Staff writer
Look no further than the Thierolf family for an example of the Marion High School track team’s success Friday at its 3A regional track meet in Hillsboro.
Freshman Kaelyn Thierolf dominated the 1600-meter and 3200-meter runs. She lapped a competitor in the 3200 to win the race with a time of 12 minutes, 33.73 seconds. She was 26 seconds faster and more than 100 meters in front of the second-place finisher.
Thierolf won the 1600 by more than 8 seconds. She led both races after separating from the pack after the first turn of the track, about 100 meters into the race.
Although she won the 3200 easily, Thierolf was partially disappointed with herself that she did not set a new personal record in the event. Thierolf had set new PRs in the 1600 and 3200 the past three consecutive meets. With no one close enough to push her Friday, Thierolf scaled back her effort to avoid an injury.
Midway through this season, after adjusting to the large disparity between middle school and varsity high school competition, Thierolf decided she was tired of not setting PRs every week.
Thierolf’s high standards for her performance fueled her uncommon work ethic. Even in the middle of the most grueling Warrior practices — Tuesdays running eight 200-meter dashes at full speed with only 8 seconds of rest in between — Thierolf keeps up with her teammates. Being the only female distance runner on the team, they just so happen to be older boys such as fellow state qualifier sophomore Jordan Hett and senior Jacob Cope.
“You don’t need to motivate her,” distance running coach Jeff McMillin said. “She works harder than anybody else. She’s knocked 30 to 45 seconds off her time. She takes this seriously and it shows.”
The combination of consistent extra effort and talent led to an oddly dominant performance by a freshman in the long distance running events at a state qualifying meet.
“I wouldn’t have expected it, being a freshman,” Thierolf said. “But looking at the times (before the meet) I knew where I should be.”
Marion’s head coach, Grant Thierolf, said during Kaelyn’s race he was acting as a father first and was proud of the success of his daughter.
“As a dad you are excited,” coach Thierolf said. “You’re a dad first. You’re excited for the one that makes and you hurt for the one that doesn’t.”
The coach’s son, senior Connor Thierolf, was one of a group of unfortunate Warriors who performed well but were swallowed up in a regional featuring state champion-quality competition.
Connor placed fifth in the javelin with a throw of 164 feet. It was a personal best throw and he moved into fourth place until Matt Seiwert of Conway Springs bested Connor on the next throw, 168-7.
“Connor did exactly what he needed to do today,” coach Thierolf said. “He threw his best throw ever. These things happen sometimes.”
Clay Wires of Lyons won the event with a throw of 184-11, only 10 feet meters behind the all-time Kansas State High School Athletic Association mark. Derek Racette of Hutchinson Trinity was second with a throw of 176-02, just barely defeating 2010 state champion Sione Siale of Chaparral, 173-03.
“Connor has worked really hard,” Kaelyn said of her older brother. “Before, he never a got a lot of medals at meets and he’s won a lot this year. You always want your siblings to do well.”
Connor was not the only Warrior to come up tantalizingly short.
Although Colten Johnson qualified for state in the pole vault with a jump of 12-6 good enough for fourth place, seniors and 2010 state competitors Randy Regnier and Dillon Richmond did not. Regnier placed fifth with a jump of 11-6.
Freshman Katey Ehrlich also placed fifth in the 300 hurdles with a time of 50.54, a personal record.
“Fifth place is the hardest place in the world,” coach Thierolf said. “I told them, if you place in this regional you’re probably going to place at state.”
Eleven Warriors set personal bests during the regional meet; only three are moving on to state.
Despite the disappointments for the senior class, the day was largely successful for Marion.
Kaelyn Thierolf led the way for a group of freshman and sophomore Warriors that qualified for the state track meet Friday and Saturday in Wichita.
Sophomore Corey Shields placed second in the shot put with a throw of 34-.25. After the throw — her last of the event —coach Thierolf gave Shields a celebratory hug.
“It always exciting,” coach Thierolf said of seeing an athlete qualify for the state meet for the first time. “You hope as a sophomore, it just gives Corey that emphasis to keep going and improving.”
Another young Warrior who caught the coach’s appreciation was sophomore Patrick McCarty’s performance in the 400. McCarty placed fourth with a time of 51.93. While another sophomore, Rhys Powell of Wichita Collegiate bested McCarty by less than a second, two seniors placed first and second in the race. Coach Thierolf said the 400 is an event that is usually won by seniors because it requires more strength and endurance than other sprints.
“He’s worked awfully hard at it,” coach Thierolf said of McCarty. “We’ve always known he was fast, we just didn’t know he was this fast.”
Last season, McCarty did not run the 400 and 200 for the Warriors, instead running the 800 as a part of the state qualifying 4x800 team with Eric Vogel, Hett, and Ryan Jones.
“He sacrificed running the sprints,” coach Thierolf said. “We just asked him to do what was best for the team.”
Like Shields, coach Thierolf hopes qualifying for state will encourage McCarty to continue working hard in the weight room to add needed strength to transform a good time in the event into a potential state-title contending time.
“He started lifting weights this year,” Thierolf said of McCarty.
Although this will be his second appearance at state in two years, Hett is also a sophomore. Hett finished third in the 1600 with a time of 4:37.94. He also pushed Hillsboro senior Joel Allen to the limit in the 3200, a race Allen has not lost this season.
The two runners had seen each other in previous meets. Hett previously ran a personal best April 21 at Halstead with a time of 10:15, but Allen ran away from the field with a time under 10 minutes.
“He was really more concerned about the guy who was in second,” Allen said of Hett.
That was not the case Friday. Hett stayed bunched at the front of the race with Allen through seven laps of the race.
“When I felt him there, I thought maybe he’ll fade after the sixth lap,” Allen said. “It’s probably the best race he’s ran all year. It was kind of a surprise.”
Allen was really surprised when Hett made his move to kick with 100 meters left in the race. Hett moved to the inside of the track to move into first place for approximately five meters before Allen turned on the jets to pass Hett in the last 50 meters. The Hillsboro senior won the race with a time of 10:08.81; Hett set a new personal best with a time of 10:10.39.
“I tip my hat to him; he did a good job,” Allen said of Hett. “I underestimated him and I shouldn’t have. He’s young and good, and he’s putting in the work.”
Freshman Alicia Maloney placed third in the pole vault with a jump of 7-6.
Junior Whitney Gordon set a personal best mark in the high jump, 5-4, to tie for first. It will be Gordon’s second consecutive trip to state competing in the high jump.
“She has worked hard for that jump,” coach Thierolf said of Gordon.
Other results
3200 — 8. Cope, 10:523.47, PR
800 — 17. Michael Kirkpatrick, 2:15.08, PR
4x400 relay — 7. James Jones, Brody Carroll, Richmond, McCarty, 3:37.97
Shot put — 12. Alex Young, 30-04.75, PR
Discus — 8. Brandi Ludwig, 89-03, PR
Long jump — 12. Mikael Antoszyk, 19-11.75, PR; 16. Jordan Versch, 19-6.25, PR
Triple jump — 11. Antoszyk, 39-5, PR