With Mason Kooi off to the University of Nebraska for the high jump, Ainsley Johnson, Conor McCaffrey and Miles Kauffman step into the fold to lead the team to their 4th straight MSM Conference Title.
The Captians
Springfield Lutheran is going to rely heavily on the production of Sophmore Ainsley Johnson and Seniors Conor McCaffrey and Miles Kauffman, in order for Lutheran to win the MSM Conference Title, they must finish 1st in all 4 of their races.
Freshmen Ainsley Johnson took the 1A track scene by surprise and stormed to the #2 100m runner in all of the class. Battling a sickness in the conference meet, Johnson still claimed first place at the MSM Meet. Over the 2024 Indoor AAU Season, Johnson has added the 200m run to her arsenal, looking to pick up points for the team on the girls side.
Conor McCaffrey didn't get to run his freshmen year due to covid and sophmore year missed the track season due to winning State in the 2022 AAU Basketball Season. He will however have to fend off Senior Will Kendred from Waverly, while also making up over 6 seconds on sophmore Grant Moran from Niantic in order to claim first place in the 1600m, not something that is impossible, but it won't be easy. McCaffrey however does have the 3200m in lock, he won by over 2 minutes last year, defeating senior Ashton Burgess from Waverly. McCaffrey's stamina is a real plus for Lutheran, he is the most versatile runner and can run anything between a 400m to a 3200m.
Miles Kauffman finished runner up in the 400m behind teammate Mason Kooi by just .3 seconds. With Shayne White and Mason Kooi both graduated, Miles Kauffman will presumeably have no challengers in the 400m next season in the MSM. However the 800m is going to be a different story. Lutheran senior Ethan Theilen claimed the top spot in the 800 last season with a time of 2:10.0, Kauffman ran his 800's towards the end of the season and topped out around 2:11.0. Fellow Waverly senior Noah Lyons PR'd at a 2:07.3 last season, meaning Kauffman will have to make up over 4 seconds of his fellow Waverly opponent to pull out a much needed victory. Kauffman is the best pure sprinter the Crusaders have and his ability to stay healthy will be key to the season.
The Returnees
Seniors Noah Oldham and Alexander Selinfreund, along with sophmores Carter Matteson, Amare' Watson and Myles Williams highlight the Lutheran returnees.
Senior Noah Oldham has been a solid sprinter for the Crusaders, filling in for any spot that is needed, Oldham is the 2nd fastest 200m runner and will also be competeing for a much coveted spot on the 4x400 team.
Senior Alexander Selinfruend rejoins the track team after missing his junior season due to injury. Selinfruend is another great sprinter for the Crusaders, a spot where they could be one of the deepest tracks teams. Selinfruend hopes to pick up from where he left off at and be one of the stronger legs in the 4x200.
Sophmore Carter Matteson has a fractured ankle from his basketball season and plans to return to running within the upcoming weeks, with the MSM Conference meet just a week into the season, Matteson not being 100% might force him to lose his top spot in the 100m and 200m races. Matteson is the best quick sprinter the Crusaders have and he will look to qualify for State in the 200m and 100m this season.
Sophmores Amare' Watson and Myles Williams add to the depth of the sprinter room for the Crusaders. Watson is returning from a fractured hip that he suffered while attempting to run the hurdles in the 2023 MSM Conference Meet. Williams is another relay sprinter for the Crusaders to plug into races.
The Incoming Class
The incoming Class of 2028 highlighted by Jeramy Daniel, Silas Armbrust, and Parker Stevens has the potential to be a huge help for the Crusaders.
Jeramy Daniel racked up some state praise at the 2023 LSA State Track Meet and plans to contiune that into 2024. Luckily for Daniel, he has Senior D2 Athlete Conor McCaffrey to help him on the long distance path. Daniel is needed to pick up points behind McCaffrey, but Daniel is most coveting a spot on the 4x400 team, a spot he can earn. Coach Kendra Watts is going to have to pick and choose the events Daniel does, as he is also one of the better jumpers that the Crusaders will posess in 2024.
Freshmen Silas Armbrust showed a lot of promising growth in the 2023 for the Our Savior's Eagles, and his winter progression leads to even better signs. Armbrust is another rocket that Coach Watts will have in her sprinter running room, one of, if not the deepest sprinter room in the history of Lutheran High.
Freshmen Parker Stevens is the wildcard of the throwing department for the Crusaders. With throwing coach and University of Wisconsin graduate Rocky Cooper back to coach the throwing department for the Crusaders, Stevens looks to pick up much needed points for the Crusaders, a throwing team that is one of the weakest in the area.
The New Guys
Springfield Lutheran will also be picking up some new potential runners and throws. Calvary Academy senior's Connor Brown and Michell Watts will be joining the team, as well as Lutheran Sprinter and Hurdler Kaden Meredith. Tristyn Carlove a Senior Lutheran Soccer and Schloastic Bowl player could be make or break for the Crusaders Throwing Room.
With the addition of Connor Brown and Mitchell Watts to the team, Lutheran picks up some upperclass speed and strength, however both Watts and Brown are lacking on the experience.
Lutheran Senior Kaden Meredith showed a lot of promise as a freshmen as a sprinter and as a hurdler, however after transferring to Laphier High School, Meredith returns to the track as a senior for Lutheran and will provide a much needed punch for the hurdle department.
The throwing room for the Crusaders is a wild card, right now it sits as the weakest link of the team, with throwing coach Rocky Cooper in control however, he could change that with numbers. Last season Terrance Richards and Liam Green improved a great deal under the direction of Cooper and picked up important points for the Crusaders in the MSM Conference Meet. A Lutheran Senior Tristyn Carlove has presumably joined the throwing team and will be another senior that the young guns can ask for guidance, Carlove will be the make or break this season for the Lutheran throwing department.
Strengths
The Sprinter Room: Lutheran High is going to be a revolving door behind Ainsley Johnson and Carter Matteson in the relays and quick sprints. Kaden Meredith and Alexander Selinfrued add senior depth, while sophmores Amare' Watson and Myles Williams add more depth, and freshmen Silas Armbrust looks to make a name for himself as one of the better sprinters in the conference.
The Long Distance: With Conor McCaffrey in full control of the long distance group of the Crusaders, he is going to have his work cut out for him. With his recent recognition from Augustana College for long distance, McCaffrey is going to have to train Jeramy Daniel while also possibly freshmen Jack Hemenway. McCaffrey will also have to keep juniors Maddie Perkins and Eliana Theilan on track throughout the season.
Leadership: The Crusaders lost a lot of seniors from 2023, but they return a decently strong senior room in 2024. Senior Conor McCaffrey will be the leader of this team, Miles Kauffman will be a big encourager, but McCaffrey and Ainsley Johnson will be the true leaders of this team. With a strong coaching staff of Kendra Watts, Zack Klug and Rocky Cooper, the Crusaders will have the leaders they need set in stone.
Questionable
The Relays: The Crusaders as mentioned prior have a revolving door of sprinters, but they lack of knowledge of relays could cause problems. However, with senior sprinters in the fold, it could calm down the underclassmen. The Addition of Connor Brown, Kaden Meredith and Tad Andrews to the fold can really help.
The Girl Team: No offense to the Lady Crusaders, but outside of Ainsley Johnson, the production of the girls deeply falls off. Maddie Perkins and Eliana Theilan hold their own, while Clara Brunner keeps the girls throwing team on track, their lack of athletes due to softball and soccer causes issues, and stops them from being overly helpful. With Ainsley, Maddie and Eliana all improving, this trend would lean positive.
The Jump Platform: Coach Kendra Watts is going to have her work cut out for her when it comes to jumping. Senior's Mason Kooi, Ethan Theilan and Zack Ladage had their jumping figured out last season, and it was the strongest part of the team last season. Carter Mattson showed promise, Miles Kauffman scratched every single one of his jumps, but on very limited practice. Freshmen Jeramy Daniel and Silas Armbrust could boost this jumping room and help out the team. This trend would seem to be even right now, anything can happen.
*Weaknesses *
The Throwing Room: Outside of Clara Brunner and Freshmen Parker Stevens, Coach Rocky Cooper doesn't have a lot to work with. The search for throwers has been on for the past few months. Senior Conor McCaffrey has been all over the place asking for throwers. Senior Tristyn Carlove joining the fold while be a monumental moment for the Crusaders and could be one of the significant factors as to why the Crusaders four peat in Conference.
Conclussion
The Lutheran Crusaders are going to have their work cut out, there is no question about that. Waverly has improved and the Crusaders lost a Division 1 and 3x state champion in Mason Kooi over the offseason. However, State Runner-Up Sprinter Ainsley Johnson Soccer Striker Miles Kauffman and Uber-Athlete Conor McCaffrey are more than ready to handle the task.
Lutheran has the pieces this year to potentially hang with their rivals from 2023 in the Auburn Trojans, a team they beat 3 times and lost 3 times too, this rivarly will contiune into 2024 and a bunch of new faces for Lutheran will be joining the rivarly and will attempt to help them overcome the Trojans.
In the conference, the Crusaders sit in the driver's seat, but in their back mirror, they can see the rest of the pack slowly starting to catch them. The race for their fourth consecutive conference championship starts today.