Area athletes set records at the 2018 Logan County Track Meet

*See history of track records in the tables at the bottom of this page

[May 08, 2018] 

It was a record-setting day at the Logan County Track Meet on Wednesday, May 2, 2018 with nine records being broken. The previous records were shattered by a group of up and coming elite athletes who all have unlimited potential as they grace the junior high record books.

Just a special note worth mentioning about this year’s Logan County Track Meet is the very strong wind conditions. The windy day was a factor according to several of the coaches. According to reports, the wind was on the backside and while this was great for hurdlers and sprinters, it did wreak havoc with the times of the long distance runners and the relay teams. In addition, the discus throwers faced unusually windy conditions at Lincoln Community High School which affected not only their distances but their accuracy in aiming.

But it’s not the Logan County Track Meet without a few weather-related obstacles. The sun popped out intermittently and when mixed with a few cloudy skies it made for a “let’s get sunburned” kind of day. The day was not complete without a sprinkle of rain here and there toward the end of the events. Nonetheless it still made for a great day for the county’s young athletes. So hang on tight to your hat and enjoy the ride. There is a lot of cover here and following the records, keep reading for some fabulous comments from area coaches about these fine athletes.

Before this gets lost in all the excitement, Lincoln Daily News would like to congratulate all the new record holders.

7A Girls County Track

Four record-setting girls of WLB - Bowman, Heitzig, Froebe and Martinez. Froebe also set the county hurdle record for 7A. (Photo courtesy Karen Martinez)

We will begin with the 7A girls because this group shattered the most records. From West Lincoln-Broadwell it was Kloe Froebe setting a new record in hurdles. The sixth grader’s time was 17.78 in an event new to her.

Riley Tungate ran a 13.15 100m to set the new county record for 7A girls

After Froebe’s feat it was Riley Tungate from Lincoln Junior High School setting a new record in the 100 meter dash. Tungate’s time was 13.15.

Lily Barry of Hartem set a county record for the 7A 200m with a time of 27.47 (Photo courtesy Jessica Hartman)

Next up was Lily Barry from Hartem trading in a volleyball uniform for a track jersey. Barry busted the 200 meter dash record and finished with a time of 27.47.

Moving up to the 4x400 relay it was the tag team of Kloe Froebe, Jenna Bowman, Elly Martinez and Becca Heitzig breaking records and taking names to the tune of 4:56.56. These four Lady Wolverines, of course, hail from West Lincoln-Broadwell.

8A Girls County Track

Dulcie Rickord of Chester-East Lincoln set the county hurdle record for 8A girls

The girls are on the move here too. From track to field they cover the ground in a hurry. Another hurdle record was set by Dulcie Rickord of Chester-East Lincoln. She has had an outstanding junior high career and she finished Wednesday’s Logan County meet with a time of 17.15.

Reese McCuan set the 400m record for 8A girls at the Logan County Track Meet

Reese McCuan of Zion Lutheran in Lincoln set a new record for the 400 meter. McCuan takes after her mom, record-holder in the 100 meter dash Kim McCuan King, in the speed category. The younger McCuan ran the 400 in 1:05.66.

Rounding out the day was record-breaker and track standout from Lincoln Junior High School, Ava Gorens. Goren’s new Logan County long jump record is 15’ 5 1/2”. If you get a chance, catch her in action. With those long strides she glides through the air just beautifully.

7A Boys County Track

The 4x400 CEL Panthers capturing the new county record are Timmy Lawal, Brady Crane, Wyatt O'Donoghue and Chris Slack

The boys from the east side of town are pretty dominant this year. Chester-East Lincoln features a phenomenal class of track athletes that can run, run, run and RUN. The new 4x400 record belongs to the Panthers’ Chris Slack, Brady Crane, Timmy Lawal and Wyatt O’Donoghue. Their time of 4:28.18 is a county-best record for 2018.

8A Boys County Track

Lincoln Junior High School claims another track record here. This time it’s Alex Hoffert setting the record in hurdles with a time of 16.34.

The coachs weigh in

The coaches comments about their outstanding record-breaking athletes are equally as stellar. The positive comments prove the athletes work hard and have excellent motivation in gearing themselves towards their goals. Hats off now to the coaches.

Kari Froebe of West Lincoln-Broadwell

Froebe has the pleasure of coaching not only her own daughter but also those who she is quite familiar with through coaching basketball. Of her daughter, the mom said, “Kloe is just a natural athlete. The hurdles, I kinda just threw her in there this year and she really hasn’t practiced them that much. So as a sixth grader to be thrown into them, she’s done a nice job. Her form is not the best form but she’s pretty quick in-between the hurdles. She keeps getting better each week. It’s hard when you practice out here in the grass. We don’t have a track, so for her to develop good hurdle form it takes repetition.”

“The 4x400 group,” the coach continued, “they are all like best friends, so the chemistry is already there. I think they motivate each other. They are all very competitive and they hate to have the worst split. They always want to know their split, so they don’t want to be the one with the worst split.

So they truly push each other to be better. As a team overall at county I just put some girls to just kind of fill-in some events and get some points. I just have a bunch of girls that would do anything for the good of the team and they work hard.”

Coach Froebe is helped on the coaching staff by her assistants, Coach Paulus and Coach Farmer. “Our program wouldn’t be where it is today without them,” said Coach Froebe. “Not only do we celebrate the girls’ accomplishments but I also want to acknowledge how much my assistant coaches bring to the program.”

Carrie Osborn of Lincoln Junior High School

Coach Osborn of Lincoln Junior High School has plenty of positives to emphasize about her two latest Logan County record-breakers, Ava Gorens and Riley Tungate.

“Ava is an eighth grader at LJHS and has been in track since she was a sixth grader,” said Coach Osborn. “As a sixth grader, Ava was most interested in the hurdles, sprinting events and participating in relay teams, but was always somewhat self-conscious and reluctant to try long jump during track meets. As a returning seventh grader, Ava discovered newfound confidence in her long jumping and running abilities as she jumped nearly 13 feet and placed in her first track meet at Rochester. Ever since that first successful moment, long jump became one of Ava's most favorite events. Despite facing many ups and downs at the scratch line, she continued to strive to do her best ending with a season's best jump of 13'4.25". She was also recognized as the most improved seventh grader at three track meets last year.

"Now as an experienced eighth grader facing sectionals, Ava continues to improve. At the Logan County Track Meet, Ava used her confidence and the amazing weather to fly out 15'5.5". Although she was ecstatic when she first heard the distance, she was absolutely amazed when she was announced as the new county record holder for the eighth grade girls. With this continued confidence, Ava jumped 15'8.5" at the Clinton track meet (on Saturday) and is looking forward to making it to the state track meet (an unrealized dream from last year when she felt slightly short and was greatly disappointed).

"Ava works hard every single day and aspires to be the best at everything she does. She loves being a role model for others and always encourages them to do better knowing that one day, they will be better too. As for a piece of advice from a champion, Ava says, "Work hard on whatever it is you want to do, and you can do it!”

“Riley is a seventh grader at LJHS and has been in track since she was a sixth grader as well,” said Coach Osborn. “Although new to the world of track and field, Riley immediately began to excel.

"At her second meet of the year and her career, Riley placed in every event she competed in, finishing fourth in the 200, second in the hurdles, and first in both the 4x200m Relay and in long jump. A jump of 13'6" is quite an amazing feat for a tiny, but tenacious sixth grader.

"Riley went on to place in long jump and several other events (Hurdles, 100m dash and 200m dash) in every single track meet of the season. The highlight of last year was when she soared out to 15'0" at Olympia right before sectionals.

"She also received the most points on the seventh grade team and was the most valuable athlete at four track meets as a sixth grader.

"As for this year, before the snow even stopped, Riley stated that she wanted to go to state this year in the 100m dash and in long jump, and it seems that she is well on the way.

"As a seventh grader, Riley has a lot more confidence in her activities and is a lot more comfortable this year, which is easily seen through her performance.

"Riley has finished second in long jump at two track meets this season, and has earned four first place finishes with a season best jump of 15'9.5" at Clinton.

"Her most exciting moment this year was definitely winning long jump at the County Track Meet, and when she heard that she was the new county record holder for seventh grade long jump, she began jumping up and down and was extremely shocked.

"Whether at practice or during a meet, it is easy to find her smiling face, spunk, and leadership always encouraging and helping others. Riley's best piece of advice for those in track and field is, "On sunny day track meets, wear sunscreen so you don't look like a tomato."

Anthony Varnado of Lincoln Junior High School

Coach Varnado has quite the team of athletes on his Lincoln Junior High School Track Team.

At the top of the list is the new record holder, Alex Hoffert. “Alex is an eighth grader and this is his third year for the Boys LJHS Track Team,” said Coach Varnado. “He started the 110m Hurdles when he was in sixth grade. He has always run the eighth grade boys 4X200m Relay and eighth grade Boys 4X400m Relay.

Alex is looking forward to making it back to the IESA 2A State Finals and compete.”

Sectionals for Lincoln Junior High School will be this coming Saturday.

Jessica Hartman of Hartsburg-Emden

Lily Barry is pretty well-known as a volleyball standout in the county and beyond, but her track ability is the focus here. “Lily has been participating in track since she was in fifth grade and has been improving consistently every year,” said Coach Hartman. “She runs the 200M dash, 100M dash, and competes in long jump with personal records of 0:27.42, 0:13.20, and 15’ 5.5” respectively.

"She made it to state last year, as a sixth grader, competing in the seventh grade 200M dash, which is the race that she broke the county record for on Wednesday. Her time at the Logan County Track Meet was a PR for her and she is hoping to repeat that at sectionals on Saturday.

"We are very happy to have her as a part of our team as her dedication and drive are outstanding.

"One of our goals as coaches is that our athletes see continual improvement from late February to early May. Lily, along with many of the other Hartsburg-Emden track athletes, have done just that.

"Coach McNeil and I are very proud of all that Lily and her peers have accomplished and look forward to seeing where she goes from here.”

Matt Crews of Chester-East Lincoln

Coach Crews has an excellent group of athletes at Chester-East Lincoln and in just his second year there coaching both the boys and girls track teams, the program has achieved great success thanks to his encouragement combined with the work ethic of his student-athletes.

“The athletes have been working extremely hard this season and many of our athletes set personal records on Wednesday at the county track meet,” said Coach Crews.

“Dulcie Rickord, believe it or not, has had an ankle injury most of the year and we didn't even know if she was going to be able to run on Wednesday. Before the meet, Dulcie had her ankle taped and tested it and said she was ready to go.

"Much of her success can be attributed to working with long-time track coach Johnnie Meisner. Dulcie has been working with Coach Meisner on hurdles and long jump since she was 10 years old.

"Recently, Dulcie just learned how to 3-step which has improved her time on the hurdles. Dulcie has broken both of the seventh and eighth grade girls hurdles school records at CEL as well as the recent county record in hurdles (17.15). We are so proud of Dulcie!”

“Our other group of seventh grade boys in the 4 x 400 is Chris Slack, Brady Crane, Timmy Lawal, and Wyatt O’Donoghue,” said Coach Crews. “This group has set a personal record every time they have run the 4 x 400 meter relay together this year.

"The unique thing about this group is the fact that all four athletes didn't run last year for the track team. Wyatt, Brady, and Timmy are first-time participants in track and Chris was injured all of last year. They have worked extremely hard on their hand-offs and also run the 4 X 200 meter relay together as well. They are a very self motivated group that wants to get better everyday!”

Coach Crews is assisted by Kim Curry and Erica Maynard at CEL.

Kate Van Slett of Zion Lutheran

Coach Van Slett is the head coach of the Zion Lutheran Track Team and she has been working with Reese McCuan since McCuan was in fourth grade. "She is such a talented young lady and always strives to do her very best whether it is in sports or academics,” said Coach Van Slett.

“When I first saw her as a fourth grade athlete I knew she would be an excellent track athlete by the time she was an eighth grader and that God has blessed her with amazing athletic abilities. In the last five years she has beat a 25-year-old school record in the 400 meters and recently beat her own record this year. She has made it to State in the 400 meters three years in a row and she has a goal to win the 400 this year. She has grown to be a great leader amongst the younger athletes on the team.”

Stay tuned for more on these athletes and others as sectional action took place on Saturday for the small schools and the larger schools will compete this coming Saturday in sectional action.

Good luck to all the teams and their coaches.

[Teena Lowery]

 7A Girls County Track Records

EVENT	TIME	HOLDER	SCHOOL	YEAR
Hurdles	17.78	Kloe Froebe	WLB	2018
100	13.15	Riley Tungate	LJHS	2018
200	27.47	Lily Barry	HE	2018
400	1:07.30	Bridgett Hyde	CEL	2003
800	2:38.60	Christine Presswood	WLB	2001
1600	5:42.03	Christine Presswood	WLB	2001
4x100	58.13	Kellee Crady, Christy Lynch, Nikki Schaffenacker, Jamie White	Mt. P	1993
4x200	1:59.30	Missy Aper, Alyssa Schneider, Nicole Loveall, Karl McFadden	CEL	1998
4x400	4:56.56	Kloe Froebe, Jenna Bowman, Elly Martinez, Becca Heitzig	WLB	2018
Shot	33’ 2”	Abby Olson	HE	2002
Disc.	81’ 1”	Kelly	NHM	1992
Long Jump	16’ 3 ¾	Robertson	Mt. P	2003
High Jump	5’ 1”	Kylie Courtwright	WLB	2001

 7A Boys County Track Records

EVENT	TIME	HOLDER	SCHOOL	YEAR
Hurdles	17.72	Robbie Given	CEL	1996
100	12.07	Eli Bryan	HE	2008
200	25.25	Brad White	CEL	1994
400	59.54	Detmers	HE	2000
800	2:16.69	Preston Carnahan	Zion	1994
1600	5:05.9	John Donaldson	HE	1987
4x100	54.34		Zion	1989
4x200	1:53.79		CEL	1998
4x400	4:28.18	Chris Slack, Brady Crane, Timmy Lawal, Wyatt O’Donoghue	CEL	2018
Shot	45’ 3”	Matt Davis	Elkhart	2000
Disc.	129’ 5 ½”	Derek Schrader	CEL	1998
Long Jump	18’ 1 ½”	Preston Carnahan	Zion	1994
High Jump	5’ 6”	John Donaldson, Umphreys	HE HE	1987 2002

  8A Girls County Track Records

EVENT	TIME	HOLDER	SCHOOL	YEAR
Hurdles	17.15	Dulcie Rickord	CEL	2018
100	13.20	Kim McCuan	Zion	1995
200	26.6	Sydney Edwards	Mt. Pulaski	1978
400	1:05.66	Reese McCuan	Zion	2018
800	2:40.62	Britney Boerma	HE	1996
1600	5:47.20	Christine Presswood	WLB	2002
4x100	54.60	Melissa Ramlow, Natalie Boward, Hilary Hobler, Kylie Spards	WLB	2003
4x200	1:58.47	Missy Aper, Alyssa Schneider, Keyana Moore, Kari McFadden	CEL	1999
4x400	4:55.40	Emily Beralin, Keili Brooks, Kelsey Bunner, Nicole Benz	CEL	2005
Shot	34’ 0”	Mary Olson	Elkhart	2000
Disc.	95’ 0”	Kelly	NHM	1993
Long Jump	15’ 5 ½”	Ava Gorens	LJHS	2018
High Jump	5’ 0”	Kylie Courtwright	WLB	2002

  8A Boys County Track Records

EVENT	TIME	HOLDER	SCHOOL	YEAR
Hurdles	16.34	Alex Hoffert	LJHS	2018
100	11.39	Tommy John Gallagher	CEL	1997
200	24.2	Jeff Grant	CEL	1982
400	55.7	Nick Waymire	Mt. P	1998
800	2:14.66	John Donaldson	HE	1988
1600	4:52.27	John Donaldson	HE	1988
4x100	50.8	Chris Schneider, Chris Boward, Brandon Bridges, David Pickering	WLB	2001
4x200	1:45.79	Cole Awe, Chase Aylesworth, Jared Maxheimer, Alec Murphy	Mt. P	2007
4x400	4:08.68	Brian Erlenbush, Nick Waymire, Matt McCarty, Chris Wilson	Mt. P	1998
Shot	50’ 10 ½”	Cody Bolen	HE	2008
Disc.	147’ 1”	Matt Wrage	HE	2000
Long Jump	20’ 3”	Curt Courtwright	CEL	2002
High Jump	5’ 9”	John  Donaldson, Jeff Oller	HE CC	1988 2002