once the season gets underway. ….
once the season gets underway.
The first meet will be in Colby, on Tuesday, April 27.
“We will have our events covered and athletes will have to continue to push each other for those spots, relays included.”
The Colby boys track and field team is looking to surprise the Cloverbelt Conference in 2021. There have already been several welcome surprises even before the season begins, and that starts with the sheer number of participants.
This year’s Colby boys team features over two dozen student-athletes, from seasoned seniors, to freshman and sophomores who are trying to find the event that best suits their abilities.
“It’s great to see our numbers so high for the boys. [That means] gaining leadership and filling a lot of voids,” Wright says about the increased numbers. “We shouldn’t have many, really none, events that will not be filled because of that.”
On the distance side of things, Colby will be led by senior Chase Oehmichen, who is coming off a stellar senior crosscountry season, in which he earned first team all-conference.
Oehmichen finished just two seconds shy of qualifying for state in his sophomore year in the 800-meter, 1,600-meter and 3200-meter run.
“Cross-country helped me a lot, just looking at my mile splits, two mile splits, and seeing what I could do,” Chase says. “It showed me I can push myself farther and cut those times down.”
Brandon Voelker has steadily improved in the mile and 800-meter run, and cross-country runners Carter Roth, Talon Severson and Richard Streveler should pick up points in distance events.
It’s not only the distance events that show promise for the Colby boys. A plethora of football players, eager to get faster and stronger for the 2021 fall season, have come out for track and field.
“Getting them out for shot put and getting them to run is really going to help us for football,” junior Brent Jeske says. “I think it’s important we have as many guys out as we do because track can help us for all our sports.”
Brent is looking to build off a solid freshman campaign in which he ran under twelve seconds in the 100-meter dash. He and his brother Derek are both going to be in the throws, along with junior Carter Grewe. Caden Healy and Mason Voss will run sprints, and the in-house competition should be intense.
“They will have to push each other and fight, even a bit more than the ladies, to get spots. It’s really exciting,” Wright says. “I can’t wait to watch them perform, because so many are new to the program. It will be great that they have to push hard to get those spots.”
With all that talent coming in or returning, the Colby boys, like the Colby girls, are hoping to make a big impact on the postseason. Chase feels winning the Cloverbelt is a definite possibility, given the dearth of talent.
“We have a lot of talent in everything this season, not just the distance. We have guys that can jump, some fast sprinters, and some guys that should do well in the throws, and we should be good in the relays too.
“If people are putting in their best effort, and working to be more competitive, I think this team can win the conference, or at least put up a strong fight for it.”
