Although River Falls track and field head coach Max Haskins was pleased with his team’s top-five finish at the Blue Devil Invite, that’s not what he’s focused on this early in the season.

Instead, Haskins went into that Tuesday afternoon meet in Menomonie focused on getting as many of his athletes back into the swing of competition as possible. Whether that be returning veterans in their strongest events or new athletes trying something new.

Because he and many other coaching staffs use the first week of competition as an acclimation period for the spring sports season, he doesn’t put much stock into the overall team results this early in the year.

“If I could put negative stock in it I would,” Haskins said. “I don’t want to talk badly about a fourth-place finish. I love to see our kids do well. But we like to move kids around and see where they’re at. It’s a lot of kids moving around and trying stuff to figure out where they fit. I think it’s a pretty common thing with coaches across the board.”

While many of River Falls’ younger athletes experimented with new events and got back into competition mode, several of the returning veterans arrived ready to compete. That’s how the Wildcats earned fourth and fifth-place results between the girls’ and boys’ programs respectively.

River Falls senior Rebecca Randleman appeared to be in midseason form in the first meet of the year. She set a PR in the 55-meter dash en route to a second-place finish in both that and the 200-meter event.

Randleman is the Wildcats’ top returner from last year’s team. She finished her junior campaign last season in La Crosse at the state track and field championships where she competed in the 100-meter dash and the 4x100 and 4x200-meter relays.

For coach Haskins, seeing Randleman compete at a high level this early in the season is a sign that she’s ready to make another trip to La Crosse later this year. He spoke about her runner-up finishes at the Blue Devil Invite on Tuesday afternoon.

“She’s been working really hard throughout the offseason and it paid off,” Haskins said. “She set a lifetime best in the 55 and ran a solid 200-meter too. I can’t say enough about Becca and what she was able to do on Tuesday.”

The Lady Wildcats’ lone individual winner was senior Lily Jensen in the 1,600-meter run. Her time of 5:56.61 edged out Rice Lake senior Lauren Holthaus by less than two seconds for the title.

Before the season, Haskins identified Jensen as a top performer and a locker room leader. He spoke about her first meet of the year and what she brings to the team this season.

“I can’t say enough good things about Lily Jensen as a person and leader,” Haskins said. “She showed her maturity as a racer on Tuesday. The lead pack got out a little hot and she kept picking up places as the race went on. I was super happy watching that race and she deserves to win events and podium at these big meets.”

River Falls senior Kayleigh Volkman was the Wildcats’ top finisher in the field events with her runner-up performance in the pole vault.

River Falls boys take fifth

The Lady Wildcats weren’t the only athletes that had standout performances at the Blue Devil Invite on Tuesday afternoon.

River Falls sophomore Quin Andrews continues to be one of the Wildcats’ most promising young athletes. After a strong freshman campaign last season, Andrews began 2023 with a victory in the 1,600-meter run.

His strong finish against more experienced competition reaffirmed Haskins’ belief that Andrews is one of the best distance runners River Falls has had in many years.

“Quin showed a lot of maturity as a sophomore,” Haskins said. “The sky's the limit for him. He’s a tremendously talented distance runner – one of the most talented we’ve had come through our program in a long time.”

Other notable results for the boys include junior Robert Anderson’s third-place finish in the 400-meter dash and a seventh-place showing in the 200-meter. Senior Jacob Gilbertson took fourth in the 200-meter dash and seventh in the 55-meter.

Both Anderson and Gilbertson are among River Falls’ top returners this season, as they both put together strong campaigns last spring. Coach Haskins addressed their performances as well as goals and expectations.

“Jacob had a tremendous season last year and was one of the fastest kids in the area,” Haskins said. “Jacob and Robby have been working really hard and they know the expectations and have a lot of big goals. They were excited about Tuesday, but certainly weren’t satisfied.”

Junior Lucas Johnson and senior Cade Myszewski proved to be the Wildcats’ top finishers in the field events as they took seventh and eighth place respectively in the shot put.

After competing in the Blue Devil Invite on Tuesday, the Wildcats returned to Menomonie on Friday for the Northern Badger Large School meet where the boys finished fifth and the girls took 13th.

River Falls will be back in action at a varsity invitational at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire on Friday, March 31. That meet is slated to begin at 3 p.m.