Nick Beversdorf
Reporter
The Bluejay boys had their track meet this past Saturday (April 2nd) in Madison at U.W.-Shell. Merrill faced a host of different schools from all over the state, scoring mostly in the middle of the pack in the track events.
Top scorers for Merrill include junior Todd Grund who placed 3rd in the pole vault with 13 feet and both sophomore Jared Ollhoff and senior Austyn Kirby who placed 4th and 6th place in the high jump with 5ft 10 in and 5 ft 8in, respectively. Other Merrill athletes set their own personal records.
“We always enjoy going to this meet due to the high competition it displays and the fun traditions associated with it,” comment coach Kurt VandenHeuvel. “The guys competed with relentless effort and because of that there were many successes among individuals including; Mitchell Jaeger and Todd Grund both with personal records in the PV. Isaac Meyer in the Hurdles, and Devon Annis in the 55 Dash.”
Baraboo, Grafton, Fond Du Lac and Catholic Memorial (Waukesha) were the top-performing schools at the meet, consistently placing in the top four spots in almost every event. Even so, Kurt is still proud of his team and the effort they put in.
“These guys show up everyday disciplined and focused in practices and take every opportunity to prepare for meets like this,” Kurt adds. “We are a young team, but continue to grow in confidence and mechanics, as guys (Nevada Laabs, Peter Seliger, Austyn Kirby, Will Soderberg, Isaac Buntrock) step up as leaders and reiterate our blueprint (relentless effort, competitive excellence and unit power).”
Merrill boys varsity track will have their next conference meet @ Stevens Point on the UW-SP campus along with the Merrill girls varsity track team.