The Ellsworth High School track and field team, despite a litany of weather-related cancellations, has begun finding its identity for 2023 with just over three weeks remaining until the postseason starts.

Last year, Ellsworth graduated some of the most talented athletes who ever donned the purple uniform. Through the first month of this season, the Panthers have played mix-and-match with athletes and events, which has crafted the young roster’s identity.

While the faces and names have mostly changed, Ellsworth’s strengths remain nearly identical to previous seasons. The Panthers continue to perform well in the short-distance sprints and relay events.

Ellsworth head coach Drew Pechacek, who helped develop multiple state championship relay squads in the last three years, spoke about his team’s strengths this season and what areas still need improvement.

“We are starting to figure out which events we will be strong in,” Pechacek said. “We have found that we have strong sprinters and distance runners. We need middle distance right now. We have a bunch of runners who are right at the 60-second mark in the 400 which needs to improve for them to be competitive in varsity competition.”

The Panthers’ stockpile of sprinting specialists has expectations high for the short-distance relays. Ellsworth made its name as a dominant relay program by winning 2021 state championships in the boys’ 4x100 and 4x200-meter events in La Crosse.

Ellsworth didn’t miss a beat the following year, despite graduating one of the starters from those gold medal squads. Then-senior Jack Janke jumped in and ran with teammates Ashten Quade, Max Grand and Bo Hines. They claimed a second consecutive state championship in the 4x100 and finished runner-up in the 4x200-meter.

Now, just one season later, Hines is the only state champion still on the roster. He will serve as the veteran leader for the relay squads as he plans to end his high school athletic career with another podium finish at the state championships in La Crosse.

Sophomore Levi Nelson and junior Jake McCabe join Hines in both the 4x100 and 4x200-meter relays this year. The final spot in both has yet to be cemented, but sophomore Michael Holst appears to be the favorite in the final 100 position and senior Ean Quade looks to claim the final opening in the 200.

“The relays are starting to take form and should be competitive for us this year,” Pechacek said. “Michael Holst has been strong in the 100 and has good chemistry with the kids in the 4x100 having smooth handoffs in the event. Ean Quade has filled in nicely in the spot his brother ran the past two seasons. We would like for these guys to start seeing more traffic in these events so they can react under pressure and not have stress in regionals and beyond.”

Ellsworth’s relays performed well at the Baldwin-Woodville Invitational on Tuesday, April 25. The Panthers claimed a pair of victories in the 4x100 and 4x200-meter events with times of 44.87 and 1:34.55 respectively. Ellsworth edged out the Grantsburg Pirates in both events.

Lady Panthers

While the boys’ relay squads have been strong throughout the season, so have those for the Lady Panthers.

Ellsworth finished third in the 4x200 and 4x400 relays and then posted a runner-up time of 10:51.65 in the 4x800-meter relay. The Panthers and eventual winner Baldwin-Woodville were the only two teams to run a sub-11 minute relay in the 4x800 on Tuesday afternoon.

Individually, junior Chloe VanWatermeulen netted a sixth-place finish in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:09.14. Junior Gabby Christian and sophomores Brenna LaBahn and Morgan Halverson also earned top-10 finishes in the 400 meter.

The Panthers have also seen significant success in several of the field events this year. Ellsworth had three of the top four finishers in the shot put event at the Baldwin-Woodville Invitational.

Junior Nyla Wilford, who was the only competitor to throw more than 30 feet, finished with a winning distance of 32 feet, 3 inches. Gooden threw 29 feet, 6.5 inches in her second-place effort and sophomore Maleah Peterson took fourth with her throw of 28 feet, 5 inches.

The Lady Panthers also had success in the discus throw. The aforementioned Peterson took first place with a throw of 90 feet, 10 inches, and was one of just two competitors that posted a distance that eclipsed the 80-foot threshold.

Ellsworth’s Wildford completed the latter half of the one-two finish when she threw 81 feet, 2 inches. The other 42 athletes that competed in the event failed to even come within a foot of second place on Tuesday.

The Ellsworth Panthers are slated to be back in action at the Amery Varsity Invitational on Tuesday, May 2. Events are slated to begin at 3:45 p.m.