(Audubon, IA) – The Audubon Wheelers had a great showing last week at the Western Iowa Conference track and field championship while earning sixth in the meet with 60.5 team points. In the meet, the Wheelers had a total of five top-five individual and team finishes to help put them in their sixth-place spot. Head Coach Laeni Christensen knows that their finish meant a lot to the team and that they have a lot of potential moving forward.
This meet was essential for Audubon moving forward into this week’s state qualifying meet at Treynor. While they have a meet beforehand, this conference meet provided the competitive level that many of these girls will see when they get to Treynor and hopefully to Des Moines the following week against the best competition at Drake Stadium.
Audubon’s success could not have been achieved without combining both the Exira-EHK girls and the Audubon girls on one team. Three girls that have made an impact with the two schools combined together are Taryn Petersen, Harlow Miller, and Jaelynn Petersen who have pushed one another and their teammates to create a successful team atmosphere.
There were some challenges when combining the two schools, especially when Coach Christensen was putting forth the goals for this season’s team. It took some time for the girls to mesh together as one team as they were used to fiercely competing on the track against one another in just about every event. They’ve started to develop into a family atmosphere where they’re all working with one another.
The main focus falls on the relay events for Audubon with just a few minor improvements to be made. Audubon’s success came in the 4×400-meter relay and in the shuttle hurdle which were two key finishes in the Western Iowa Conference championship. If these girls can get their handoffs down throughout this week and find just the right spot to be, the trip to Des Moines will be an enjoyable one.
Audubon will have a chance to work on their handoffs tonight at Tri-Center High School in the Trojan Relays which start at 4:30 p.m.
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