They were busy running from event to event, but they were also productive Tuesday evening during the NSU Open indoor track and field meet at the Barnett Center.
A group of athletes found success on short notice with little time to catch their breath.
Groton’s Ethan Kroll, who won the long jump earlier in the meet, went from the triple jump to helping his team win the 400-meter relay with little break in between.
“Well, sometimes that’s what you got to do. You just got to go and run,” Kroll said. “We tried to convince (our coach) to let us not run it, but he wouldn’t let it slide. It’s a nice workout. It gets you in good shape.”
Not that Kroll ever gets out of shape. A member of the Groton basketball team that played in the State A tourney, the sophomore was given a week off like all of his basketball teammates.
“Personally, I didn’t go for a day and then I went back,” Kroll said. “I didn’t want to get out of shape and then have to come back to track.”
While Kroll enjoys competing in a variety of events, he said the 1,600-meter relay is probably his favorite.
“The 4X4 is always fun. That’s what the say, the race of the day,” Kroll said. “Everybody’s cheering you on. Everybody’s up on their feet and clapping, and yelling at you. I’d say that’s probably one of my favorites.”
Kroll wasn’t the only athlete on the go.
Jalyssa Hutson of Ipswich captured the pole vault title, but not without an appearance in the 200-meter dash in between jumps.
The two-time defending State B champion, edged Aberdeen Central’s Breckan Santjer on jumps.
“It was definitely exhilarating, but it was really difficult because I ran the 200 in the middle of warmups,” Hutson said. “So I was nervous about, because (Santjer) had a whole foot more than me as a PR. I just had to go and do it with a good mindset, and do the best I could.”
Hutson, who also tied for second in the high jump, was also faced with the challenge of moving to a new pole throughout the competition.
“You jump from pole to pole and every pole is new, every pole is different,” Hutson said. “You treat it, brand new clean slate. You just got to take what you’re given and run with it.”
Hutson uses the indoor season just to get back into the swing of things and prepare for the outdoor campaign.
“Indoors is just putting your toes in the water, figuring things out, what’s right for you, what’s good for you,” Hutson said, “just getting those tactics and tendencies down.”
Then there was Aberdeen Roncalli’s Addison Cassady, who barely finished competing in the 1,600-meter run before she ran in the 400-meter relay.
When informed that was a quick turnaround, Cassady responded, “Oh my goodness, tell me about it. I did it last week, too. It was rough.”
The indoor schedule is much different than the outdoor one and Cassady would normally have much more of a break between events.
“Hopefully when we get outdoors, it will be spread out a little bit, more in my zone,” Cassady said.
While the elements can sometimes present a challenge outdoors, the sophomore would much rather compete in that than being indoors.
“It is a lot different competing indoors and outdoors,” Cassady said. “I completely love running outdoors better, being in the sun and the wind.”
Frederick’s Hunter Kern also had a full day, competing in the 55-meter dash, the 200-meter dash and the 400-meter relay. He finished second in the 200.
The senior said the biggest part of track and field is not even being in shape.
“Mental is the biggest thing in my opinion,” said Kern, specifically referring to the 200 dash. “You’re fighting yourself the last 100 meters of the race. You gotta fight yourself, and you gotta know that you can push through and that you can do it.”
Kern enjoyed competing in the 55 dash, “because it’s short and I don’t run out of stamina that much.”
Kern was part of a relay team that finished ninth at state last season, just one spot from being on the podium, and nearly broke a school record, “so hopefully place at state this year,” he said.
The indoor meet was Roncalli’s second and last of the season. Cavaliers coach Mark Stone said the focus was on improvement over last week.
“We’re improved from last week,” Stone said. “I’m sure all coaches do this, but we just simply say to our athletes, if you’re competing in the same events this week, compete against yourself and what your performance was last week. Don’t worry about a place, don’t worry about anything, but just compete against yourself.”
Stone noted some of his athletes had personal record performances on Tuesday.
“Whether or not that comes with a medal or whatever, a PR does mean something,” Stone said, “because we ask them to try to be better week to week.”
The coach challenges his athletes to push themselves to be the best they can be.
“We often say, don’t be afraid of hard things,” Stone said. “Hard things usually result in the highest level of satisfaction and accomplishment.”
Multiple individual event winners were Bentley Bauer of Mobridge-Pollock who won the 55-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter dashes on the day, and Dupree’s Tayshaun Cudmore who won the 800-meter and 1,600-meter runs.
To see complete meet results, click on the following link:
