Girls Results
Boys Results
By Doug Goodman
BYRON —
A victory in the meet’s final event allowed Byron to claim the Big Northern Conference girls indoor track title Tuesday.
The Tigers compiled 110.66 points, while Burlington Central was second at 107.
Byron produced its margin of victory by winning the 1,600-meter relay, which was good for 10 points. Central was third and collected six points.
“We knew this race would decide if we won the meet or lost it,” said Byron junior Paige Knodle, who ran the anchor leg. “And I was so nervous.”
Angie Renfro, Mariah McMullen and Taylor Kuhhen had built a 5-meter lead by the time Knodle got the baton.
They combined for a winning time of 4 minutes, 16.07 seconds, which was 3 seconds faster than second-place Hampshire.
Knodle also won her main events — the 55 hurdles (8.59) and the pole vault (10 feet).
In addition Knodle competed in the long jump for first time in several years, and won with a jump of 16-51/2.
“That was such a surprise,” she said. “I did it in middle school but nothing like serious.”
Knodle hadn’t practiced for the event and used her pole vault steps.
“And it worked,” said Knodle, whose jump was 9 inches longer than the second-place effort of Stillman Valley’s Jessica Gerig.
Gerig was second in the triple jump, too.
Byron also got a first in the high jump from Chloe Wild (5-3) and the 800 relay (1:53.46, Cara Cortese, Joslynn Northrup, Eyse Adkins and Angie Renfro).
Cortese also nipped her Byron teammate Heidi Scheffler at the finish for the victory in the 55 dash.
“I didn’t think I won it, but they said I did,” said Cortese, who ran a 7.50 while Scheffler had a 7.51.
Cortese also was third in the 200, while Northrup was third in the 55 hurdles, and teammate Lisa Ringstmeyer third in the 3,200.
Other top area finishers were Jessica Davison, Winnebago, second, shot put; Liana Beauchamp, Genoa-Kingston, third, shot put; Haley Fischer, Genoa-Kingston, third, pole vault; and Winnebago (Alex Palm, Jessica Palm, Betsy Gray, Tessa Hoefle), third, 3,200 relay.
Reporter Doug Goodman can be reached at 815-987-1386 or dgoodman@rrstar.com.
Boys
Though they were held off by one of the meet’s Class 2A teams, Winnebago and its two-time state champion Alex Thompson accomplished what they wanted to in Tuesday’s Big Northern Conference indoor showdown.
The Indians took second with 92 points, losing only to 2A Burlington Central (121 points) while holding off 2A Richmond-Burton (70) and a fellow-1A team Harvard (46). The Byron hosts finished in fifth with 44.5 points.
Thompson launched the shot 53 feet, 9 inches, more than 2½ feet farther than his nearest competitor — teammate A.J. Thomas at 51-21/2 — and it was the fourth longest indoor put recorded this season. He also has the second at 54-11 1/2.
Winnebago finished second in the 1A team state race last year, losing only to rival Oregon. The Hawks did not compete in Tuesday’s indoor version of the conference meet, while the Indians brushed off spring break fever to place in 14 positions throughout the meet.
“We’re obviously really looking forward to this season,” Winnebago coach Joe Erb said. “This is a nice chance to have a fun kind of conference meet. Nobody is really at full strength, but you still get a little look at what’s out there, and where you fit in.”
The Indians went 1-2 in the shot put, led by the two-time defending state discus champ Thompson, and 1-3 in the 55-meter hurdles, sparked by state qualifier Jon Smith. Smith won the hurdling race (7.76) and took second in the triple jump (40-91/2), and Michael Mann placed second in the 55 dash (6.64) and in the 200 (23.79). Smith, Mann, Seth Gustafson and Dan Daub teamed up for a runner-up finish in the 800 relay (1:40.27), and Nick Huftalin took third in the hurdles (8.04).
“I think this whole team is pretty focused right now,” said Thompson, who also placed fourth at state in the shot put last year. “Today we could kind of gauge ourselves and see where we’re at. We’re doing pretty well, I guess.”
Byron’s Eric Dinges, Brenden Walters, Joel Walden and Andrew McCarey defended their conference titles in the 3,200 relay with a time of 8:43.91, and Dinges pulled out a second-place time (2:03.56) in the 800 run as well. Tiger sprinters Andrew Clark (6.67) and Keith Cline (6.73) took third and fourth, respectively, in the 55 dash, and Cline also placed fourth in the long jump (19-6).
Rockford Lutheran’s Ian Lofgren (10:37.81) passed North Boone’s Kevin Piskie (10:38.08) at the finish line for second in the 3,200 run, and the Vikings got a second in the mile from Armon Kennedy (4:48.55).
Most of the BNC teams open the outdoor season next week.
–Jay Taft, rrstar.com
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