MONROE - Two Monroe freshmen don't mind being in uncomfortable positions on the track.
That is how freshmen Caleb Ahrens and Jeffrey Hill make their living starring in events many teammates shy away from - the hurdles and pole vault.
"It takes a certain type of mentality to tackle these two special events," Monroe coach Dave Hirsbrunner said. "These two events are high-risk events. It's not like running the 100-meter dash where there is no risk of getting hurt."
Ahrens and Hill have not been timid in their high-wire acts. Ahrens broke the 43-year old 110-meter hurdles freshmen record of Max Voelkli in a dual against Verona on April 29 with a time of 16.5 seconds. At the Darlington Invitational, Ahrens ran the 300 hurdles in (:42.8), just two hundredths of a second away from Nate Lancaster's freshmen record he set in 1993.
"That was my goal for the year to break one of those records," Ahrens said.
Now Ahrens has his sights set on another breakthrough performance in the hurdles at the WIAA Division 2 Clinton regional tonight.
"For the 110's, I would like to be in the running to get out of the regional," Ahrens said. "In the 300's, I want to make it out of the regional and see what happens in the sectional."
Ahrens started running track in seventh grade at Brodhead. He transferred to Monroe in eighth grade and wasn't intimidated running the hurdles in middle school.
"I was a lot bigger than the hurdles there," he said. "This year when I saw how big the hurdles were, I was a little scared. I have kind of gotten over that."
Hill is on the brink to soaring to new heights. He cleared 12-feet, 3 inches in the pole vault to finish third in the Southern Badger Conference meet, which was three inches away from the freshmen record shared by Mark Glendenning and Andy Rood (12-6).
"He is hooked in," Hirsbrunner said. "He lives and dies by it. When he gets some strength and speed, he will just go to the sky."
Hill was always attracted to the pole vault and tried it for the first time as an eighth grader in a practice at the high school.
"I just loved to watch it," Hill said. "I have always had a thing for heights. I just tried it and caught on really quick.
"The hardest part is I had to get my feet above my head. My head had to be pointing straight down to the pavement."
When Hill missed about a week of practice earlier this season with a knee injury, he went home and studied video of pole vaulters on the Internet and improved his personal record by 1.5 feet clearing 11-6.
"I wanted to go over films of myself and see what professionals do so when I went back out to practice, I could catch up and be where I needed to be."
Hirsbrunner would like to see Ahrens break the freshmen record in the 300 hurdles and have Hill at least tie the freshmen school record in the pole vault at the WIAA Division 2 Clinton regional.
"That would really cap off their seasons," Hirsbrunner said. "They deserve it."
Hill has bigger aspirations.
"I'm really planning on 13-feet," Hill said. "That would put me in good standing to break the school record next year."
That is how freshmen Caleb Ahrens and Jeffrey Hill make their living starring in events many teammates shy away from - the hurdles and pole vault.
"It takes a certain type of mentality to tackle these two special events," Monroe coach Dave Hirsbrunner said. "These two events are high-risk events. It's not like running the 100-meter dash where there is no risk of getting hurt."
Ahrens and Hill have not been timid in their high-wire acts. Ahrens broke the 43-year old 110-meter hurdles freshmen record of Max Voelkli in a dual against Verona on April 29 with a time of 16.5 seconds. At the Darlington Invitational, Ahrens ran the 300 hurdles in (:42.8), just two hundredths of a second away from Nate Lancaster's freshmen record he set in 1993.
"That was my goal for the year to break one of those records," Ahrens said.
Now Ahrens has his sights set on another breakthrough performance in the hurdles at the WIAA Division 2 Clinton regional tonight.
"For the 110's, I would like to be in the running to get out of the regional," Ahrens said. "In the 300's, I want to make it out of the regional and see what happens in the sectional."
Ahrens started running track in seventh grade at Brodhead. He transferred to Monroe in eighth grade and wasn't intimidated running the hurdles in middle school.
"I was a lot bigger than the hurdles there," he said. "This year when I saw how big the hurdles were, I was a little scared. I have kind of gotten over that."
Hill is on the brink to soaring to new heights. He cleared 12-feet, 3 inches in the pole vault to finish third in the Southern Badger Conference meet, which was three inches away from the freshmen record shared by Mark Glendenning and Andy Rood (12-6).
"He is hooked in," Hirsbrunner said. "He lives and dies by it. When he gets some strength and speed, he will just go to the sky."
Hill was always attracted to the pole vault and tried it for the first time as an eighth grader in a practice at the high school.
"I just loved to watch it," Hill said. "I have always had a thing for heights. I just tried it and caught on really quick.
"The hardest part is I had to get my feet above my head. My head had to be pointing straight down to the pavement."
When Hill missed about a week of practice earlier this season with a knee injury, he went home and studied video of pole vaulters on the Internet and improved his personal record by 1.5 feet clearing 11-6.
"I wanted to go over films of myself and see what professionals do so when I went back out to practice, I could catch up and be where I needed to be."
Hirsbrunner would like to see Ahrens break the freshmen record in the 300 hurdles and have Hill at least tie the freshmen school record in the pole vault at the WIAA Division 2 Clinton regional.
"That would really cap off their seasons," Hirsbrunner said. "They deserve it."
Hill has bigger aspirations.
"I'm really planning on 13-feet," Hill said. "That would put me in good standing to break the school record next year."
