something that we pursue just because that hasn’t been a consistent mark. But it’s good for her. She’s that good of an athlete that can just come in here and knock off a 46-year-old record.”

    Rhinelander’s Ben Olson, sporting a vintage 1984 RHS track jersey once worn by his father — RHS boys’ track coach Rod Olson, competes in the 200-meter dash during the Hodag Invitational track meet at Mike Webster Stadium Thursday, May 14. Olson won the event with a time of 24.00 seconds. (Jeremy Mayo/River News)
  

On the boys’ side, senior Ben Olson claimed the 200 meters (24.00), was on the winning 4x100 relay with Sam Zwaard, Cyrus Leisure and Amos Bergman (43.81) and on the runner-up 4x200 squad with Zwaard, Leisure and Evan Shoeder (1:32.18)

“Our relays, even with a headwind, you know, 4x2 boys had a great PR. Got the combination I want there now, after figuring some stuff out, but doesn’t make easier figuring out lineups for next week,” boys’ coach Rod Olson said. 

Ben Olson, in his final regular season home meet, went old-school in the 200, rocking a 1984 throwback uniform top that his dad, coach Olson, wore during his days as a Hodag track athlete.

“It was still in good shape too,” coach Olson quipped. “It wasn’t like falling apart … We got new uniforms in 1985, so we got to keep those old ones, but yeah, that was cool, and he’s pretty proud to wear it. So, that was awesome.”

Avrom Barr added a win for the Hodag boys in the 1,600 (4:39.74), was the runner-up in the 800 and took fourth in the 200. Myles Eagleson added a win in the triple jump with his best leap of the season, going 40-9 1/4. 

    Rhinelander’s Myles Eagleson competes in the triple jump during the Hodag Invitational track meet at Mike Webster Stadium Thursday, May 14. Eagleson won the event with a leap of 40 feet, 9 1/4 inches. (Blake Richard/River News)
  

“Myles had a good triple jump tonight. He’s starting to get back. He’s not scratching anymore and he’s starting to get the confidence to then jump, not just make the line. He did well,” coach Olson said.

The Hodag boys took the 4x100 throwers relay, which counted as a point-scoring event in Thursday’s meet. Eric Parish, Elias Simonsen, Sam Caselton and Leander Sprecksel made up the winning quartet in that event (53.31).

The Hodag girls also showcased their speed in the relays, gapping the field in the 4x100 and 4x200. Shyanne Hueckstaedt, Violet Biolo, Macy Myers and Lucy Eddy comprised the winning squad in the 4x200 (1:50.37), taking that event by more than 8 3/4 seconds. Hueckstaedt, Marsadies Williams, Eddy and Biolo claimed the 4x100 with their best time of the season (50.54) and won that event by 2.04 seconds.

“That was pretty much a dress rehearsal for what we could be doing at regionals. That 4x1, I think that was the second-fastest time in school history. Not that far off of our school record time from last year,” Wyss noted. “Still not perfect handoffs, but we are on the board, so that was also exciting. If we can get those four girls cranking around like that and clean it up, we’ll be in great shape, I think.”

Macy Myers (11-0) led a 1-2-4 finish in the pole vault with Emeline Hintz and Williams. Libbey Buchmann claimed the discus (130-5) and was second in the shot put.

It was a solid night for both distance groups. Barr (4:39.75), Jackson Weinzatl and Dean Gillingham went 1-3-4 in the 1,600 while Barr and Weinzatl were second and this in the 800. On the girls’ side, Kara Monk turned in a season-best a runner-up finish in the 3,200 and Macy Myers was third in the 800.

Zwaard added a third-place finish for the Hodags in the 100, Matthew Haselton was third in the 400, Ryley Hull took third in the 300 hurdles and Charlie Antonuk was third in the pole vault. Landon Catlin added a fourth-place performance in the triple jump, Amos Bergman was fifth in the 300 hurdles, Ayden Myers took fifth in the shot put and Parish was fifth in the discus. 

Hintz added a runner-up finish in the 300 hurdles. Alexis Smith took second in the long jump and fourth in the 300 hurdles. Mady Treder was runner-up in the triple jump and fifth in the 400. Jalyn Zadnik and Sam Aschenbrenner took fourth and fifth in the shot put, Williams added a fifth-place run in the 100 hurdles, and Addison Fish was fifth in the triple jump. 

Conference ahead

Now the attention turns to this afternoon as the Hodag boys and girls look to defend their conference titles at home. 

On paper, the Hodag girls appear to be the favorite, but Tomahawk and Lakeland will likely be in the mix with their runner-of-the-year candidates. Tomahawk’s Elise Gibeault has the conference’s top time in the 200 and 400 meters and is second in the 100, only 0.03 seconds behind Avery Renkes of Northland Pines. On the distance end, Lakeland freshman Emerson Rubo holds the conference’s best marks in the 1,600 and 3,200 and the second-best time in the 800.

Overall, the Hodags hold the conference’s best mark in 10 events entering today’s meet.

“This is not something we can sleep on,” Wyss said, noting that Tomahawk finished within 20 points of the Hodags at the Otto Bacher Invite in Merrill May 8. “I think Tomahawk and Lakeland are still going to put together some good lineups. I just think that our depth is going to shine through when it’s all said and done. I have been for the last couple weeks, like, I’m ready for a conference. I hope the kids are too. Like, let’s get it going because I think we got, I think we got some stuff to show off.”

The Hodag boys have the conference’s best time in seven events, more than any other team in the field. However depth may be the question in their bid for a conference repeat. Lakeland and Northland Pines both outperformed Rhinelander at the Otto Bacher and are likely going to be major competitors for the crown.

Pines has the top runner in the 100, Jacob Beer, as well as the top 110 hurdler in Layk Evenson-Mortag. They edged Rhinelander by 0.12 seconds for the win Thursday in the 4x200, which was the best time in the conference this season. 

Lakeland has the top shot putter (Sean Morgan) and the top triple jumper (Marshall Holmquist), but has depth across the board with 16 top-three performances on the season.

“I think the north is the strength,” coach Olson said. “When these kids were in junior high, I always thought Mosinee was going to be the tough team, but I don’t know what happened to their program. It’s between us … You got Jacob Beer at Pines and, Sam, Ben and him and Cyrus have been duking it out forever and then you got the Redman boys (Tyson and Blake) over in Lakeland. It’s tough, everyone’s got kind of even, even depth.”

The conference meet gets underway at 4 p.m.

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

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].