Pirates Close Indoor Track Season with Strong Showing at Wartburg

Boys 

By Blaire Puls  

Casey Greiman hands off to Payton Bishop in the 4x800-meter relay. 

The indoor track season came to a close in impressive fashion last Tuesday night as the  Pirates competed at Wartburg College, facing off against 30 teams from across the state.  Despite the meet stretching late into the evening—pushing past 10 p.m.—the Pirates delivered  a series of standout performances that set an encouraging tone heading into the outdoor  season.  

While the Wartburg indoor meets do not keep official team scores, the Pirates made  their presence known with three top-four finishes and nine lifetime personal records across  multiple events.  

Leading the charge was Owen Bell, who turned in a pair of podium-worthy  performances. Bell narrowly missed the top spot in the 400-meter dash, finishing just 0.12  seconds behind a competitor from A-P in a thrilling race to the line. He followed that effort with  another strong showing in the 200-meter dash, earning a third-place finish against tough  competition from Roland-Story and St. Edmond of Fort Dodge.  

Drake Griffin also made a notable impact in his return to competition. Griffin cleared the  20-foot mark three times in the long jump, ultimately finishing fourth behind athletes from  Xavier, Keokuk and Roland-Story. His performance signals a strong start to the season after  time away from competition.  

In relay action, the Pirates’ 4x800-meter team of Colten Jensen, Casey Greiman, Payton  Bishop and Alik Dodge secured a ninth-place finish while making significant strides. The group  shaved an impressive 24 seconds off its time from just two weeks prior, with both Bishop and  Dodge recording lifetime-best splits.  

Several athletes added to the team’s success by setting new personal records. Jack Holbach  improved his shot put mark by 1 foot, 5 inches, while Rylan Dunbar cut more than a quarter of  a second off his time in the 55-meter high hurdles. Griffin also set a new personal best in the  55-meter dash, and Hunter Coulson dropped nearly half a second in the 200-meter dash.  

Payton Bishop delivered one of the night’s most remarkable all-around efforts. Stepping  in at the last minute to fill a spot on the 4x800 relay due to a teammate’s illness, Bishop rose to  the occasion with a lifetime-best split. He went on to post two more personal records in the  open 400 meters and as part of the 4x400 relay—amounting to three PR performances in a  single meet.  

With the indoor season now complete, the Pirates carry momentum and confidence  into the outdoor campaign, bolstered by a night full of determination, resilience and continued  improvement. 

Wartburg Invitational - BOYS Results 

Long jump : 4. Drake Griffin — 20-8½ 16. Jackson Nesteby — 18-5½ Shot put: 18. Grady Moseley — 41-5¾ 35. Jack Holbach — 35-0  

High jump: 19. Cooper Hamer — 5-4 

55m hurdles: 13. Rylan Dunbar — 8.75  

55m dash: 13. Drake Griffin — 6.88 44. Cooper Steele — 7.44  

4x800 relay: 9. Colten Jensen, Casey Greiman, Payton Bishop, Alik Dodge — 9:40.29  200m dash: 3. Owen Bell — 23.5 27. Hunter Coulson — 24.96  

1,600m run: 33. Alik Dodge — 6:03.31  

400m dash: 2. Owen Bell — 52.46 14. Payton Bishop — 58.18  

800m run 18. Colten Jensen — 2:20.38 — Casey Greiman — 2:22.03  4x200 relay 17. Liam Rhymer, Hunter Coulson, Rylan Dunbar, Jackson Nesteby — 1:40.89  4x400 relay 19. Liam Rhymer, Payton Bishop, Brady Greiman, Cooper Hamer — 3:59.51  

GIRLS  

By Jamal Currica  

The Hudson girls track team closed its indoor season with a strong showing at  Wartburg College on Tuesday, March 24, competing against 29 teams.  

The Pirates placed fifth overall and recorded six top-eight finishes, five personal records  and six season-best performances across 13 events. The team also showed clear  improvement from its first indoor meet. 

“I like where we are heading into the outdoor season,” said coach Jamal Currica.  Mollie Hansen led the way with a standout night, placing second in the 1,500 meters  with a personal-record time of 4:58.72, breaking the five-minute mark for the first time in her  career. She also placed second in the 800 meters, running a season-best 2:24.24.  Ella Steele placed fifth in the 800 meters (2:35.51) and added a 10th-place finish in the  55-meter hurdles, setting a personal record of 9.87.  

Rebecca Vidal finished fourth in the 400-meter dash (1:05.42).  

In relay action, the 4x800 team of Elle Gunnarson, Ella Annis, Jordyn Rhoades and  Reagan Lewis placed fifth, running a season-best time of 10:58.90. The 4x400 relay team of  Vidal, Rhoades, Gunnarson and Steele placed eighth (4:31.22).  

Several athletes recorded personal bests. Cailin Stickfort set a new mark in the long  jump (14-11½), while Josie Messmore followed with a personal record of 14-4¾. Brooklynne  Michael also recorded a personal best in the 200-meter dash (33.25).  

Hudson will open its outdoor season at the W-SR Co-Ed Track Invite in Waverly on  Monday, March 30. 

Wartburg Invitational - Girls Results 

Team: 5th place, 30 points (29 teams)  

55m hurdles 10. Ella Steele — 9.87 (PR) 29. Meleah Wolfe — 10.69  

55m dash prelims 9. Cailin Stickfort — 7.74 54. Ellie Richter — 10.27  3,000m run: 11. Reese Hansen — 12:57.24 17. Kate Strayer — 14:49.46  4x800 relay 5. Elle Gunnarson, Ella Annis, Jordyn Rhoades, Reagan Lewis — 10:58.90 (SB)  200m dash 11. Cailin Stickfort — 28.19 49. Brooklynne Michael — 33.25 (PR)  1,500m run 2. Mollie Hansen — 4:58.72 (PR) 19. Megan Steele — 6:10.45  400m dash 4. Rebecca Vidal — 1:05.42 22. Teagan Honermann — 1:10.60 (SB) 

800m run 2. Mollie Hansen — 2:24.24 (SB)5. Ella Steele — 2:35.51  

4x200 relay 17. Josie Messmore, Jaylea Trevey, Abigail Seibold, Ella Annis — 2:04.23 (SB)  4x400 relay 8. Rebecca Vidal, Jordyn Rhoades, Elle Gunnarson, Ella Steele — 4:31.22  Shot put 35. Sophia Santman — 24-9¾ 39. Kaelyn Heasley — 24-0  Long jump 12. Cailin Stickfort — 14-11½ (PR) 14. Josie Messmore — 14-4¾ (PR)