Above: Looking strong, Kevin Viren finished the mile in 5:30, a personal best for the talented freshman. Right: Malin Anderson ran a strong 800-meter leg for the girls’ 4×800 relay team, clocking a personal best 2:58 for her half-mile.
On Saturday, March 24 our Vikings track and field team traveled down to the University of Wisconsin-Superior for our Polar League Conference indoor meet. Although the name of the competition sounds intense for a first meet, we coaches work to keep it as a low-key introduction to track events. No team scores were kept, but the kids got an opportunity to race, show where they are starting the season, and get used to the meet format. It was a great opportunity for our team.
Here are some kids to keep your eye on this season.
Our boys’ 4×800 meter relay team started out fast and settled into the lead with Leif Anderson as our starter. He ran a 2:12 split and was followed by Kevin Viren, JRon Tamanaha, and Doran Acero to secure a third place finish.
Doran continued to have a great day in both the 400 meter run and 4×400 relay; he has demonstrated much improvement. They will be a strong team to watch, and it is clear that we will have a lot of depth in the 800- meter (1/2 mile) event this year.
Jack Haussner has only been doing hurdle drills all season, but those are working to teach him technique. He approached the 55m hurdle event with great form and a great start out of the blocks to come in for the win with a time of 8.76.
Our distance crew had a great day too. Kevin Viren went out hard in the mile and hung on to set a new personal best of 5:30 to open up the season. Not too far behind him was Keegan Morrison, who is new to track, with a 5:38. It is clear that Morrison is going to be a versatile runner and a strong competitor this season. In the 400-meter dash, Leif Anderson demonstrated that he was going to be a strong contender in the 400 meters with his 56.65 open 400 time.
Girls’ track and field
On the girls’ side, we have some sprinters who have been focused in practice and have worked on improving their starts. Anna Hay and Payton Dobin are two to watch as they have a lot of zip in their step and executed powerful starts. Hay ran the 55-meter in 8.3 and Dobin finished in 8.94.
Cece Chmelik and Chloe Blackburn were our brave milers for the day – they finished in 7:18 and 7:21 respectively. Our girls’ 4×800 meter relay demonstrated clean hand-offs and had a solid performance.
Malin Anderson rounded out the team with a 2:58 for her 800-meter leg, which was a huge improvement over the beginning of last season. Joining Anderson on the team was Cece Chmelik, Robin Henrikson, and Chloe Blackburn, all of whom have been working hard at practice and will make great gains this year.
Our first outdoor meet will be on April 10 at the Esko Track Facility. Keep thinking springlike thoughts so that we can have a snow-cleared track.
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