Williamsburg track, field launches season at indoor WaMaC meet

Sprint victories by senior Owen Douglas and junior Braylon Wetjen highlighted performances by the Williamsburg track and field teams Saturday, March 18, in the WaMaC Indoor Championships at Grinnell College.

Douglas, the anchor on the Raiders' Class 2A state champion 4 x 100 and 4 x 200 meter relays last year, won the 60 meter dash in 8.1 seconds and Wetjen, in one of the best races of the day, finished first in the 400 meters in 54.41.

Senior Elle Ridgeway took runner-up honors for Williamsburg in the girls' shot put with a heave of 35-feet 8-inches.

"Elle will again be one of the top Class 2A throwers in the state," said her coach, Nick Nordheim, noting Ridgeway's effort at Grinnell was only 4-1/2 inches off her ninth-place throw of 36-0 1/2 at state a year ago.

The girls also collected three third places, and the boys picked up two.

Sophomore Ailea Wetjen was involved in two of the girls' third places, running the 60-meter dash in 8.26 seconds and teaming with Makenna Hughes, Ashylnn Hoffman and Macey Marovets for a time of 4:26.63 in the 4 x 400 meter relay.

"Watch out for Ailea this season," said Nordheim. "She was one of the top relay runners in the state last year, and this year I think she's going to break through in the open events as well. She's as consistent of a worker as we have."

Wetjen and classmate Hughes were members of last year's 2A state champion 4 x 100 meter relay team, and the fourth-place 4 x 200 team.

Douglas complimented his 60 meter win with a third place in the 200 meters, and Jake Buchholtz, Calvin Seeman, Carter Capper and Devin Busch finished third in the 4 x 800 relay.

The WaMaC meet capped another strong indoor season for the Raider girls and boys, who begin outdoor competition Tuesday, April 4, in their own co-ed invitational.

"We're off to a good start, said Nordheim, whose girls' team has also competed in indoor meets at Dubuque, Cedar Falls and Iowa State. "We lost some key seniors who had been big parts of our program, so we're trying to figure out who is going to take their places, but our veteran returners have looked strong and are stepping up as great leaders."

Williamsburg junior Derek Weisskopf, the Class 2A boys state high jump champion last year, set a Drake Relays Blue Standard (automatically qualifying him for this year's meet) at the March 14 Dubuque Indoor, clearing 6-feet 6-inches.

Douglas won the 55-meter dash at Dubuque, right after running the fastest 60 time ever in Williamsburg history at the Dickinson Relays in Cedar Falls in 7.07 seconds.

Boys' coach Matt Matthes is excited about the upcoming season.

"The expectations are high," he said. "We return all our athletes from last year's 3rd place Class 2A team, including state champions in the high jump, 4x100 and 4x200 relays. We have an experienced sprints crew and feel like we have 7-8 sprinters that are interchangeable in those relays, so time will tell who ends up on those relays at the end of the year. Our high jumpers (Weisskopf and Trey O'Neil) will team up for a big part of what we are wanting to accomplish, and we feel like our distance group has really matured this year and will turn some heads as well."

"The biggest concern of this team," Matthes continued, "is getting and staying healthy. Right now we have three of our top athletes out, likely until sometime in mid-April. We do feel like we have special talent to contend for a state title in May, but know so many things will have to go right for us to achieve that."

Stay tuned.

WAMAC INDOOR

GIRLS

Shot put — 2. Elle Ridgeway, 35-8; 9. Jenna Thurm, 30-11; 10. Paige Wolter, 30-8.

High jump — 10. Phoenix __Gryp, 4-4; 12. Kadie Reed, 4-2.

Long jump — 14. Briley Winegarden, 10-9.

60 hurdles — 13. Gryp, 11.05; 22. Reed, 11.93.

60 — 3. Ailea Wetjen, 8.26; 5. Makenna Hughes, 8.50; 14. Elizabeth Stohlmann, 8.77.

4 x 200 relay — 15. Mikaly Murray, Rylie Metz, Winegarden, Brooklyn Grimm, 2:08.3.

4 x 800 relay — 3. Ashlyn Hoffmann, Natalie Bemer, Alley Gorsh, Tori Yunggebauer, 11:09.78.

200 — 6. Averi Nielsen, 29.59.

400 — 8. Reagan McMenomy, 1:07.99.

800 — 7. Yunggebauer, 2:40.74.

4 x 400 relay — 3. Hughes, Wetjen, Hoffman, Macey Marovets, 4:26.63; 9. Bemer, Gorsh, Metz, Winegarden, 4:58.1.

BOYS

Long jump — 10. Grady Wetjen, 18-0 3/4.

Shot put — 8. Trenton Davies, 42-10; 12. Braden Plotz, 39-6.

60 — 1. Owen Douglas, 7.20; 8. Braylon Wetjen, 7.53; 15. G. Wetjen, 7.76.

1600 — 6. Wes Hulseberg, 4:52.74

4x 800 relay — 3. Jake Buchholtz, Calvin Seeman, Carter Capper, Devin Busch, 8:38.44.

200 — 3. Douglas, 23.8.

400 — 1. B. Wetjen, 54.21.

4 x 100 relay — 11. Capper, Buchholtz, Busch, Dylan Weisskopf, 3:58.92.

Comments: Melinda.Wichmann@southeastiowaunion.com