Bison girls first, McCook boys second at Broken Bow Invite

Steve Kodad/McCook Daily Gazette McCook freshmen Mitch Collicott works on his shot put form during team workouts last week. Collicott finished fourth in the event at the Broken Bow Invitational April 9 with a throw of 44 feet, 8 inches.

BROKEN BOW -- The Broken Bow Invitational is a nice diversion -- and a successful one -- for the McCook High School track and field teams.

The Bison teams battled in a small but competitive field in the varsity meet Friday, April 9, at the Broken Bow High School stadium. The McCook girls claimed the team title in the six-team field, while the Bison boys finished second behind Gothenburg.

McCook claimed seven gold medals in the girls division and placed in 16 of the 17 events to run away with the team championship. The Bison girls scored 154 points, with Holdrege a distant second with 105.

The Gothenburg boys claimed nine first-place efforts to help the Swedes win the team title with 168 points, with McCook second at 125.5. The Bison boys nipped Broken Bow for the runner-up spot by four points.

McCook girls head coach Steve Clapp with pleased with his team's strong effort.

"It was a good meet for us," Clapp said. "We enjoy going to Broken Bow just simply because there are some new teams there, like Ord and Broken Bow, that we don't get to see very often. It's a small meet but it's a pretty competitive meet.

"It's a meet that, on the girls side anyway, it gives some of our younger kids a chance to squeeze in there and get a place or two for us. It keeps them interested in track and field and keeps them improving as we go down the road, and that's what we like to see. It was great weather, and for our girls it was an all-around great effort as far as contributions from everybody."

Clapp said the Bison coaches stressed that the Bison were looking for contributions beyond those first-place medals.

"We had a team meeting this week and that was kind of our point of emphasis," he said. "Simply, the idea that if you can help us out with a sixth place or a fifth place or, who knows, in some meet maybe a tie for sixth place -- that half-point might be what you need to take us over the edge with the team results.

"Track's no different than basketball or anything else. You rely on a certain amount of points from your very good athletes. But you need that team contribution of every athlete's points in order to do well as a team from week to week. I think, as far as everybody feeling like they were contributing, it was a very successful day from that aspect."

McCook junior Jessa Sughroue shared the girls top athlete of the meet with Miranda Karn of Holdrege. Sughroue won two individual events -- the 400-meter dash (1 minute, 1.5 seconds) and the 800 run (2:23.9) -- and she ran legs on McCook's first-place 1,600 and 3,200 relay teams.

"Jessa had an exceptional meet for us and she deserved the award that she won," Coach Clapp said.

Karn won three events (1,600, 3,200 and long jump) and finished second behind Sughroue in the 800.

Whitney Korgan also had a strong day for the Bison girls. Korgan claimed gold medals in the 100 (12.8 seconds) and the 200 (26.7) and she also ran a leg on the winning 1,600 relay team plus a leg on McCook's second-place 400 relay. Korgan claimed the special Kent McCloughan Award by winning the girls 200 meters.

The McCook pole vaulting duo of Jayde Aufrecht and Kelsey Pohl each cleared 9 feet six inches. Aufrecht won first place by virtue of fewer total misses, and Pohl tied for second.

Another top effort came from Gretchen Sehnert, who placed second in the triple jump and third in the long jump. Sehnert's long jump mark of 15 feet, 8 inches was about a foot better then her previous best. She was also consistent in the triple jump, with her best leap of 32-7.

The winning Bison 1,600 relay team included Korgan, Sughroue, Kelsea Geschwentner and Megan Ruppert. The first-place 3,200 relay quartet included Geschwentner, Emilyne Nichols, Emily Tolliver and Sughroue.

Huffman lead Bison boys

One of the top efforts for the McCook boys came in the discus. Senior AJ Huffman won the event with a season-best throw of 152 feet, 4 inches. Bison boys head coach Tom Sughroue said Huffman got no help from the wind at Friday's meet.

"It was all AJ that threw that -- Mother Nature didn't help him a bit on that," Coach Sughroue said.

The Bison also saw a gold-medal effort from Chance Pearson in the long jump with a mark of 21 feet, 2 inches -- just shy of his career best. Andy Smith and Alex Freburg of Holdrege both cleared 13-4 in the pole vault, but Smith settled for second as he had more missed attempts than Freburg.

Coach Sughroue said Smith just barely missed clearing 13-8.

Matt Chitwood finished second in the triple jump at 41 feet, one-half inch, just a half-inch behind winner Patrick Reeves of Gothenburg.

On the track, Pearson and Cody Goltl turned in top efforts for the Bison. Goltl ran second in both hurdle races, hitting a personal-best time of 42.5 seconds in the 300 intermediates. Pearson also placed second in the 200-meter dash (23.1).

"Cody Goltl hit a personal-best in the 300 hurdles, which was nice to see him continue to improve," Coach Sughroue said. "Last week at our meet (Hoehner Invitational April 1), he ran very well in wind. This week he didn't have much win, and he ran a nice race.

"Chance Pearson ran 23.1 in the 200, which is going to make him very competitive in our district."

The Bison boys were missing one of their top performers, Mark Nichols, who sat out last week's competition due to a conflict with a family event. Nichols is expected to return to action this week.

The McCook coach said the Broken Bow meet has a strong, competitive field despite having just six teams. Sughroue likes the quality performances from his athletes, but he knows the season is far from over.

"We're not by any means hoping that we've peaked in any event," he said. "We want to continue to improve and drop times on the track, and increase distances and heights in field events. Hopefully that continues and the kids continue to work and improve."

Gothenburg meet up next

The McCook squads face a tough test again this week at the Dutch Zorn Invitational Friday, April 16, in Gothenburg.

"Broken Bow was a tough meet, and Dutch Zorn will be tougher yet,' Sughroue said. "Not only Gothenburg, but throw in Lexington, another tough team, throw in Ogallala, who has some very good athletes, and Kearney's JV, with some very good athletes, and Kearney Catholic, just a lot of good schools there."

Opening events are set to begin Friday at 2 p.m.

BROKEN BOW INVITATIONAL

Team Standings -- McCook 154, Holdrege 105, Gothenburg 94, Ord 69, Cozad 67, Broken Bow 38.

Event Winners & McCook Placers

Field Events

Shot put -- 1. Carlie Pinkleman, Cozad, 43-1 1/2; 4. Shelby Hudson, McCook, 30-8; 6. Taylor Matson, McCook, 30-4 3/4.

Discus -- 1. Carlie Pinkleman, Cozad, 121-11; 3. Morgan Chitwood, McCook, 119-5; 4. Erin Premer, McCook, 118-6.

Long jump -- 1. Miranda Karn, Holdrege, 16-1 1/2; 3. Gretchen Sehnert, McCook, 15-8; 5. Madison Chitwood, McCook, 14-2.

Triple jump -- 1. Vanessa Jurado, Holdrege, 32-8 1/2; 2. Gretchen Sehnert, McCook, 32-7; 6. Megan Ruppert, McCook, 30-1 1/2.

High jump -- 1. Joslyn Oliver, Gothenburg, 5-2; 3. (tie) Madison Chitwood, McCook, 4-8.

Pole vault -- 1. Jayde Aufrecht, McCook, 9-6; 2. (tie), Kelsey Pohl, McCook, 9-6.

Running Events

100-meter dash -- 1. Whitney Korgan, McCook, 12.8; 5. Madison Chitwood, McCook, 13.9.

200-meter dash -- 1. Whitney Korgan, McCook, 26.7; 4. Megan Ruppert, McCook, 28.8.

400-meter dash -- 1. Jessa Sughroue, McCook, 1:01.5.

100-meter intermediate hurdles -- 1. Emily Max, Gothenburg, 15.9; 5. Katie West, McCook, 17.1.

300-meter low hurdles -- 1. Emily Max, Gothenburg, 48.0.

800-meter run -- 1. Jessa Sughroue, McCook, 2:23.9; 3. Emilyne Nichols, McCook, 2:33.5; 4. Haley Harpham, McCook, 2:34.2.

1,600-meter run -- 1. Miranda Karn, Holdrege, 5:25.0; 3. Kelsea Geschwentner, McCook, 5:49.0; 4. Emily Tolliver, McCook, 5:51.6.

3,200-meter run -- 1. Miranda Karn, Holdrege, 12:10.6; 4. Veronica Bair, McCook, 13:37.2.

400-meter relay -- 1. Ord, 53.6; 2. McCook (Katie West, Madison Chitwood, Amanda Einspahr, Whitney Korgan), 53.8.

1,600-meter relay -- 1. McCook (Whitney Korgan, Kelsea Geschwentner, Megan Ruppert, Jessa Sughroue), 4:15.7.

3,200-meter relay - 1. McCook (Kelsea Geschwentner, Emilyne Nichols, Emily Tolliver, Jessa Sughroue), 10:14.3.

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BOYS DIVISION

Team Standings -- Gothenburg 168, McCook 125.5, Broken Bow 121.5, Holdrege 79, Ord 21, Cozad 10, Broken Bow JV 2.

Event Winners & McCook Placers

Field Events

Shot put -- 1. Ross Martin, Holdrege, 48-3; 3. Derek Chancellor, McCook 46.5 1/2; 4. Mitch Collicott, McCook, 44-8; 6. Greg Younger, McCook, 41-2.

Discus -- 1. AJ Huffman, McCook, 152-4; 2. Austin Bishop, McCook, 131-6; 3. Garrett Wagner, McCook, 131-3.

Long jump -- 1. Chance Pearson, McCook, 21-2; 3. Jake Schlager, McCook, 20-7 1/2.

Triple jump -- 1. Patrick Reeves, Gothenburg, 41-1; 2. Matt Chitwood, McCook, 41-1/2.

High jump -- 1. Jonathan Jones, Broken Bow, 6-0; 3. Matt Collicott, McCook, 5-10.

Pole vault -- 1. Alex Freburg, Holdrege, 13-4; 2. Andy Smith, McCook, 13-4; 4. (tie) Matt Chitwood, McCook, 12-6; 6. (tie) Tyson Karr, McCook, 11-6.

Running Events

100-meter dash -- 1. Tannor Mroczek, Gothenburg, 10.8; 4. Jake Schlager, McCook, 11.5.

200-meter dash -- 1. Tannor Mroczek, Gothenburg, 22.6; 2. Chance Pearson, McCook, 23.1.

400-meter dash -- 1. Mark Hilderbrand, Gothenburg, 51.9; 3. Austin Cherry, McCook, 53.7.

110-meter high hurdles -- 1. Mark Hilderbrand, Gothenburg, 15.3; 2. Cody Goltl, McCook, 16.2; 6. Kyle Gatson, McCook, 16.9.

300-meter intermediate hurdles -- 1. Mark Hilderbrand, Gothenburg, 39.8; 2. Cody Goltl, McCook, 42.5.

800-meter run -- 1. Andrew Collins, Gothenburg, 1:58.2.

1,600-meter run -- 1. Andrew Collins, Gothenburg, 4:40.3.

3,200-meter run -- 1. Jerod Schoneman, Holdrege, 10:10.9.

400-meter relay -- 1. Broken Bow, 44.4; 3. McCook (Andy Smith, Chance Pearson, Jake Schlager, Corey Paz), 45.4.

1,600-meter relay -- 1. Gothenburg, 3:31.1; 4. McCook (Manuel Rodriguez, Corey Paz, Matt Chitwood, Jimmy Barron), 3:46.0.

3,200-meter relay -- 1. Broken Bow, 8:33.7; 4. McCook (Dylan Parde, Nate Priebe, Lucas Post, Tanner Luke), 9:18.4.

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