Lincoln Railsplitter Track and Field takes first at Olympia Coed Relays

 

[April 22, 2024] 

The Lincoln Railsplitter track and field team won first place on Wednesday night at the Olympia Coed Relays in Stanford.

Eleven teams participated in the meet. Those teams were: Lincoln, Clinton, Olympia, Tri-Valley, Heyworth, Prairie Central, Riverton, Athens, Deer Creek-Mackinaw, Mount Pulaski and Tremont.

Jenna Crombie, head coach of the boys team, said of the win, “Lincoln won the eleven team meet with a combined 154 points. The girls scored 83 points and the boys scored 63 points. The coed hurdle shuttle placed second for an additional eight points.”

“We knew if we were smart about the lineup and the athletes performed to their abilities, we had a chance to win overall as a team,” said Crombie. “We entered a team in every single JV and Varsity event except for triple jump and pole vault. We scored top six in almost every one. We had distance runners participate in the high jump and 100/200 runners entered in the 4x800 to ensure we scored as many points as possible. And our throwers performed really well, got some big points and that elevated us to a level we hadn’t been able to achieve in the past. When we swept the Varsity boys and girls medley and 4x400 relays, we started to get excited. The ability to field a relay shuttle squad, the first in recent memory at the Olympia meet, was notable. It’s been a long time according to Coach Meisner that we’ve had four Railer high hurdlers. Coed invitational meets, particularly relay meets, are always so fun for the kids and coaches. By the last event (4x400) the whole team is running back and forth across the infield cheering on the runners. It’s a sight to behold!”

Girls track and field coach Nathan Lieber added, “Our kids did a great job competing, especially in events many of them do not have experience in. Their work ethic and dedication paid off in the meet.”

Coach Crombie added, “Coach Lieber and I are really excited about our young talent and are focusing on a winning culture. The kids have really bought into it.”

Looking at some of the first place finishes, it’s no surprise to see senior Becca Heitzig at the top.

Heitzig won the 1600m with a time of 5:18.28.

Lincoln won the girls 4x400 relay with a time of 4:12.24. Mallory Short, Kyle Lund, Grace Schneider and Becca Heitzig make up that team. That is a PR for these girls.

Lincoln won the girls SMR 800m with a time of 1:53.55. Ceana Adams, Parker Maxey, Mallory Short and Becca Heitzig ran the 100-100-200-400 here. That is also a PR.

On the boys side, Lincoln won the 4x400 relay with a time of 3:32.81. Ki’on Carson, Ben Crombie, Luke Jones and Kani Carson ran a PR here.

Lincoln won the 4x800 relay with another PR. A time of 8:34.93 was achieved by Luke Jones, Owen Cyrulik, Preston Short and Ben Crombie.

Lincoln was also a winner in the SMR 1600m. With a time of 3:45.68 Kani Carson, Parker Campbell, Luke Jones and Ben Crombie dominated the field. That is a PR for them in the race consisting of 200-200-400-800.

For further results check out the website athletic.net online.

Congratulations, Railsplitters!!

[Teena Lowery with photo by Jenna Crombie]