Morgan Rode sports@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader photo by Morgan Rode Wittenberg-Birnamwood’s Dylan Sprague, second from right, crosses the finish line in the 100-meter dash at the Bonduel Meet on Thursday.
The nine-team Bonduel Meet on Thursday gave local track and field athletes one last opportunity to gear up for regionals, which take place Monday.
The hosts took full advantage of the opportunity, with the Bonduel boys placing first with 174 points and the girls coming in second with 125.5 points.
The boys team was led by Canaan Szoszorek (shot put, discus) and Lucas Nolan (110-meter hurdles, 300 hurdles), who each won two individual events. Carter Kurey won the 800.
The Bears saw their 4x200, 4x400 and 4x800 relay teams all take first. Elijah Mastey, Isaac Banker, Craig Rusch and Jared Wondra filled out the 4x200 and 4x400 relay teams while Kurey, William Beaumier, Colen Klosterman and Colin Ewing formed the 4x800 team.
Szoszorek, who has had a strong season in the discus and shot put, was hoping to build up a little momentum heading into regionals.
“I wanted to correct some form things and keep my mind into it instead of falling apart,” Szoszorek said near the end of the meet. “If I throw good tonight, I want to throw even better (at regionals). I haven’t been at my best today though, so I’m hoping that gives me a little extra motivation heading into regionals.”
On the girls side, Ashlyn Schnell (800) and Kara Troxel (1,600) earned turned in individual first-place finishes. The Bears’ 4x800 relay of Madison Kurey, Breanna Schnell, Ashlyn Schnell and Troxel also came in first.
For Troxel, the goal of the final meet was to focus in on the specifics.
“Mostly what I was looking forward to improving upon was my last 200 meters, sprinting as hard as I could,” Troxel said. “At other meets, I catch a lot of girls there (the last 200 meters) and I just wanted to improve that to catch some more.”
The Wittenberg-Birnamwood boys and girls team each came in fourth place, earning 65 and 78 points, respectively.
Dylan Sprague led the boys team with first-place finishes in the 100 and 200 while Kobe Miller and Cole Schairer claimed the 400 and 1,600, respectively. Maddy Pietz (100), Alyssa Meverden (400) and Paige Norrbom (300 hurdles) each placed first in their respective events for the girls.
The Witt-Birn girls also had their 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400 relay teams take first. Kylie Linke, Emily Norrbom, Chloe King and Pietz formed the 4x100 team, Paige Norrbom, King, Emily Norrbom and Linke created the 4x200 team while Paige Norrbom, Linke, Emily Norrbom and Pietz were on the 4x400 relay.
Like many Chargers’ athletes, Pietz received a smaller workload than she has throughout the season. The team was focusing on the basics in preparation for regionals.
“We are just making sure that we know what we are doing,” Pietz said. “Trying to get our handoffs down, getting our starts down, making sure that we are prepared for Monday because it’s all-or-nothing then.”
The Gresham/Bowler boys earned 39 points to take fifth. The co-op was led by third-place finishes from Noah Bestul (3,200, triple jump) and Tom Siedler (discus). The boys 4x100 relay team of Bryce Bohl, David Hahn, Zachary Young and Ramsey Price also came in first.
The meet also offered athletes one final chance to make tweaks to their events in order to be better prepared for Monday.
“It was really my triple jump that I was focused on,” Bestul said. “I haven’t been getting where I wanted to so I tried something new.”
On the girls side, Tigerton came in fifth with 49.5 team points. Bethany Kreklow finished second in the 800 and 1,600 while Monika Minniecheske turned in the second-best triple jump of the night.
The Wolf River Lutheran boys and girls team each came in sixth, earning 26 and 31 points, respectively. Dan Schmidt led the boys with a second-place finish in discus. Elizabeth Schmidt placed second in the 100 hurdles to lead the girls team.
The Marion boys and girls each earned 12 points, placing seventh and ninth, respectively. Justin Wuske took third in the 800 and 1,600 for the boys while Cheyenne Bazile placed fourth in discus for the girls.
Nathaen Wanta took seventh in the 300 hurdles and eighth in the triple jump for the eighth-place finishing Tigerton boys. The 4x100 relay team of Makayla Belongia, Jada James, Karisa Nietzer and Jayden Jensen took third for the Gresham/Bowler girls, who came in seventh.
Senihseah Wayka was the lone Menominee Indian athlete to take part in the meet, winning the triple jump and finishing third in the 100.
Boys team standings: 1. Bonduel 174; 2. Weyauwega-Fremont 146; 3. Manawa 140; 4. Wittenberg-Birnamwood 65; 5. Gresham/Bowler 39; 6. Wolf River Lutheran 26; 7. Marion 12; 8. Tigerton 3.
Girls team standings: 1. Weyauwega-Fremont 142; 2. Bonduel 125.5; 3. Manawa 87; 4. Wittenberg-Birnamwood 78; 5. Tigerton 49.5; 6. Wolf River Lutheran 31; 7. Gresham/Bowler 22; 8. Menominee Indian 16; 9. Marion 12.