By JIM LUTGENS
Sports Editor
The Gopher Conference championship was not in the cards for the 2023 NRHEG girls' track and field team.
But, boy was it close.
The Panthers finished second by an eye- lash in Monday's conference meet at USC in Wells, totaling 106.33 points to JWP's 108. Ten schools competed.
"So close," said NRHEG coach Duey Ferber. "We made a run at JWP, but fell less than two points short. It was a total team effort." Evelyn Nydegger took two firsts, winning the 100-meter high hurdles in 17.04 seconds and the 300 intermediate hurdles in 49.04. Quinn VanMaldeghem was also a double winner, taking the 1600 in 5:32.82 and the 800 with a time of 2:23.25. Nydegger, Keira Lenort, Sierra Misgen and VanMaldedgem won the 4x400 relay in 4:29.29. All four girls earned all-conference honors, as did Lauren Cromwell, who placed second in the discus at 113 feet.
Other NRHEG places: Gabby Schlaak, 3rd, 110 hurdles, 6th, high jump, 6th, 300 hurdles; 4x200, 4th (Chloe Riewer, Misgen, Holly Bartness, Clara Buendorf); 4x100, 4th (Josie Strom, Bartness, Riewer, Paige Johnson); Anika Ladlie, 4th, high jump; Nydegger, 4th, triple jump; Malonna Wilson, 5th, shot put; 4x800, 6th (Winter Pederson, Elise Aronson, Buendorf, Bartness; Cowell, 6th, shot put; VanMaldeghem, 6th, pole vault; Riewer, 7th, long jump; Buendorf, 8th, 800.
The NRHEG boys placed third with 95 points. Maple River ran away with it, piling up 209 points. JWP was second with 107. Not surprising, Will Tuttle led the Panthers. He was first in the 110 high hur- dles in 16.04 and first in the 300 intermedi- ates in 42.69. Lucas Hanna tossed the discus 141-1 for first. Tuttle and Hanna were all-conference. Hanna was second in the shot put while Jacob Karl took second in the 3200, meeting the qualifying standard for all-conference.
Other places: Levin Kitzer, 3rd, 110 hur- dles and 7th, 300 hurdles; Sawyer Prigge, 3rd, high jump; Tuttle, 3rd, triple jump; 4x400, 3rd (Aiden Deyle, Prigge, Harbor Cromwell, Conner Nelson); Parker Bunn, 4th, 300 hurdles and 8th, 110 hurdles; 4x800, 5th (Deyle, Prigge, Tuttle, Cromwell); 4x200, 6th (Bunn, Cromwell, Kitzer, Cohen Riewer); Cromwell, 7th, pole vault.
"It was a great night for our Panther boys," said Ferber. "Our hurdles scored a ton tonight from Tuttle, Bunn and Kitzer. Hanna had a fantastic night in the throws."
The Panthers compete at Waseca Thursday, May 18 at 4 p.m.