Raiders racking up wins

Marathon boys, girls win their first two meets

By Casey Krautkramer

The Marathon boys and girls track and field teams are dominating the local meets thus far this season. The Red Raiders won both the season-opening Colby Invitational on April 27 and the Marathon Meet on Monday.

Marathon’s boys squad captured the Colby Invitational championship with 171 points, or 61-1/2 points better than runner-up Stanley-Boyd. The Marathon girls, meanwhile, edged Colby 124 to 121, to win the meet title.

EJ Otto, the longtime Red Raiders’ boys track coach, said his athletes were eager to perform in Colby despite the poor weather conditions, after there was no track season last spring because of COVID-19.

“After not being able to do anything for a year, the boys just wanted to compete; we have dedicated this season to the kids that were supposed to compete a year ago,” Otto said. “The weather was terrible; we got pretty wet and sat on the bus for 40 minutes because of lightning, and we just got plain cold. We had kids missing, so when you put it all together this should not have happened. I give the kids who competed all the credit in the world. The wind was strong blowing straight into our jumpers and runners’ faces, yet they did not let it bother them.

“I asked kids to run relays they may not do again and have them handle a wet baton. We have a very good group of seniors whom I rely on to help with the younger student athletes. When the weather is that bad, you need to have people like that and we do. We have a very unselfish bunch of student athletes who are willing to give a little extra for the team and not worry about themselves, and this results in a very good start to the year.”

The Red Raider boys dominated the hurdling and throwing events in Colby. Senior Colton Free won the 110-meter hurdles in 16.55 seconds, followed by his junior teammate Michael Kindlarski placing second in 17.05. Sophomore Griffin Treankler won the 300-meter hurdles in 45.11 seconds, followed by Free placing second in 46.68 and Kindlarski third in 47.49.

Marathon junior Brett Gertschen won both the discus with 130 feet and shot put with 42 feet, one inch.

The Red Raiders’ 4x200-meter relay team took first place in the event in one minute, 40.46 seconds. Relay team members are seniors Matt Vandeboom and Free and sophomores Treankler, Parker Mathwich and David Duberstein.

Marathon senior Sam Dick won the long jump in Colby with 19 feet, 11-3/4 inches, while Vandeboom was second with 19 feet, eight inches. Dick took second place in the high jump with five feet, eight inches.

Treankler took second in the triple jump with 37 feet, 7-1/2 inches. Sophomore Matt Annis placed second in the 200-meter dash in 24.16 seconds. Senior Cullen Krasselt took second in the 1,600-meter run in five minutes, 5-1/2 seconds.

The Marathon girls 4x400 relay team won this last event in the meet to ensure the Red Raiders captured the Colby Invitational championship. Relay team members are senior Chen Phakitthong; juniors Vanessa Krueger, Julianna Thurs and Laci Hoeksema; sophomore Jersey Lobner and freshman Ava Krueger. The relay finished the event in four minutes, 40.23 seconds.

Curt Miller, Red Raider girls track coach, is proud of the grit his student athletes showed in pulling out the Colby Invitational victory.

“It was a great start to the season at Colby with many nice performances to start the year,” Miller said. “We were conservative in keeping kids in only two to three events each, but we wanted to open the year with some good relays. It is always exciting when the meet comes down to the 4x400 relay. Our girls ran a great combined race and came out on top.”

Marathon’s 4x100-meter relay team also took first place in 56.33 seconds. Relay team members are juniors Jenna Aschbrenner, Alexandria Kraimer and Lindsey Sparr and sophomores Ashley Seliger, Ava Buchberger and Grace Kahon.

The 4x800 is the third Marathon girls relay team to take home a win in 11 minutes, 13.39 seconds. Relay team members are seniors Chen Phakitthong and Anna Cleven, juniors Julianna Thurs, McKinnley Marks and Laci Hoeksema and sophomore Chloe Lavalley.

Senior Hope Krautkramer and junior Alyssa Hall took turns winning the throwing events in Colby. Krautkramer took first place in the discus with 90 feet, 11 inches and Hall placed second with 89 feet, nine inches. Hall won the shot put with 34 feet, four inches and Krautkramer was second with 33 feet, 8-1/2 inches.

Aschbrenner took first place in the high jump with five feet.

Marathon sweeps meet

The Marathon boys track and field squad won its home meet on Monday with 214 points, or 50 points higher than second-place Edgar. The Marathon girls also won the meet with 156 points, or 22 points higher than runner- up Mosinee. The Edgar girls finished third with 115 points.

Marathon sophomore Drake Carlson won all three wheelchair events. Carlson placed first in the 100-meter wheelchair in 23.27 seconds, 400-meter wheelchair in one minute, 34.83 seconds and the 12-pound wheelchair shot put with 17 feet, eight inches.

Free won the 110-meter hurdles in 16.52 seconds, while Kindlarski placed second in 16.82 and Edgar senior Nathan Drabek was third in 17.55. Treankler won the 300-meter hurdles in 44.22 seconds and Kindarski finished third in 45.83.

Dick won the long jump with 20 feet. Edgar senior Konnor Wolf won the triple jump with 40 feet, 2-1/2 inches. Brett Gertschen won both the shot put with 43 feet, 10 inches and the discus with 130 feet, eight inches. Edgar junior Waylon Wirkus took second place in the discus with 119 feet, seven inches and his junior teammate Jace Kohel was third with 116 feet, seven inches. Wirkus placed third in the shot put with 39 feet, 9-1/2 inches.

Krasselt won both the 800-meter run in two minutes, 18.05 seconds and the 1,600-meter run in five minutes, 1.51 seconds. Annis took second place in the 200-meter dash in 23.78 seconds and Edgar sophomore Avery Normington was third in 25.12.

Marathon sophomore Jaron Gage placed second in both the 1,600-meter run in five minutes, 12.13 seconds and in the 3,200-meter run in 11 minutes, 42.07 seconds. Freshman Jacob Smith took third in the 3,200-meter run in 12 minutes, 26.78 seconds.

Annis took second place in the pole vault with 10 feet and Smith was third with eight feet, six inches. Dick placed third in the 100-meter run in 11.96 seconds.

Edgar junior Ayden Weisenberger won the 400-meter dash in 54.05 seconds, while Wildcats freshman Kohlbe Weisenberger finished second in 55.68 and Marathon senior Jared Sweno third in 57.38.

The Wildcats’ 4x100-meter relay team won the event in 44.06 seconds. Relay team members are seniors Drew Guden, Konnor Wolf, Austin Dahlke and Kyle Brewster. The same group of boys won the 4x200-meter relay in one minute, 31.51 seconds and the 4x400meter relay in three minutes, 36.20 seconds.

For the meet champion Marathon girls, Hoeksema won the 800-meter run in two minutes, 36.94 seconds. Edgar sophomore Gretchen Brewster placed third in the 800-meter run in two minutes, 56.07 seconds. Red Raiders junior Julianna Thurs won the 3,200-meter run in 13 minutes, 74 seconds while Wildcats freshman Natalie Thompson was second in 14 minutes, 56.19 seconds.

Hope Krautkramer won the discus with 106 feet, one inch and Alyssa Hall was third with 101 feet, 11 inches. Krautkramer placed second in the shot put with 34 feet, 10.50 inches and Edgar junior Sophia Larson was third with 33 feet, seven inches.

Aschbrenner took second place in the high jump with five feet, two inches and Hoeksema was third with four feet, 10 inches. Ashbrenner also placed second in the pole vault with eight feet, six inches and Edgar senior Jasmine Schnelle was third with seven feet, six inches.

Red Raiders junior Lindsey Sparr placed second in the 200-meter dash in 29.63 seconds and Chentaly Phakitthong was third in 29.64. Phakitthong was third in the 400-meter dash in one minute, 7.13 seconds. Cleven placed third in the 1,600-meter run in six minutes, 36.63 seconds.

Edgar’s 4x100-meter relay team won the event in 53.26 seconds. Relay team members are Rachel Brewster, Ella Morse, Amber Skrzypcak and Morgan Schnelle. Edgar’s 4x200-meter relay team also took first place in one minute, 52.89 seconds. Relay team members are Malia Hoesly, Brewster, Skrzypcak and Morgan Schnelle.

Morgan Schnelle took second place in the long jump with 14 feet, 7-3/4 inches and her sophomore teammate, Rachel Schneider, was third with 13 feet, 10 inches.