Comets Cole, Martin, Feller, Foxen NEIC champs

CC girls finish 3rd; Comet boys 6th

By Eric Hoefer

Press Correspondent

WAUKON — The Northeast Iowa Conference track and field meet carries with it each year some extra special qualities.

Among them: flocks of fans supporting each team, every coach’s best lineup, a public address announcer who relates to those in attendance what’s happening before the crowd’s very eyes during each race, a few extra nerves, and, ultimately, fantastic performances from the area’s best track and field athletes.

All of those were on display Thursday night in Waukon at the 2016 version of the NEIC meet.

Head Comet girls track coach Darren Bohlen knew his team would be running against perennial powerhouse Decorah last night.

“Decorah just has too much depth for everyone else,” Bohlen said.

His prognostication proved to be correct as the Vikings won their 12th consecutive NEIC girls title with 190 points. New Hampton was a distant second with 115.

The Comet girls were third, totaling 104 points. Waverly-Shell Rock’s 85 points were good for fourth, Waukon was fifth with 55, and Crestwood was sixth with 37. Oelwein scored 3 points in the meet.

“New Hampton and Waverly are similar to us, and we knew it would be a good battle for second,” remarked Bohlen.

McKayla Cole earned two conference titles, winning the 3,000-meter run and the 1,500-meter run. Cole also finished second in the 800 meter race.

The junior was thrilled with the chance to compete last evening.

“It was nice being able to run the 3,000 in a fast relaxed pace,” said Cole after recording a winning time of 11:06.08.

In comparison, the talented Cole ran the same race in 10:30.55 exactly one week earlier as she finished 21st at the Drake Relays.

A little over 90 minutes later, she was back at it in the 800 meter.

“The 800 didn’t go as planned,” lamented Cole, “but I learned that I need to go out from start and make it mind over matter.”

To end her night, Cole won the 1,500 meter race by over three seconds.

“The 1,500 was a great end to my night with a PR (personal record),” Cole said.

Sara Martin brought home two individual conference championships in the throws. The junior won the discus with a toss of 107 feet 1 inch and the shot put with a throw of 36 feet 5 ¾ inches.

The Comet 4 x 800 meter relay team of Gillian King, Kennedi Rowlands, Makayla Nierling, and Bailey Mitchell took third, while the shuttle hurdle team consisting of Brianna Carey, Tayler Schmidt, Shay Carolan, and Sadie Ruzicka finished fifth.

The tandem of Shae Etherington, Ruzicka, Hanna Bjelica, and Whitney Martin finished as the conference runner up in the girls distance medley, while Schmidt finished fourth in the 100 meter hurdles.

King took fifth in the 400 meter dash, and the 4 x 200 team of Melany Pleggenkuhle, Carolan, Rowlands, and Troi Mayhorn scored a 6th place finish.

It was Schmidt again the 400 meter low hurdles, this time earning a fifth place finish, and the sprint medley relay team of Marissa Deeter, Etherington, Pleggenkuhle, and Rowlands, also took fifth.

The 4-by-100 team of Pleggenkuhle, Ruzicka, Etherington, and Mayhorn earned fifth, and a third place finish in the 4-by-400-meter race by King, Bjelica, Nierling, and Mitchell.

Sierra Walker was fifth in the high jump, and Sydney Loeckle finished third in the shot put with a throw of 34 feet 7 inches.

Bohlen took one last look at the conference meet before switching gears to see where the state qualifying meet might take him and his team.

“It was a great night weather wise, and that helped the girls earn their best times of the season in several events,“ remarked Bohlen.

“The girls gave their best effort, and that’s all you can ask for.”

“For next week, we’ll change a few things around in hopes of qualifying as many events as possible for state. I believe we can push for upwards of ten events to qualify.”   

Decorah was also the favorite on the boys side of things going in to last night’s meet. They did not disappoint, winning handily with 139 points.

Waukon was second with 93 ½. Waverly-Shell Rock earned third with 78 ½. New Hampton had 71, Crestwood scored 64, Charles City had 63, and Oelwein netted 47.

“We knew Decorah was the deepest team in the conference, and they featured solid athletes in just about every event,”Comet boys coach Ryan Rahmiller said.

“We also knew due to some injuries and our lack of depth in a few areas, it was going to take a monumental team effort if we hoped to finish in the top three.”

The Comet boys had two conference champions on the night. Shane Feller won the long jump with a leap of 21 feet 1 inch, and Bryce Foxen took the 110 meter high hurdle crown in 15.45 seconds.

“I felt really good coming in to tonight, and I felt after my second jump that I had a shot at winning it,” said Feller, who will attend Drake University in the fall and play football for the Bulldogs .

“I scratched on my last four jumps, but they all would have been longer than my winning jump. I am really excited about what next Thursday (at the state qualifying meet) will bring.”

Feller has long enjoyed competing in the long jump during his four years as a Comet.

“I like the event because it takes a big combination of skill and speed. It’s important to have all the energy coming in, and then transferring that energy into the actual jump is incredibly important and hard to master.

“My older brother (Adam) was a great long jumper. I loved watching him jump down at state, so it’s always been one of my favorite events.”

Foxen, who earned a trip to state in the high hurdles last year, led last night’s race from start to finish.

“I was really excited to get the chance to compete for a conference title,” Foxen said. “I was nervous but confident going in that I could put together a decent time. By the fifth hurdle, I felt like I was having a really good race.“

Foxen appreciates hurdling much like Feller does jumping.

“The hurdles are such a combination of speed, strength, mental toughness, and finesse,” Foxen remarked. “When that all comes together, it’s tremendous to watch, and even more fun to run.

“The highs take an extra degree of mental preparation to put together a solid race. It’s just a special event that takes a lot of practice. It’s nice seeing my practice pay off.“

Rahmiller had nothing but praise for his senior hurdler.

“Bryce Foxen is one of the hardest working athletes I’ve ever been around,” commended the Comet head coach. “I love the kid. He’s more than an athlete to his team. He’s a mentor and a coach too. “

Gavin Connell finished second in the 3200 meter run. The shuttle hurdle team of Foxen, Dylan Koresh, Jon Zander, and Adam Stewart ran a season’s best on their way to a third place finish.

Feller placed third in the 100 meter dash. The team of Tyler Brockney, Zion Jordan, Adam Stewart, and Nate Baltes ran a season’s best 4×200 meter relay while finishing 6th.

Zander earned third in the 1600 meter run, and the quartet of Foxen, Stewart, Feller, and Connell took home a silver in the 1600 medley relay.

Zander earned a 5th in the 800 meter run, and Noah Robbins took home 5th place finishes in both the shot put and discus.

“The NEIC meet is traditionally tough, and tonight was no different,” Rahmiller said afterwards. “We’re not a deep team this year, and it shows down the stretch in a meet.

“We’re not going to get any breaks at the state qualifying meet either, as it’s perhaps one of the toughest in the state.”

Rahmiller always looks at the big picture.

“We’re lucky to coach kids that always step up to the challenge. They’ll give it everything they have, and they’re excited to get to compete at home – especially the seniors.

“We wouldn’t trade this group for anything in the world,” said Rahmiller. “They are amazing people and competitors. They’re great representatives of our community.”