Bennington Track & Field Shows Strong Indoor Momentum at Back-to-Back Meets

By Marisa Dawson

Bennington High School’s track and field athletes showed impressive consistency and improvement over a busy stretch of indoor competition in March 2026. Following a solid outing at College of Saint Mary on March 19, the Badgers competed again just two days later at Doane University.

This quick turnaround highlighted depth, personal bests (PBs), and podium performances across the board. The team built on early-season progress, with several athletes stepping up in new events or improving marks.

Recap: CSM Stevens Series – Aksarben Division (March 19 at College of Saint Mary)

Boys’ Standout Performances

Jaiden Heywood (11) captured the top spot in pole vault, clearing 12′ 4″ (PB) to claim gold and lead Bennington’s field event success.
In hurdles, Awel Awel (11) advanced to finals with a PB of 10.05a in prelims (9th place), while Zeb Hamilton (10) also posted a PB of 10.54a (11th in prelims).
On the track, Gideon Rodgers (11) placed 8th in the 800m with a PB of 2:23.25a. Tobiah Thorberg (10) took 8th in the 1600m (5:14.13a PB), and Brayden Kramer (9) finished 10th (5:18.93a PB).
In sprints, Zeb Hamilton earned 6th in the 200m finals with a PB of 24.20a. The boys’ 4×400 relay team (Zeb Hamilton, Noah College, Jamison Theis, Trey McMenamin) placed 5th in 4:00.76a.
Other notable finishes included Raiden Downie (11) in 9th in shot put (40′ 4″ SB) and several PBs in jumps and throws from athletes like Ope Akomolafe, Kasen Dutoit, Drake Kuhl, and others.

Girls’ Standout Performances

The girls’ team posted impressive results in hurdles and jumps. Naomi Wempen (9) took silver in the 60m hurdles finals with a PB of 10.00a (after 10.01a in prelims for 2nd), while Nancy Adzadou (10) earned bronze with 10.40a PB (4th in prelims).
Lauren Schmidt (9) had a breakout day, finishing runner-up in the 400m (1:02.07a PB) and 2nd in triple jump (32′ 5″ PB), plus 10th in long jump (14′ 11″ PB).
In pole vault, Brinley Kaczmarek (11) cleared 7′ 10″ for 2nd place (silver). Madi Shippen (10) secured bronze in the 3200m with a PB of 15:07.70a.
The girls’ 4×400 relay squad (Isabel Haywood, Camry Olson, Cora Turner, Lauren Schmidt) placed 6th in 4:29.82a.
Additional strong showings came from Cora Turner (8th in long jump, 15′ 0.25″ PB), Avery Theis (tied 5th in high jump, 4′ 8″ PB), and throwers like Laurie Kohoun, Kennedy Bobolz, and Josie Sudbeck.

Follow-Up Meet Highlights (March 21 at Doane University)

In the subsequent meet on Saturday, March 21, Bennington athletes posted several strong showings, including event wins, high placements, and more PBs, showing the squad’s ability to peak quickly.

Boys’ Key Performances

60m Finals: Noah Nichols (12) placed 4th (7.20a PB in prelims context), William Gutz (11) 6th (7.31a PB).
200m Finals: Knox Naughton (10) 3rd (23.74a PB), Brooks Codr (12) 4th (24.38a PB), Jay Stahlecker (11) 7th (24.70a PB).
400m Finals: Matthew Andersen (12) 4th (55.66a PB), Sam Knott (12) 6th (56.17a PB), Logan Howard (12) 9th (56.81a PB).
800m Finals: Sam Riffner (11) 5th (2:14.23a PB), Sam Knott (12) 7th (2:18.07a PB).
1600m Finals: Alex O’Connell (11) 4th (5:00.00a PB), Keaton Striffler (11) 12th (5:19.73a PB), Parker Houston (9) 13th (5:24.42a PB).
3200m Finals: Thomas Morgan (11) 3rd (10:41.46a PB).
60m Hurdles Finals: Knox Naughton (10) won gold (8.50a, after 8.47a PB in prelims for 1st).
4×400 Relay Finals: Bennington – A (Brooks Codr, Jay Stahlecker, Sam Riffner, Knox Naughton) took 2nd (3:43.94a)—a close runner-up to Norris.
Shot Put Finals: Keagan McElwain (12) 5th (49-00.75 PB), Jonas Neuverth (11) 10th (43-10.00 PB).
Discus Finals: Keagan McElwain (12) 2nd (150-07 PB), Jonas Neuverth (11) 7th (123-00 PB), Trent Dierks (10) 8th (120-05 PB).
High Jump Finals: Joseph Taylor (11) and Owen Vernon (11) tied for 9th (5-04.00 PB each).
Pole Vault Finals: Taiten Almond (10) 4th (9-00.00 PB).
Long Jump Finals: Knox Naughton (10) 4th (20-01.25 PB), Jay Stahlecker (11) 5th (19-11.25 PB), Brooks Codr (12) 7th (18-11.50 PB).
Triple Jump Finals: Jay Stahlecker (11) 2nd (40-02.50 SB).

Girls’ Key Performances

60m Finals: Addison Kuntz (11) won gold (7.81a PB), Addison Nguyen (10) 2nd (7.92a PB), Georgia Behlen (11) 5th (8.13a PB).
200m Finals: Addison Kuntz (11) won gold (25.66a PB), Addison Nguyen (10) 2nd (26.60a PB), Paige Gargano (9) 4th (27.02a PB).
400m Finals: Macie Reiner (10) 1st, Georgia Behlen (11) 4th (1:01.63a PB).
800m Finals: Ella Marcinek (10) 2nd (2:35.73a PB).
1600m Finals: Selah Carson (11) 1st (5:37.63a PB), Mazlyn Cornett (11) 5th (5:56.47a PB).
3200m Finals: Madeline Scott (11) 1st (13:05.63a SB).
60m Hurdles Finals: Adrienne Trebil (10) 2nd (9.62a PB), Kennedy Portwood (10) 3rd (9.77a PB), Brinley Kaczmarek (11) 7th (10.88a PB).
4×400 Relay Finals: Bennington – A (Georgia Behlen, Taylor Redmond, Kennedy Portwood, Macie Reiner) won gold (4:05.84a)- a highlight team victory!
Shot Put Finals: Allie John (10) 11th (28-10.25 PB).
Discus Finals: Dorothy Vanecek (10) 8th (87-07 PB), Cora Lamberty (9) 12th (81-05 PB), Madysen Saathoff (10) 16th (75-00 PB).
High Jump Finals: Reese Almquist (12) and Quinn Sanmann (11) tied for 4th/5th (5-00.00 each, SB/PB).
Pole Vault Finals: Brinley Kaczmarek (11) tied for 3rd (8-00.00 PB—improving from prior meet!).
Long Jump Finals: Paige Gargano (9) 2nd (17-11.75 PB), Addison Nguyen (10) 3rd (16-09.75 PB), Kiana Pierre (10) 4th (16-01.75 PB).