Article Image Alt Text

The 2022 track season was one for the books for this year’s Bears

LAUREL — As the track season came to a close last week, Laurel-Concord-Coleridge track coach Shannon Benson sat down to recap the season and realized it was a very good year for Bear and Lady Bear track and field.

The Bears won seven track invites this season, had three athletes in the Norfolk Classic, and sent four different athletes to participate in the Class C State Track and Field Championships at Omaha’s Burke Stadium on May 24 and 25.

“We had a great season,” Benson said. “The boys were able to win some meets and we were led by some great seniors.”

In addition, Benson saw a lot of improvement in the Lady Bears.

“The girls worked very hard all season and got better each track meet,” he said. “We are a very young team with a bright future and we have some future leaders on the team.”

At the state meet, Deagan Puppe grabbed another gold medal in the 110-meter high hurdles to remain undefeated on the season in the event.

His younger brother Daniel placed eighth in the event and also ran in the 300 hurdles.

Shane Benson competed in the high jump For the Lady Bears, Berniece McCorkindale qualified for the shot put and made the most of her opportunity by placing sixth in the event and put LCC on the scoreboard in the girls’ team standings.

Earlier in the season, Laurel-Concord-Coleridge had a couple of conference champions and a relay team that earned Lewis & Clark Conference gold medals.

Deagan Puppe naturally won the 110-hurdles then combined with his brother Daniel, Markus Martin and Wilton Roberts to win the crown in the 4X100 relay at the meet held in Winnebago.

Shane Benson competed in the high jump.

McCorkindale also won the shot put to pace the Lady Bears at the event.

“The weather was something we always had to be ready for all season,” Shannon Benson said. “We had to be ready for the heat, wind, cold - it was always changing.”

Proof of Benson’s comments was not hard to find.

The Norfolk Classic was wiped out by Mother Nature after only three events were completed and the district meet had to be delayed for over an hour when a strong thunderstorm rumbled through Hartington late in the event.

Through it all, the Bears and Lady Bears kept competing and kept getting better.

“We will be saying goodbye to some great seniors we had on our teams, both boys and girls,” Benson said. “It will be hard to replace their leadership and success - but they have showed us what it takes to win events and track meets.”

Northeast Nebraska News Company

102 W. Main
Hartington NE 68739
402-254-3997