DUBUQUE - Monroe senior Thang Lu opened the track season with a bang winning the 800-meter run at the University of Dubuque Classic on Saturday.
Lu finished first in the 800 with a time of 2 minutes, 2.73 seconds. It was about two seconds faster than Iowa City High School sophomore J.P. Rethwisch. Monroe sophomore Jonah Tostrud took fourth (2:11.41).
"He (Lu) had a heck of a race," Monroe boys track coach Scott Mosher said. "He looked great. He made it look easy."
The Monroe boys track team finished 10th (28 points) out of 13 teams. Dubuque Senior (81) ran away with the team title ahead of runner-up Linn-Mar (66).
Monroe senior Mitch Keith won the pole vault, clearing 12 feet, which broke a meet record. Mitch Keith broke the previous record owned by his brother, Grant Keith, which he set in 2011. The Iowa schools don't pole vault so the event is scored as an exhibition and doesn't count in the standings. It was a great starting point for the first meet.
"It was a big confidence booster," Mosher said of Keith. "I think his PR is 12-6. To get that high this early shows he is ready for a big season."
Mosher was excited by the Cheesemakers' first performance on the track.
"I wanted to get as many guys in as possible so it was not too taxing," he said. "We have been practicing in the gym for two weeks so it was good to get out there to see where we are at. I think it's a great start for the year."
Monroe sophomore Kaleb Sobacki won the triple jump (32-9) and sophomore Dylan Scace took second in the 1,600 (4:44.44).
"I think he's just getting back into race mode," Mosher said. "I think he could have ran three or four seconds faster than that if he would have run a more tactical race."
It was Sobacki's first time competing in the triple jump.
"I think as we get further as the year goes on 40 feet is a nice benchmark to hit," Mosher said. "I think he will get close to that."
Sobacki used a short approach after just one day of practice.
"Once they figure out how to jump and once he gets all of the techniques down, I will move him back and he will improve by feet," Mosher said.
The Cheesemakers' distance medley relay team of Keith, Brayden Zettle, Dominick Curtiss and Lu took seventh (3:54.97). Zettle added a seventh-place finish in the long jump (18-4 1/2).
The next meet for Monroe is the Pioneer Invite March 29 at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.
Lu finished first in the 800 with a time of 2 minutes, 2.73 seconds. It was about two seconds faster than Iowa City High School sophomore J.P. Rethwisch. Monroe sophomore Jonah Tostrud took fourth (2:11.41).
"He (Lu) had a heck of a race," Monroe boys track coach Scott Mosher said. "He looked great. He made it look easy."
The Monroe boys track team finished 10th (28 points) out of 13 teams. Dubuque Senior (81) ran away with the team title ahead of runner-up Linn-Mar (66).
Monroe senior Mitch Keith won the pole vault, clearing 12 feet, which broke a meet record. Mitch Keith broke the previous record owned by his brother, Grant Keith, which he set in 2011. The Iowa schools don't pole vault so the event is scored as an exhibition and doesn't count in the standings. It was a great starting point for the first meet.
"It was a big confidence booster," Mosher said of Keith. "I think his PR is 12-6. To get that high this early shows he is ready for a big season."
Mosher was excited by the Cheesemakers' first performance on the track.
"I wanted to get as many guys in as possible so it was not too taxing," he said. "We have been practicing in the gym for two weeks so it was good to get out there to see where we are at. I think it's a great start for the year."
Monroe sophomore Kaleb Sobacki won the triple jump (32-9) and sophomore Dylan Scace took second in the 1,600 (4:44.44).
"I think he's just getting back into race mode," Mosher said. "I think he could have ran three or four seconds faster than that if he would have run a more tactical race."
It was Sobacki's first time competing in the triple jump.
"I think as we get further as the year goes on 40 feet is a nice benchmark to hit," Mosher said. "I think he will get close to that."
Sobacki used a short approach after just one day of practice.
"Once they figure out how to jump and once he gets all of the techniques down, I will move him back and he will improve by feet," Mosher said.
The Cheesemakers' distance medley relay team of Keith, Brayden Zettle, Dominick Curtiss and Lu took seventh (3:54.97). Zettle added a seventh-place finish in the long jump (18-4 1/2).
The next meet for Monroe is the Pioneer Invite March 29 at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.
