It was a busy week for the Northland Pines varsity track teams, and it ended with the annual Eagle Relays April 24, where the boys took first place for a second consecutive year, and the girls took second behind Rhinelander. The team also competed in Medford earlier in the week.
The boys accumulated 117 points to lead all teams at their home meet ahead of Rhinelander (106), Newman Catholic (90), Chequamegon (81) and Tomahawk (71) to round out the top five.
For the girls, Rhinelander finished 12 points ahead of Pines in first place. The Eagles grabbed 101 points, which was one point ahead of third-place finisher Newman Catholic.
“The energy and excitement of this meet is unmatched, and I thought both teams performed extremely well on our home track,” said head coach Josh Rhode. “The girls team took a hard-fought second-place overall and only lost to a tough Rhinelander team. The boys team was ecstatic to get the win at home for the third time this season.”
Relay teams had strong performances again for the host Eagles, with the boys taking four first or second-place finishes in all relays.
The girls grabbed top-three spots in six of the seven relays.
The boys 4x100 and 4x200 teams highlighted the event for Pines, taking first place in both with times of 46 seconds flat and 1:36.66, respectively. The 800-meter sprint medley had a tight field, with places two through five finishing just four seconds from each other. Pines took second place with a time of 1:45.12.
Newman Catholic eased to a 10-second victory in the 4x400-meter relay, with the Eagles flying to another second-place spot with a time of 3:54.91.
The girls relay teams had similar success as the Eagles went head-to-head with Rhinelander. The Hodags and Eagles battled at the front of the field in the 4x100 relay, with the Eagles crossing the finish line second with a 53.76 time. Rhinelander finished with a time of 53.32.
Three GNC schools took the top three spots in the 4x200, with Tomahawk taking first, with Rhinelander and Pines battling it out for second and third. Northland Pines finished two seconds behind the Hodags with a time of 1:55.16.
The Hatchets grabbed another win in the 800-meter sprint medley, with Pines finishing three seconds behind them in second.
The teams also had notable individual placements in selective events on the track and in field events.
For the boys, sophomore Miles Kirschbaum blazed a path with a sub-19-second time in the 110-meter hurdles, finishing with a time of 18.81. Triston Fisher grabbed first with a time of 18.65.
“The meet MVP went to Miles, who scored a team-high 10.5 points. Miles has become a fantastic hurdler, especially in the 110s. He is a tall hurdler who is able to use his long strides to three-step in between each hurdle, which gives him an advantage,” explained Rhode
Junior Mylo Albrecht competed in a few field events for the Eagles, including the high jump and triple jump. The junior took third in the triple jump with a top leap of 36 feet and 9.5 inches. Rhinelander took three of the top four spots in the event.
The Eagle pole vaulters had another strong meet, with the three athletes taking the top three spots. Mason Minaudo cleared 12 ft-6 in to take first place, with Morgan DePuydt clearing 12 feet and Kaemyn Heritage vaulting 11 feet to take third.
Sophomore Charlie Rajek took fourth in the shot put with a throw of 39 ft- 6 in.
For the girls, freshman Jessica Linn competed in two hurdle events, taking fourth in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 19.73 and eighth in the 300-meter hurdles.
In field events, Maria Krueger took fourth in the long jump, where she sat in a clump of three other athletes between 13 and 14 feet. Krueger leaped 13 ft.- 7.75 in.
She also took sixth and set a PR in the triple jump (28 ft), while freshman Tatum Meier took third in the event with a jump of 31 ft.- 3.5 in.
“This is a direct reflection of Maria’s hard work and determination as she is a focused athlete who always finds a way to improve and help her team,” said Rhode about the junior.”
Juniors Miana Miller and Bella Nowak threw an identical 74 ft.- 3 inches to take second and third in discus. Nowak had a three-foot cushion in the shot put, as she won the event with a throw of 32 ft.- 1 in.
The team also opened the week with a strong start, with the girls taking fourth and boys finishing second behind Medford as the Raiders hosted the event.
“While we lost to GNC rivals Medford and defending GNC champs Tomahawk, we were happy to get a win over Antigo and Lakeland,” stated Rhode about the girls. “The boys team finished 2nd overall to a better than expected Medford team. The guys were excited to beat other GNC schools in Tomahawk, Antigo, and Lakeland, but were disappointed to lose by such a large margin to Medford.”
The team’s only meet of the week was at the Sawmill Invitational this past Tuesday, hosted by Wausau East.
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