Webster City sophomore Adeline Tesdahl kicks up the sand as she lands during the Class A long jump at Monday’s Richard Ryan Relays in Gowrie. Tesdahl gave WCHS its only gold medal in the event and the Lynx placed fifth overall in the largest of the two classes at the opening outdoor meet of the season. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

GOWRIE — Look, it is what it is. With a smallish roster, the Webster City girls’ track and field team is going to have to thread the needle when it competes this spring.

The Lynx will have to pick and choose their spots to pounce, and head coach Clint Howard knows it’s his responsibility to put his athletes in the proper positions to be successful.

Every event won’t be filled. Team points are going to be left on the track, so to speak. And, in all likelihood, meet championships aren’t going to be in the cards.

But that doesn’t mean WCHS can’t be successful. It proved that on the opening day of the outdoor season on a picturesque Monday evening at Southeast Valley High School.

The Lynx filled just 15 of the 19 events — they skipped the high jump, 4×800-meter relay, 3,000-meter run and 1,500-meter run — and had the maximum two entries in only seven of the nine individual events.

Marah Range (left) takes the baton from Nalani Baukham on Webster City’s 4x200-meter relay at Monday’s Richard Ryan Relays. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

That was the bad news.

The good news was that WCHS won one event, grabbed six medals in all and scored 14 times en route to a fifth-place finish in Class A at the Richard Ryan Relays. The Lynx finished with 65 points, just three points out of the upper-half of the eight-team field.

And that was more than good enough for Howard.

“Team wise, it’s tough when you leave four or five events open, but that’s the reality with our numbers,” Howard said. “You’ve got to set the kids up for success in the best opportunities, but when you throw in recovery time it’s a puzzle sometimes. I thought the girls competed really well up and down the lineup … they’ve been training really hard and showing a lot of commitment, and they exceeded our expectations based on what we thought going into the meet.”

Sophomore Adeline Tesdahl, who represented WCHS at the state track and field meet last spring, picked up where she left off a season ago with a medal-filled opener. She gave the Lynx their only victory early in the meet, as she was the only long jumper in either class to surpass 15 feet. She took the lead on her opening attempt and then created separation on her fourth and final attempt with a leap of 15 feet, 23⁄4 inches, a measurement that could have been a foot or more farther had she not dragged her back foot on her landing.

Lynne Roberts runs the third leg on Webster City’s shuttle hurdle relay at Monday’s Richard Ryan Relays in Gowrie. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Tesdahl later took second in the 400 hurdles, the event she qualified for state in 2021, with a time of 1:16.55. She also ran legs on the Lynx runner-up distance medley relay (4:54.07) and third-place shuttle hurdle relay (1:15.31).

“There are lofty expectations with her this season and she had a solid night,” Howard said of Tesdahl.

Freshman speedster Cloe Savitski gave WCHS an individual medal as well. She finished in the runner-up position in the 200 (29.20).

Savitski and Tesdahl were joined by Dasha Sankey and Emma Peck on the distance medley. Brynna Croy, Lynne Roberts and McKenzie Mishler rounded out the shuttle hurdle quartet.

Savitski, Mishler, Sankey and Peck joined forces to win bronze in the sprint medley relay (2:03.66).

WCHS freshman Cloe Savitski eyes the exchange zone as she finishes up her lead-off leg of the sprint medley relay at Monday’s Richard Ryan Relays in Gowrie. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Howard was also pleased with his throwers. Hannah Brandt turned in a fourth-place effort in the discus (102-2) and Delaney Kopriva was eighth in the shot put (30-43⁄4).

Carroll (150 points in Class A) and Newell-Fonda (174 points in Class B) collected the team titles.

WCHS will head to Eagle Grove, weather permitting, on Thursday.

Webster City’s Emma Peck races down the backstretch while holding a sizable lead on a pack of runners during the distance medley relay at Monday’s Richard Ryan Relays in Gowrie. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

1. Carroll 150; 2. Manson-Northwest Webster 122; 3. Pocahontas Area 70; 4. South Central Calhoun 68; 5. Webster City 65; 6. Southeast Valley 53; 7. Carroll Kuemper 43; 8. Eagle Grove 15.

Long Jump — 1. Adeline Tesdahl 15-23⁄4; 6. Bonnie Nohrenberg 13-10 1/2.

Shot Put — 8. Delaney Kopriva 30-43⁄4; 9. Adysen Poppen 30-03⁄4.

Discus — 4. Hannah Brandt 102-2; 14. Shelby Brim 66-5.

100 Meters — T5. Nalani Baukham 14.75; T5. Marah Range 14.75.

400 Meters — 10. Lydia VanDeer 1:20.39; 11. Samantha Zeisneiss 1:32.17.

100 Hurdles — 6. McKenzie Mishler 18.61; 11. Brynna Croy 19.89.

4×100 Relay — 4. WCHS 55.32 (Croy, Mishler, Savitski, Sankey).

4×200 Relay — 4. WCHS 2:01.93 (Baukham, Range, Sierra Steuerwald, Lynne Roberts).

4×400 Relay — 5. WCHS 4:59.34 (Peck, Steuerwald, Alondra Johnson, VanDeer).

Sprint Medley Relay — 3. WCHS 2:03.66 (Savitski, Mishler, Sankey, Peck).

Distance Medley Relay — 2. WCHS 4:54.07 (Sankey, Tesdahl, Savitski, Peck).

Shuttle Hurdle Relay — 3. WCHS 1:15.31 (Tesdahl, Croy, Roberts, Mishler). Webster City sophomore Adeline Tesdahl kicks up the sand as she lands during the Class A long jump at Monday’s Richard Ryan Relays in Gowrie. Tesdahl gave WCHS its only gold medal in the event and the Lynx placed fifth overall in the largest of the two classes at the opening outdoor meet of the season. DFJ photo/Troy Banning WCHS freshman Cloe Savitski eyes the exchange zone as she finishes up her lead-off leg of the sprint medley relay at Monday’s Richard Ryan Relays in Gowrie. DFJ photo/Troy Banning Lynne Roberts runs the third leg on Webster City’s shuttle hurdle relay at Monday’s Richard Ryan Relays in Gowrie. DFJ photo/Troy Banning Marah Range (left) takes the baton from Nalani Baukham on Webster City’s 4×200-meter relay at Monday’s Richard Ryan Relays. DFJ photo/Troy Banning Webster City’s Emma Peck races down the backstretch while holding a sizable lead on a pack of runners during the distance medley relay at Monday’s Richard Ryan Relays in Gowrie. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

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