Lap-after-lap, race-after-race the Arlington High School track and field boys claimed gold and silver Thursday during the Class C-2 District Meet in David City.
Altogether, coach Kyle Buckingham's Eagles earned first, second and the state qualifications associated with those places in the 400-meter dash, the 800 run, the 1,600 run and the 3,200 run. They swept the 1,600 and 3,200-meter relays, too, well after Kaden Foust earned his squad's first event win in the long jump with a leap of 21 feet, 9 inches.
AHS, in summation, dominated the district.
“We've been in the zone all season,” senior Kevin Flesner said after the Eagles claimed the C-2 crown. “We knew we had to step up and we stepped up.”
The Eagles finished with seven more team points than Wahoo Neumann in the boys' standings, securing state spots for seven AHS athletes. Coach Buckingham's girls, meanwhile, earned four event wins, set a school record and qualified seven more athletes for the Class C meet during a third-place showing.
“Obviously, track has a lot to do with individual events,” Flesner said. “But everything contributes toward the score, and those relays take four of you to win. So, I think, the entire season has been about the team.”
Arlington capped its district day with the aforementioned 1,600 relay victory. Flesner anchored the team of Foust, Nolan May, Trey Hill and he, crossing the finishing line in 3:30.51.
Hill, another Eagles senior, filled in for Dallin Franzluebbers during the race.
“I've ran relays before with these guys, so I kind of knew what to expect, but I felt a little bit of pressure,” he said. “They told me, 'If we don't get this, we're not getting district champs.'”
But Hill and the Eagles succeeded, matching the first-place effort of the 3,200 squad — May, Foust, Flesner and Franzluebbers.
Hill also qualified for state during the individual 800 run, taking second behind Flesner with a time of 2:05.03. He overcame two runners at the finish line to advance to state.
“Don't know how that happened,” he said. “Pulled that out of nowhere, I guess.”
In the 400 dash, Foust and Franzluebbers finished 1-2, too, with times of 52.06 and 52.64 seconds, respectively. May and Kolby Tighe earned first and second in the 1,600 as well after first claiming the same results during the 3,200-meter run.
“Yeah!” Tighe shouted after the duos' 2-mile race together. “Let's go!”
May ran 3,200 meters in 10:07.77 before Tighe stopped the clock in 10:09.41.
In addition to Foust's long jump qualification, AHS' Trent Koger earned a field event spot in the Class C meet, too. The junior cleared 40-9.75 for second, booking his trip to Omaha.
The Eagles' Whitney Wollberg had her own field event success Thursday, setting a new school-best mark in the pole vault. The junior cleared the bar set at 10 feet, winning the district competition and breaking the 2017 record of May Hoesing, who cleared 9-9.
“Quite a journey with the ups and downs, and everything in-between, but it's been fun,” Wollberg said of her work in the pole vault.
The AHS standout also qualified for state on the Eagles' third-place 1,600 and 3,200 relay teams. She'll run with Austyn Flesner, Kelise Krivohlavek and Hailey O'Daniel in the shorter race at Omaha Burke Stadium and with Krivohlavek, O'Daniel and Brooke Hilgenkamp in the longer one.
“I think we all went out and competed, and gave our all,” Wollberg said. “(We) worked together on our relays and were able to make moves.”
O'Daniel made her mark individually during the district meet, too. The junior won the 800 run in 2:19.4 and the 1,600 run in 5:30.62.
Arlington freshman Hayley Arp won an individual district event as well. Her best discus attempt covered 124 feet, 5 inches, besting her second-place senior sister — Taylor Arp — by nearly six inches.
“I just wanted to be on varsity,” Hayley said of her preseason goals. “That was really my only goal — and to throw better.”
She certainly did, easily besting her season-long goal of 100 feet in the discus.
“Mr. (Jake) Eckhardt's a really good coach and he really helped me get to where I am,” Hayley Arp said.
The freshman's state-qualifying sister played a role in her success, too.
“(Taylor's) really pushed me in all of my sports,” Hayley said.
The freshman earned a second state berth in the shot put, producing a 36-3 throw for a silver medal in the event.
Altogether, the 14 Eagles will next compete Friday and Saturday during the NSAA Class C and D State Championships in Omaha. Field event competition begins at 9 a.m. on both days before foot races at 1:30 p.m.
CLASS C-2 DISTRICT MEET
Thursday at David City
BOYS
Team standings: Arlington 123, Wahoo Neumann 116, Yutan 101, Malcolm 79, Louisville 43, Omaha Christian Academy 21, Cornerstone Christian 19, Omaha Brownell-Talbot 18, Cedar Bluffs 6.
Top-6 Arlington Finishers
(Top-2 individuals, No. 1 relay teams advance to state)
400-meter dash: 1, Kaden Foust, 52.06 seconds. 2, Dallin Franzluebbers, 52.64.
800 run: 1, Kevin Flesner, 2:02.23. 2, Trey Hill, 2:05.03.
1,600 run: 1, Nolan May, 4:46.03. 2, Kolby Tighe, 4:50.26. 6, Gus Burns, 5:02.66.
3,200 run: 1, May, 10:07.77. 2, Tighe, 10:09.41. 5, John Morrison, 10:49.56.
1,600 relay: 1, AHS (Foust, Flesner, May, Hill), 3:30.51.
3,200 relay: 1, AHS (Franzluebbers, Flesner, Foust, May), 8:31.05.
Long jump: 1, Foust, 21 feet, 9 inches. 5, Cooper Staats, 19-5.75.
Triple jump: 2, Trent Koger, 40-9.75.
Pole vault: 5 (tie), Cameron Hancock and Hill, 10.
Discus: 4, Zane Gerrish, 137-7.
Shot put: 6, Jacob Beans, 46-8.
GIRLS
Team standings: Neumann 139, Yutan 120, Arlington 82, Malcolm 55, Cedar Bluffs 38, Louisville 34, Cornerstone Christian 34, Brownell-Talbot 16, Omaha Christian Academy 8.
Top-6 Arlington Finishers
(Top-2 individuals, No. 1 relay teams advance to state)
200-meter dash: 6, Ally Meyer, 29.41 seconds.
800 run: 1, Hailey O'Daniel, 2:19.4.
1,600 run: 1, O'Daniel, 5:30.62.
1,600 relay: 3, AHS (Whitney Wollberg, Austyn Flesner, Kelise Krivohlavek, O'Daniel), 4:14.74.
3,200 relay: 3, AHS (Wollberg, Krivohlavek, Brooke Hilgenkamp, O'Daniel), 10:07.24.
300 hurdles: 5, Flesner, 49.53.
Pole vault: 1, Wollberg, 10 feet.
Discus: 1, Hayley Arp, 124-5. 2, Taylor Arp, 118-8. 4, Britt Nielsen, 110-10.
Shot put: 2, H.Arp, 36-3. 3, T.Arp, 35-4. 6, Jaydin Allen, 33-2.
