Colby track clean sweeps home regional
Hornets make more history with two titles
Fresh off their first conference title in over 30 years, the Colby Hornets girls track and field team will add more numbers to their banners after winning the WIAA D-3 regional title in Colby.
Making the meet more memorable was that Colby made it a clean sweep, with the boys topping Auburndale 144 to 123.
It was right down to the wire for the ladies, with Loyal and Colby trading the top two spots for much of the night. The Hornets pulled away from Loyal with a powerful result in the two mile race to win 155 to 138.
The top four relay teams and individuals in each event advance to the WIAA D-3 sectional in Boscobel, and Colby ensured that they will be well represented in Thursday’s meet.
Jazmyn Heeg advanced to Boscobel when she took fourth in the finals of the 200-meters in 28.61. Hayden Willner will join Heeg at sectionals after she placed second in the 400-meters in 1:06.01.
Mercedes Sarkkinen ran a new PR in the 800-meters in 2:38.80 to finish fourth. Daisy Feiten and Reagan Schraufnagel finished second and fourth in the one mile in times of 6:11.16 and 6:38.79.
Willow Oehmichen and Schraufnagel qualified in the two mile race by placing second and fourth in 13:40.30 and 14:01.80.
Willner qualified in the 100-meter hurdles with her runner-up result in 17:07. Trinity Severson continued her streak in the 300-meter hurdles, winning that event in 48.58 seconds, a top 50 result in the state in division three track.
Kicking off the day, and earning first place for Colby, was the 4x800 relay of Severson, Feiten, Sarkkinen and Oehmichen in 10:26.10.
Making the result all the more remarkable was it nearly ended in disaster after a botched handoff sent the baton flying into the grass near the track. Mercedes Sarkkinen quickly picked up the baton and made up the distance, and the rest is history.
It was an exhilarating sight, and seemed to portend what the night had in store for the Hornets.
The 4x400 team of Severson, Feiten, Willner and Oehmichen took second in 4:22.10. In fourth place was the 4x100 relay of Emma Kroll, Olivia Krause, Kaylee Podevels and Heeg in 55.65 seconds.
Podevels, Krause, Anna Kroll and Elizabeth Winters took fourth in the 4x200 in a time of 2:03.71. Podevels succeeded in getting one step closer to a return trip to state after she took second in the high jump with a height of 4-11.
Lydia Decker will join Podevels in the high jump at Boscobel after she earned fourth with a height of 4-8. Oehmichen picked up another runner-up spot after she cleared 8-6 in the pole vault.
Malayna Rieck captured Colby’s third event when she won the shot put with a throw of 34-5.75. Katrina Gosse will also be in Boscobel after she threw the shot with a distance of 30-8.5 for third place.
To give you a better idea of what the Colby boys track team accomplished on Monday, the last time a Hornets squad hoisted a regional title, the internet was not even a thing, Ronald Regan was president and MTV was still playing music.
No matter the challenge, the Colby boys stood tall to the task. Buoyed by five first places, the Hornets won their fourth regional title in school history, and first regional title since 1988.
Sophomore Caden Healy and senior Chase Oehmichen were the tip of the spear on Monday. The talented athletes qualified in multiple events, and are flirting with breaking school records.
Healy took first in the 100-meters to garner ten points for Colby. Healy’s time of 11.26 is just one tenth of a second off of the 11.1 benchmark set by Jim Allmann in 1971.
Healy is only a handful of inches away from Colby’s long jump record after he placed second with a leap of 21 feet. Healy’s huge day continued into the 200-meter dash. He took third in 23.57.
Chase Oehmichen had the rest of the field chasing him in the 800-meters. Oehmichen left his competition in his dust as he won the event with a new PR in 2:02.99. Oehmichen didn’t stop there though, he also won the 1,600-meter run in a time of 5:01.94.
Oehmichen added second place in the pole vault with a height of 11 feet, and then wrapped up his busy day by place third overall in the two mile in 11:09.75.
Jay Irzarry used a new PR to not only advance to Boscobel in the 110-meter hurdles, but his time of 18.75 seconds was the fastest on the day as he took first place and got Colby another ten points.
Derek Jeske announced his arrival to the big stage after he qualified for sections in the shot put and discus. Jeske’s distance of 40-0.25 in the shot is a new PR, and earned him first place. His throw of 110-8 in the discus was also a PR, and garnered him third place.
Cory Steen will also be in Boscobel on Thursday after he took third in the shot put with his heave of 38-2.5.
Three relay teams will participate at sectionals this week. The 4x800 team of Brandon Voelker, Carter Roth, Richard Streveler and Talon Severson took fourth in a time of 10:02.05.
Joseph Streveler, Brody Decker, Seth Hopperdietzel and Caden Kleparski led Colby to fourth place in the 4x100 in 51:08. The 4x400 team of Voelker, Joseph and Richard Streveler and Carter Roth earned another fourth place in 4:16.86.
The competition will only get more fierce this Thursday, but with so many Hornets buzzing around in Boscobel, Colby is eager to continue to make more history - and earn a trip to state.
LET’S WORK TOGETHER, GUYS -From left to right, Max Adams, Chase Oehmichen and Talon Severson stick together and push each other towards personal bests in the two mile race on Monday night. Oehmichen will compete in four events at Thursday’s WIAA D-3 sectional in Boscobel.
BLAZING A TRAIL -Lydia Decker, left, and Hayden Willner of Colby sprint down the backstretch of the 400-meter dash on Monday. Decker finished fifth and Willner was second.STAFF PHOTO/ROSS PATTERMANN
