Feb. 24 marked the first girl’s track practice of the year. Coming off of an exceptional 2024 season, 2025 brings new goals and excitement for what can be achieved this time around.
To recap, the girls finished as team state champions last year after a weekend in May filled with record-breaking performances. The girls hope this energy will persist into the new season as many are ready to get back on the track.
“I’m so excited,” said senior varsity athlete Ani Wedemeyer. “The last four years have gone by so fast and I can’t believe it’s my last high school season. I have a lot of big goals and I’m so grateful to my coaches and teammates who give me the support to accomplish them.”
The team lost two seniors who scored at state last year, Jessie Clemons and Reese Goodlet. Although it will be hard to fill their shoes, the girls on the team are no doubt ready to step up. “We have a lot of new faces and so the challenge in this early portion of the season has been getting them oriented to who we are as a team and learning how to bring our best each day,” said head coach, Kenny Wheeler.
While the success from last year adds pressure to the group, he is not worried about the girls. “Everyone would love to win a state championship and while that’s certainly something we aspire to do, all I have in my control is preparing our team to be the very best they can be in May, and developing them to be independent, accountable, confident student-athletes so that they can continue to do great things here at PV and beyond,” added Wheeler. “All that being said, I think we have a lot of individuals on our team that are driven to be the best and so I have no doubt we’ll put ourselves in the conversation to be the best team in the state this Spring.”
As a coach, his aspirations not only lie in performance results, but he also emphasizes individual growth and building relationships. By cultivating a group of individuals who pursue their goals as a collective, Wheeler creates an unbreakable team culture that’s hard to ignore.
The girls will have their first indoor meet on March 12 at St. Ambrose University. The beginning of a new season means new goals, challenges and opportunities, all of which the team is excited to take on. With even more depth and greater confidence, the girls no doubt have a shot at yet another magical season.
