C/A runners eye fifth state meet in a row

By Nathaniel Underwood

The Colby girls and Colby/Abby boys cross country teams will enter the 2024 season with plenty of returning athletes as they look to continue the string of success that they have experienced over the last several seasons. With both teams being represented in the state tournament in recent years, this year’s squad will look to return to Wisconsin Rapids for the fifth straight season.

Both teams will be short some key pieces from their 2023 rosters. Graduate Casey Reynolds consistently competed as the Hornets’ top runner and classmate Reagan Schraufnagel finished as the girls’ team third runner at the state meet, while the co-op boys will not have Max Adams, who qualified for state as an individual the past two seasons, or Jack Schindler, who ran as their top two runners last season.

Finding a way to replace the production that those four athletes provided may be difficult, but both squads will have a good number of returners coming back for more in 2024.

On the girls team, seniors Makenna Herrmann, Pearl Feiten and Veronica Mateer all ran for the team that took 11th at the Division 3 state meet last year.

Both Herrmann and Feiten have been part of the varsity squads that have competed at state the past three years and will be looking to try to make it a clean sweep by reaching Wisconsin Rapids once again this season. Herrmann finished as the Hornets’ second runner at the state meet last year, taking 52nd overall with a time of 20:56.6, her best time of the 2023 season. Feiten was Colby’s sixth runner at state, coming in 128th with a time of 23:19.8. Mateer finished fifth for Colby at the state meet, taking 119th with a time of 23:02.6.

Also returning from last year’s varsity state squad are juniors Ali Adams and Annamarie Schmitt. Adams finished as the Hornets’ fourth runner in Wisconsin Rapids with a time of 23:01.7 while Schmitt was the team’s seventh runner with a time of 24:26.8. Senior Alexis Vanderhoof is the leading returner who will likely also slot into the varsity lineup.

“If Makenna can stay focused and relaxed, she could become the first athlete to go to state all four years,” head coach Bryon Graun said. “And if things come together, the team could make it as well. We’re going to be pretty solid. With Makenna, Annamarie and Pearl and Ali Adams is running well, and Lexi Vanderhoof and Veronica Mateer, we’ve got a solid varsity squad. I’m not sure yet who will take that seventh spot, and it's fun when there is a bit of competition for those spots.”

On the boys side, there are numerous runners that will be back from the squad that

See C/A CROSS COUNTRY/ Page 13

2024 COLBY/ABBY CROSS COUNTRY TEAM - This year’s 2024 Colby/Abbotsford cross country team, in the back row, left to right, are Preston Belanger, Allie Robida, Carisa Steen, Weslee Pichardo, Jacob Raatz, Tony Robida, Ali Adams, and Alexis Vanderhoof. In the middle row are Annamarie Schmitt, Pearl Feiten, Makenna Herrmann, Veronica Mateer, Jenelle Ertl, Kalea Liedberg, Javier Lopez Bautista and Jasmine Ertl. In the front row are Carter Hill, Gavin Reis, Jack Sheahan, Kaitlyn Weiland, Braylon Schoelzel, Matthew Sprotte, Kamron Krueger and Andrew Empey. The co-op is coached by Bryon Graun.

STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD C/A cross country

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took third at the conference meet last season. Senior Braylon Schoelzel, juniors Matthew Sprotte, Gavin Reis, Jack Sheahan, Preston Belanger, and Andrew Empey and sophomore Jacob Raatz all ran for the varsity co-op team at various points last season and will continue to factor in a group that seems similarly paced.

“The boys are definitely going to be more of a pack,” Graun said. “We did a time trial and Jack was the fastest kid out of the group. He’s been a steady guy, so it was good to see that. Preston’s attitude is great and he made some improvements at the end of last year. I’m hoping what I’m seeing just in the first few days here is going to continue. Jacob’s been steadily improving as a freshman last year. We’ve got some new kids; a couple new boys from Abby that ran track last spring could work their way in there.”

Of the group of returners, Reis had the best finish at last year’s Division 2 sectional meet in Colby, where the team took seventh out of 16 squads. He finished as the team’s third best runner, taking 42nd with a time of 19:24.4. Raatz was the co-op’s fourth runner with a time of 19:28.1, earning himself 46th and Schoelzel and Empey also ran at the sectional meet, running as the team’s sixth and seventh runners and taking 59th and 76th respectively.

As with last season, the Colby girls squad and the co-op boys’ team seem poised to place in the top half of the Cloverbelt conference, though some tough programs will challenge them for the top spot.

“I look at conference and we’re probably around third or fourth,” Graun said of the boys’ squad. “McDonell is always decent, Loyal is usually okay and Bloomer has been good the last couple years but they graduated a couple people.”

“Bloomer’s going to be good with their three triplets,” he continued, giving his thoughts on the girls’ side. “I think we’re probably looking at that second spot for conference, similar to where we were last year, though Regis could be bringing back a decent group.”

While continuing to build upon their recent success is certainly a goal, finding camaraderie is also a focus, and can be a key to finding more accolades.

“It’s a fun group of kids. They’re getting along and having fun together, and that’s always the most important,” Graun said. “The rest takes care of itself. Things are going well and they’re working hard.”