EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (blugolds.com) - In preparation for the upcoming 2024 season, junior runner, Colin McClowry, outlines five athletes who are looking to pave the way for the Blugolds this year.

Taylor Phillips - Junior - Rome, Wis./Jefferson - Hurdles *Pictured*
Following an injury-riddled freshman season, Taylor improved drastically throughout his sophomore season. Taylor went from placing 19th at conference in the 60m hurdles to cracking the ten list in school history in the 110m hurdles. His season best came in the final meet of his season with a time of 14.88s.

Taylor had this to say about his offseason progress, "I am a lot stronger than I've ever been because I've been pushing myself in the weight room harder than I ever have. Being stronger is going to lead to being faster, I'm very confident in that."
With a full summer of training under his belt, Taylor is in the best shape of his career and ready to pick up where he left off heading into January.
 
Ayden Fleeharty - Senior - Viola, Wis./Kickapoo - Pole Vault
Going into the 2023 season, Ayden's PR was 3.51m in Pole Vault. She eclipsed that mark five times throughout 2023, with a best vault of 3.71m, a mark that ranked her 25th in the Nation. Coming back for a 5th year, Ayden brings plenty of wisdom and experience to the pole vault group, but she's still chasing her goal of being a national qualifier.

"My biggest goal for the season is to make both indoor and outdoor nationals. The combination of staying consistent and sticking with the program will best prepare me going into the season!"

Soren Johnson - Sophomore - Fall Creek, Wis. - Throws
Showing steady improvement throughout his freshman year, Soren Johnson finished the 2023 season as the 4th ranked freshman in the Nation in Discus and 15th in Shot Putt.

"My goal is to make it to Nationals both indoor and outdoor. Becoming an All-American outdoors is the ultimate goal.

As one of the most promising sophomore throwers in the country, Soren will soon be soaring over the competition in 2024.
 
Kayla Behnke - Junior - Appleton, Wis. - Throws
There are very few athletes who earn All-American honors as a freshman, Kayla Behnke is one of those athletes. A former two-sport athlete, Kayla placed 5th in discus at the 2022 Outdoor NCAA Championships. Kayla decided to leave basketball the following year, allowing her to compete in the indoor season, something she wasn't able to do while playing two sports. Kayla had a successful season, placing 3rd in shot put at conference, but decided to sit out for the outdoor season to earn back a full 5th year of eligibility for both the indoor and outdoor seasons. A season off gave Kayla plenty of time to hit the weights and prepare for a dominant junior season.

 "Having this long off-season gave me 9 months to lift and build up my strength without worrying about my meet performance… I think my extra time off gave me more time to prepare physically and mentally to be ready for this upcoming season."

Kayla may not be fresh in opponents' minds after sitting out a season, but she will soon make her mark on the conference upon her return to competition next month.

Jesse Peterson - Junior - St. Paul, Minn./Highland Park - Distance
Like Taylor, Jesse also broke the top ten in school history list in his best event last season, the 3000m steeplechase. Jesse knocked 50 seconds off his time in one year, earning a best time of 9:20.15 in the event. More recently, Jesse finished up his cross country season, highlighted by a 34th-place finish at the conference meet.

Jesse mentioned to me that his secret to success and constantly improving is by maintaining a routine, including a clean diet, adequate sleep, and staying on top of schoolwork. When it comes to achieving his goals for the track season Jesse is focused on, "Running with confidence which includes visualization of success, overcoming the strain of a race, and being able to relax when the race gets tough." Jesse certainly is an up-and-comer for the Blugold distance squad, and he's doing all the necessary things to be successful in 2024.