Thunderbird Throwers Contribute to Strong Team Finishes at Watertown Invitational
Baraboo Boys and Girls Track and Field teams traveled to Dodge County this past week and proved they are a powerhouse with a big night in the field events, as the Thunderbirds girls finished second overall and the boys took fourth at the Gosling Invitational on Friday in Watertown, Wisconsin. The meet featured a wave of points, finals appearances and personal records, with Baraboo’s throwers taking care of business from start to finish.
Lily Rogers delivered one of the top performances of the meet. She won the girls shot put with a throw of 42 feet, then came back to win the girls discus with a personal-record mark of 145 feet. That discus throw also moved Rogers to No. 3 in the state of Wisconsin at this stage of the season, giving the Thunderbirds an early signature result in the second varsity outdoor meet of the year.
The Thunderbirds piled up more standout efforts around Rogers. Ellenna Gallo reached a new career best of 33 feet to place fourth in the girls shot put, while Jaiden Walters added a seventh-place finish with a throw of 30 feet. In the girls discus, Ella Haskins posted a personal-record throw of 95 feet to finish fourth, helping Baraboo stack valuable team points in both throwing events with a combined 32 points between the shot put and discus.
On the boys side, Aiden Dineen turned in a strong double. He placed fourth in the shot put at 46 feet and then finished second in the discus with a personal-record throw of 139 feet (an outdoor personal best). Elijah O'Donahue also recorded a personal best in discus, taking seventh at 126 feet, and Julius Pillsbury added a 12th-place finish in the shot put with a mark of 35 feet.
The depth was just as encouraging as the top finishes. Nearly every Baraboo thrower reached finals, a sign of how much competitive ground the group covered throughout the entirety of the meet. Career-best marks from Rogers, Gallo, Dineen, Haskins and Elijah O'Donahue underscored the progress the Thunderbirds showed from the get-go .
For Baraboo, Friday night was a celebration of early-season momentum and a reminder of how dangerous the Thunderbirds can be in the throws. With two team trophies, multiple event champions and personal records spread throughout the lineup, the opening outdoor meet gave the program plenty to build on heading into the rest of the spring.
