Bearcat Track & Field News
KHS track wins in Omaha [04/16/2010]
By STU POSPISL World-Herald Staff Writer
OMAHA — With three events to be scored Thursday, Kearney’s 17-year winning streak in boys track invitational meets was hanging by a thread. Lincoln North Star was within two points of the Bearcats, Millard West within eight.
To the rescue came the Wolfpack distance runners, with backup from the shot putters on the hill above the Burke Stadium track at the Dick Jones Invitational hosted by Omaha Central.
Jacob Olson took second and Nolan Zimmer third in the 3,200, then word came that Alex Johnson and Zach Maloley also had gone 2-3 in the shot put. Meet over.
Kearney’s 120th consecutive win, not counting state meets, came on a 124-102 cushion over North Star.
Bearcat coach Roger Mathiesen, after one of the closest calls for his team since the early 2000s at the Omaha North Invitational against Omaha Benson, said his middle-distance runners especially were the reason the streak lives.
Kearney went 1-4-5, led by winner Keathen Fertig, in the 800 and Olson and junior Mike Currin went 1-2 in the 1,600.
Olson ran the 3,200 after winning the 1,600. Zimmer, like Olson a sophomore, dropped 15 seconds off his personal best in the 3,200 and so did junior Matthias Wollberg, who took sixth.
“We came into the year knowing we had to fill a lot of spots off last year’s championship team,” Mathiesen said. “We didn’t expect this team to improve like it has.
“This streak means a lot to us. I’ve said it’s harder to keep going than winning state titles, because it can take as few as five guys to win state.”
Fertig, a senior, and Olson were the only event winners for the Bearcats.
Thursday’s meet also belonged to LaQue Moen-Davis, the Omaha North junior who went 42 feet, 1½ inches in the triple jump to take the national lead and better the all-class best of 41-0 by Rochelle Schmidt of Republican Valley in 2000 and the state record of 40-5½ by Jaime Volkmer of Kearney Catholic in 1999. Moen-Davis also has the first 42-foot mark of the season among the nation’s schoolgirls.
“I was shocked,” Moen-Davis said. “I was jumping up and down when they said the distance. Now I have to keep going, I guess, and go for something in the 43s.”
Moen-Davis also set the Class A record in the long jump at 19-2¾, topping the 19-½ by Kelli Dring of Kearney in 2005. Moen-Davis has a personal best of 19-6, but it was wind-aided, from last season.
A third meet record came in the 100 hurdles, in which she ran 14.52. A fourth gold Thursday in the meet at Burke Stadium hosted by Omaha Central was in the high jump at 5-6, missing a record there by one inch.
“I’m just happy I got everything else,” she said.
Kearney’s girls, with 74 points and three second-place finishers, were fourth behind team champion Millard West. Katie Smith, although joining Moen-Davis in clearing 5-6 in the high jump, lost on criteria. Jordyn Dahlke was second in the 1,600 and Courtney Coslor in the triple jump.