Awards were given to seniors who had been in track the past season. There was only one senior, Dan Johnson, who deserved more than just a plaque. Johnson has been a leader in the Paynesville track program since he started in summer recreation track and field program back in elementary school. He encourages everyone on the team more like a coach than a teammate and captain. We are all going to miss him a lot next year as a competitor, but more so as a friend. There is nobody more deserving of an award than Johnson.
For the indoor season, there were three new records set. The 3200-meter relay team of Jean Luc Trees, Jeff Voss, Josh Jones, and Johnson, set the new record at 8:47. Johnson set the 800-meter run record with a time of 2:05.3. Jones also broke his own triple jump record at 40’1”.
For the outdoor season, there were two records set, both were relays. The 800- meter relay team of Josh Roemeling, Troy Wendlandt, Trees, and Eric Rausch ran a 1:39.4 to set the standards for this new race, which was added this year.
The 3200-meter relay team of Trees, Voss, Jones, and Johnson, smashed the old record set last year. Everyone dropped their times tremendously and the team ran an 8:20.5. This means that on an average, all four runners had to run an 800 in 2:05, which is hard to do.
Captains for next year will be Jones and Wendlandt, who were both captains this year. Good luck to everyone. We’ll miss you, Dan!