JV girls take first place at GNC meet; Varsity girls finish second, boys third
For the Tomahawk Leader
MINOCQUA – On Saturday, Oct. 16, the Tomahawk Hatchet cross country team traveled to Minocqua-Winter Park for the Great Northern Conference (GNC) Cross Country Championships.
The girls finished second to Medford (five-time defending champions), placing all seven runners in the top half of the field, and three Hatchets on the All-Conference squad.
The boys placed third, behind Rhinelander and Medford.
The girls’ JV squad started the meet off with a perfect score, taking the top seven spots en route to the victory.
Eight Hatchets were named to the All-Conference team.
Rachael Reilly earned All-Conference 1st Team status for the second year in a row as she placed 4th overall in a time of 21:03. Presley Gutbrod (8th-18:34), Kate Reilly (11th-21:54), Arden Ziert (12th-18:47), and freshman Alli Palmer (14th-22:02) earned 2nd Team All-Conference status by virtue of their placements in their respective races at the GNC event.
Rounding out the All-Conference Honorable Mention squad for Tomahawk were Macey Mann (15th-22:09), Sam Zastrow (15th-18:57) and Emily Lacina (21st-22:39).
“To have eight athletes on the All-Conference squad is awesome,” said head coach John Zuelsdorf. “Those athletes have worked so hard all season, and to see them reach that pinnacle is a testament to their determination and work ethic.”
Other Hatchet varsity finishers were Serena Reinke (22nd), Ava Dragosh (23rd), Owen Dickrell (23rd), Brett Borchardt (24th), Ty Anthes (26th), Jacob Towle (31st), and Taje Casey (38th).
Girls’ varsity results: Medford-32, Tomahawk-61, Lakeland-68, Mosinee-71, Rhinelander-122, Antigo-Inc., Northland Pines-Inc.
“Our goal for the girls’ varsity was to come close to Medford and possibly give them a challenge to attaining their fifth-straight title, but once again we were not at 100%, and it showed in the results as we finished a distant second just in front of the T-Birds and Mosinee,” Zuelsdorf said. “Our depth has carried us throughout the season, but it would be nice to run a race with the whole squad completely healthy. Who knows, maybe next week, when it really counts!”
Boys’ varsity results: Rhinelander-49, Medford-67, Tomahawk-82, Lakeland-97, Northland Pines-107, Antigo-129, Mosinee-157.
“The boys had a great plan to give the Hodags, the pre-race favorite, a run for their money,” Zuelsdorf stated. “However, our #4 and #5 did not get out strong enough in the first mile and couldn’t make up ground in the hills late in the race. One has to give the Hodags and Coach Laggis a lot of credit. His numbers are solid and he’s got the program pointed in the right direction.”
Junior Morgan Hansmann topped the field in the opening GNC event of the day as she won the girls’ JV title. Morgan covered the 5K course in a time of 23:04.
Completing the slam for the JV Hatchets were Halle Derleth (2nd-23:11), Geena Wanta (3rd-23:27), Sophie Urmann (4th-24:09), Marie Gorell (5th-24:12), Robin Schmidt (6th-24:18), Kambyl Mattke (7th-24:19), Izzy Lee (12th), and Araween Alberg (17th).
Girls’ JV results:Tomahawk-15, Rhinelander-56, Mosinee-73.
“It was awesome to start off the day with a solid performance by our JV squad, to see them take the top seven spots was awesome,” Zuelsdorf said. “Morgan, Halle, and Geena did a great job leading that pack from the initial gun.”
The Hatchets’ next race is on Saturday, Oct. 23, when the team will travel to Colby to compete against 16 other teams in the WIAA Sectional meet. The top two teams and the top five non-qualifying team members advance to the state meet in Wisconsin Rapids the following weekend.
“We need to run with a different mindset next week at the sectionals to be successful and advance in the tournament,” Zuelsdorf stated. “Having advanced the past two seasons, the girls need to draw on that experience and compete with that level of confidence. This is an exciting time of year for the athletes and past success in the tournament always helps.”
Athletes of the Week
