THS Coed track
Coaches- John Zuelsdorf (31st yr. head); assts. Nate Mickelson (17th), Joe Lilek (1st), Katie Carlson (6th), Katie Hanna (9th), Mark Gaedtke (5th), Gary Miller (3rd), Justin Lund (2nd); vol. asst. Zach Bruesewitz.
Last season’s accomplishments- Girls-65-4-1, 1st reg., 3rd sect., qual. 11 indiv. event and 4 relays for state; Boys-44-24-2, 4th reg., qual. 6 indiv. events and 1 relay for state.
Major losses- Rachel Sudbury (4-time State Qualifier, 4-time CC SQ, 6th 800, 12th 3200), Kellan Flynn (SQ, 6th HJ), Marlee Kiander (2x SQ), Kayli Ogstad (SQ rel.), Rachael Miller, Kelsey Renn, Amanda Koshak, Regan Swan, Emily Miller, McKena Viegut; Dan Galloy (SQ 100, rel. medalist), Connor Ahrens, Zach Brusewitz, Larry Hendzel, Dylan Dahl, Tyler Saindon.
Key returnees- Girls-srs. Grace Mickelson (SQ PV), Katie Koth (SQ, spr./rel./j), Breanna Renn (spr./rel./hur), Sam Schade (SP/D); jrs. Kaitlin Gaedtke (hur.), sophs. Emmy Larson (spr./rel./j), Alex Zedler (dist.) Boys-srs. Eddie Yirsa (SPW spr./rel./j), Austin Bellile (SQ spr./j/rel.), Neko McMahon (rel./j), Vic Ierulli (PV), Jacob Ungerer (spr.), Alex Kuehn (dist.), Ryan Kuehn (dist.), Austin Ehn (PV); jrs. Bryan Tomek (2x SQ, 3x SQ in CC, dist.), Peter Pintens (PV); sophs Ben Yirsa (hur.), Austin Kaiser (dist.), Dakota Tomek (dist.), Nate Flohr (dist.), Jacob McGuire (dist.).
Promising newcomers- Girls- sophs. Anna Nyberg (spr./j), Talyn Jones (dist.), Audrey Dichsen (dist.); fr. Hanna Meyer (j), Annaluz Fez (hur.), Dani Whiting (SP/D), Sara Kouba (MD/rel./SP/D), Makenzy Morris (SP/D); Boys- srs. Jacob Dichsen (spr./j/rel), Dylan Schiltz (SP/D); jr. Wyatt Schumitsch (hur./j); frosh. Troy VanStrydonk (dist.).
Zuelsdorf quotable- “We are in our 8th year as a Co-Ed program. We take pride in qualifying large numbers of athletes thru to State each year, including multiple relays each of the last four years. We continue to see success on a regular basis due to good use of shared staff with all athletes getting the opportunity to learn their events and improve over the course of the season. Also, our schedule accommodates athletes of all abilities with both varsity and junior varsity (developmental- level) competitions.
“The girls return 9 letter-winners out of a squad of 31 young athletes (23 of 31 are freshmen/sophomores). We are a very young team, however after expecting overall lower numbers with the majority of the squad graduating, we had a nice number of freshmen (12) and a few other first year athletes come out, keeping our numbers similar to last year overall. Girls will be a very different team at the end of the season than in the initial stages as we develop our younger athletes and they fill the gaps left by our graduates. Mosinee, Lakeland, and Medford are early season favorites for the GNC title. The GNC was mainly dominated by Lakeland and Tomahawk last year, but could prove to be more balanced across the board this year come outdoor championships in May.
“Key will be developing scorers in the high jump, distances and putting together relays that can score. In the sprint relays with the team speed that we are seeing at this early stage, we have the potential to advance again in the tournaments this year. We also had a large number of our distance athletes from Cross-Country join the Track team this spring and as they improve and develop so will our team results. We had a lot of young ladies attend pre-season camps/clinics and the enthusiasm and excitement that they are bringing to the program this year is contagious with great attitudes for the newcomers to be around.
“The boys return 17 letterwinners and with our largest squad in recent decades at 38 athletes we should have solid team depth in most events. With the large number of returning letterwinners and the leadership of seniors Eddie Yirsa and Austin Bellile and sophomore Bryan Tomek, the younger boys will have numerous role models to emulate. Ryan Kuehn, Neko McMahon, Peter Pintens, Austin Ehn, Victor Ierulli, Jacob McGuire, Austin Kaiser, Nate Flohr, Dakota Tomek, Jacob Ungerer and Ben Yirsa will look to significantly impact our scoring depth for the boys. We are looking for big things from our vaulters in 2013 as they have been attending clinics and working hard in the off-season.
“The GNC will be dominated by Lakeland and Medford, but if we can develop our depth, we could be in the mix. Our focus will be on building a balanced team in preparation to advance individuals to LaCrosse with returning to the podium again this year.
THS Golf
Coaches- Garth Gerstenberger (25th yr, 22st at THS), Ryan Huseby (1st JV, 4th overall), John Penn (vol., 9th), Sid Lokken (vol., 6th yr.).
Last season’s accomplishments- 54-38-2 overall, 3rd GNC, 4th reg., 9th sect.
Major losses- Joe Hinz (2x 2nd Team GNC), Ole Hanson (HM GNC), Alex Tollison (HM GNC).
Key returnees- srs. Turner Wegener (letterwinner), Chad O’Brien (LW), Tanner Laack (LW); jrs. Chandler Tollison, Andrew Cummings; sophs. Nick Osero, Mike Boos.
Promising newcomers- jr. Dan Geraty; sophs. Alex Ungerer, Casey Myre, Jacob Schaper, Cullen Wegener; fresh. Mike Lodholz, Andy Tessmere, Josh Phillips.
Gerstenberger quotable- “The Hatchet golf team returns two varsity golfers from last year’s squad. I am excited about the competition that will take place within the team. Last year’s JV team was very competitive and this year those golfers will be trying to earn their way onto the varsity. We lost our top three golfers from last season, but we have high expectations for Turner and Chad.
“With 11 of the top 13 golfers in the conference graduating last year, the individual title will be up for grabs. I don’t ever remember a year that was as senior-dominated as last season. Northland Pines and Lakeland are the early season favorites on paper. Both teams are returning the majority of their squads from last season. The other five teams lost a lot to graduation and they could all be sleepers depending on how well their freshman class can play.”