Cashton’s 400 and 800 meter relay teams made good on their opportunity to extend their seasons past the regional round of the WIAA postseason.
The 400 meter relay team ran to a runner-up finish at the Division 3 Regional at Brookwood on Tuesday, May 26 while the 800 meter squad was fourth.
The girls 4x1 relay team of senior Gabby Hyatt, juniors Aubri Schaldach, and Evelyn Weber, and sophomore Ariana Richardson took second place with a time of 51.25. The 800 meter relay team of Hyatt, sophomore Willow Lusk, Schaldach, and Richardson finished in fourth place with a time of 1:48.77.
The teams will have a chance to compete for a spot at state at the sectional meet at Bangor on Friday, May 29, at 3:30 p.m.
For Hyatt, the lone senior on the two relays, the postseason run has carried extra meaning. Her final season has given Hyatt a chance to come full circle after being part of Cashton’s 800 meter relay team that took fifth place in state as a freshman in 2023.
That experience has helped Hyatt take on a leadership role for the younger runners as the relay teams look to return to state for the first time in recent seasons.
The relays have come close in recent years, but narrowly missed advancing. Last season, the 400 meter relay of Maddie Klinkner, Hyatt, Lusk, and Schaldach finished in sixth place in regionals. Richardson was part of the 800 meter relay team along with seniors Klinker, Makayla Gooselaw, and Adrianna Biever, which finished in fifth place at regionals.
Hyatt said that for the younger runners on the team that it is important to stay calm in these situations.
“The most important part is not getting super anxious,” Hyatt said. “I know that when I was with upper classmen it was super nerve-wrecking and I felt that I had to perform well to impress them. I have been telling the younger ones that they are amazing the way they are, they don’t have to exceed expectations just to prove themselves.”
As the season progressed, Ashley Hemmersbach, one of the co-head coaches for the Eagles, said the relay groups realized they had a chance for a postseason run.
“They really locked in and they have worked extremely hard on handoffs, and when we have done a sprinting workout, they are at the front of the pack ready to go.”
Weber agreed that the team got more confident as the season progressed. She added that the runners’ relay experience also helped.
“We know what we have to do to succeed,” Weber said.
Hemmersbach added that team chemistry has been key for the relays’ success, especially when it comes to the handoffs.
“The groups that we have right now have such great chemistry,” Hemmersbach said. “That gives them an edge.”
Both Hyatt and Weber shared the idea that the fact the runners are friends outside of track has helped the chemistry during races.
“It helps with our confidence as a team because we work together to get the baton around the track,” Weber said.
“We know each other and have a great friendship,” Hyatt said. “We know how to make each other proud and how to keep pushing each other.”
