Sacred Heart track team gears up for another season.
By: Alex Madsen
Track season has kicked off for the Irish. Last season featured a state champion, runner up district championship and a very optimistic feeling deep seated into the next season. Traditionally, Sacred Heart has been more sprinter heavy and was typically lacking in the area of distance. The past two seasons have seen this notion flip, as Sacred Heart typically features three consistent medals in the 3200m and 1600m campaign. Juggernaut class C school ‘Tri-County’ has also dropped out of the Pioneer conference in favor of the ‘Southern Nebraska Conference’. This should help provide an even larger opportunity for Sacred Heart to shake things up.
The throwing battalion on the men’s side is clearly dominated by seniors Evan Bailey and Cole Schawang, junior Cooper Knobbe, and sophomore Toby Baxter. All four should see consistent medals within the discus and shotput events. The women’s side is piloted by sophomore Hallie Jones. Sophomore Emersyn Courtney is showing promise as well, after recently giving throwing a try. Last season we saw Jones throw a personal record of 32’ 2’ in shotput and 105’ 3” in discus. Jones had multiple medal placements and is only bound to improve.
Sprinters are once again headed under legendary Coach William Reed. Coach Reed has deep experience not only in sprinting but coaching as a whole. Don’t believe me? Just look up the ‘Jet Award’. Coach Reed’s sprinting squad will feature senior Rob Froeschl and junior Elijah Canonico as the heart. Canonico ran 26.13 in the 200m while Froeschl ran 7.83 in the indoor 60m dash. These two prefer to focus on and dominate hurdles, which should provide sophomore Kayden Groth with some room to make an impact. Sophomore Dorothy Crouse showed promise last year and should only add to that promise this season.
The hurdle squad continues to be dominant as aforementioned Froeschl and Canonico both had top finishes in the one of the most competitive districts in Class D. We can’t even discuss hurdles without at least mentioning the 2024 Class D 110m hurdle State Champion Joe Simon. “Watching Joe dominate last season really helped me out with dealing with pressure,” Canonico said. “If you ain’t first, you’re last.” The women’s sector is dominated by senior Jentry Lechtenburg. Sophomore Emersyn Courtney might be a possible contender as well.
Finally, the distance preview. Sacred Heart’s distance program has undergone a massive rebuild that was first initiated in 2023. The program is built on grit and toughness. This is evident to anyone wandering out by the track or the lake. The formula seems to work though, as Sacred Heart went from having little to no medalists to putting up a fight with the cross-country powerhouse McCool- Junction at districts.
The team is led by junior Alex Madsen, who has qualified for state both years, Brenden Lemerond and Cole Taft. “We really all push each other in workouts,” Brenden Lemerond said. “It is way easier to run fast when you got your buddies up there pushing you as well.” Sophomore Hayden Clow has also showed promise in the offseason. Clow has been training in the offseason with Madsen, and it has certainly made an enormous impact.
Incoming sophomore and former cross country runner Bo Fletcher will also make an impact. The distance squad features four to five runners who can all practically guarantee a medal. Alex Madsen brings three state qualifications and a state medal, while Lemerond and Taft bring district medals. This distance crew should rival those of Nebraska Christian and McCool-Junction. Coach Brian Lemerond has brought up the best distance force since he was in high school. Hopefully the end results are the same, a State Championship.
