Contributors: Nerd Junior and Nerd the Third
With Nerd Senior still away on vacation, brace yourself for another edition from the reserve squad.
Into The Record books
With the flood of outstanding marks set recently, we have decided to start a new section of the Nerdsletter devoted entirely to new Top 15 performances in State history. This week was jam-packed with such marks. Keep in mind that these are newly-minted (within the last week) Top 15 athletes. Those already with performances in the Top 15 at lower marks are not included.
Stella Miner, Westside, 4:53.90 - 5th all-time 1600m
Kate Campos, Lincoln Pius X, 43.76 - 6th all-time 300h
Jaci Sievers, Elkhorn South, 10:42.60 - 8th all-time 3200m
Lincoln High, 47.92 - 6th all-time 4x100 relay
Maria Kimpson, Papillion-La Vista South, 12-00 - 15th all-time Pole Vault
Sam Cappos, Lincoln East, 62-08.75 - 11th all-time Shotput
For all you data Nerds: Six new entries into the history books in a single week seems like a lot, right? It certainly is. We crunched the numbers to see just how impressive these athletes' collective performance was. Since 1970, there are an average of 5.7 Top-15 marks each individual year that currently qualify for the leaderboard. (For example, there are 19 marks from 2014 that still sit within the Top-15 Girls leaderboard. By taking that number from each year, we arrived at an average.) Over the last decade, the girls average has jumped to 11.6 marks. In 2022, Nebraska girls have already set 8 Top-15 marks, and 5 came during the last week. Championship season is still around the corner, so we may see 2022 rival 2014's all-time high of 19 leaderboard marks.
For reference, there have been 4 all-time boys marks set (Cappos, Hinrichs, Lloyd, C. Nelson) so far this year. The boys average over the last 10 years is 9.2, and the high is 15 (2007).
Harold Scott
Last Thursday, Nerd Junior and Nerd the Third were on site for the Harold Scott invite at Lincoln High. Touted as one of the most competitive meets of the year, the athletes delivered. We saw lightning-fast times and incredible marks in the field events. With the Trackfest and Harold Scott in the same week, we feel a little spoiled, but the fun doesn't stop this week.
In last week's edition of the Nerdsletter, we talked about the obstacles to having a version of Trackfest (a meet that accepts entries from all classes) that fields over half of the best athletes in each event. We mentioned scheduling as a challenge, as many coaches are hesitant to switch up a meet schedule that they've stuck to for many years, especially when they've found great meets. At the moment, Harold Scott seems like Trackfest's biggest hurdle to clear, because the meet is completely loaded. For many athletes, their best opportunity to compete against the best competition in the State is actually 45 minutes West of Papio South at Lincoln High. The meet is well-run, draws many of the top teams, and pools enough athletes to make every event competitive. As long as the Harold Scott Invite sticks around, there's no use for the top Class A teams to look elsewhere for competition, for better or worse.
We live-streamed both 1600 races on our Instagram with two separate angles. While the connection wasn't perfect, we hope we provided a new way for fans to enjoy following along. Alea Hardie of South Dakota, Stella Miner, and Jaci Sievers all went well under 5 minutes and Gabe Hinrichs and Braden Taylor duked it out to get under 4:20. Needless to say, these athletes lived up to the hype. Stay tuned for more live streams in the future. We have a feeling a few state records may be in jeopardy...
Professional Excellence
Every week we encounter top-tier high school athletes and witness the incredible things they do. However, we rarely encounter professionals. Erik Sowinski raced at the Musco Twilight in Iowa City, and Nerd the Third was on-site with Creighton University. This meet seemed like an odd time for a decorated professional to make an appearance until the announcer revealed that Sowinski was hitting a huge milestone. He ran his 199th sub 1:50 800 (quite a ways under 1:50) in preparation to run #200 at Drake Relays. For context, the Nebraska high school state record is 1:50.82. Needless to say, watching an athlete of that caliber is special.
New Leprechaun
An opportunity to highlight a former high school standout with their accomplishments in college always excites us. This past week, Notre Dame announced 4 new leprechauns as their student-mascots for next year. One of the four announced was Colin Mahoney, a former standout at Creighton Prep. Like many high school kids, he has a passion for school pride, so this role should fit him well.
Mahoney was often known as the most feared competitor in the state during his time at Prep. Whether this was due to his kick or his reckless use of his elbows, we can't quite say. He excelled quickly, qualifying for state track three times and was a part of the runner-up team at 2018 State XC. Colin is a close friend of the Nerds, and we wish him the best.
Senior Games
Some athletes just cannot shake the competitive nature from their bones, no matter how far removed they are from official competition. The 2022 National Senior Games begin this May in Florida. We suggested that Nerd Senior may have a decent chance in the 100+ age division if he would pick up some Vaporfly's, and that he should look into going. He, surprisingly, did not find this funny. However, Nebraska's own Dane Edwards, who was an All-American pole vaulter at Doane, will travel to Fort Lauderdale. He plans to compete in the long jump, high jump, and 100 meters. Despite the heavy workload, we have no doubt he will excel in each event. Good luck Dane!
For all the Dads out there
We're a little short on content this week, so we thought we'd spice things up and a section that Nerd Senior will love: Dad Jokes that we found online. Let's rock and roll.
My wife said I should do lunges to stay in shape. That would be a big step forward.
Today, my son asked "Can I have a book mark?" and I burst into tears. 11 years old and he still doesn't know my name is Brian.
As I handed my Dad his 50th birthday card, he looked at me with tears in his eyes and said,
“You know, one would have been enough.”
Daughter's boyfriend introduced himself to me and said "Hi sir, I'm David, nice to meet you".
He put out his hand and I said "David are you nervous?" He said no so I grabbed his hand, looked him in the eyes, and said "then why are you shaking?"
Notable Performances
Girls:
100: Dajaz Defrand (Lincoln High) 11.80, Kennedy Wade (Bennington) 12.26, Neryah Hekl (Lincoln High) 12.30, Avyn Urbanski (Northwest) 12.31, Emily Penne (South Sioux City) 12.34
100h: Reagan Nordhausen (Axtell) 15.13, Kate Campos (Pius X) 15.13, Paige Horne (Scottsbluff) 15.17, Grace Mustard (Columbus Scotus) 15.22, Tatum Bailey (Chadron) 15.29, Taylor Schuster (LSW) 15.30
200: Story Rasby (Sutherland), 25.18, Kennedy Wade (Bennington) 25.38, Lademi Davies (Westside) 25.50, Avyn Urbanski (Northwest) 25.81, Blake Barcel (Columbus Lakeview) 25.86
300h: Kate Campos (Pius X) 43.76, Jaida Rowe (LSW) 44.69, Adrianna Rodencal (Lincoln Lutheran) 45.14, Nyasia Thomas (Omaha North) 45.96, Taylor Schuster (LSW) 46.79, Morgan Glaser (Papio) 47.47, Kinslee Bosak (Bishop Neumann) 47.50, Kate Langford (Bennington) 47.54
400: Story Rasby (Sutherland) 58.07, Laney Kathol (Hartington CC) 58.85, Sydney Glause (Fremont) 59.88, Brooke Rose (Gretna) 60.03, Isabella Fleming (Bellevue West0 60.18, Vivian Dalton (Pius X) 60.28
800: Brianna Rinn (LSW) 2:16.74, Laney Kathol (Hartington CC) 2:21.45, Lucy Dillon (Fremont) 2:21.61, Lauren Blehm (LSW) 2:23.13, Jordyn Wissing (LE) 2:24.51
1600: Stella Miner (Westside) 4:53.90, Jaci Sievers (Elkhorn South) 4:57.75, Claire White (Westside) 5:08.95, Mia Murray (LE) 5:11.02, Berlyn Schutz (LE) 5:13.16, Deavion Deleon (PLS) 5:16.51
3200: Jaci Sievers (Elkhorn South) 10:42.6, Kassidy Stuckey (York) 11:21.71, Jordyn Arens (Crofton) 11:28.52, Sadye Daniell (Lincoln Christian) 11:35.77, Isabella Bricker (Gretna) 11:37.60, Abby Deutsch (LSW) 11:42.29
Long Jump: Lademia Davies (Westside) 18-06.25, Karsyn Leeling (Sidney) 18-03.75, Ella Gardner (Superior) 17-11.50, Amari Laing (Millard South) 17-09.00, Hannah Madden (Bennington) 17-06.00, Mariyah Avila (Scottsbluff) 17-05.50
Triple Jump: Rosalyn Roggasch (Kearney Catholic) 37-02.75, Ella Gardner (Superior) 36-11.00, Lilee Kaasch (Millard South) 36-09.25, Lademi Davies (Westside) 36-05.75, Mia Rowe (Lexington) 35-11.25
High jump: EJ Brown (Elkhorn South) 5-05.00, Paige Crawford (Centura) 5-04.00, Bianca Martinez (Central) 5-04.00
Pole Vault: Maria Kimpson (PLS) 12-00, Marissa Rerucha (Grand Island CC) 11-06, Tayler Evans (Gretna) 11-06, Kennedy Stanley (Syracuse) 11-00, Ellyson Dutoit (Elkhorn North) 10-10, Mikya Lierman (Fairbury) 10-09, Chayse Friehe (McCook) 10-06
Shotput: Elly Piper (Pierce) 44-08, Kinsley Ragland (LNS) 43-00, Katharine Beachler (Millard North) 41-11.25, Shaye Butler (Hastings St. Cecilia) 39-09
Discus: Shayla Meyer (Superior) 145-05, Madison Smith (Gothenburg) 142-05, Jozy Piper (Pierce) 142-01, Lovely Hibbert (Seward) 140-05, Emmily Berglund (Shelton) 140-00, Olivia Poppert (St. Paul) 137-04, Elly Piper (Pierce) 131-03
Boys:
100: Jaylen Lloyd (Central) 10.68, Luke Holly (Sidney) 10.84, Malachi Coleman (LE) 10.88, Kyrell Jordan (BW) 11.10, Dominic Sedlacek (Gretna) 11.12, LJ Richardson (BW) 11.14, Christian Nash (Millard South) 11.16
100h: D'Andre Ndugwa (Kearney) 14.28, Tyler Carroll (Central City) 14.63, Noah Smith (Gretna) 14.70, Evan Shepherd (Ashland-Greenwood) 14.73, Gage Fries (Minden) 14.74, Jackson Roberts (Boone Central) 14.90, Caden Joneson (North Platte) 15.01, Kamdyn Swartz (Bishop Neumann) 15.02, Keaton Wattier (O'Neill) 15.04
200: Jaylen Lloyd (Central) 21.89, Jack Gillogly (Creighton Prep), 22.04, Zyon Know (Omaha North) 22.08, Dominic Sedlacek (Gretna) 22.19, Andrew Jones (Creighton Prep) 22.19, Kyrell Jordan (BW) 22.21, Qwentin Coble (Broken Bow) 22.24, Wesley Okafor (Westside) 22.31
300h: Dash Bauman (LE) 40.41, Andrew Brown (Central) 40.42, JP Mattern (Pius X) 40.43, Jackson Roberts (Boone Central) 40.55, Curtis Tchibozo (Omaha Northwest) 40.56, Ian Young (Central) 40.56
400: Tyson Baker (Fremont) 49.90, Christian Lanphier (Creighton Prep) 49.99, Asher Jenkins (BW) 50.17, Gabe Miles (LE) 50.40, Isaiah Zelasney (Osceola) 50.75, Micah Moore (Fremont) 50.89
800: Ahmed Muse (Central) 1:56.77, Ben Alberts (GICC) 1:58.75, Nolan Miller (Fremont) 1:59.02, Nolan Slominski (Blair) 1:59.37, Tyson Baker (Fremont) 1:59.69, Grant Dixon (Elkhorn South) 1:59.98
1600: Gabe Hinrichs (Elkhorn South) 4:13.17, Braden Taylor (Fremont) 4:18.32, Colby Erdkamp (Gretna) 4:19.45, Joe Volkmer (LE) 4:26.37, Juan Gonzalez (Fremont) 4:27.60
3200: Gabe Hinrichs (Elkhorn South) 9:12.25, Carson Noecker (Hartington CC) 9:18.58, Carter Waters (Fremont) 9:21.34, Isaac Graff (LE) 9:29.56, Colby Erdkamp (Gretna) 9:37.44, Luke Bonifas (Adams Central) 9:48.74, Evan Liewer (Gretna) 9:50.19
Long Jump: Jaylen Lloyd (Central) 23-05.75, Chayton Bynes (Chadron) 22-05, Cameron Leeling (Sidney) 21-11.50, Kaden Miller (Kearney) 21-11.25, Donte Koif (North Platte) 21-10.75. Carsen Staehr (Aurora) 21-07.75
Triple Jump: Reece Grosserode (Pius X) 47-02.50, Jaylen Lloyd (Central) 46-11, Carsen Staehr (Aurora) 44-00.50,Alex Messinger (McCook) 43-10, James Gninefou (Skutt) 43-07
High Jump: Landon Olson (Battle Creek) 6-09, Aiden Welch (LSW) 6-05, Jensen Anderson (Hastings St. Cecilia) 6-04
Pole Vault: Paul Lampert (Creighton Prep) 15-00, Jack Oettinger (North Platte) 14-06, Caleb Vokes (Northwest) 13-09, Brody Ridder (Brokem Bow) 13-09, Mayson Ostermeyer (Crofton) 13-08, Bryce Hodsden (Mitchell) 13-06
Shotput: Sam Cappos (LE) 62-08.75, Gage Griffith (Aurora) 54-06.50, Arden Jenkins (BW) 53-08.25, Kade Pieper (Norfolk Catholic) 53-04, Sam Thomas (Elkhorn North) 53-00.75
Discus: Nic Davis (North Platte) 182-08, J'Dyn Bullion (Central) 175-05, Caiden Fredrick (PLS) 169-10, Gage Griffith (Aurora) 164-02, Luke Porter (St. Paul) 163-05, Sam Cappos (LE) 163-05, Landon Ternus (Columbus Lakeview) 162-06
Photos
The photos just keep on coming. We're still learning a lot along the way, and seeing the great work of so many other talented photographers is helping us to up our game. Our goal this year is to get a cool picture of every athlete this year at State, so we've been using the last few months as the buildup to Burke just like the athletes.
The Nerd team was able to shoot and post photos for the Harold Scott Invite last week (with a bonus meet at Drake). Our photos are posted on our Facebook account at www.facebook.com/preprunningnerd or you can just go to our website at https://www.preprunningnerd.com/pictures and find links to all of the meets we've attended in the last two years.
Coming up
We have surpassed the halfway point of the season with about 4 weeks until the State meet at Burke. Most athletes are just rounding into top shape, so we will be on-site for multiple meets this week, including the Lincoln City meet and Benson. The rising excitement level is palpable, as many teams are competing in their conference championships either this week or the next. The hype just keeps building for Burke, and we cannot wait.
And don't worry, Nerd Senior returns this evening. We've kept this ship afloat in his absence, but our backs are starting to hurt. Expect your normal dose of content next Wednesday.
Commitment list
We continue to add to our commitment list https://www.preprunningnerd.com/post/class-of-2022-commitment-list. If you or your favorite athlete isn't on the list, shoot us a DM or e-mail jayslagle@hotmail.com with the info.
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Originally written for and posted at www.preprunningnerd.com by Jay Slagle. Did you love reading about Nebraska high school running? Visit www.preprunningnerd.com for rankings, results, photos, long-form articles, frequent updates on our blog page, and a bunch of other cool stuff that only running nerds would think to do. If you want to see meet photos or just need to kill a few hours on social media, follow @PrepRunningNerd on Twitter and Instagram, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/preprunningnerd.