By Randy Hisner
WZBD Sports
Bellmont girls’ track coach Carl Risch, in his 30th year at the helm—and with six sectional titles and a pair of small school state indoor championships to his credit—mentions two key words in connection with this year’s team: numbers and patience.
“We have great numbers, over 40 girls,” he said. “I can’t remember having this many. We’ve got a lot of new kids.” He noted that 27 of his 42 athletes are freshmen or sophomores.
That’s where the patience comes in. “Track is not a sport that you are going to learn in a month, so it’s going to take some time,” he said, “but I like the makeup of the kids and their willingness to work.”
“There’s inexperience there,” he added, “but we certainly have some veterans left over, definitely some good senior leadership—in fact, outstanding senior leadership.” Four of the seniors he will rely heavily on are sprinter Haleigh Wesley, thrower Sierra Schmidt, distance runner Ellen Scott, and 400/800 specialist Sydney Keane. They were his top four scorers last year, Wesley leading the pack with 120.75 points. Schmidt, scoring routinely in both the shot and the discus, was second with 89.5.
Wesley has posted strong PRs of 13.0 in the 100 meters and 26.93 in the 200 meters. She finished third in the NE8 200 meters and fourth in the 100. She also scored in both events in the New Haven sectional—fifth in the 200, sixth in the 100. She has qualified for regional in the 200 the past two years.
Schmidt is one of the top throwers in the area, as evidenced by her runnerup sectional finish in the discus with a personal best throw of 115-9. She also took second in the discus in the NE8 meet and placed in the shot in both meets as well (fifth in NE8, sixth in sectional).
She has big discus goals for this season. “I’d like to get first in sectionals and do better at regional,” she said. (She was eighth at regional last year.) “I’d like to go to state. I think 120 (feet) could get me a spot for state, but I’m hoping to go even farther than that.”
Senior Addie Kintz (83-10) will be #2 in the discus, while junior Dodger Krol, with a PR of 31-3.5, is not far behind Schmidt in the shot put.
Risch’s distance crew looks strong; he returns all four members of the regional-qualifying 4X800 relay team: Keane, Scott, junior Keeley Carpenter, and sophomore Madison Witte. The squad took third in the sectional and just missed scoring at regional with a ninth-place finish.
Keane’s 2:33.7 split in the 4X800 was second on the team to the 2:32.7 of Carpenter, who also posted the best open 800 time of 2:34.9. She’ll be Risch’s leader in that event. Keane’s PR and team-leading time of 1:03.81 in the 400 earned her a fifth-place spot in the sectional. She’s a workhorse for Risch, often running the 4X800, the open 400, and the anchor leg on the 4X400.
Scott recorded the team’s best times in both distance races last year (6:07 in the 1600 meters, 12:39 in the 3200). Junior Karly Teeter and sophomore Mackenzie Selzer will provide depth in those events.
In addition to running a key leg on the 4X800, Witte is the team’s top 300-meter hurdler with a PR of 53.04. The 100-meter hurdles could be an area of concern for the Braves. Risch hopes to see a newcomer or two emerge in that event.
In the high jump, senior Karah Myers (4-6) and junior Taylor Louis (4-4) lead the way, and Kintz, at 7-0, is the top pole vaulter. Wesley (15-4) and Keane (14-0.5) were the Braves’ best long jumpers last year, but with their already crowded event schedules, Risch doesn’t know how often they will jump.
As the smallest school in the NE8, Bellmont has its work cut out for it in the conference meet. Last year the Braves were seventh of eight, and Risch is aware of the challenge. “The NE8 is loaded from top to bottom,” he said. “It’s tough to move up, but that’s the goal.”
