The Eads Girls’ and Boys’ Track & Field teams will feature a small handful of strong athletes who should make some noise on the 1A scene. They will be led by senior Maggie Haase, a two-time state high jump champion as well as finding great success in the triple jump and hurdles.
According to head coach Stephanie Bohlander, “We have a good mix of specialties on our team this year. What few numbers we have, we more than make up for in work ethic and talent...what we do, we will do very well.”
Bohlander is excited about Haase’s upcoming season as the senior decided to lay out of basketball this year and instead spent the winter competing in the indoor track & field events across the region. Bohlander says of Haase, “She is strong, looks good, and is just a graceful and pretty jumper. The Triple Jump and High Jump will be exciting right from the get go with Maggie.”
Haase will also compete in the hurdles events and help to bring freshman Lexi Shotton under her wing as she learns what it takes to compete in the hurdles at the high school level. Bohlander says Shotton is a real talent and, “Maggie and Lexi will run both hurdle races, not every week and one sooner than the other this season, and they will rely on one another during this training. It’s nice to have two hurdlers side-by-side to push one another and feed off each other.”
Shotton will also compete in the sprints and jumping events in addition to the hurdles.
One other girls is out for track this year and it is freshman Tailee Weeks-Johnson who will be in charge of the discus and shot put ring. Bohlander is excited for Weeks-Johnson to join the ranks of some very exceptional throwers Eads has produced in the past, “Tailee will begin another generation of very talented and potentially great throwers. The rings will be a fun place to be when she is competing.”
The boys will be led by senior Brenden Reifschneider, who is double-participating on the Wiley baseball team as well, and sophomore Stockton Mitchek who returns in the jumping events where he qualified for state and placed a year ago. Bohlander is excited to see what Mitchek can do this year as he’s matured some and is a stronger athlete, “Stockton will return a year stronger and more springy in the pits. The Long Jump is his favorite event—and you can see why. He makes it look easy. He’ll Triple Jump also and run a variety of sprints, including some hurdles this year. He is just an athlete that makes it fun to coach him.”
Bohlander says she’ll depend on Reifschneider’s experience in the distance events. He’ll also join three runners out for track in some relays. “Freshman Connor Lynch, sophomore Colin Nelson, freshman Karsten Buller, and Brenden will run a few mid-distance relays and I am very excited for them to have each other to train with. All four are pretty runners and will get better for one another every week.”
The Eagles Track & Field teams will start the season in the annual Lamar Invitational Track Meet next Saturday, March 25.
Bohlander is excited to get going, “I’m quite pleased with the start to the season. We have kids that like to get after it, aren’t afraid to dig in and try new things, are coachable, and show great progress fast. This could be a big season in some events for us. It should be fun!”
