Koval sets new record in track season opener

The first meet of the track and field season is usually little more than a warm-up for future competitions, a chance to shake off the offseason rust and set a starting point for the weeks ahead.

If Riley Koval had any rust on his legs, he burned it off in a hurry Friday night. The Mt. Horeb/Barneveld sophomore ran a smoking 6.81 seconds in the 55-meter dash at the Nelson-Daniels Classic at UW-Whitewater, setting a new class record in the event at the indoor invitational.

Koval ran his record time — which eclipsed the mark set a year ago by teammate Dillan Powell — in the preliminaries, then nearly matched it the finals as his 6.88-second effort earned him a sixth-place medal.

The school record in the 55 is :06.64, set in 1994 by Swiss foreign exchange student Chris Normand.

“Riles is a special athlete,” said Vikings coach Jason McMahon, a one-time teammate of Normand’s. “He was chasing that school record without even knowing what it was. He came close, and I won’t be surprised if he takes it down before long.”

Koval also anchored the boys 800-meter relay team to a runner-up finish, the best placing for the Vikings’ boys or girls. Koval was joined on the squad by Powell, junior David Vogt and senior Brandon Holt, the same quartet that competed at the WIAA state championships last season in the 400-meter relay.

Mt. Horeb/Barneveld also received a medal-winning performance from junior Josh Alley in the 400-meter dash. Alley ran down several opponents in the second lap on the 200-meter track to bring home a sixth-place finish. The Vikings totaled 14 points to finish 14th out of 25 teams.

The Mt. Horeb/Barneveld girls took 15th out of 25 teams with 11 points, led by a pair of state-qualifying athletes.

Sophomore Emma Glanzer, who competed at last year’s state meet in two hurdle events, flew to a fourth-place finish in the 55-meter high hurdles with a time of :09.80. Senior Sara Landsee, a two-time state qualifier in the discus and the school record-holder in discus and shot put, earned a fifth-place medal with a toss of 33-11 in the shot.

Glanzer also ran a blistering 27.08-second anchor split in the 800 relay.

“Emma’s just flat-out fast,” McMahon said. “In anything from the 400 on down, she can hang with just about anybody.”

Junior Lauren Baier picked up two points for the Vikings with a seventh-place finish in the 200.

Mt. Horeb/Barneveld is back in action on Saturday at the Tri-State Invitational at UW-Platteville.


NELSON-DANIELS CLASSIC BOYS

Event — Name, Effort (Place)
    55 — Koval, :06.88/:06.81 (6); D. Powell, :07.15 (22); Fargo, :07.23 (27). 200 — Vogt, :24.98 (9); Holt, :25.23 (14). 400 — Alley, :56.78 (6). 800 — Magnuson, 2:23.83 (21); Swimm, 2:24.06 (24); Miles, 2:24.75 (27). 1600 — Zweifel, 5:14.62 (9). 3200 — Morkri, 12:27.08 (22).
    55 Hurdles — Handrick, :09.00 (15). 800 Relay — D. Powell, Vogt, Holt, Koval, 1:39.09 (2). 1600 Relay — Alley, Magnuson, Zweifel, Handrick, 3:58.09 (16). 3200 Relay — Miles, Swimm, Martensen, Ward, 9:58.44 (18).
    Long Jump — Handrick, 17-5½ (22); Fargo, 17-4 (24). Triple Jump — Haglund, 30-6½ (30). High Jump — Alley, NH. Pole Vault — Holt, 9-0 (10); Reaser, 9-0 (10). Shot Put — Frings, 35-6Ύ (37).
    Team Results — Mt. Horeb/Barneveld 14th out of 25 teams (14 points).

NELSON-DANIELS CLASSIC GIRLS

Event — Name, Effort (Place)
    55 — duPreez, :08.73 (38); Chlebowski, :09.11 (45). 200 — Baier, :29.31 (7); Welsh, :33.14 (32). 400 — Deau, 1:15.40 (29). 800 — Deterding, 2:54.21 (21); Sutter, 3:02.11 (27). 1600 — Kabler, 6:34.10 (25). 3200 — Mackler, 14:39.81 (18).
    55 Hurdles — Glanzer, :09.80/:09.60 (4); Frasier, :10.53 (12); M. Haas, :11.03 (26). 800 Relay — Frasier, M. Haas, Baier, Glanzer, 2:04.91 (15). 1600 Relay — duPreez, McGinn, Laufenberg, Deau, 5:03.48 (18). 3200 Relay — Mackler, Kabler, Sutter, Deterding, 11:31.43 (10).
    Long Jump — L. Haas, 11-1½ (35). Triple Jump — N. Eklund, NM. High Jump — Hitchman, 4-6 (13), Colonero, NH. Pole Vault — Hartog, NH. Shot Put — Landsee, 33-11 (5).
    Team Results — Mt. Horeb/Barneveld 15th out of 25 teams (11 points).
 

Complete Results