Boyceville track competes at Northern Badger Classic

By Kelsie Hoitomt

BOYCEVILLE — The Bulldog track and field teams competed last Saturday, March 23 at the Northern Badger Classic in the Johnson Fieldhouse at UW-Stout where the boys’ team had a significant improvement from the first meet as they finished fifth out 20 schools. The girls’ team had another solid performance for the early season as well as they finished ninth out 20 schools.

The boys’ team chalked up their first set of points with Tyler Wolfe taking ninth place (25.57) in the 200 m dash and Alec Shafer finished 31st (29.23). Buddy Hanestad then ran the 400 m dash and placed 16th (1:01.78) out 34 runners. In the 800 m run Ian Kane placed seventh (2:21.44) and Isaac Boyd came in 12th (2:26.15) out of 33 runners.

In the long distance events, cross country star Tanner Johnson-Hetchler finished 12th (5:20.38) in the 1600 m run out 34 participants. Lastly in the 3200 m run were Nicholas Adams who finished ninth (12:00.76) and James Lindo finished 13th (12:54.96).

In the other events, Wolfe and Zach Klassen excelled in the long jump and pole vault with Wolfe placing sixth in the pole vault (10’ 0”) and Klassen in tenth (9’ 0”). In the long jump, Klassen finished second (18-04) and Wolfe finished eighth (17-04.50) out of 32 participants.

Logan McAbee-Thomas had a perfect performance in the triple jump as he placed first against 31 participants with a 41-11.50. Fellow teammate Andrew Marshall also placed in 31st with a 29-09.50.  Bryor Hellmann placed eighth in the 55 m hurdles. Lastly in the shot put were Robert Bodsberg who placed 31st (30-06.50) and Caleb Arndt placed 32nd (29-07).

For the girls’ team, it was the newcomers that took charge in the running events with Hope Chovan having another strong performance in the 55 m dash as she placed second in the preliminary round and in the finals with a time of 7.80. She then placed in the top ten in 200 m dash in sixth place with a 29.37 against 34 other participants.

Fellow freshmen Carolyn Voelker placed in the 800m run in 23rd with a 3:18.23, Samantha Merkel took 20th in the 1600 m run with a 7:16.60, Abby Lorenz placed 14th in the triple jump with a 27-09, Melissa Leach took 32nd in the shot put (17-09.75) and Ireland McAbee-Thomas placed sixth in the high jump (4-06) and tenth in the long jump (13-00.25).

Senior Katelyn Merten also had a big day as she placed third in the high jump with a 4-10, fifth in the long jump with a 13-10.50 and fifth in the triple jump as well with a 30-03. Also placing for the Lady Bulldogs were Katarina Fuerstenberg in 23rd in the shot put (23-06.50), Brittany Tetzlaff in the 400 m dash in 20th (1:14.54) and Michaella Kegen in the 800 m run in 15th (2:58.99).

The Bulldogs’ next meet is scheduled at the St. Croix Central High School on Thursday, April 4 at 4:00 p.m.