Bulldogs Crowned Region Track Champions

Records were broken, a region title was captured, additional athletes qualified for the state track meet and seasons best times were achieved during a highly successful Region 1A meet for the Milbank Area Bulldogs track and field teams Thursday, May 19, in Groton.

The boys team secured the Region 1A title after locking in the Northeast Conference title a week ago. The girls team narrowly missed the region title, just one point shy of the mark. A week ago, the girls came in second in the conference meet by ½ a point.

“The region meet was another great meet for both the boys and girls teams,” stated head track coach Eric Townsend. “The boys had 25 season best times while the girls had 20. I am very proud of how this team has raised the bar and competed extremely hard every meet.”

Tanner Gauer broke the MHS school record in the boys 100 meter dash with a time of :10.70. He bettered Coach Ryan Conrad’s time of :10.76 which was set in 2004. Gauer was also a member of the 400 meter relay team which also set a new school record with a time of :43.96. His teammates were Kyle Montag, Cole Dockter and Jake Anderson. The previous record of :44.12 was set in 2005 by Austin Dilts, Corey Lesnar, Blake Conroy and Ryan Conrad.

The list of state qualifiers for the Bulldogs also grew following the region contest. The top two places in the region meet automatically advance to the State Class A meet slated for Friday and Saturday, May 27-28. “Fourteen boys and 12 girls have qualified for the state meet,” noted Townsend. “Both teams are looking forward to the opportunity to compete and make some noise at this year’s state meet. It is just incredible that we were fortunate enough to qualify all 10 relay teams.”

All five girls relay teams for Milbank Area punched their ticket to state by finishing in first in all five events. Members of the winning 400 meter relay team were Kimberly Van Sambeek, Makayla Johnson, Elisabeth Schwenn and Taylor Thue. Winning the 800 meter relay were Mackayla Schuelke, Makayla Johnson, Elisabeth Schwenn and Sophia Seffrood. Earning the top place in the 1,600 meter relay were Elisabeth Schwenn, Makayla Johnson, Danica Schulte and Taylor Thue. Members of the winning 3,200 meter relay team were Danica Schulte, Madi Thue, Jatana Grajczyk and Gabbi Cummins, and the winning 1,600 medley relay team was Kimberly Van Sambeek, Makayla Johnson, Elisabeth Schwenn and Danica Schulte.

Thue was crowed the region champion in both the 100 and 300 meter hurdles, both which she has already qualified in by time earlier this season. Mackayla Schuelke earned a spot at state in the 100 meter dash by placing second at the region meet as did Molly Rick in the triple jump.

In the boys division, Gauer captured first in the 200, an event he had previously qualified in, as well as his record breaking feat in the 100. The boys 400 and 800 meter relays won the region title while the 1,600 meter relay and 3,200 meter relay teams placed second to earn their spot at the state meet. The boys medley relay qualified earlier this season, which rounds out all five relays for the boys team that will head to state.

Nolan Foss was crowned the region champion in the boys 110 meter hurdles, followed closely by teammate Nate Bien in second place. Cody Dockter punched his state ticket with a second place finish in the long jump, and Jake Karges added the triple jump to his state events.

Cole Dockter and Derrick Aho previously earned a trip to state in the 100 meter dash as did Jake Anderson in the triple jump.

The list of state qualifiers for the Milbank Area Bulldogs is as follows:

Tanner Gauer – 100 and 200 meter dashes

Cole Dockter – 100 meter dash

Derrick Aho – 100 meter dash

Jake Anderson – triple jump

Jake Karges – triple jump and long jump

Nolan Foss – 110 meter hurdles

Nate Bien – 110 meter hurdles

Boys 400 meter relay – Tanner Gauer, Cole Dockter, Kyle Montag, Jake Anderson

Boys 800 meter relay – Kyle Montag, Derrick Aho, Jonny Ash, Jake Anderson

Boys 1,600 meter relay – Kyle Montag, Jake Anderson, Tanner Gauer, Cole Dockter

Boys 3,200 meter relay – Caden Bjordahl, Luke Wold, Kody Johnson, Dylan Johnson

Boys 1,600 medley relay – Derrick Aho, Jake Anderson, Tanner Gauer, Cole Dockter

Taylor Thue – 100 and 300 hurdles

Mackayla Schuelke – 100 meter dash

Molly Rick – triple jump

Girls 400 meter relay – Kimberly Van Sambeek, Makayla Johnson, Elisabeth Schwenn, Taylor Thue

Girls 800 meter relay – Mackayla Schuelke, Makayla Johnson, Elisabeth Schwenn, Sophia Seffrood

Girls 1,600 meter relay – Elisabeth Schwenn, Makayla Johnson, Danica Schulte, Taylor Thue

Girls 3,200 meter relay – Danica Schulte, Madi Thue, Jatana Grajczyk, Gabbi Cummins

Girls 1,600 medley relay – Kimberly Van Sambeek, Makayla Johnson, Elisabeth Schwenn, Danica Schulte

Pictured Above Are the State Track Qualifiers:

Boys – Left to right, back row, Kyle Montag, Kody Johnson, Caden Bjordahl, Jonny Ash and Jake Anderson. Middle row, Cole Dockter, Dylan Johnson, Luke Wold and Derrick Aho. Front row, Nolan Foss, Nate Bien, Cody Dockter and Tanner Gauer.

Girls – Left to right, back row, Sophia Seffrood, Gabbi Cummins, Makayla Johnson and Taylor Thue. Middle row, Molly Rick, Mac Schuelke, Danica Schulte and Kimberly Van Sambeek. Front row, Christina Lusk, Madi Thue, Elisabeth Schwenn and Jatana Grajczyk.