The Baltic Bulldog track team had one of the most successful years last year sending 21 athletes to the state meet. They had three place winners at state a year ago and set school records during the year in boys discus, girls 800m run, girls long jump, and girls triple jump.
“I have a lot of very talented girls and boys this year, and our numbers are starting to come up. I hope to be competitive in many relays and individual events, and hope to match the events qualified for state last year. I am excited to see them compete and build from last year,” said head coach Rory LaValliere.
The girls team returns seven athletes that qualified for state last year. They are Daynica Witzel (11th), Maiya Frederickson (11th), Elizabeth Hockenberry (11th), Hailey Tiahrt (10th), Sadey Holt (10th), Meredith Larson (10th), and Tenley Witzel (8th). They will also look to get qualifications from Baylee Breece and Holland Kortemeyer this season.
This year’s boys team is the biggest boys team Coach LaValliere has ever had. “We are very deep in our sprints, and I feel that they can compete with everyone in the state. We look forward to scoring a lot of points this year and come out with a few meet wins,” added Lavalliere.
Eleven of the boys return with state meet experience. They are Payton Anderson (12th), Shae Fiala (12th), Jackson Westerbur (12th), Alex Langner (12th), Mark Ditter (12th), Kellan Artz (10th), Jackson Geohring (10th), Cohen McGuire (10th), Dylan Runestad (10th), Ben Erickson (10th), and Kyle Gronewold (10th).