By John RittenhousePartial Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth-Edgerton track squads opened the 2004 campaign at the Dan Lennon Invitational Track and Field Championships in Vermillion, S.D., Tuesday.A total of 31 H-BC-E-E athletes tested their skills against talent from South Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa during the Class B version of the event staged in the Dakota Dome.The debut was a successful one for the Patriots, who recorded nine Top-10 finishes at meet’s end."With this being a meet as big as it is, and considering we’ve only been practicing for one week, I think we had a great meet," said Patriot coach Tom Goehle. "Our performances were above and beyond my expectations, both time-wise and in our places."Tyler Bush started the season in style by helping the Patriots secure two meet championships.Bush won the 800-meter run with a time of 2:06.6, and ran a leg with the champion 1,600-meter relay team. Todd Alberty, Kale Wiertzema, Lee Jackson and Bush won the event with a time of 3:40.13.Tom LeBoutillier and Cody Scholten secured individual places for the Patriot boys.LeBoutillier placed third in the long jump with a distance of 20-2 and finished fifth with a time of 9.21 in the 60-meter hurdles.Scholten cleared 5-8 in the high jump to place eighth.The boys’ 800-meter relay team of Scholten, LeBoutillier, John Sandbulte and Alberty turned in a 10th place performance with a time of 1:45.55.Cassi Tilstra turned in the top effort for the H-BC-E-E girls.Tilstra ran 800 meters in 2:28.77 to place second.The girls’ medley relay team of Shelly Sas, Kelly Mulder, Tilstra and Mya Mann placed fourth with a time of 4:38.54.The girls’ 1,600-meter relay team finished 10th with a time of 4:32.74. Mann Jocelyn Bucher, Ashley Bucher and Brittany Helgeson formed the team.H-BC-E-E will open the outdoor portion of its 2004 schedule at the Cardinal Quadrangular in Luverne Tuesday.
