Warrior track: Teams finish in middle at Halstead
Sports reporter
The annual Conrad Nightengale Invitational at Halstead Friday once again gathered some of the area's top track athletes in one venue.
The school known with the bright blue track once again provided great competition for Marion High School track and field athletes.
With 13 schools competing on both the girls' and boys' sides, the teams turned in sixth and seventh-place finishes respectively.
The girls' team scored 46 points, 50 points behind champion Cheney.
Hillsboro won the boys' competition with 85 points, while MHS notched 42.5.
Head coach Grant Thierolf, using the few meets of the season before regionals as tune ups, thought his teams did OK.
"We kind of had an average day," he said.
Julia Zeiner had the only Warriors' individual first-place medal of the day, when she jumped 17 feet, 3.5 inches in the long jump.
Her closest competitor was six and a half inches behind.
The sophomore also earned second-place finishes in the 400-meter dash and pole vault, and a first-place medal as part of the 4x100m relay team.
"She had a very nice day," Thierolf said of Zeiner. "We will try to fit her into the right events for league and regionals."
Camille Christensen was fourth in the 1600m run, and Kristen Steinborn (200m dash) and Kalaya Jackson (triple jump), each left with fifth-place medals.
Zeiner, Jackson, Steinborn, and Kayley Heerey earned the first-place medal in the 4x100 with a time of 52.10 seconds.
A fifth-place medal and sixth-place medal were earned by the girls' 4x400 and 4x800 relay teams.
Thierolf, who noted it was the third straight strong performance for the 4x100 team, said if the weather continues to cooperate, the team could hit its stride.
"We just need a few weeks of uninterrupted work and we will be on the right track," he said.
Senior Justin Heidebrecht, who has the fourth-fastest 200m dash time in the state, took second in the event at Halstead with a time of two minutes, 5.9 seconds.
He also was a part of the winning 4x800m relay team, and the sixth-place 4x400m team.
"We were very pleased with Justin and the races that he ran," Thierolf said. "He has his sights set on a school record [in the 200], and will do everything he can to get it."
Nick Klenda also had a second-place finish after a discus throw of 130-11.
He and Parker Ash recorded points in the shot put, with Klenda taking fifth and Ash sixth.
Sheldon Boone earned some more points for the throwers, taking fourth in the javelin.
"Our boys' throwers really performed well," Thierolf said.
Boone and javelin tosser Mitchell Leppke each recorded personal records on the day.
Ryan Jones finished behind fellow Marion Countian Cody McMillen in the 1600m run with a time of 5:00.38.
"He ran very well in the 1600 and will continue to get better as he gets stronger," Thierolf said.
Brady Hudson was the final medalist for Marion with a sixth-place finish in the high jump.
He cleared 5-6.
Along with the first-place finish in the 4x800, MHS earned sixth place in the 4x400m relay.
The Warriors competed Tuesday at the Moundridge CKTL, and will split their teams Friday between the James Thomas Invitational at Hillsboro and the Beloit Relays.
For more results from Halstead and the April 15 Herington CKTL at Marion, see Page 10.
