The Eden Valley-Watkins/Kimball (EV-W/K) girls’ track and field team won back-to-back state team titles in 2022 and 2023, “very successful” seasons that saw the team win nearly all off its meets, according to EV-W/K girls’ head coach Tyler Warren. After that 2023 season, the team lost a large group of seniors. As a coach, -Warren wasn’t nervous coming into 2024, but believed many others – athletes and supporters – thought the season was going to be a little different.
“I think last year’s results kind of spoke for it themselves,” Coach Warren said. “They were still able to get a large group of girls to the state meet … Second place in state is not shabby.”
The team finds itself in a similar situation heading into 2025.
“I think there’s a lot of potential there that might not be discovered yet,” coach Warren said, “whether it’s by athletes or by supporters, where I think we’re going to have a very fun and competitive season again.”
Last season
Last season proved to be a good one, Warren highlighted, seeing much team and individual successes. Athletes tried new events and earned personal bests. By season’s end, the team won its conference meet and sub-section meet, and finished second at the section meet. The team qualified many athletes for the state meet and ended the season with that state team-runner finish.
EV-W/K lost seven seniors to graduation in 2024, including Bella Hernandez, Madi Mueller, Katrina Schutz, Kiera Stommes, Brookelyn Kuechle, Ella Lyrek, and Alison Waldorf.
Hernandez, Schutz, and -Kuechle all earned All–Conference honors. Hernandez proved to a “very good” long distance -runner, Schultz qualfied for state, and Kuechle, with the program for a long time, earned mutiple all-state honors.
“Those are kind of, I guess, three, you know, big, big, big replacements we’re gonna have to make this year,” coach Warren said, “but we got some underclassmen and some younger girls that are still around that I think are ready to rise to the occasion.”
This season’s group
This season, the EV-W/K has 40-plus athletes in the seventh- to twelfth-grade program. It features six seniors including Mya Andersen, Cambel Hesse, Holly Truenow, and all-conference and all-state athletes Ellie Becker, Jordyn Theis, and Jocelyn Zoller.
“All six have played a very important role in scoring points from season to season,” coach Warren said, “so we have a pretty good group of senior leaders this year.”
Becker, Theis, and Zoller have been with the program throughout their careers, competing on state tourney teams for multiple years, bring both experience and leadership.
Truenow and Anderson have been “very good role fillers and leaders” in the team’s distance department. They bring their talent and willingness to compete in what coach Warren referred to as crucial roles. A strong multi–talented athlete, Hess competes in the pole vault, long jump, sprints, and mid-distance events, coach Warren highlighted.
“It’s really nice to have somebody versatile like that on your team, you know, to fill roles when needed,” coach Warren said. “But then that also kind of shows the younger athletes that they can kind of step out of their comfort zone and try new things just when they see an athlete like that.”
The team also features juniors, sophomores, and freshmen with some conference and state experience. The team relies on that experience from year to year. This experience provides confidence and the chance to pass along some things.
“[The experienced athletes] help those athletes that are younger or newer,” Warren said, “and just kind of show them the ropes on how to compete and how to work as a team.”
Early sights
Asked about what he has seen from his team in the early season practices, coach Warren highlighted how this season has gotten off to an abnormal start, seeing his group get outside on the first day.
“That doesn’t always happen up here with where we’re located, in Minnesota,” coach Warren said.
Athletes have had field event days, getting to try out different events, and done a few running workouts. Talking on March 19, Warren said he and his coaches have appreciated the balance of strengths they have seen amongst their athletes.
“We’re only on, you know, day seven, day eight right now, but we see a pretty good, I would say, versatile mix of athletes right now, which is reassuring as a program and coach,” coach Warren said. “I think we’re going to have girls that are very talented when it comes to the sprints. We got some talent when it comes to mid-distance. We got some talents when it comes to distance, the throws, the jumps.”
The coaches also see a strong team camaraderie among their student-athletes.
“We’re sensing very, very good vibes just when it comes to interacting with one another when it comes to working at practice,” coach Warren said. “We’ve seen just all very good things that aren’t necessarily…. We don’t have any data [on it]. We don’t have any times, you don’t have any distances or heights, but with what we’re seeing, we’re seeing really, really good things.”
Opening action
The team opened the season with an indoor conference meet at St. John’s University Fieldhouse Thursday, March 20. The team’s first outdoor meet takes place Thursday, April 3, at Holdingford.
Heading into the season, coach Warren said, “I’m looking forward to seeing what this team is
capable of.”