Senior places tenth at first state track meet

Senior Morgan Vogler placed tenth overall in the 60 meter hurdles on March 4 at the state indoor track meet at the University of Akron. She was the only member of the indoor track team to qualify for the meet.

Vogler was the 2016 District and Regional Champion in 100 meter hurdles in the regular spring track season. She went on to the state meet and placed tenth in the Division II State meet.

Track’s normal season takes place during the spring, but the indoor winter track season started this year because track coach Cathryn Lest saw the success of the 2016 spring season. “I knew a couple athletes would want to continue their training during the winter,” Lest said.

The members of the indoor track team included seniors Jonathon Hazzard, Ben Johnston, Evan Pour, Gabe Sander, Vogler, and Ben Wainscott, as well as junior Meagan Taylor, and sophomores Allyn Albers and Hunter Evans.

The team met 3-4 days a week to run inside the school, and they used the auxiliary gym to practice high jumps. They participated in three meets total. Lest said she saw great success during the season. “Everything was an accomplishment. Every kid got a personal record, and since it was the team’s first year, every time they ran was a school record,” Lest said.

Team members got to try different events during the winter season than they were used to running during the regular spring season. Wainscott tried high jump and Sander had a personal record of over a foot in the long jump event.

“I had a good experience this year. It was different from what I’m used to because we run shorter distances in indoor. The atmosphere is different. But it was a lot of fun because I stuck with all of my senior friends,” Vogler said.

“Our goal for the upcoming season is to have the athletes get faster and stronger, qualify more kids for regionals and state meets, and grow the team,” Lest said.

Vogler’s plans for the upcoming spring track season is to place in the top five in the state in the 100 meter hurdles. She has decided not to continue her running career in college.