MENNO EYES STRONG TRACK SEASON

JEREMY WALTNER  – PUBLISHER

Track and field fans from Menno will have their first chance to watch the Wolves from the comfort of their home facility when the Menno Relays comes to town next Thursday, April 15. And there’s a pretty good chance they will like what they see.

This year’s track team includes some top-tier talent that should provide plenty to cheer about for Menno fans, from senior Jesse Munkvold in the hurdles to junior Raygen Diede in the shot put to senior Morgan Edelman, senior Brady Fergen and sophomore Owen Eitemiller in the pole vault.

“We’re not as deep as we have been,” said coach Ken Bruckner, “but we hope to be competitive.”

Bruckner, who works with the boys while Ryan Liebl works with the girls, notes that Edelman and Fergen are previous state qualifiers for the Wolves and that Eitemiller, a transfer from Wagner, qualified as an eighth grader.

Fergen and Edelman both placed sixth at state in the pole vault in 2018. Look for Fergen in the hurdles and the high jump, as well, and Edelman has a good chance of also qualifying for state in the long jump and 800.

Bruckner, who has coached track for 43 years and been at Menno since 1992, also notes how well Diede is throwing; “She’s a hard-working kid and wants to learn,” he said. “As a coach you really appreciate kids like that.”

And Munkvold should be highly competitive in the hurdles and is a versatile runner; “She can run anything from a 100 to an 800,” Bruckner said. “She could have a really good year.”

There are others to keep an eye on, he said, and the Wolves will be looking to put together several relays for both the boys and girls.

Menno was scheduled to compete at the Scotland Invitational on Tuesday and the Dan Clarke Relays in Bridgewater on Thursday before running at Centerville next Tuesday, April 13.

In addition to the Menno Relays next Thursday, Menno will host the Erv Ptak Relays on April 29 and will welcome teams from Region 5B for the region meet Thursday, May 20.