“We did it!” Coach Cody Gregory said after the 2026 Southern Nebraska Conference track meet.
The Milford teams swept the team titles, a prediction Gregory made after last year’s meet.
“I have to be honest, there was about 10% wishful thinking in that statement. I can’t commend the kids enough for their performances on Saturday. Just phenomenal,” he said.
The wins were the second for the girls and the third in a row for the boys. It marked the first time Milford won both team trophies.
On paper, Gregory said, the boys’ team should have lost to Tri County by at least 15 points. Instead, the Eagles won by 19.
“It was a huge team effort from everyone,” Gregory said.
Sprinters Thomas Belleau and Isaac Roth were nursing injuries throughout the week, which didn’t look promising, he said.
Both ran “through a lot of pain and discomfort to eke out anything they could,” Gregory said.
In the field events Cash Martin won the pole vault at 13-0, and Colby Rautenberg topped the high jump at 6-2. Zeb Reil was second in the long jump at 21-4.5, and Connor Adams was second in the triple jump at 41-3.
Adams asked to try the 100, looking for ways to score, and ended up winning the event in 11.47 seconds, with Belleau second.
Adams also won the 200 in 22.88 seconds and was second in the triple jump at 41-3. Isaac Roth picked up wins in the 110 (15.21) and 300 (40.13) meter hurdles.
Avery Carter had a tough day in terms of placing but a great day in what he meant to the team, Gregory said.
“Avery always has the toughest day on the track, being a distance runner. But Tri County had three guys that could run with him, trading off attacking Avery all day long,” he said.
Carter ran one of his best 3,200-meter races, placing second in 10:08.75, but that limited what he had left for the 800 and 1,600 later in the day.
“His 1600m race was probably the gutsiest, grittiest, most important 1600m races he’s ever run. It doesn’t show up as anything too impressive on paper, but in the thick of a team race where a 1-2 point swing either way could make or break the title, Avery stepped up in a big way,” Gregory said.
Carter finished fifth in 4:51.89 after earning sixth in the 800.
Reil, another senior, also had a big day. He ran the 200 for the first time and finished sixth, edging out a Tri County runner.
Gregory said that was a turning point in the meet. With the sprint relays left, both of which Tri County had good chances to win, MHS led by 15. Gregory said they needed at least six points to seal the victory. Since Roth ran the 400 (he finished third) and Adams the 100, the coaches took them off the 4x100 relay, conceding the race to the Trojans.
But the team on the track (Reil, Martin, Chase Nicklas and Belleau) had other ideas.
“They made us look like geniuses, though, placing second, right behind Tri County,” Gregory said. “Cash actually passed multiple runners on the back stretch. Joey Carder (his pole vault coach) said he knew he was fast - he’s been trying to convince us of that all year.”
With the title secured, the 4x400 team of Adams, Kaleb Meierdierks, Reil and Roth could have taken it easy.
“They went out and ran a season-best time anyway, with Isaac closing hard at the line to nose out the Wilber-Clatonia anchor for the win. That’s what these seniors have always done - win,” Gregory said.
Easier for the girls
The girls’ team held a comfortable lead all day, Gregory said, scoring 54 points in field events and 56 on the track. Runner-up Thayer Central scored 70 total.
Milford scored in every event except the 100-meter dash and 300-meter hurdles.
Freshman Macie Carter continued to show her strength in the distance races, winning the 1,600 in 5:40.55 and the 3,200 in 11:52.58 and placing third in the 800 in 2:29.67.
Abby Crabtree improved her own school record in the 400-meter dash, winning in 59.9 seconds, “finally” breaking the one-minute mark.
“I say ‘finally’ as if she’s been around forever - it’s been barely a season and a half for her,” Gregory said.
Emery Newton and Shayla Rautenberg went 1-2 in the high jump, both clearing 4-10. Staccia Johnson and Newton went 2-3 in the triple jump with jumps of 34-7.5 and 34-5.75, respectively.
Libbie Reil broke the school record in the long jump with her leap of 17-5.5 to place third.
“Libbie Reil breaking the school record in the long jump was bound to happen. It was this time last year that we started to talk of that possibility when she popped a huge PR at SNC at Tri County,” Gregory said.
Emma Porter improved her PR in the 100-meter hurdles, placing third in 16.63 seconds and landing at No. 7 on the all-time charts.
Ella Montgomery cleared 9-6, another personal best, and is four inches from the school pole vault record. She finished fourth.
Ashlynn Miller placed third in both the discus and shot put with throws of 105-8 and 33-10.75, respectively. Gregory said that proves “what a consistent, dependable, competitive thrower that she is. It won’t be long until she’s on the top-10 charts as well.”
With the big lead, Gregory said, it would have been easy for the 4x400 relay team of Reil, Newton, Rautenberg and Crabtree to coast.
“But they had a strong team in Sutton to chase to try to break the school record that they narrowly missed last week at GINW,” Gregory said.
Despite an “eventful” second exchange between Newton and Rautenberg (traffic, bumping and pushing, Gregory said), the team shattered the school record by four seconds, finishing second in 4:09.26. The previous record was set in 2003, which was the last time the girls won the SNC.
“It goes to show that competitive track teams always have competitive 1600m relay teams,” he said. “We have enough depth and talent that I’m pretty confident in saying that we could have put together a ‘B’ team that also would’ve placed on Saturday.”
The Eagles will be at Raymond Central Thursday, May 7, for a final tune-up before districts. MHS will be in the B4 field at Waverly Tuesday, May 12.
