Staff writer
Only two Goessel High School Bluebirds on this year’s boys track team earned experience last year at the state track meet in Wichita.
Senior John Berkholz hopes to repeat as a participant in the sprinting events this year. He ran the open 400-meter dash last year at the prestigious state meet and earned sixth place in the 2A class last year. He also ran one leg in the 4x400 relay and placed fourth last May at Wichita.
Senior Laird Goertzen will try to earn a spot in the distance events this year. Last year, Goertzen placed 15th on the big stage and hopes to be as competitive this year when the Bluebirds compete in the 1A class. He was the only Goessel runner to compete in the 5-kilometer state cross-country meet this past fall and finished 29th out of 93 runners.
Coach Curtis Guhr will try to develop the team into a contender for the Wheat State League championship. Goessel will host a league meet May 12. The talent on the team will be evaluated at each meet. The track season opens with the first meet April 5 at Marion.
Four return
Goessel High School girls track team members Jessica Harvey and Jennifer Van Horn were on relay teams that earned positions on the medals’ stand last year at the state track meet.
Van Horn ran a leg in the 4x400 relay team that earned one point with a seventh-place finish. Harvey earned points in the 4x400 relay and the 4x800 relay gathering seventh and sixth-place medals, respectively.
Tia Goertzen returns after an amazing freshman season where she qualified in two individual events in last year’s state meet. A seventh-place finish in the 300-meter hurdles and a 13th place in the triple jump bring back memories for the sophomore.
Britny Czarnowsky hopes to earn a spot again at the state meet where she finished 14th last year in the 3200-meter run and was the only Goessel runner to qualify for the state cross-country meet this fall.
Goessel competed in the 2A class last year and has moved to 1A for this season.
The first Bluebird track meet will be April 5 at Marion.