Park’s girls and boys track and field teams will start the 2022 season from different perspectives.

The Park girls on the one hand, were a young team last season and return a number of experienced athletes.

The Park boys, on the other hand, were a senior-dominated group last spring and have a lot of new faces in new places.

Park coaches got their first look at competition Saturday as the Wolfpack competed in an 18-team meet at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. State gymnastics qualifier Rainna Jameson showed her skills go beyond the balance beam or the bars with a victory in the triple jump with a leap of 33-01.5.

Park had numerous other placers in the first meet. Now it’s just a matter of everyone going faster, higher and stronger.

Another thing that’s new this year is that Park will host the Suburban East Conference meet for the first time in several years.

Park girls

All but one of the 21 eligible athletes from last season are back for the Park girls this spring. Just three seniors were on last year’s track and field team. The roster includes some 45 athletes this season.

“Our numbers are way up, so that’s pretty exciting,” said girls head coach Brad Narveson.

Top distance runner Lydia Best is among the headliners returning for the Park girls. She ran a 2:30.19 time in the section 800 prelims last season. Best finished 12th in the 1,600-meter run in 5:40.35.

“She had a good summer last summer in training,” said Narveson. “Had some ups and downs in cross country just with her health in general. But I think she’s back, she’s healthy and we’re looking forward to her.”

She’ll run the mile and the 800 for the Wolfpack, and possibly some 400s as well.

Missing of course, is Best’s running mate and school 800-meter record holder Bri Hensel, who finished third in the 800 and second in the 3,200 at sections last spring. Hensel is now successfully running cross country and track at the University of Minnesota Morris.

Also back on the track for Park in the middle distance and longer is sophomore Ava Radel, who placed in the 800 at Stout.

Park has a core of good sprinters returning, including: 100 – sophomore Susan Mbu, 13.78 at sections; 200 – sophomore Emma Tascher, 27.81; the 4×100 and 4×200 teams of Savannah Brown., Mbu, Taschner and Kylie Dahm. The 4×2 relay team was sixth at sections last season.

Dahm, Mbu and Brown also return to lead the pole vault corps. Dahm placed sixth in the pole vault at sections last season.

Other returning veterans for the Park girls include: Alli Tannahill (jumps), Anna Larsen, Ellie Turvold, Avery Dragt, Haley Gravelle, Karis Waindim (shot put and discus).

“Again, we have a lot of new athletes out,” Narveson said. “They look the part, a lot of them. It’s exciting to see what they can do in the first few meets.”

Park boys

The Park boys don’t return as many veterans as the girls team does, but the Wolfpack will still have some athletes to contend with this season. The numbers are also up for the boys team, with 57 on the team.

“We have a lot of new,” said longtime Park track and field coach Mike Moran. “We were very senior heavy last year and the covid stuff for a couple of years kept kids from coming (out), so now we have a pile of freshmen and sophomores, which should be good for the future.”

Leading the Park boys should be standout senior distance runner Parker Hahn. Hahn ran to a 12rth-place finish in the section 1,600 in 4:51.96, after qualifying with a 4:44.98. Hahn was 24th in the section 3,200 in 11:25.85. In cross country, Hahn finished 21st in the section meet with a time of 16:57.0. He’ll likely run the mile and two mile at conference and sections.

Ninth-grader Gavin Stauffer is another distance runner to watch. He was 28th in the section cross country meet, then ran 20th in the 1,600 in the meet at Wisconsin- Stout. “After that we’re reasonably good in the distance runners,” said Moran. ”Sprinters we’re going to find out because we have no idea.”

Senior Andrew Drager returns in the high jump after placing eighth at sections last season. Drager will also long jump. Also back is Casey Steinmetz in the high and long jumps. Steinmetz was 11th in the section long jump at 18-03. Sophomore Skyler Morgan has potential to be a strong jumper for the Wolfpack.

Senior Treyton Bammert- Mueller was eighth in the section discus last season with a throw of 119-4. He’ll also throw the shot.

Park’s teams will compete in an indoor meet at Hastings High School Thursday.

Lydia Best will run in a variety of races for the Wolfpack this spring, from the 400 and 800 to the mile and in the relays.Photo by John Molene