Several South Loup track athletes were invited to compete in the Best of the Midwest at Sutherland on Tuesday, May 6. Three of the athletes had their career-best performances at the meet.

For the ladies, Erin Fitzgerald bettered her time in the 400m with 1:03.15 to finish in 4th place. She also came in 8th in the 200m with a time of 27.88.

Senior Ella Cool ran her career best 3200m in a time of 12:39.58 for 5th place. The final competitor for the Lady Bobcats was Jade Bierman, who finished 7th in the high jump with 4’ 9”.

On the men’s side, senior Ethan Furne had the best leap of his career in the long jump where his 32’ 1.25” earned him the silver medal. The 4x400 relay team of Furne, CJ Quandt, Dawson Mason, and Dylan Pandorf finished 4th with a time of 3:37.86. Finally, the 4x100 relay team of Conner Paulsen, Pandorf, AJ Starr, and Furne came in 5th with a time of 44.77.

The Bobcats hosted the Dave Blevens Memorial Invitational on Friday, May 9, in Arnold and the men’s team earned the team championship trophy. The ladies team finished in third place overall, with Mullen winning the team title.

The men’s team earned gold medals in three field events; Uotong Haidle in pole vault with 11’ even, Ethan Furne in long jump with 21’ 11.25”, and Dylan Pandorf in triple jump with 40’ 0.5”. In fact, the Bobcats claimed the top three places in both the pole vault and triple jump. Dawson Mason cleared the bar at 10’ 6” to earn the silver medal in pole vault, while Tysen Schacher had his best vault of the year of 10’ even for the bronze.

AJ Starr picked up the silver in triple jump with a leap of 37’ 2.25”, and Schacher earned the bronze jumping 36’ 0.25”. The lone competitor for the Bobcats in the high jump was Brayden Keeney who finished 4th with 5’ even.

Other medals won by the men’s team include Conner Paulsen and CJ Quandt in the 100m with 4th and 8th place, respectively. In the 400m Pandorf earned the silver medal in a time of 53.01, and Eli Hunt got a PR with 56.47 for 5th place.

Walter Bierman and Eli Rogers finished 5th and 7th in the 800m, while Elijah Cool ran the best time of his career in the 1600m to finish 4th. Josiah Coleman came in 8th in the 1600m, then later won gold in the 3200m with a time of 11:30.92. Jaden Baker earned the silver medal in the 3200m.

Caleb McFate finished in 4th place in the 110m hurdles and got a PR in the 300m hurdles with 45.87 to earn the bronze medal. CJ Quandt picked up the silver in the 300m hurdles with 45.72.

It was gold for the 4x100 relay team of Furne, Paulsen, Pandorf, and Starr with a time of 44.69, and bronze for the 4x400 relay team of Cool, Hunt, Mason, and Bierman with a time of 3:57.71. The 4x800 relay team also earned the bronze medal for Mason, Bierman, Cool, and Rogers.

For the ladies, it was a sad finish in the 200m finals where both Erin and Olivia Fitzgerald scratched and were disqualified. The sisters had finished one and two in the prelims, with Olivia running her best race of the season. Olivia earned the bronze medal in the 100m with Jimi Fletcher finishing 6th.

Delanie Weinman came in 8th in the 400m, while seniors Ella Cool and Ivy Tullis both ran the best times of their careers in the 800m. Cool’s time of 2:32.06 was good for the silver medal, and Tullis’s time of 2:44.61 earned her 5th place. Rae Hagler earned the bronze medal in the 300m hurdles with a time of 55.89 and finished 6th in the 100m hurdles.

It was a good day for the women’s relay teams. The 4x400 team of Delanie Weinman, Asa Starr, Ella Cool, and Erin Fitzgerald ran their way to a gold medal with a time of 4:35.84. The 4x100 team of Fletcher, Erin Fitzgerald, Starr, and Olivia Fitzgerald earned the silver medal, while the 4x800 team of Tyra Brestel, Weinman, Tullis, and Alley Jorgenson picked up the bronze.

Asa Starr leaped her way to a gold medal in the high jump, clearing the bar at 4’ 8”. In discus EvaLynn Wonch had a throw of 107’ 11” to earn the silver medal, and in pole vault Charli Pandorf cleared 6’ even to finish 6th.

Erin Fitzgerald earned the silver medal in long jump with a leap of 15’ 6.5”, while freshman Josie Lehmkuhler’s

quite enough for a medal.

Neltje Reiff and Pandorf had their career best jumps in triple jump, with Reiff leaping 29’ 6” for 7th place, and Pandorf 27’ 11” to finish 9th.