Loyal, Greenwood, Granton track and field teams compete at Neillsville

Area track and field teams got started with the 2024 season this past week, participating in the Neillsville Indoor Invitational on March 15. Competing against seven teams, the Loyal girls placed third, while the rest of the boys and girls teams from Loyal, Greenwood and Granton placed at the bottom of the pack.

Loyal track and field The Loyal girls had several first-place finishes at Neillsville. Addysen Wolf was the team’s top individual performer, taking first place in three events. She won the 45m dash (6.20), the four-lap run (1:25.96) and the two-lap dash (37.0). Also finishing in first place was Sheila Tellock, who won the pole vault by reaching a height of 9’6”.

Three other individuals placed in the top eight for Loyal to score points for the team. Molly Zvolena took second place in the long jump with her jump of 14’3.25”. Olivia Nikolai was third in the pole vault, reaching a height of 7’6”, and Annika Schley placed fifth in the four-lap run (1:32.62) and sixth in the 800m run (3:08.90).

The Greyhound girls also had two relay teams compete and place at the invitational. Taking first place in 1:12.28 was the four-lap relay team of Hope Peroshek, Noelle Teschner, Summer Smith and Zvolena. The same team competed in the two-lap, two-lap, three-lap, three-lap (2-23-3) relay, completing the course in 3:28.06 to take second.

For the Loyal boys, two individuals placed first. Peyton Tsai tied for first place in the pole vault with his vault of 10’6” and Connor Genteman won the 800m run by completing the course in 2:16.56. Genteman also took second in the 1600m run with his time of 4:49.08. Also placing in the top eight for the Greyhound boys were Jaden Smith, who took fourth in the shot put (35’3.5”), Devon Roehl, who placed sixth in the shot put (32’4”) and Jerome Buchanan, who took sixth in the two-lap dash (36.27).

The Loyal boys also completed one relay at Neillsville. Running the four-lap relay were Preston Farmer, Eli Zettler, Elijah Henderson and Peyton Farmer. They completed the course in 1:15.92, placing second overall.

Greenwood track and field The Indians had one individual first-place finish at the invite. Renaya Horvath took first place in the shot put wheelchair event, throwing for a distance of 13’4”. Also placing for the girls team was Sarah Beth Reiff who took second in the shot put (29’6.5”), fourth in the 45m dash (6.75) and fifth in the two-lap dash (39.72). In the boys events, Lucas Nielsen was the only one to place in the top eight, taking eighth place in the 1600m run with a time of 6:30.71.

The Indians also had numerous relay teams compete and place. In the girls relays, the 2-2-3-3 relay team of Faith Kolano, Kayla Grambsch, Laura Justin and Allison Stieglitz took fourth place with a time of 3:47.76. Taking fifth was the one-lap, one-lap, two-lap, three-lap (1-1-2-3) relay, which was completed in 2:41.28 by Paige Beyerl, Ella Riemer, Stieglitz and Grambsch. Stieglitz, Justin, Grambsch and Riemer ran the four-lap relay in 1:22.87 to take sixth place.

For the boys relays, Nielsen, Andrew Lindner, Wyatt Mulvaney and Chad Oldham ran the 2-2-3-3 relay, taking second with a time of 3:26.15. Andy Mitchell, Jaren Cullen, Luke Thomas and Lindner ran the 1-1-2-3 relay, taking fourth place with a time of 2:22.96. The team also competed in an eight-lap co-ed relay, which was completed by Peyton Ellis, Lainy Trampush, Oldham and Reiff in 2:37.24 for fourth.

Granton track and field The Granton track and field team had several individuals place in the top eight. Anna Kayhart placed in two events, taking second in the 45m hurdles (8.30) and fifth in the 45m dash (6.80). Faustina Thomas took fifth place in the long jump with a leap of 13’10.25”, Jordan Berg placed sixth in the long jump with a jump of 13’5.25” and Maya McConkey also placed in the long jump, taking eighth with a leap of 12’3.75”.

In the boys events, Koltin Luchterhand placed in two events. He took fourth place in the four-lap run with a time of 1:26.08 and he took seventh in the 800m run with a time of 2:58.12.

Team scores In the women’s events, Bloomer placed first as a team with 134.5 points. Neillsville took second with 97.5 points, Loyal was third with 79 points, Owen-Withee took fourth with 72 points, Gilman was fifth with 39.5 points, Greenwood placed sixth with 29 points and Granton took seventh with 19.5 points.

In the men’s events, Neillsville took first place with 141 points. Owen-Withee placed second with 89 points, Bloomer was third with 62 points, Gilman was fourth with 61 points, Loyal was fifth with 46 points, Greenwood placed sixth with 14 points and Granton took seventh with 7 points.

LHS track and field teams announced

The Loyal High School track and field teams have been formed and they already competed in their first meet last Friday. Members of the boys team (above, front, l-r) are Elijah Henderson, Preston Farmer, Peyton Farmer, (middle) Jackson Roehl, Payton Tsai, Jaden Smith, Jacob Schmidt, Connor Genteman, (back) Devon Roehl, Jerome Buchanan, Kody Szaflarski, Bryce Deegan and Eli Zettler. Not pictured are Urijah Gordon and Tyler Zvolena. Girls track team members (below, front, l-r) are Payten Wolf, Annika Schley, Summer Smith, Rydge Bennett, Noelle Teschner, Lesly Soto, (back) Addysen Wolf, Gwen LaMarr, Sheila Tellock, Molly Zvolena, Hope Peroshek and Olivia Nikolai. Not pictured are Riley Waldhauser, Addison Holm, Elsa Chapron and Emily Macias-Rivera.

Coaches include Jim Genteman, Matt Kubista, Kyle Damask, Seth Schilling, Morgan Malm and Travis Wolf.

VALORIE BRECHT/STAFF PHOTO