Lon Ludemann did something he doesn’t often do.
The Oconto Falls High School girls cross-country coach wrote a goal time on each athlete’s hand prior to Thursday’s Bremser Invitational in Mishicot.
“I usually only do that here, but I think I’m going to do it every week because it works,” Ludemann said. “It works because they peek at it and then they know how they’ve done after two miles.”
All the OFHS runners did well and clocked personal-best times, even on a day in which temperatures got into the high 70s, which is a little warm for the runners.
Oconto Falls finished 10th out of 14 teams in the large schools division. Two Rivers (38) won the invite, followed by Luxemburg-Casco (89), Southern Door (90), De Pere (97) and Freedom (127). Oconto Falls had a score of 292.
OFHS junior Bailey Wolf placed ninth overall and sixth in the large schools division. She ran a season-best time of 20:15.
“I felt really good today,” Wolf said. “I don’t think I can be any happier.”
Wolf was in 11th place around the one-mile mark and at two miles she sat in 10th. It’s usually been at the two-mile mark this season that Wolf has faded a bit. However, Thursday she ran the race she intended.
“When I got to the two-mile I was exactly at the time (coach) wanted,” Wolf said. “It got a little harder after that, but I really stayed with it and I was really happy with my time.”
The rest of the Oconto Falls runners had solid races and logged personal-best times.
“That’s all I can ask at this point,” Ludemann said. “Get better, get better, get better.”
Wolf said her teammates are running really well.
“I think we have a really good pack with the girls and that really pushes them,” Wolf said. “They’re always racing each other, which is really good competition to have on the team.”
Diane Moore was second on the team, placing 76th overall and 60th in the large division. Ashley Keuken was 79th overall and 63rd in the large division.
“I wanted them to get in 22s,” Ludemann. “It’s a major improvement. They cut about a minute off.”
Moore finished in 22:47 and Keuken was two seconds behind her.
It was Moore’s first meet in two weeks. She had to sit out a few races due to a lingering hip injury she suffered last season.
Megan Loberger, a sophomore, was fourth on the team. She had a time of 23:22 and placed 100th overall and 75th in the large division. Virginia Misco (24:28), Liza Leja (24:34) and Grace Witt (27:01) rounded out the team for the Panthers.
Ludemann is happy with where his runners are with the postseason just a few short weeks away.
“They’re coming together pretty good,” he said.
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