Cross country: Tomahawk races in Athens

ATHENS – The Tomahawk High School cross country team competed at an invite in Athens on Thursday, Oct. 2.

The Tomahawk girls took 4^th place, and the boys took 7^th.

“This was a highly competitive meet with some of the best Division III schools in the state,” said coach Connor Ahrens.

The Lady Hatchets had one runner in the top 10 finishers – junior Abbie Rosenmeier.

The boys started the evening off with a decent showing that included some seasonal best performances, according to Ahrens. Leading the boys was senior Caiden Reichelt in a time of 19:13 for 34th place.

The rest of the boys’ finishers were Jeremiah Johnson (41st, 19:22), Dawson Jones (45th, 19:58), Joe Zastrow (54th, 20:28), Luke Morrison (56th, 20:30), Karson Hanse (58th, 20:30), Ryan Montag (59th, 20:32), Bodie Olsen (61st, 20:35), Will Boneck (67th, 21:01), Beau Stromberg (75th, 21:52), Orin Erickson (87th, 24:34), Levi Cerkas (89th, 23:57), Cayden Shepler (94th, 24:34), Sam Ford (101st, 26:11), Milan Stel (106th, 29:56) and Jonathan Crossman (109th, 32:04).

Boys’ team scores: Prentice/Rib Lake 51, Marathon 64, Phillips 72, Cadott 93, Stratford 119, Assumption 139, Tomahawk 200, Chequamegon 215, Auburndale 240, Antigo 272, Three Lakes/Phelps DNS, Thorp DNS, Spencer DNS, Athens DNS.

The girls raced second, knowing that there would be stiff competition at the front of the race with Division III powerhouses Assumption and Phillips.

Ahrens said one of the finest races of the day was by junior Abbie Rosenmeier, who took 10th overall in a time of 21:36.

The rest of the Tomahawk girls included Faith Derleth (18th, 22:06), Lydia Shaney (19th, 22:15), Elise Gibeault (32nd, 23:05), Norah Mann (33rd, 23:12), Abi Micke (56th, 25:32), Kailynn Hanse (70th, 26:44), Summer Gaedtke (82nd, 28:18), Jennie Frederickson (87th, 29:46) and Savannah Reinke (89th, 30:27).

Girls’ team scores: Assumption 55, Phillips 59, Auburndale 111, Tomahawk 112, Stratford 125, Chequamegon 126, Three Lakes/Phelps 132, Prentice/Rib Lake 222, Athens 240, Marathon 258, Antigo 298, Thorp 300, Abbotsford DNS, Spencer DNS.  

“Both squads put themselves out front early in the race to push themselves,” said coach Connor Ahrens. “This was awesome to see since this is a great time for our student-athletes to really challenge their paces to see where they are at coming into the final stretch of the season.”

“The kids seemed to show more excitement for racing this week,” said coach Steph Ahrens. Hopefully this continues into the home invite and tournament series.”

This week’s action

The Hatchet harriers are slated to host an invitational on Saturday, Oct. 11.

Athletes of the Week

Savannah Reinke – “Distance running is a simple sport, but to succeed in it, it requires great dedication to a day-in and day-out process that most struggle to follow. Freshman Savannah Reinke has committed to this process and has followed the training plans laid out for her to the best of her ability. Due to this unwavering commitment, Savannah has been injury-free and just recently ran a personal record, dropping two minutes off of her previous time. Starting the race in 94th at the mile and pushing herself into 89th, she ran the Athens 5k course in 30:27. As the team makes its final push towards the postseason races, girls like Savannah are a shining example of how to trust the training and benefit from the results at the right time. Savannah is a must-have student-athlete on any roster; a hard worker who quietly and effectively goes about her business.”

Orin Erickson – “Another freshman runner who has trusted the training and put forth an honest effort at each and every practice has been Orin Erickson. He has become a seamless member of the boys’ team and has been one of the most consistent performers on the team. Like many of his teammates, Orin challenged himself at the start of the Athens race and would end up attaining a new personal record of 23:22. Beyond being reliable, Orin has always practiced and raced with a smile on his face. He genuinely enjoys being around the team, and his positive energy only makes the boys’ team better. The coaching staff can’t wait to see how Orin will develop as a distance runner in the coming years.”