OMAHA – Wausa varsity track and field’s 2024 season has crossed the finish line.
The Vikings and Lady Vikings competed May 17-18 at the Nebraska School Activities Association State Track & Field Championships for Class D at Omaha Burke Stadium.
“Overall, we had a solid weekend at the State meet,” Wausa head coach Greg Conn said. “I felt that our kids performed really well with some of them competing for the first time in this arena.
“It’s a different animal at Burke Stadium and anything can happen,” he said. “We battled hard, and I felt that across the board, the kids left it all out there and that’s all you can ask.”
Wausa’s state qualifiers were seniors Kate Lundberg and Cade Wakeley; sophomores Braydon Hoesing, Preston Schlote, Mackenzie Suhr and Luke Woockman; and freshmen Reagan Gillilan and Matthew Schindler.
“It was a great weekend weather-wise, with Friday being the warmest day, but the Vikings lit up the track with their own heat in the first day of competition,” Conn said.
On May 17, Schlote opened up the competition for the Vikings in the Class D boys’ shot put. Schlote’s best mark in the competition was 44’-2”. He placed 16th overall.
In the Class D girls’ long jump, Gillilan placed 14th overall with a jump of 14-2”.
On the track in the Class D boys’ 3,200-meter relay, Woockman (2:14.995), Wakeley (2:07.418), Hoesing (2:16.265) and Schindler (2:11.835) finished in 10th place with a time of 8:50.51, which was their second best time of the season.
Hoesing, who competed last year with Wausa’s 3,200-meter relay team, described this year’s competition as “fierce.”
“We did our best,” Hoesing said. “There was a ton of really good teams this year.”
Hoesing noted the State meet is always a “fun experience,” adding it was a shock to the system to go from chilly temperatures and high winds for much of the year to hot sunny days to end the season.
“Most kids dream of being down there,” Hoesing said. “It was a beautiful day. Burke is a really fun track. There are thousands of people staring down at you. As a runner, knowing they’re cheering you on and your accomplishments, it feels really good.”
In the Class D boys’ 3,200-meter run, Woockman placed 14th overall with a time of 11:02.35.
On the track for the Wausa girls, Gillilan won her heat in the Class D girls’ 400-meter dash with a personal-record time of 61.11, finishing one spot out from a medal in ninth place.
On May 18, Gillilan and Suhr competed in the Class D girls’ high jump. Suhr placed 18th overall, clearing a height of 4’10”. Gillilan placed 20th overall, clearing a height of 4’8”.
Gillilan noted she was happy with how she performed in the 400 meters and high jump, but not the long jump.
“It was nerve-wracking not knowing how it was going to play out, but you don’t really think about it when you doing it,” Gillilan said of competing at the State meet for the first time. “When you’re doing events, you’re not thinking about the people watching you.”
Lundberg competed in the Class D girls’ shot put and placed 18th, finishing her career with a toss of 33’-2.25”.
“For our seniors, Cade Wakeley competed in his last State track meet, leaving it all out there with a personal-best State meet split of 2:07.256 and doing what he does best by putting us in a position to score,” Conn said.
“Senior Kate Lundberg finished her career in the shot put at Burke Stadium and did a great job for the first time in the ring in Omaha, and what a way to go out.”
Other than the two seniors who have graduated, Wausa took a young team to Omaha to compete this year.
“Sophomores Luke Woockman, Preston Schlote, Mackenzie Suhr, Braydon Hoesing, and freshmen Reagan Gillilan and Matthew Schindler will be looked upon to carry the torch next year moving forward,” Conn said.
“Again, a great weekend and super proud of this group as they represented our team and our community very well,” he said. “Congratulations to all of our competitors on a great performance in Omaha.”
Hoesing noted he already is looking forward to next year and working on returning to the State meet.
“I want to thank everyone who came down there,” Hoesing said of the Wausa fans who traveled to Omaha this year. “We had a big crowd follow us down there. It was really nice to have the public support.”
