The numbers are there again for the Ipswich track and field program this spring, but there’s not only an impressive quantity of IHS thinclads. “There’s good quality as well,” predicts IHS head coach Todd Thorson.

Last year the Lady Tigers finished second in the state with 58.5 team points at the State B and the Tiger boys scored 22 team points for 13th place in their team standings.

So both Ipswich track and field teams hope to be in the hunt again this year, both during their regular-season meets and in the post-season drama.

One reason that might indeed become a reality in 2019 is senior leadership, which holds true in just about any sport. The Lady Tigers feature seven seniors on their current roster and the Tiger boys even more with no fewer than nine.

On the girls’ side, the seniors, alphabetically, are Abby Grabowska, Bailey Hammrich, Kamryn Heinz, Kari Kanable, Taylor Maurer, Aleah Steger and Ashlee Thorson. The juniors include Gabriela Costa, Mckenzie Evans, Lily Gaston, Tessa Kilber, Kendra Osborne, Jessica Pullman and Avery Sylte for additional upper-class reinforcements.

The sophomores are Kate Geditz, Lindsey Grabowska, Halle Heinz, Ashton Loken, Paige Mehlberg, Chesney Olivier and Bailey Pitz. Five freshmen are Emily DeRaad, Makala DeRaad, Chloe Jager, Izabella McQuarie and Kylee Sanborn.

Junior-highers should help augment the IHS depth, as well, especially when there are 10 eighth-grade girls: Katie Bierman, Vanessa Diaz, Madison Geditz, Jailey Hutson, Baylee Kulesa, Gracie Lange, Quincy Olivier, Ashley Ptacek, Ashlyn Weig and Kaitlyn Williams. There are a pair of seventh grade newcomers, Karlie Gohl and Sierra Kessler. The sixth graders not eligible for varsity meets are Reaghan Bowers, Sommer DeRaad, Savannah Kessler, Kathryn Kilber, Kaylin Onken and Jaydin Styles.

Those seniors boys? They are Daniel Braun, Thomas Goetz, Ben Kulesa, Reece Moehlenbrink, Riley Nehlich, Sheldon Neitzel, Jacob Nierman, Jadon Onken and Carson Simes. The juniors are Maxwell Geditz, Carter Heinz, William Kadlec and Jordan Richardt.

Sophomores include Matthew Hettich, Josh McQuarie, Dylan Owens, Eric Severson and Tyler Tran and the freshmen are Carson Gohl, Ty Kadlec, Jordan Nierman, Lance Parks, Chris Reynolds and Taylor Thorson.

The eighth-grade boys’ thinclads are Carter Geditz, Tyler Hettich, Preston Martin, Evan Onken, Colby Sylte, Turner Thorson, Brady Unser, Grant Weisser and Gavin Wollman.

The seventh-grade hopefuls include Cayden Geier, Trevor Heinz, Xavier Kadlec, Adam Kanable, Dylan Wald and Kadyn Weisser.

The sixth-grade boys, who will be in middle-school meets, include Hayden Crissman, Marcus Hofer, Tucker Kadlec, Sawyer Kirkham, Maxwell Kulesa, Rasmus Loken and Justin Rohrbach.

The staticians, because of injuries, are Sydney Loken, Jayna Sanborn and Hailey Bierman. Ashlee Thorson will serve in two capacities this year, both running and helping out with stats.

The assistant coaches this season are Todd Naasz, Kayla Nilsson, Tyler Severson and Tadd Thorson.

The IHS contingent was scheduled to attend another indoor meet on March 26 at the Barnett Center. (The Eureka Early Bird has been canceled.) And they will try to get outside to host an April 2 Early Bird. And hopefully there might be a little nicer weather by then and the track shoveled as required! “We are going to try and have our meet, but if not, we will go to Brookings for an indoor meet (on April 1),” Thorson says.

A little further into April will be the Rob Leucke Invitational on April 9 in Groton. One of the highlights of the regular-season schedule is the Lake Region Conference meet hosted by Ipswich on May 7. The regional is scheduled for Gettysburg on May 16. And the state showdown is set for May 24-25 in Sioux Falls!