The Ranger track and field team took part in the
Custer Invitational on Friday, April 20th. Once again, the Rangers
had successful efforts in the field and on the track. As the season reaches the
midway point, the Rangers are continuing to improve and have been training hard for upcoming meets.
For the Ranger girls, Kati Ginsbach elevated her
game in the high jump, clearing 5’2” to win the event and in doing so, improved her previous state qualifying
mark by one inch. Kati is currently ranked as one of the top high jumpers in
the state.
The other place-winner for the Lady Rangers was
freshman Mariah Asheim, who placed in both the 400 and 800 meter dashes. Her
season best time of 64.85 placed her 4th in the 400 meter competition. Asheim
was also 6th in the 800 (2:44.3).
The Ranger boys made the 800 meters a race for
the record books, with Andy Coy winning in 1:59.37 and Hudson Koel coming in right behind at 2:00.78. Coy and Koel’s
times eclipsed the previous meet record that was set in 1976 (2:02.7). Both athletes
qualified for the state meet in the race.
Relays were another strong area for the Rangers,
as the boys placed second in the 4x400 meter relay, running 3:36.78, just two seconds away from the state qualifying mark
in the event. Members of the 4x400 were: Dusty Swanson, Andy Quenzer, Koel and
Coy.
The 1600 meter medley relay team of Cody Skiles,
Chance Clason, Swanson and Quenzer placed 4th in 4:06.15.
Hill City’s 4x800 relay team of John Bintliff,
Quenzer, Swanson and Nash Koel ran 9:07.43 to finish 5th in the event.
Come support the Rangers as they travel to Belle
Fourche on Tuesday and then in Sturgis Saturday for the Black Hills Track Classic, the largest track meet in western South
Dakota. A highlight of the Sturgis meet is the Special Invitational 400 meter
dash, which seats eight of the fastest 400 meter runners in the South Dakota/Wyoming area in one race. This year, Andy Coy was selected as an entrant for the race.
