The Gladbrook-Reinbeck boys track team is off and running for the 2012 season.  The season began at South Tama on April 2nd with one of the warmest days of the year.  With a young team, experience is the name of the game.  Everyone participated in a number of events.  Zach Pierce was able to place with a throw of 38′ 7.5“.  Sam Johnson also placed in the high jump with 5’4”.  Wyatt Swanson ran strong in the 400M Dash (53.76) and in the 800M Run (2:07) earning 4th and 3th place medals.  Overall, this was a great experience and this group will continue to improve throughout the season.

On April 5th, the G-R boys track team competed in the Pirate Relays in Hudson.  This was a very tough field with many competitors from the 2011 State Track Meet participating.  Zach Pierce set the tone early with a solid throw of 39′ 11” earning a 6th place finish.  Wyatt Swanson run strong once again in the 400M Dash (53.63) and 800M Run (2:07), which were both 4th place finishes.  Joe Zimmerman also had his top throw of the year in the discus with 112′ 3″. We headed into Easter weekend with many things to improve upon, but with some optimism for later in the season.

The Jesup J-Hawk Relays were held on Monday, April 9th.  This was a great place for the G-R team to see where they stacked up against several 1A schools that we will compete against in our district meet in May.  Tyler Bovy ran well in the windy conditions to place 3rd in the 3200 with a time of 11:36.  Zach Pierce placed 6th in the shot put with a throw of 38′ 10″.  The 4×800 team of Wyatt Swanson, Noah Lanza, Sam Johnson, and Trevor Trunck placed 2nd with a time of 9:00.  This was an improvement of nearly 30 seconds from earlier in the year.  Wyatt Swanson was runner-up in the 400M Dash with 53.91 and champion of the 800 with 2:06.  The 4×200 team of Phil Zimmerman, Joe Zimmerman, Trevor Trunck, and Jeff Tscherter placed 6th with a time of 1:46.9.  Trevor Trunck was 5th in the 400M hurdles with a time of 1:05.  And the 1600 Medley team of Phil Zimmerman, Jeff Tscherter, Sam Johnson, and Noah Lanza placed 6th.  The team placed 6th overall and performed very well on a cold, windy evening.

Once again, the G-R boys track team traveled to Hudson for the Pirate Relays II on Thursday, April 12th.  Zach Pierce had a throw in the shot put of 39′ 4″ to place 5th.  Tyler Bovy ran 11:38 in the 3200 to place 6th.  Sam Johnson ran a personal best of 2:10 to take 2nd place in the 800M run.  Again, we are still looking to gain consistency in all of our events.  We have some young athletes that are beginning to develop into strong competitors.  As the season progresses into the conference and district meets, we will need everyone to contribute.

Rugged Rebel Award Winner for April 5th – Zach Pierce Rugged Rebel Award Winner for April 13th – Wyatt Swanson