Track and field: Sargeant repeats as triple jump champ

Incredibly, Gavin Sargeant has only been doing the triple jump since late May of 2023. He’s now the state record holder in the event.

Going 47-9.50, the Lodi leaper won his second consecutive Division 2 state title in the event over the weekend in La Crosse and broke the previous record held by Lake Mills’ Ben Dunkleberger by 9 ½ inches.

“I watched him more at state than I have all season, and just watching him warm up and prepare for each jump, he’s so methodical,” said Randy Skellenger, head Lodi track and field coach. “That’s the sign of a seasoned athlete.”

Led by Sargeant’s record-breaking performance, the Blue Devils finished a surprising fifth as a team, scoring 32 points. Lakeside Lutheran ran away with the team title in Division 2, racking up 81 points.

“If you would have told me we’d finish only four or five points out of second place, I wouldn’t have believed it,” said Skellenger.

Sargeant, who only had one scratch in the triple jump, gave Lodi a lot of firepower, according to Skellenger, as the Blue Devil senior also took second in the long jump, finishing with a jump of 22-10.75.

“He led for the first two jumps, but then the kid from Milwaukee (Amare Jackson, Milwaukee Academy of Science) popped a 1-foot PR and moved ahead by 4 inches,” said coach Skellenger.

Also earning points for Lodi in the long jump was Bennett Nyquist, as the freshman ended up fourth in the event, going 21-9. That was a new PR for him, with a new mark that’s 3 inches farther than his old one.

“When it came down to focusing on one event at state, Bennett jumped through the roof,” said Skellenger.

Zach Nyquist also had a strong performance in the 300 hurdles, taking third overall in 39.79.

“He threw down two phenomenal races,” said coach Skellenger. “He looked like he had second place locked after the other kid hit a hurdle and stumbled across the finish line, but that lean was what he needed.”

Sargeant and Zach Nyquist are both headed to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse to compete in track and field.

The Blue Devils’ 400 relay squad finished seventh, as Jack Bozacki, Mason Lane, Noah Houdek and Aiden Groskopf raced to a school-record time of 43.28.

“It was another tight finish,” said coach Skellenger. “They could have finished anywhere from fourth to sixth.”

Ben Skellenger placed 12th in the pole vault, clearing 13-0.

“He looked good through 13 feet,” said coach Skellenger. That was the height that Ben Skellenger finished at.

Lodi’s 1,600 relay crew of Zach Nyquist, Brody Ripp, Walter Beld and Houdek finished 11th in the preliminaries and didn’t reach the finals, finishing in 3:27.02.

Girls

Izzy Bahe was the Lodi girls’ team’s lone representative, competing in the discus.

The rainy weather didn’t do her any favors. Coach Skellenger said she was hitting water with her feet on her throws in the ring.

“She did a good job of staying grounded,” said coach Skellenger.

Throwing with the second flight, Bahe beat four other girls to make it to the finals, where she was ranked seventh. That’s where Bahe ended up, her throw of 118-8 giving her a seventh-place finish. Coach Skellenger believes the best is yet to come for Bahe, a junior who could be one of best returning throwers in the state next season.

“She did a great job of handling the stresses of state,” said coach Skellenger. “She’s a great leader.”