Gardner and Semling Top Two of Ten to Watch this Season

"As track and field practice kicked off last week, a handful of the top athletes from last season are back for another big year this spring." Winona Daily News names Luke Gardner and Sonja Semling as 2 of the 10 athletes to watch for during the 2024 track season.

Luke Gardner, senior, Cotter

Last season, Gardner was the state runner-up in the 400-meter dash for Class A and yet he did not have the fastest time in the event in the Winona area. That says less about his shortcomings than the speed of former Winhawk Brayden Draheim, who won the Class AA title in the 400 and narrowly edged out Gardner in the all-area standings.

With Draheim gone, Gardner should likely return to the top spot in the 400 as he did his sophomore year and has a shot to take the top spot in the high jump and long jump after finishing second and third in the area respectively a season ago.

Sonja Semling, junior, Cotter

Similar to her boys teammate Gardner, Semling led the Winona area as a sophomore but was surpassed by a stellar performance as a junior.

Semling had the top all-area times in the 1,600 and 3,200 as a freshman, though Duellman burst onto the scene and took the top spot, though the duo should be battling back and forth this spring.

The Ramblers junior already has three state appearances under her belt, making the 3,200 three times and the 1,600 twice.