Embedded Files
1966
Seven girls, with the help of their parents, compete in track & field on an unsanctioned basis for the Purple & Gold.
1967
A Grand Island Senior High girls track & field team is sanctioned by the Nebraska School Activities Association. The team enters interscholastic competition for the first time at the Doane College Invitational and finishes 2nd.
1967-1968
The girls team is "dressed in sweat togs and on the cinders" ready for practice at 6:45 a.m. every day. This is the only time facilities at Memorial Stadium are available to the girls.
1971
The first NSAA Girls State Track & Field Meet is held at Grand Island Senior High on Saturday, May 15. Field events include the long jump, high jump, shot put, and discus. Running events include the 50yd dash, 50yd hurdles, 100yd dash, 220yd dash, 440yd run, 880yd run, 440yd relay, and 880yd relay. The GISH girls team finishes as Class A Runner-Up in the inaugural State Meet.
Cindy Smith becomes the first girl from a Grand Island high school to win an All-Class Gold Medal at the State Meet. Smith ran a 60.8 in the 440yd run to win the medal.
Cindy Smith crosses the finish line in the 440yd dash. Photo courtesy of the GI Independent.
1973
Grand Island Senior High girls win their first State Track & Field Championship. GISH becomes the first school in the Third City to win a girl's state championship in any sport.
Laurie Bachman, Deanna Bady, Val Dorn and Marilyn Meyer win the All-Class Gold Medal in the 440yd relay with a time of 51.0.
Deanna Bady, Marilyn Meyer, Marilyn Owen, and LouAnn Ridenoure win the All-Class Gold Medal in the 880yd relay with a Class A State Record time of 1:47.0.
Val Dorn sets a school record of 6.1 in the 50yd dash.
Pictured left to right are Nancy Summers, Jill Abernathy, Nancy Lewis, Val Dorn, Marilyn Meyer and Lori Bachman. Partially hidden are Sheree Wagner and LouAnn Ridenoure. Photo courtesy of the GI Independent.
Lori Bachman hands off to Val Dorn while practicing the 440yd Relay. Photo courtesy of the GI Independent.
Marilyn Owen passes the baton to Marilyn Meyer on the second exchange of 880yd Relay. Photo courtesy of the GI Independent.
1974
Grand Island Senior High girls finish as runner-up in the State Track & Field Meet.
Sheree Wagner sets a school record of 10.8 in the 80yd hurdles.
Delois Meyer sets a school record of of 2:28.0 in the 880yd run.
Deanna Bady, Liz Lee, Sheree Wagner and Louann Ridenoure set a school record of 1:44.3 in the 880yd Relay.
Team photo courtesy of Valerie Dorn-Schuster.
1975
Grand Island Senior High girls win their second State Track & Field Championship.
Liz Lee. Sue Kumm, Marilyn Owen and Louann Ridenoure set a school record of 49.7 in the 440yd relay.
Louann Ridenoure sets a school record of 59.7 in the 440yd run.
Under the leadership of coach Dave Vondra, pictured at back, the quartet of, clockwise from left, Liz Lee, Marilyn Owen, Sue Kumm and LouAnn Ridenoure competed in both the 440yd relay and the 880yd relay at the state meet. Photo courtesy of the GI Independent.
1976
Paula Evans sets a school record of 40-04.50 in the shot put (8lb).
Paula Evans sets a school record in the discus of 141-03. This is currently the oldest GISH girls track & field school record.
Liz Lee sets a school record of 10.6 in the 100 yd dash.
Liz Lee sets a school record of 24.8 in the 220 yd dash.
Cindy Vogel, Jackie Prince, Kirsten Braun and Liz Lee set a school record of 4:07.3 in the Mile Relay.
Paula Evans practices the discus in preparation for the 1977 state meet. Photo courtesy of the GI Independent.
1977
Beth Apfel ties the school record of 10.8 in the 80yd hurdles.
1978
Kirsten Braun, Monica McElroy, Jackie Prince and Jodie Frahm set a school record of 10:00.6 in the 2 mile relay.
1979
Janet Gnadt ties the school record of 10.8 in the 80yd hurdles.
Holly Yencer sets and school record of 5:26.2 in the mile run.
1980
Races at the State Track & Field Meet are run in metric distances.
1981
Judy Fielder, Ann Hastings, Kim Welch and Shelly Welty (Walnut Jr. High) set a Freshman school record of 4:19.8 in the 1600m relay.
Holly Yencer sets school records in the 800m (2:19.7), 1600m (5:18.9) and the 3200m (11:35.5).
Holly Yencer, center, confers with Lincoln Southeast's Jenny Stricker and Lincoln East's Ann Edmunds after the 1600m run at the the state meet at Omaha Burke. Yencer finished second behind Stricker and scored all 20 of the Islanders points placing in three events. Photo courtesy of the GI Independent.
1985
Kim Oden sets two school records—5-08 in the high jump and 14.6 in the 100m hurdles.
Kim Oden outruns Columbus' Jenny Bosak in the 100m hurdles. Photo courtesy of the GI Independent.
1986
Kim Oden wins an All-Class Gold Medal in the high jump with a jump of 5-07.
1989
Karen Washington sets a school record of 57.6 in the 400m dash.
Karen Washington moves into the starting blocks before the start of the Class A 400m dash at the state meet in Omaha. Photo courtesy of the GI Independent.
1991
Steph Smith (Walnut Jr. High) sets a Freshman school record of 12.3 in the 75m hurdles.
1993
Charmaine Galloway sets a Freshman school record of 17-05.25 in the long jump.
Karissa Foight (Walnut Jr. High) sets a Freshman school record of 61.0 in the 400m dash.
1994
Charmaine Galloway sets a school record of 18-03 in the Long Jump and wins the All-Class Gold Medal.
Sandra Lawton sets a school record of 12.2 in the 100m dash. She shares the record with Alex Armes who tied her mark in 2009.
Charmaine Galloway accepts her All-Class Gold Medal.
Sandra Lawton, third from left, competes in the 100m dash along with teammate Karissa Foight, left, at the Buffalo Bill Invite.
1995
Sara Farrand sets a Freshman school record of 5:25.06 in the 1600m run.
Sara Farrand sets a Freshman school record of 11:52.8 in the 3200m run.
1996
Robyn Fickes, Emily Humphrey, Krissy Rerucha and Amy Webb (Walnut Jr. High) set a Freshman school record of 10:27.95 in the 3200m relay.
Robyn Fickes (Walnut Jr. High) sets a Freshman school record of 2:22.26 in the 800m run.
1998
Kayla Pietzyk sets a Freshman school record of 29.3 in the 195m hurdles.
1999
Lisa Gibbs sets a Freshman school record of 126-01 in the discus.
2003
Johnna Jeffries sets a Freshman school record of 5-05 in the high jump.
2004
The 3200m relay team of Melisa Ritchie, Kristen Fitzgerald, Laura Heuermann, and Anne McGovern set a school record of 9:45.87.
From left, Kristen Fitzgerald, Laura Heuermann, Melisa Ritchie and Anne McGovern proudly display their medals from their record-setting performance at the district meet.
2006
Alex Armes sets a Freshman school record of 12.3 in the 100m dash.
Alex Armes sets a Freshman school record of 25.40 in the 200m dash.
Malorie Meier, Allison Jorgensen, Michaela Knuth and Alex Armes set a Freshman school record of 51.6 in the 400m relay.
Ariel Krolikowski, Sigornie Pfefferle, Michaela Knuth and Allison Jorgensen tie a Freshman school record of 4:19.8 in the 1600m Relay.
2006-2009
Grand Island Senior High girls put together a series of State Track & Field Meet finishes reminiscent of the teams from 1971-1975. The Islanders finish as runner-up in 2006, state champions in 2007, runner-up in 2008, and third in 2009.
The team accepts their 2006 Class A State Runner-Up trophy.
Allison Jorgensen, left, and Ann Armes celebrate as it becomes apparent, after their finish in the 1600 relay, that they will win the 2007 Class A championship. Alex Armes, right, catches her breath after finishing the final leg of the relay. Photo courtesy of the GI Independent.
The team accepts their 2007 Class A State Championship trophy.
The team accepts their 2008 Class A State Runner-Up trophy.
The team ends a remarkable four years with a third place finish in the Class A State Track & Field Meet.
2007
Laken Hormann sets a Freshman school record of 9-00 in the pole vault.
The 400m relay team of Suzanne Higgins, Allison Jorgensen, Ann Armes and Jeri Walkowiak set a school record of 49.17.
The 1600m relay team of Ann Armes, Allison Jorgensen, Alex Armes, and Suzanne Higgins set a school record of 3:58.27.
The team of Suzanne Higgins, Allison Jorgensen, Ann Armes, and Jeri Walkowiak prepare to run the 400m relay.
The team of Ann Armes, Allison Jorgensen, Alex Armes and Suzanne Higgins run the 1600m relay.
2007-2009
Alex Armes wins the All-Class Gold Medal in the 200m dash for three consecutive years. Alex also earned an All-Class Gold in the 100m dash in 2007. Alex holds the school record in the 200m (25.08) and shares a clocking of 12.2 in the 100m with Sandra Lawton. Alex set both records in 2009.
Alex Armes crosses the finish line first in the Class A 100m dash finals at the 2007 State Track & Field Meet in Omaha. Photo courtesy of the GI Independent.
2008
Suzanne Higgins sets a school record of 45.2 in the 300m hurdles.
Suzanne Higgins runs past Julia Sisson of Omaha Westside to a third place finish in the Class A 300m hurdles at state track in Omaha. Photo courtesy of the GI Independent.
2009
McKayla Gowen sets a school record of 42-07 in the shot put.
Amber Kunze sets a school record of 11-02 in the pole vault.
McKayla Gowen is pictured with Coach Craig Burchess at the 2009 state meet.
Amber Kunze prepares for an attempt in the pole vault competition at the Papillion-LaVista South Invite.
2011
Kennadi Keezer sets a Freshman school record of 39-02.50 in the shot put.
2012
Largest girls track team to finish the season (71).
2012 Islander Girls Track & Field team.
2015
Alexa Blase sets a Freshman school record of 16.15 in the 100m hurdles.
2015-16
Mackenzie Puckett sets a school record of 38-08.50 in the triple jump, bettering Steph Schmitt's previous mark of 37-03.75 set in 1997. The triple jump was added to girls track & field competition in 1996.
Mackenzie went on to break her own record at the Heartland Athletic Conference Championships in 2016. Her new record jump was 39-08.50.
Two weeks later at the Nebraska State Track & Field Championships, Mackenzie used a leap of 39-01.50 to capture the Class A Gold Medal and All-Class Gold Medal in the event.
Mackenzie Puckett competes in the Class A triple jump Saturday, May 23rd during the Nebraska State Track and Field Championships at Burke High School in Omaha. Photo courtesy of the GI Independent/Matt Dixon.
Mackenzie Puckett competes in the Class A triple jump Saturday, May 21st during the Nebraska State Track and Field Championships at Burke High School in Omaha. Photo courtesy of the GI Independent/Andrew Carpenean.
2017
50th Anniversary of Islander Girls Track & Field!
Emma Hilderbrand sets a new Freshman school record of 35-00.00 in the triple jump.
Addie Werner sets a Freshman school record of 9.8 in the 55m hurdles.
Girls compete in the 440 Relay at the Northwest Relays. In his interview with the Independent, Northwest Coach Fred Terry comments that "Girls' track will someday be big time. There'll be a state meet before long—it's just a matter of time." His words were prophetic! Photograph courtesy of the Grand Island Independent.
2020
Congratulations to the following Girls Track & Field athletes and Coach Dave Vondra on their induction into the Islander Athletic Hall of Fame:
Alex Armes (Tjaden)
Holly Yencer (Rathman)
1973 State Championship Team
Coach Dave Vondra
All Spring Sports are cancelled by the Nebraska School Activities Association due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021
Cassidy Hinken sets a new Freshman school record of 36-05.75 in the triple jump. Her mark breaks the old record of 35-00.00 set by Emma Hilderbrand in 2017.
2023
The 1600m Relay Team of Katie Johnsen, Aysha Gawrych, Celia McCoy and Emma Dye set a Freshman school record of 4:19.24 at the GI Invite.
Celia McCoy sets new Freshman school record of 15.35 in the 100m hurdles. Her mark breaks the record of 16.15 set by Alexa Blase in 2015.
Celia McCoy sets new Freshman school record of 45.39 in the 300m hurdles. Her mark breaks the record of 49.0 set by Kayla Pietzyck in 1998.
Rylei Degen sets a school record of 11-03 in the pole vault at the Papillion-LaVista South Invite. Her mark breaks the record of 11-02 set in by Amber Kunze in 2009.
Katie Johnsen, Aysha Gawrych, Celia McCoy and Emma Dye proudly display their Freshman school record certificates.
Celia McCoy competes in the100m hurdlest at the Papillion-LaVista South Invite.
Rylei Degen competes in the Pole Vault at the Papillion-LaVista South Invite.
2024
Celia McCoy sets a school record of 44.77 in the 300m hurdles. The previous record, set in 2008, was held by Suzanne Higgins.
Celia McCoy finishes first and sets a new school record in the 300m hurdles at the Papillion-LaVista South Invite. Photo courtesy of preprunningnerds.
Celia McCoy sets a school record of 14.59 in the 100m hurdles. The previous record, set in 1985, was held by Kim Oden.
Celia McCoy finishes first and sets and new school record in 100m hurdles at the A-1 District Meet in Gretna.
Cassidy Hinken sets a school record of 18-03.25 in the Long Jump. The previous record, set in 1994, was held by Charmaine Galloway.
GISH Girls Track & Field Head Coaches, 1967-Present
Willa Scudder, 1967-1968
Bonnie Watkins, 1969-1972
Dave Vondra, 1973-1980
Bob McFarland, 1981-1987
Jeff Stern, 1988-2018
Kip Ramsey, 2019-Present
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