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Chisago Lakes Quadrangular

The Wildcats hosted Spring Lake Park, North Branch and St. Louis Park in a quadrangular last Tuesday, April 25. Christian Swanberg won the 200 meter dash for the Wildcats’ only individual first place finish of the day as the home team finished in fourth place.

Swanberg raced to victory in the 200 with a time of 23.10 seconds. Said Wildcat head coach Ken Orwoll, “There was no one near him at the finish.” Kurt Jung took fifth in the 200. Swanberg also came in second in the 100 meter dash, a third of a second ahead of Brian Jennissen, who finished fourth.

The Wildcats had encouraging performances from some of their other athletes. Taylor Lindeman threw a personal best 125’1” to finish third in the discus. Andy Olness leapt just half an inch short of 20 feet to earn second place in the long jump. Dan Sandgren came in fourth in the pole vault with a height of 9’6”. “Dan’s been jumping at that height consistently,” said Orwoll, “and sometimes gets to ten feet. Hopefully, he’ll get to eleven feet somewhere down the line.”

The 4X800 meter relay team of Nate Gieske, Zach Johnson, Jeff Landgraff and Steve Boo finished in second place, as did the 4X200 team of John Lien, Jennissen, Blane Maher and Swanberg.

The Wildcats ran without the services of sprinter and jumper Chris Golv, one of their most consistent point scorers, who sat out as a precautionary measure with a minor leg injury.

“We got a few fourths and fifths on the day, which is important,” said Orwoll. “It means some points are starting to come from other contributors. Overall, we’re making individual progress. We want our best performances to come in mid-May. What’s encouraging is that everyone’s times are down and throws and jumps are up.”

Hamline Elite Meet

Four Wildcat boys participated in the first annual Hamline Elite Meet Friday, April 28. No team scores were kept. “Hamline wants to start a tradition,” said Wildcat head coach Ken Orwoll. “Their aim is to have the best kids in the state compete against each other.” Coaches submitted times from this season that reached a qualifying level, and meet organizers invited athletes based upon those submissions.

Christian Swanberg had a good day as he finished third in the 200 meter dash, with a time of 23.23 seconds, and sixth place in the 100 in 11.71 seconds. “A third place finish against that level of competition is outstanding,” said Orwoll. “And Christian was still strong at the end, while some of his opponents were fading. In the 100, Christian passed a couple of guys at the end to get sixth.”

The 4X200 relay team of Chris Golv, Brian Jennissen, Andy Olness and Swanberg finished ninth at 1:35, a little slower than their best time.

“The kids loved the track surface,” said Orwoll. “It’s made of a material called Mondo that’s sort of like a rubber carpet and is a little easier on their legs. Hopefully, some of our athletes will get a chance to try it out again when Hamline hosts the state tournament in June.”

The Wildcats were scheduled to travel to St. Louis Park Tuesday, May 2 for a quadrangular against St. Francis, Benilde-St, Margaret’s and St. Louis Park. This Friday, May 5, the Wildcats host six other teams in the Chisago Lakes Invitational. The meet gets underway at 3:30 p.m.

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