Eight DeKalb High School track and field athletes have been competing this spring season through a co-op with Warren County's track program. Ally Beneke, Aaron Gottlied, Nolan Gottlied, Kaleb Spears, Ella VanVranken, Caleb Gray, Katherine Knowles, and Sam Harris have laced up their spikes and hit the ground running, or should we say "jumping" for one in particular!
Ally Beneke, a junior, along with sophomore Ella VanVranken have already begun rewriting Warren County's track and field record book. Between the duo, three records have fallen within the last two weeks.
Beneke, on April 12th in Cookeville, broke her own previous record of 5,4" set last season in the high jump. The junior soared to an unbelievable height of 5 feet 7 inches, clearing the bar with ease. She is now ranked #1 in the State in this event, which hasn't seen a jump this high since 2019!
VanVranken recently broke the 400m record that was set last year by Lady Pioneer soccer player and track runner, Katie Toney. At the Pioneer Invitational at Oakland High School, on April 7th, the sophomore ran a time of 1:03.43 eclipsing the 1:03.65 mark that Toney set last year at sectionals. In Cookeville on Tuesday, April 12th, VanVranken set her sights on the 3,200-meter (2 mile) race and posted a final time of 11:21.05, earning first place in the girl's field, and shattering the school record of (13:04). VanVranken now holds the Warren Co. records in the 400m, 800m, 1600m, and 3200m runs.
Junior, Aaron Gottlied is knocking on the door, and quickly approaching the school record in the 1600m run. The junior recently posted a speedy time of 4:52, on Tuesday April 12th at Cookeville, just seconds away from his own PR of 4:48 and breaking the school record (4:44). He also claimed a first place victory in the 800m run on Tuesday with a time of 2:11.
Nolan Gottlied, a stand out DCHS football player, is staying sharp, by competing in the 200m dash, shot put, and discus. He has posted PR's this season of 25.68 seconds in the 200m sprint, 87 feet 4 inches in the discus, and 35 feet 9 inches in the shot put.
Kaleb Spears, also a member of the Tigers basketball team, has used his length and speed to post a PR in the 400m dash of 57.97 seconds. The junior holds the fastest time on the team for this current season and has also been a contributor in the 4X100 meter relay, 100m dash, and 800m run.
Freshman Katherine Knowles, a varsity player on the Lady Tigers soccer team, has been keeping in shape by competing in the 400m dash, 1600m run, 4X100, 4X200, and 4x400 meter relays. She holds a PR of 1:14.88 in the 400m and 6:56 in the1600m runs for this season.
Sam Harris, a member of the DCHS cross country team, is continuing his running this season by competing in the 100m dash, 400m dash, 1600m run, and 4X400m relay. Sam recently posted a PR of 1:06.65 in the 400m run and continues to improve!
For any DMS or DCHS athlete interested in running cross country or competing in high school track and field for the 2023 season please contact Coach VanVranken at kristenvanvranken@dekalbschools.net.
