Zeiner wins all four events; sets meet record
Sports editor
Marion High School track and field athletes could be dealing with sore necks after Friday’s performance.
A league championship for the boys and second-place finish for the girls at Sterling High School brought some heavy hardware their way.
As long as they don’t wear all of their medals this week, injuries should not be a concern.
“That’s a major story for this group of kids to win an MCAA championship,” said head coach Grant Thierolf. “For them to persevere through it all … is just a real pleasant thing to see.”
In all, 23 Warriors earned 51 individual or relay medals on the day.
The boys racked up 120 points and finished 14 points ahead of second place Hesston. Five first-place medals contributed to the victory.
Elliot Hett earned two in the 110- and 300-meter hurdle events, Nick Klenda won the discus toss, Tylor Neil was long jump league champion, and Luke Gordon out-leapt everyone in the high jump.
Hett and Leppke each earned four medals, while Ryan Jones and Neil had three.
Ten girls earned at least one individual or relay medal, lead by Julia Zeiner’s four golds.
The junior won the 300m hurdles, 200m dash, and long and triple jumps.
She has now won more than 20 gold medals this season.
However, the boys stole the spotlight for the day with their big victory.
Brad Klenda and Colten Johnson gave the Warriors the lead Thursday with 14 points in the pole vault event. It was held at Marion because Sterling did not have a pole-vaulting area. Klenda took first and Johnson was fifth.
“It was a blast to isolate that event and get those kids the recognition they deserve,” Thierolf said.
Jumpers Hett, Neil, and Drew Maddox then decided to show everyone who had the best track and field athletes on the day.
The trio took the top three spots in the long jump and set personal bests along the way.
“The long jumpers got together and said, ‘We need to step it up’,” Thierolf said.
They stepped it up to the tune of 24 points for their team.
“It was the last event before running and it kind of spring-boarded us,” Theirolf said.
From there Hett and the rest of the runners finished the competition.
The Warriors earned six medals in running events.
Senior Mitchell Leppke was fourth in the 100m dash with a time of 11.4 seconds. He also placed second in the javelin, and part of the third-place 4x100 relay team and fifth-place 4x400 team.
Adam Regnier and Ryan Jones earned the other individual running medals. Regnier was second in the 800m run, and Jones took fourth in the 1600.
“The kids were focused and concentrated,” Thierolf said of the runners.
The 4x800 team also earned a third-place finish.
Theirolf said the tough competition in the MCAA prepares athletes for regionals and state.
“I feel pretty confident going into regionals,” he said.
He also should feel confident with Zeiner.
The junior continued her dominating form again winning without even being pushed.
Zeiner’s four medals didn’t include the Warriors’ fifth-place finish in the 4x100. Zeiner was a part of the state champion squad a year ago. However, Theirolf decided to use her in four individual events instead.
He said the regional 4x100 squad would not be decided until right before Friday’s home regional.
An athlete only can compete in four events at state, and right now, that might not include the 4x100 for Zeiner.
“It would be nice to have them there and defend the state championship, but we have to do the best we can to win a state track meet,” Thierolf said. “We’ll see where that fits to Julia’s advantage.”
Thierolf does know she will be competing in the long jump after not only setting a meet record with a leap of 39 feet even, but it was the 12th-longest jump in state history — all classes included.
However, the team didn’t take second with only points from Zeiner.
Freshman Whitney Gordon did her part in her first league meet, taking second in the high jump and fifth in the 100m hurdles.
Junior Danae Edwards was sixth in the 200 and 400m dashes, and Kristen Steinborn, the only thrower on the girls’ team, was sixth in the javelin. Edwards and Steinborn’s classmate Kayley Heerey, who has been battling an injury, was fifth in the 100m dash.
Distance runners, including seniors Amanda Richmond, Roxann Ross, and Camille Christensen, did their part as well.
Christensen was second in the 3200 and fourth in the 1600, while Richmond and Ross were part of the third-place 4x800 team.
“I was really pleased with the girls,” Thierolf said. “I thought the three seniors gave everything they could to win a league championship.”
Richmond has been running through knee pain most of the season. Thierolf said it shows how much of a competitor the senior has been.
“I really appreciate that as a coach,” he said. “It’s not easy to run when your legs don’t feel well.”
Whether it’s been running, throwing, or jumping both Warrior squads have made the year fun for the coaching staff Thierolf said.
“We try to let them know that hard work does pay off,” he said.
That could be said especially for the boys and the senior class that captured the first MCAA title in Marion’s five years of competition in the league.
“They stayed with it, and worked hard at it and cared about one another,” Theirolf said of his senior class. “It’s kind of nice to see them exit with a league championship.”
Regionals are set for Friday with 16 teams competing at Warrior Stadium.