Boys, girls to compete in CWC this season
By Holly Neumann
Little Wolf High School’s track team is 36 athletes strong and looking forward to a good season.
“We bring back a lot of talent off of last year’s team,” coach Pat Collins said. “We have some solid sprinters and middle-distance runners.”
Topping the roster for the boys’ team are Ethan Hass and Zach Kreklow.
“Ethan Hass was a member of our state 4×200-meter relay team that took third place last year,” Collins said. “He has had an outstanding career and is looking to step up as a leader and get back to state this year.”
Hass can run anything between the 100-meter dash and 800-meter run, according to Collins.
“He also is a quality long and triple jumper,” he said.
Kreklow is also back for his senior year.
“He has been an excellent sprinter for us in the 100- and 200-meter distances,” Collins said.
Zach Teuscher and Caleb Griesbach will also compete in sprinting and jumping events, while Bo Koehn is expected to be one of the team’s top newcomers.
“Bo was an excellent wide receiver on our football team this year and he really should help our team in the sprints and jumps,” Collins said.
The goal for the boys this season is to place in the top three of the Central Wisconsin Conference.
“We believe we have a team capable of winning the conference if we have athletes step up in needed areas,” Collins said.
Although the girls’ team is short on numbers, they do have some quality athletes that are going to have some breakout performances, he said.
“Some of the top returners for us on the girls’ side include senior Jody Wentworth and sophomore Laynie Bessette,” Collins said. “Jody has been an excellent hurdler and middle-distance runner and Laynie is looking to improve in the jumps with a year of experience under her belt.”
He is hoping to see the girls finish in the top half of the CWC.
“The girls’ side will need depth,” Collins said. “We are just lacking numbers and filling out events will be something we struggle to do. We are hoping to see improvement as the year progresses.”
Other team members include Brady Buch, Charley Gehrke, Jordan Kons, Devin Loughrin, Johnathan Lubahn, Ethan Michalowski, Riley Murphy, Wyatt Nichols, Jacob Scheller, Brooke Schernecker, James Scott, Randy Sellers, Maria Soares, Ayla Stiebs, Sami Struzynski, Tyler Thontlin, Alice Vitali, Sebastian Wagner, Anya Wilson, Brett Zielke, Alexandria Rae, Chase Furman, Kassidee Zander, MaCayla Timm, Sierra Lubahn and Evan Lowney.
Joining Collins on the coaching staff are assistants Jill Seka, Nate Ziemer and Bruce Scheller.
“Jill brings a ton of knowledge to share with our throwers and team overall,” Collins said. “She has a great rapport with our athletes and her enthusiasm and energy will benefit our team greatly. Nate works well with our sprinters and brings a lot of athletic knowledge to our team. Bruce helps out with our distance runners and has done a great job.”
The Wolves kicked off the season March 16 with an indoor meet at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. They will return to the Kolf Sports Center Tuesday, March 28, for another indoor invitational that starts at 4 p.m.