Despite unusually poor weather, even by Wisconsin spring standards, the Spring Valley High School track and field team began outdoor competition just over a week ago.

The Cardinals started the outdoor season with a trio of varsity invitationals at Baldwin-Woodville, Ellsworth and Glenwood City, where Spring Valley earned a pair of third-place finishes between the boys’ and girls’ rosters.

Although it was a small meet featuring just a handful of teams, the Glenwood City Invitational was Spring Valley’s first chance this season to compete exclusively against other Dunn-St. Croix Conference programs.

In total, five Spring Valley athletes secured first-place finishes in seven of the 35 events in Glenwood City on Tuesday, April 18.

Junior Abby Biggs took first in the girls’ 100 and 300-meter hurdles while sophomore Danny Cipriano earned victories in the boys’ 110 and 300-meter hurdle events. Senior distance specialist Logen Vorlicek rounded out the track victories with a first-place finish in the 1,600-meter run.

Freshman Lana Erickson kicked off the field events with a win in the girls’ high jump and senior Lydia Hannack took first in the girls’ long jump. Senior Grace Webb and the aforementioned Biggs finished runner-up in the girls’ triple jump and discus events respectively.

A majority of Spring Valley’s top early-season production has been from upperclassmen with ample experience. For Spring Valley head coach Sean Hoolihan, those multi-year veterans have led the team both on and off of the track.

“Our seniors Lydia Hannack, Walter Hollstadt, Makaden Parsons, Justin Rielly, Cole Steinmeyer, Logen Vorlicek and Grace Webb have and will continue to do a great job of leading our team,” Hoolihan said. “They all do a great job of leading by example and we appreciate how they go about practice.”

The aforementioned Hannack proves to be one of Spring Valley’s most dynamic track and field athletes. In addition to her win in the girls’ long jump at the Glenwood City Invite, Hannack took second in the 400-meter dash and fourth in the 200. Coach Hoolihan spoke about his team’s strengths and Hannack’s goals for the 2023 campaign.

“I think we can have some kids in all disciplines that will compete at a high level,” Hoolihan said. “On the girls’ side, we expect those from last year to make some big strides forward in competing at a higher level. Lydia Hannack has a chance to come back this season and try to go as far as she can as a senior.”

Spring Valley is expected to have competitive relay teams again this season. At the Glenwood City Invitational, the Lady Cardinals finished runner-up in the 4x100-meter relay, the 4x200 and the 4x400. The boys’ relay squads took second in the 4x100-meter relay, the 4x200 and third in the 4x400.

For coach Hoolihan, the goal for 2023 is to have each athlete improve daily and be ready to perform at the peak of their abilities when the postseason begins in May. He also believes his team can build on what was a successful 2022 campaign.

Last spring, Spring Valley had several athletes qualify for sectionals and a couple of them narrowly missed qualifying for the state track and field championships in La Crosse. Hoolihan spoke about the successes of 2022.

“Last year was a good year for our team,” Hoolihan said. “We have several move on to sectionals on both the girls’ and boys’ sides. We also had several kids compete for top spots in conference and our boys were in the top tier. It was a good year and we had some kids close to making it to state.”

Hoolihan and the Cardinals are working to make sure that those close calls from last year become tickets punched to this year’s state championships. Whether it’s competing in practice or getting better at a meet, the Cardinals are striving for improvement.

“Our goal this year is to have as many kids as we can make it to sectionals,” Hoolihan said. “We also want the kids to enjoy getting better every week. Being in meets is not only competition for us but also practice.”

If the Cardinals want to send athletes to sectionals, they’re going to have to find a way to stay healthy. While some athletes have seen limited action because of minor injuries, others have been completely sidelined.

Spring Valley senior Justin Rielly is one of the Cardinals’ top athletes that have yet to compete this year. He’s currently recovering from a torn ACL injury that he sustained during the football season in the fall.

“It would be really nice to see if Justin (Rielly) can come back to compete this year after tearing his ACL in football,” Hoolihan said. “He deserves a chance to be out on the track one more time.”

Spring Valley is slated to be back in action at the Boyceville Varsity Invitational on Thursday, April 27. Events are slated to begin at 4 p.m.