Track & field is a sport that benefits greatly from student leadership. The sport typically draws in big numbers, necessitating athletes to step up and help lead the program in places where the coaches can’t always be. The Waterloo track & field program will have no shortage of leaders in the spring of 2024.
It all starts with the 15-member senior class. Eight girls and seven boys have been around the block a time or two as Pirates and bring a vital level of experience and leadership. The junior class has also stepped up. In preseason workouts, juniors helped run open gyms to help get the program in shape.
“This group has some goals,” Waterloo girls head coach Leslie Fugate said. “They’ve really been pushing themselves, to the point where we sometimes have to tell them to take it easy on themselves. They’re taking things very seriously.”
The middle to long distance events, both for the boys and girls, look to be a point of strength for Waterloo this season. The boys benefit from returning all four members of their 4x800 meter relay team, which qualified for sectionals last season with a third place finish at regionals. Juniors Owen Koele, David Cefalu, and Harrison Schaefer as well as sophomore Isaac Opsteen all return to compete in the event again as well as myriad individual distance runs.
Three of the girls’ most experience athletes are distance runners in seniors Corryn Retzloff and Cordelia Webber as well as junior Sydney Gordon. Retzloff and Webber both finished in sixth place at regionals in their respective events last spring, falling just short of sectional qualification.
Waterloo will also find strength in the sprints. For the boys, senior Benny Marshall makes his return to the track after suffering a broken leg in basketball as a junior. A standout football and basketball player, his athleticism is an immediate boost. Junior Kaden Ring figures to be a boost in that department, as well. He is the sole returning member of Waterloo’s sectional-qualified 4x200 meter relay team from last spring, which finished fourth at regionals. Sophomore speedster Ben Ugorji should be a name to watch in that realm, as well.
Senior Maren Dolfin is a top sprinter for the girls. She fell just shy of sectional qualification last spring with a sixth place finish at state. Look for fellow seniors Lily Jeffers and Alisa Sheshina to also pitch in.
In the field, junior Ryan Fugate leads the charge as a talented pole vaulter. He’s joined by Marshall and Ring, who double as jumpers. Jose Limon leads the group of throwers, as well. For the girls, both Webber and Sheshina participate as pole vaulters. Senior Tova Gangstad leads the charge for the throwers and Dolfin is also a very capable jumper.
“I’m already proud,” Waterloo boys head coach Shane Seefeld said. “They don’t even have to ask me. It doesn’t even have to be after a meet. I’m proud because they’re all out here working hard every day. If there’s a good performance, I’ll be happy. If you need more work, I’ll tell you that, too. But I’m always proud.”
The Pirates’ new season gets rolling at the friendly confines of Waterloo High School. They’ll host Cambridge and Marshall for a Capitol Conference tri on Tuesday, April 9. Their opening week continues on Thursday, April 11 with a trip to Mayville High School for an invitational.
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