Track season is well underway for the Belle Plaine boys’ squad and Coach Mark Tegeler says while the team won’t be as deep from the experience standpoint as in recent years, the numbers remain high.
The Plainsman squad includes 39 team members, including 14 freshmen who are still developing, he said. The team has already competed in indoor meets at Wartburg College and at Central College.
Last year, when the Plainsmen were a Class 2A team, they won five meets, placed second in three meets and third once. They won the conference meet for the third time in the past four years and placed 28th at the state meet.
This year, the Plainsmen move to Class 1A and although they lost Most Valuable Player Award winner Tyler Brandt and Mr. Versatility Award winner Myles Kelly, along with Tate DeMeulenaere and Braden Morrow to graduation, many of the athletes who contributed to last year’s success return. This year’s co-captains are Chris Janss, a sprinter and hurdler, Brian Crow, another sprinter and hurdler, John Long in the middle distances and sprinter Seivon Steward. Crow and Steward shared the Coaches’ Award last season.
Keegan DeMeulenaere is another sprinter and hurdler. He won the hurdle event at Wartburg this spring and received the Rookie of the Year Award last season. Kyle Janss will also compete in the sprints and hurdles. In fact Belle Plaine has about eight hurdlers on the squad this season, including Austin Chekal, Cooper Northrop and Mitch Schmuecker. Chekal, along with Ben Ehlen and Brian Carlson are some of the middle distance runners.
The coach said the distance runners are still developing and he hopes to see some improvement there soon. Scott Croft, Stephen Muench and Tad Mast are among those who will get the call for the longer races.
In the field events, Brent Stull is a high jumper. Northrop and Austin Beck are long jumpers. There are several vying for the discus positions, including Scott Wheeler and Reed Petersen. Shot putters include Raymond Edgar and Bryce Buckley.
This will hopefully be the final year that track conditions for spring practice will be an issue. At the end of the season, work is scheduled to begin on the construction of a new all-weather track at the high school and renovation of the football stadium. But Tegeler says that contrary to many past early seasons, his team has been able to practice on the current track several days.
The first outdoor meet of the season is scheduled for Monday, March 29 at the Ruritan Relays at Pekin. Belle Plaine will hosts its relays on April 26. The Iowa High School Athletic Association has designated 12 sites for Class 1A district meets, but has yet to assign teams to those sites. The nearest sites for the Plainsmen would be BGM or Grundy Center.
Belle Plaine Boys’ track
March 29 at Pekin Relays
April 6 at English Valleys Relays
April 13 at Iowa Valley Relays
April 16 at Nevada, Colo-Nesco Relays
April 17 at Oskaloosa Relays
April 19 at Keota Relays
April 20 at BGM Relays
April 26 Belle Plaine Invitational
April 30 at West Liberty Relays
May 4 SICL at Montezuma
May 7 at Mid-Prairie Relays
May 11 at Montezuma Relays
May 14 District
May 20-22 State
