Ricardo ArguelloAppleton Post-Crescent
DE PERE − Ben Smith knows when he's throwing his best.
The Hortonville senior shot put and discus phenom qualified in both events for the WIAA state track and field championships at last Thursday's Division 1 sectional meet at West De Pere High School.
His discus throw of 208 feet wasn't far off his personal-best performance. The shot put? Well, his throw of 65-7.5 earned him the sectional title and a berth at state, but it fell below his lofty expectations.
The heave was nearly 10 feet off his best throw of the year, 75-1, which also happens to be the state's top throw and the nation's second-best effort.
But the two-time defending Division 1 state champion in the shot put isn't too worried heading into the final week of his high school career. He figures he has saved his best for last as he prepares for the state meet, which begins Friday in La Crosse.
"The big thing was getting a mark out there that would get me to state," Smith said at the sectional. "Now I have a whole week to lock in, work and get better to where I was even in regionals.
"I'm not too worried. I still had pretty decent numbers, but like I said I have plenty of time."
State meet pressure doesn't get to Smith
Smith, who will continue his track and field career at the University of Oregon, has always been a cool customer in the throwing circle. Years of competing at high-level events has honed his focus, according to his father and coach, Bob.
That doesn't mean Dad doesn't get nervous watching Ben throw.
"I like to stress out because you gotta get through the rounds," Bob Smith said. "But (Ben) has always been able to perform. But I think it's because we started young. He was an 11-year-old national champion in the discus way back in the day. Been to the state meet the past 15 years. As a kid he would go, so he knows the atmosphere and he understands the atmosphere."
Smith's top throw in the shot put of 75-1 happened at the Fond du Lac Quad on April 23. The WIAA Division 1 state meet record in the shot put is held by Green Bay Preble's Steve Marcelle (67-6), which he set in 2005.
"I want to be more consistent with (the shot put)," Smith said. "Last week I followed (the 75-foot throw) with a 74-foot throw. I know it's there. I know I have the numbers. I just have to get back to it. Every meet is just trying to advance and trying to PR and trying to get better."
Smith's best toss in the discus is 208-11, which is second in the nation behind Waterford's Bryce Ruland (210-10). Ruland also holds the state meet record at 201-11, which he set last season when he won the title with Smith finishing second. Smith won the discus title his sophom*ore season.
"Bryce Ruland is definitely the big name in the state, too. He's at 210 right now and I went against him last year," Smith said. "I know what he is and he's made of. He's going to be a competitor. So I'm looking forward to that and looking forward to having fun with him and trying to break an even bigger state record."
Smith doesn't plan on stressing about the fact that this is his final week of high school competition, and he's taking it "day-by-day."
"I don't want to be looking too much into the future and stressing on what’s going on," he said. "I just want to focus on what you’re doing today and what you’re doing tomorrow and slowly get to where you want to be. And that's what we're going to do (this) week, just trying to stay consistent. Get in the weight room and hit what I need to and make sure I’m ready to go."
Little sister Ayden Smith makes it a family affair
Coach Smith also will be paying close attention to his daughter, Ayden. The sophom*ore qualified in the D1 girls shot put (41-3.75) as well as the high jump (5-0).
"It’s been a great run," Bob said. "I'm very proud of them for sure. But it's one meet at a time and we'll be focused on the next one and see if we can podium and that's kind of the next goal."
Ayden, who said she missed reaching the state meet last season in shot put, is "super excited" to compete this year.
"I'm definitely nervous," she said. "There's some really talented girls going, so I'm a little intimidated."
Ayden added that she got into throwing by following in Ben's footsteps.
"He always went to AAU meets, so I just went and I saw him throw and I was like, 'Well, that's fun,' " she said. "So I just kind of started there."
Ayden said she and her older brother are close, but that doesn't mean they don't annoy each other at times.
"We definitely have our moments," she laughed. "We're not always getting along, but for the most part we do and we have fun."
AREA QUALIFIERS
Division 1 girls
INDIVIDUAL EVENTS
100: Brynn Fox, so., Neenah. 200: Ashley Parrish, fr., Appleton North. 400: Isabelle Maass, fr., Kaukauna. 800: Rachel Dietrich, sr., Neenah; Hannah Huza, so., Hortonville. 1,600: McKenna Lowe, jr., Kaukauna; Reese Fauske, so., Kaukauna; Mazie Olkowski, jr., Neenah; Sydney Fauske, sr., Kaukauna. 3,200: Mazie Olkowski, jr., Neenah; Sydney Fauske, sr., Kaukauna; Sophia Scherwinski, so., Appleton North; Elisa Gruber, so., Neenah. High jump: Ayden Smith, so., Hortonville; Anna Maass, fr., Menasha. Pole vault: Campbell Roberts, sr., Kimberly; Ava Sitek, Kimberly; Nora Waddell, jr., Appleton North. Long jump: Maisey Bojarski, sr., Appleton North; Jenna Kinas, so., Kaukauna; Celia Gentile, fr., Neenah. Shot put: Ayden Smith, so., Hortonville; Lydia Delene, sr., Neenah. Discus: Lydia Delene, sr., Neenah; Kristin Behnke, jr., Kimberly.
RELAYS
400: Neenah (Brynn Fox, Lilly Granditzke, Abbie Fischer, Celia Gentile, Chloe Dwyer, Nadia Marchionda); Appleton North (Maisey Bojarski, Ashley Parrish, Tarynne Pettinger, Emily Thompson, Isabel Parrish, Sofie Druckrey); Kaukauna (Jenna Kinas, Emma Sippel, Amber Gerrits, Ava Hammen, Sophie Mader, Macy Hartjes). 800: Kaukauna (Jenna Kinas, Emma Sippel, Amber Gerrits, Ava Hammen, Isabelle Maass, Sophie Mader). 1,600: Neenah (Celia Gentile, Julia Rangel, Ava Schalow, Rachel Dietrich, Molly Snider, Libby Wise). 3,200: Neenah (Natalie Willes, Lexi Dorner, Brooke Veith, Elsa Gruber, Rachel Dietrich, Lauren Linstedt); Hortonville (Maleiyah Streck, Leah Worley, Mallorie Werner, Hannah Huza, Hailey Falbo, Sydney Dent); Appleton North (Sophia Scherwinski, Sophie Busch, Lauren Podlasek, Ava Helmbrecht, Amber Ziemer, Audry Dehlinger).
Division 1 boys
INDIVIDUAL EVENTS
100: Grant Dean, jr., Neenah; Kyreese White, jr., Appleton East; Alejandro Pagan Vega, so., Kimberly. 200: Alejandro Pagan Vega, so., Kimberly. 400: Grant Dean, jr., Neenah. 800: Andrew Milhans, sr., Kaukauna; Tyce Scheetz, sr., Appleton West. 1,600: Wyatt Armock, sr., Neenah; Logan Salzmann, sr., Kimberly. 3,200: Logan Salzmann, sr., Kimberly; Wyatt Armock, sr., Neenah. High jump: Brady Hoffer, jr., Kaukauna. Pole vault: Eathan Lund, sr., Hortonville; Bennett Verboomen, jr., Kimberly. Shot put: Hunter Sprangers, jr., Kimberly; Sam McGivern, sr., Kimberly; Ben Smith, sr., Hortonville. Discus: Sam Scheer, sr., Neenah; Sam McGivern, sr., Kimberly; Hunter Sprangers, jr., Kimberly; Ben Smith, sr., Hortonville.
RELAYS
400: Kaukauna (Danny Poor, Will Clark, Parker Schuh, Brady Hoffer, Tucker Hofmann, Luke Tetzlaff). 800: Kaukauna (Thomas Kornowski, Danny Poor, Tucker Hofmann, Parker Schuh, Kavanaugh Weyenberg, Will Clark). 1,600: Kaukauna (Parker Schuh, Danny Poor, Ian Meyer, Andrew Milhans, Cole Smith, Jacek Beyer); Neenah (Charles Fredrickson, Alex Thayer, Owen Wise, Grant Dean, Braden Louden, Matt Machacek).
Division 2 girls
INDIVIDUAL EVENTS
100: Maya Vande Kolk, so., Seymour. 200: Maya Vande Kolk, so., Seymour; Lauren Erickson, so., Xavier. 400: Claire Fischer, so., Fox Valley Lutheran; Macy Reybrock, sr., New London; Grace Hackl, so., Xavier. 800: Claire Helmila, jr., Freedom; Lauren Wegand, jr., Little Chute. 1,600: Lilie Fouts, sr., Xavier; Sophie Yetter, sr., Winneconne. 3,200: Lilie Fouts, sr., Xavier; Sophie Yetter, sr., Winneconne. 100 hurdles: Lydia Merrick, jr., Freedom; Ashley Hietpas, fr., Freedom; Zuzanna Mosienska, so., Little Chute. 300 hurdles: Lydia Merrick, jr., Freedom. High jump: Lydia Merrick, jr., Freedom, 5-7. Pole vault: Maya Vande Kolk, so., Seymour; Caroline Basehoar, so., Xavier; Cailey Peterson, jr., Wrightstown. Long jump: Kara Verstegen, sr., Little Chute; Evelyn Wall, jr., Freedom; Addie Wenzel, jr., Brillion. Triple jump: Kara Verstegen, sr., Little Chute. Shot put: Erietta Davis, jr., Chilton; Madison Schaper, jr., Freedom; Emma Nilson, sr., Fox Valley Lutheran. Discus: Emma Nilson, sr., Fox Valley Lutheran.
RELAYS
400: Fox Valley Lutheran (Sophia Wunderlich, Annalise Patchett, Amethyst Holmes, Mya Burleton, Carilyn Growth, Faith Schumacher); Xavier (Hailey Hafner, Bernice Guerts, Bryce Hietpas, Yami Ornelas, Lily Renz, Caroline Basehoar); Chilton (Amber Anhalt, Adeline Bodinger, Samantha Koehler, Taylor Byrge, Abby Meyer, Bryleight Tasch). 800: Little Chute (Zuzanna Mosienska, Kara Verstegen, Addisen Harper, Sierra Hoffman, Katelyn Wegand, Brooklyn Jakubek); Wrightstown (Stella Theunis, Katerina Hruska, Kali Recob, Cailey Peterson, Stella Mulder, Allison Leick); Xavier (Grace Renz, Caroline Basehoar, Faith Hafner, Lauren Erickson, Bernice Geurts, Lily Renz). 1,600: Freedom (Gracie Martzahl, Claire Helmila, Leigh DeWitt, Lydia Merrick, Gabby Hambel, Kayla Smudde); Xavier (Grace Hackl, Joy Krull, Grace Renz, Lauren Erickson, Bernice Geurts, Lily Renz); New London (Rianna Schultz, Maren Stepniak, Elisie Abba, Macy Reybrock, Quinn Baehman, Hailey Peters). 3,200: Little Chute (Campbell DeBoth, Sami Miller, Ashley Wilson, Lauren Wegand, Madisen Job, Amelia Stein); Xavier (Annalise Minorik, Joy Krull, Hannah Linsmeyer, Lilie Fouts, Josie Kwasny, Raena Lambie); Freedom (Katherine Cook, Leigh DeWitt, Sami Vosters, Claire Helmila, Gracie Martzahl, Brooke Woods).
Division 2 boys
INDIVIDUAL EVENTS
100: Xzavier Pittman, jr., Waupaca. 200: Ronald Gomm, jr., Little Chute; Aaron Hambel, jr., Freedom; Xzavier Pittman, jr., Waupaca. 400: Nathan Lemkuil, sr., Waupaca. 800: Dominic Fletcher, jr., Little Chute. 3,200: Hayden Carroll, jr., Little Chute. 110 hurdles: Ben Olvey, sr., Xavier; Nolan Phillips, so., Freedom. 300 hurdles: Nolan Phillips, so., Freedom; Jacoby Dobberstein, fr., Fox Valley Lutheran; Cooper Effa, so., Little Chute. High jump: William VanderZanden, sr., Brillion; Cooper Effa, so., Little Chute; Cal VanRossum, so., Little Chute. Pole vault: Jack Steinbarth, jr., Freedom. Long jump: Noah Heinke, sr., Freedom; Hunter Beebe, sr., New London; Aidan Court, sr., Seymour; Sam Wegener, jr., Clintonville. Triple jump: Noah Heinke, sr., Freedom; Tyler Fischer, sr., Little Chute. Shot put: Hudson Samolinski, so., Winneconne. Discus: Brady Immel, sr., Winneconne; Hudson Samolinski, so., Winneconne.
RELAYS
400: Little Chute (Casey Perz, Ronald Gomm, Carson Kerrigan, Tyler Fischer, Tyler Hietpas, Ethan Lendved); Winneconne (Isaiah Carroll, Jack Quigley, Ethan Mathe, Cody McLeod, Brady Immel, Koltyn Kachur). 800: Winneconne (Cody McLeod, Jack Quigley, Ethan Mathe, Ryan Curran, Koltyn Kachur, Brock Robinson); Freedom (Aaron Hambel, Noah Heinke, Nixon Heinke, Nolan Phillips, Jack Bonnet, Tony Drontle); Little Chute (Casey Perz, Ronald Gomm, Cooper Effa, Tyler Fischer, Carson Kerrigan, Griffin VandenHeuvel); Fox Valley Lutheran (Jack Egan, Blessings Kapande, Caleb DuFresne, Kaleb Williams, Luke Feenstra, David Schumacher). 1,600: Freedom (Noah Heinke, Nixon Heinke, Andrew Sowinski, Aaron Hambel, Bradley Obermueller, Tony Drontle); Winneconne (Ben Harmon, Ryan Curran, Jack Quigley, Cody McLeod, Reid Cross, Cohen Reetz); Brillion (Heath Cousin, Jacob Lehman, Lucas Mathes, Ian Calaway, Bob Huntley, Aiden Jeske). 3,200: Winneconne (Grant Wenzelow, Silas Sarbo, Ben Harmon, Reid Cross, Beau Gilbert, Oliver Aberle).
Division 3 girls
INDIVIDUAL EVENTS
100: Karissa Birch, sr., Shiocton. 200: Karissa Birch, sr., Shiocton. 1,600: Lauren Ripley, jr., St. Mary Catholic. 3,200: Ava Lorenz, sr., Shiocton. 100 hurdles: Gwen Breckheimer, sr., Hilbert. 300 hurdles: Lydia Hofacker, jr., Shiocton; Abby Elmhorst, so., Manawa. Pole vault: Lexi Riehl, sr., Shiocton. Long jump: Karissa Birch, sr., Shiocton. Triple jump: Destiny Monnot, jr., Shiocton. Shot put: Nolie Anderson, jr., St. Mary Catholic; Macy Fee, so., Weyauwega-Fremont; Olivia Santos, jr., Manawa. Discus: Nolie Anderson, jr., St. Mary Catholic; Olivia Santos, jr., Manawa.
RELAYS
800: Weyauwega-Fremont (Chamille Birdyshaw, Cathryn Gunst, Raegan Farkas, Joslynn Clumpner, Ryleigh Farkas, Olivia Sedlar); Shiocton (Lydia Hofacker, Destiny Monnot, Cordilia Monnot, Karissa Birch, Lexi Riehl). 1,600: Shiocton (Lexi Riehl, Destiny Monnot, Cordilia Monnot, Lydia Hofacker, Ava Lorenz). 3,200: St. Mary Catholic (Addison Dinka, Claire Higgins, Maria Marti, Lauren Ripley, Norah Lee, Madeleine Breen).
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Division 3 boys
INDIVIDUAL EVENTS
100: Paxton Kuehn, so., Shiocton. 200: Joey Hess, sr., Shiocton. High jump: Nathan Gorman, sr., Manawa; Bennett Schmidt, sr., Shiocton. Pole vault: Ashton Post, sr., St. Mary Catholic. Long jump: Joey Huss, sr., Shiocton. Triple jump: Broc Billington, so., Weyauwega-Fremont. Discus: Joey Hess, sr., Shiocton.
RELAYS
400: Weyauwega-Fremont (Brayden Arndt, Dawson Lind, Oliver Nadjowski, Kameron Zielke, Sawyer Kons, Caleb Leschke). 800: Manawa (Jacob Kravetz, Drake Frasier, Carter Barrington, Nathan Gorman, Patrick Paque, Thomas Bartelt).
