The South Loup boys track team landed back on top of the leaderboard at the Mid-Nebraska Activities Conference (MNAC) track meet last Thursday in Arnold. They stood atop the podium with 118 points, a full 6 points ahead of the runners-up.

“As a coach you can move people around and try to stack races to get the most points you can,” said boys coach Lane Chesley. “But when Coach Schwarz told me we were 20 points down I honestly didn’t think we could come back.”

Every point was needed to claim the top spot on the podium over Sandhills Valley, and the boys 4x400 relay team’s finish in 1st, sealed the win, and set a new meet record.

The girls were the runners-up with 88 points, only 4 points behind Cody-Kilgore in 1st, despite still having sprinters healing up from basketball injuries. Going in the last few events, the Lady Bobcats were neck-and-neck with Cody-Kilgore.

“I’m really proud of the girls,” said girls coach Mike Weverka. “They gave it everything and I am so pleased with what they’ve done.”

In addition to bringing home the team gold, a number of the boys smashed previous Conference records - Cache Gracey in the 400-meter and the 4x400 relay team both setting new time records.

In addition to Gracey setting a new meet record in the 400-meter with a time of 50.39 seconds, he also set a new personal record and a new South Loup co-op record, and 0.13 seconds from setting a new Arnold school record. This time also ranks him as the top 400-meter runner in the state in Class C.

The 4x400 relay team’s time of 3:30.07 brought home a gold medal and was clocked as the 4th fastest team in co-op history. They are now ranked 3rd in the state in Class C for this relay. Members of this team include Silas Cool, Dylan Pandorf, Logan Recoy, and Gracey at anchor.

Also winning gold medals this meet were Silas Cool in the 800-meter with a time of 2:06.80; Logan Recoy in the 1600-meter with a time of 5:05.67; the 4x800 relay team of Connell, Pandorf, Recoy, and Cool, with a time of 8:40.83. That relay team is ranked 9th in the state in Class C.

Other boys medal winners at Conference include Gracey with a 2nd place finish in the 200-meters with a time of 23.48 seconds and ranked 7th in Class C; Logan Recoy in 3rd in the 800-meter with a new personal record and time of 2:11.42; and Trey Connell also in the 800-meter with a time of 2:15.37 and a new personal record and a

4th place finish.

Freshman Crew Witthuhn placed 4th in the 110 high hurdles; the 4x100 relay team of Caleb McFate, Conner Paulsen, Crew Witthuhn, and Connell also finished 4th.

The girls runners earned two gold medals on the day Ivy Tullis in the 800-meter with a time of 2:25.83 and a new personal record; and the 4x800 relay team of Erin Fitzgerald, Ava Pandorf, Tullis and Ella Cool with a time of 11:08.14.

Senior Talli Martin earned 2nd place finishes in the

1600-meter and 3200-meter races. Not only did Martin set a new personal record in the 3200 with a time of

12:29.95, she is ranked 8th in Class C.

Tullis finished 3rd in the 1600-meter and Ella Cool just behind in 4th place. Ella Cool also finished 3rd in the

3200-meter with a new personal record. Fitzgerald finished 3rd in the 400-meter; as did the 4x100 relay team of Fitzgerald, Josie Reiff, Charli Vickers, and Halie Recoy. The 4x400 relay team also placed 3rd.

Halie Recoy placed 4th in the 100-meter finals; Vickers placed 5th in the 100 hurdles finals.

Weverka acknowledged that his girls team has been accustomed to winning the conference meet the past few years, but knows that injuries have forced them to adjust their strategy and expectations this season.

“I can’t doubt their effort,” he said. “The kids blow me away every time we step up on the track or out in the field.”

Out in the field, Rio Remund placed 2nd in the shot put with a throw of 50’0.5” and a 4th in the discus with a throw of 129’0” and a new personal record. Dawson Mason set a new personal record in the pole vault and

a 3rd place finish with a height of 10’0”. Dylan Pandorf finished 4th in the long jump and 3rd in the triple jump.

Senior Abby Stallbaumer placed 2nd in the discus with a throw of 119’5”.

A handful of select Bobcat athletes have been picked to compete in the Best in the Midwest meet on Tuesday in Sutherland. This highly-competitive, invite-only meet allows some of the top class B, C, and D athletes in the area to compete against each other.

The full Bobcat team will compete on Friday in the Dave Blevins Memorial Track Meet in Arnold.

Boys Finals Results

200m - Gracey, 23.48, 2nd

400m - Gracey, 50.39, 1st, (PR) (meet record)

800m - Silas Cool, 2:06.80, 1st; Logan Recoy, 2:11.42, 3rd (PR); Trey Connell, 2:15.37, 4th (PR)

1600m - Recoy, 5:05.67, 1st; Dawson Mason, 5:18.84, 6th (PR); Josiah Coleman, 5:43.93, 11th

3200m - Coleman, 12:12.85, 6th

110 hurdles - Crew Witthuhn, 19.90, 4th; McFate, 20.61,

5th

300 hurdles - McFate, 49.23, 6th; Crew Witthuhn, 50.71,

8th

4x100 relay - McFate, Paulsen, Crew Witthuhn, Connell,

49.01, 4th

4x400 relay - Cool, Dylan Pandorf, Recoy, Gracey, 3:30.07,

1st (meet record)

4x800 relay - Connell, Pandorf, Recoy, Cool, 8:40.83, 1st Shot put - Remund, 50’ 0.5”, 2nd; Lance Jones, 41’ 10”,

6th; Clay Witthuhn, 38’ 6.5”, 10th Discus - Remund, 129’ 0”, 4th (PR); Jones, 122’ 7”, 6th; Clay Witthuhn, 96’ 10”, 13th High jump - Crew Witthuhn, 5’ 2”, 9th Pole vault - Mason, 10’ 0”, 3rd (PR); Coleman, 8’ 6”, 6th Long jump - Pandorf, 18’ 3.5”, 4th (PR) Triple jump - Pandorf, 38’ 1”, 3rd

Girls Finals Results

100m - Recoy, 14.36, 4th; Reiff, 14.50, 5th

200m - Recoy, 29.19, 5th

400m - Erin Fitzgerald, 1:06.03, 3rd (PR)

800m - Ivy Tullis, 2:35.83, 1st (PR); Ava Pandorf, 3:14.77,

12th

1600m - Talli Martin, 5:44.65, 2nd; Tullis, 5:56.80, 3rd; Ella Cool, 6:07.42, 4th

3200m - Martin, 12:25.95, 2nd (PR); Cool, 12:52.46, 3rd (PR)

100 hurdles - Vickers, 18.08, 5th

300 hurdles - Vickers, 52.62, 6th

4x100 relay - Fitzgerald, Reiff, Vickers, Recoy, 54.11, 3rd

4x400 relay - Fitzgerald, Abby Stallbaumer, Tullis, Martin, 4:31.12, 3rd

4x800 relay - Fitzgerald, Pandorf, Tullis, Cool, 11:08.14, 1st Shot put - Tahnna Nokes, 28’ 5”, 10th (PR); Riata Remund,

26’ 1”, 15th; Kaygan Witthuhn, 19’ 7”, 24th Discus - Stallbaumer, 119’ 5”, 2nd; Remund, 79’ 3”, 10th Long jump - Reiff, 14’ 5.5”, 6th; Aubree Birkel, 11’ 10.25”,

18th Triple jump - Birkel, 27’ 3.25”, 10th