On May 18, 19, and 20, the Lady Dutch Track team received the honor of state runner up for the second year in a row. Twenty four members of the team competed.
According to Coach Dak Rasmussen, the coaches worked hard to keep the girls on their toes for state.
“We don’t wanna work them too hard, but at the same time, you still have to keep that edge. So you do have to get some good workouts in. Maybe not lengthy workouts, but short, intense ones, just to keep that edge going into state, to physically and mentally prepare them for the competition,” said Rasmussen.
There were many records broken this year. In the 3000, Tess Roorda broke the school record by around 7 seconds, and Rasmussen said it was the best time of not only her season, but her track career.
Juniors Anika Pingel and Emily Vos both broke the 200-meter school record at the same time. Vos holds the new school record since she was slightly faster. The 4×200 sprint medley team also broke the school record. The team consisted of senior Emma Thoreson as well as juniors Paighton Malek, Pingel, and Vos.
“The whole team starts in February with practices,” said Rasmussen. “They put in a lot of hard work, there’s a lot of dedication there, and so it’s nice to see them rewarded for that with the performances we have.”
Watch the interview with Coach Rasmussen below: