Junior Logan Giesking competes in the high jump during the NICL Conference Mega Meet on Thursday, May 5, in Hudson. Giesking took fourth in the event, tying Union’s Grant Behrens. –Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker

Gladbrook-Reinbeck girls and boys track competed at the rainy, first-annual North Iowa Cedar League (NICL) Conference ‘Mega Meet’ hosted by Hudson last Thursday, May 5, featuring 16 area teams including both Class 1A and 2A.

While the G-R’s boys’ roster boasts more than 20 athletes, the Rebel girls number less than 10 – mostly freshman and sophomores – including Xandra Anderson, Vanessa Arvisu-Ersland, Akeelah Blakely, Nattalee Brinkman, Kiya Larsen, Madison Resendez, Ellie Smiley, and Danielle Wilson.

Top finishes for G-R girls Thursday night included Anderson in the discus field event (13th), as well as shot put (16th) where she put up a put of 26-feet-11.25-inches.

The NICL Conference champion for the girls was Denver with 127 points, followed by Dike-New Hartford in second with 114 points, Jesup in third with 82 points. GR did not field enough girls to place as a team.

On the boys’ side, Logan Giesking continues to excel in the high jump this season, tying with Union’s Grant Behrens for fourth in the conference – laying the groundwork for what will hopefully be a run at state this year.

PHOTO BY RUBY F. BODEKER

Other top finishes for the Rebel boys included Caleb Egesdal who finished 11th in the 400-meter dash with a time of 57.15; Giesking in the long jump (15th); and Austin Vaverka in the long jump (17th).

G-R boys finished in 16th place as a team with all points earned coming from Giesking.

The NICL Conference champ was Dike-New Hartford with 139 points, followed by Grundy Center in second with 126 points, and Jesup in third with 104 points.

State qualifier

G-R High School track athletes will head back to Hudson on Thursday, May 12, for the coed Class 1A State Qualifying Meet where they’ll face many of the same teams.

Sophomore Madison Resendez competes in the long jump field event during the NICL Conference Mega Meet on Thursday, May 5, in Hudson. Resendez finished 20th in the event with a jump of 12-feet-6.5-inches. –Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker

Events are set to begin at 4:00 p.m. at Hudson High School track located at 136 South Washington Street in Hudson.

No more than 24 athletes from each state qualifier event will advance to the 2022 Iowa High School State Track & Field Championships currently set for May 19-21 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

PHOTO BY RUBY F. BODEKER

Sophomore Austin Vaverka glides through the air as he competes in the long jump field event during the NICL Conference Mega Meet on Thursday, May 5, in Hudson. Vaverka finished 17th in the event with a jump of 17-feet-3.5-inches. –Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker

PHOTO BY RUBY F. BODEKER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. BODEKER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. BODEKER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. BODEKER