Hononegah’s girls indoor track and field places second at NIC-10 conference meet

Hononegah’s girls indoor track and field team crushed the competition at the NIC-10 conference meet in March 16, 2024. They placed second with 115 points, only 25 shy of the top spot. Head coach Ashley Kentner emphasized that there were “a lot of stellar performances” this indoor season. Kentner told a reporter that she is “really excited” for outdoor track after seeing these girls’ progress so far.

The 4x800 meter relay team dominated the championship by 14 seconds. They not only won the competition, but also beat the school record by six seconds. The team was comprised of Allyson Niedfeldt (senior), Lauren Frake (senior), Jordan Dimke (sophomore), and Kylie Simpson (sophomore). Frake, Dimke, and Simpson also participated in the first-placing 4x400 meter relay along with Chidiuto Ezeani (freshman). Simpson commented, “Our four-by-eight ran really good… we got the fieldhouse record and the school record for indoor four-by-eight, and that’s really what we were trying to do today.”

Simpson had a successful day, also placing second in the 800 meter run. Niedfeldt got second in the 1600 meter run. Dimke won the 200 meter hurdles by 0.13 seconds and placed second in high jump. Her performance in the high jump qualified Dimke for the state competition where she also placed second, jumping 5' 5.75". Frake placed third in the 400 meter dash, only 0.63 seconds away from second place. Niedfeldt, Dimke, and Simpson all played varsity basketball earlier this year, highlighting their outstanding athleticism.

Senior Isabelle Molitor won second place in the 3200 meter run, despite it being her first time racing it this season. “I want to keep working on my two-mile,” Molitor decided in conversation with a reporter. She will be attending UW Stevens Point in the fall to study environmental science and continue her career in track and field.

Senior Amelia Bronnimann set personal records (PRs) in both of her hurdle events and won the pole vault, bringing in over 12 points for the girls in total. In response to a question about her feelings regarding making a school record, Bronniman exclaimed that it was “pretty fantastic…[because] that was my goal, and I reached it.”

Senior Sophia Hedges placed fourth in the 60 meter dash, which was a PR for her at 8:06 seconds and won the long jump. Hedges noted that the season has “been pretty solid.” She was very pleased with her performance this year after coming off of a knee injury that she sustained during her sophomore indoor track season. She has not committed to college yet, but is looking at UW Oshkosh because she “love[s] their program…[and] just want[s] track to be fun.”