GYPSUM — The Bearcat track and field team took on their toughest meet yet April 14 at the Smoky Valley Invitational held at Southeast of Saline.

“The Smoky Valley meet is one of the best meets in the area,” Head Coach Nick Rodriguez said. “(It’s) probably the best competition we see outside of Beloit Relays and (the) regional meet.”

Senior Rowdy Dunn had two top finishes. He placed fifth in discus with a throw of 120 feet, 3 inches and second in javelin with a throw of 158 feet, 1 inch. He said he decided to go out for track and field after his golf coach resigned.

“(I) had previous success in junior high throwing, and my brother Luke was the state javelin thrower in high school,” he said. “I’m awfully hard on myself. I would say it comes from me directly comparing myself to others who have trained for the sport their whole high school career. It’s hard to find free time with jobs and classes going on, but any spare time I have, I’m working on my footwork and hip rotation.”

The Smoky Valley meet also included a “rumble relay,” where four throwers ran a 4x100 relay. To compete, participants could only do throwing events.

The girls’ team of juniors Kylan Turnipseed and Rylan Ohl, sophomore Keeley Pflueghoeft and freshman Reagan Hansen finished in second place while the boys’ team of Dunn, sophomores Tiernan George and Sumner Homolka and junior Jordan Rodriguez placed third.

Ohl said her favorite part of running the thrower’s relay was “how chaotic it was and how it was a break from being serious at the meet.”

“It was a great way to just relax and laugh while still being able to help the team out with earning points,” she said.

Ohl took home fourth in shot put by throwing 32 feet, 5 inches.

“I think (the meet) went well,” she said. “I didn’t PR (personal record), but I was proud of my distances in my events. I had a great time talking with girls from other schools between throws, and I think that really helped me get in the right mindset to compete.”

Freshman Lainey Peschka and junior Riley Stone both finished in the top six in the 100 meter. Peschka placed fifth against 32 runners with a time of 13.07, and Stone ran 11.19 for sixth place against 33 runners.

“We had some kids coming into the meet with some aches and pains,” Rodriguez said, “and had a couple that ended up with some issues after the meet … We had a few people do well. We get back to work Monday and look to making improvements heading into postseason.”

The April 11 meet in Ellsworth

On April 11, the Bearcats took to their home track for the second track and field meet of the season. It was a windy day with gusts ranging from 20-25 mph.

“Our athletes competed well,” Rodriguez said. “The meet started with some pretty strong winds out of the south, but those calmed down quite a bit by late evening.”

Sophomore Madi Newell jumped 4 feet, 10 inches in high jump, placing first.

“She has improved her speed this year and she has a very positive approach to