Staff writer
It didn’t take long to christen the new track at Warrior Stadium with a league title. The Marion boys’ track and field team were hoisting a Heart of America League title less than 24 hours after the final touches were put on the ring Warriors track hopes to call home for many years to come.
Marion finished with 106 team points, enough to beat second-place Berean by 11 points.
The Warriors were led by senior Kyle Palic, whose first-place finish in discus and third-place finishes in shot put and javelin accounted for 22 individual points.
Senior Seth Snelling took the title in pole vault and placed second in the 400 meters.
Freshman Jack Schneider had what head coach Grant Thierolf called “a breakout day” in the sprints, finished second in both the 100 and the 200, by a combined 0.5 seconds.
The boys’ 4x400 relay team of Brad Stone, Tyler Arocha, Schneider, and Snelling placed second.
Stone finished second in the 300 hurdles and third in the 110 hurdles. Arocha took third in the 400.
Bryce Shults took third in pole vault and Nicholas Stuchlik took third in high jump.
“We had contributions in every area of the meet and it was a great way for us to usher in our new track,” Thierolf said.
Girls’ take 3rd
The Marion girls didn’t manage to win their first home meet on the new surface but did have some excellent performances on their way to a third-place finish.
Sophomore Marissa Jacobson placed first in triple jump and third in the 400, and was fourth in long jump as well.
Junior Marshelle Mermis matched Jacobson’s individual point total with second-place finishes in the 200 and the 400 and a fourth-place 100 performance.
Kristen Herzet took second in shot put and discus, but did not place in javelin.
“Kristen Herzet had a solid day in the throws, not the kind of day she hoped for but she scored a bunch of points for us nonetheless,” Thierolf said.
The Warriors scored 96 points, 14 shy of Hutchinson Trinity’s meet-winning 110.
Kirsten Hansen placed second in pole vault, with Erika Hess third. Hess also “kind of volunteered to run the 300 hurdles,” Thierolf said, and placed fifth.
The regional track meet will be Friday.