The Prescott High School track and field team – including both the boys’ and girls’ rosters – have relay squads that rank among the best in the state with less than a month remaining until the postseason begins.

Including the results from the Osceola Invite on Tuesday afternoon, the Prescott Cardinals have four relays that rank among the top five times in Division 2 competition this season. That includes the girls’ 4x100-meter relay (4th), the 4x400 (5th), the 4x800 (4th) and the boys’ 4x400 (3rd).

Prescott’s top-five relays are supplemented by three others that rank within the top 20 in Division 2 including the girls’ 4x200 (6th) and the boys’ 4x200 and 4x800 squads, which rank ninth and 20th respectively.

For Prescott’s Emily and Carl Calabrese, who have coached the team together for the past seven years, having such highly ranked relays is a testament to the depth on the roster and culture that the Cardinals have built for nearly a decade.

“In our time at Prescott we’ve kind of been a relay school,” Emily Calabrese said. “It speaks volumes to the depth we have on the team and how our kids are relay motivated. I think if our team had to choose, they’d want to have success in a relay over an individual event. I think that’s a cultural thing for Prescott right now. Seeing them ranked together is a lot of fun.”

Seven of Prescott’s eight competitive relay squads are currently ranked top-20 in the state. All of them, in addition to the boys’ 4x100, the lone unranked relay, were in action at the Osceola Invite on Tuesday, April 25.

That varsity invitational spanned multiple divisions and involved elite programs including Hudson, Rice Lake, Osceola, Hayward and Prescott. The Cardinals’ relay squads lived up to their rankings and produced strong times, despite the stiff competition.

Prescott’s four girls’ relays all earned runner-up finishes in their respective events. The 4x100-meter relay squad of senior Katrina Budworth and juniors Kianna Severson, Kennedy Braun and Sophie Ripley ran a 51.72, less than a second shy of Rice Lake’s winning time.

The 4x200 crew included the aforementioned Braun, Severnson, Ripley and freshman Amanda Miller. Their time of 1:50.74 lost only to the Division 1 Hudson Raiders.

Prescott’s 4x400 relay of Ripley, Katrina Budworth, Ava Budworth and senior Ella Johnson finished runner-up to Osceola. Shortly thereafter, the 4x800 crew of junior Abby Overland, senior Evalyn Sieben, Johnson and Ripley earned another runner-up to perennial powerhouse Osceola.

“The Osceola meet was huge for us because we essentially put together all of our top relays,” Emily Calabrese said. “All of our girls competed super well and they all ran times that would rank top-10 in Division 2 right now. That was exciting to see.”

Prescott’s boys’ relay squads also had success at the Osceola Invite. The 4x200-meter relay group of senior Shane Butler, sophomores Will Packard and Ethan West and freshman Kobe Russell edged out Osceola for first with a time of 1:33.83.

The Cardinals also secured a victory in the 4x400-meter, which included Packard, Butler and juniors Breckin Schommer and Kyle Cogan. Their time of 3:30.66 was one second clear of second-placed Osceola.

Prescott’s boys also earned a silver medal in the 4x800-meter relay. The Cardinals edged out Osceola for second place with a time of 8:56.28, approximately three seconds clear of the Chieftains. Hudson ran away with first, as they finished nearly 30 seconds ahead of Prescott.

While coach Calabrese knew what the athletes were capable of going into the Osceola Invite, the relay results, particularly the boys’ 4x400, far exceeded any expectations the coaching staff had. She spoke about their performance on Tuesday afternoon.

“The boys’ 4x400 was probably the biggest surprise of the night,” Emily Calabrese said. “We ran better than we did at sectionals last year. I think that’s one of the best times I’ve seen them run in my time here. That’s the third-best time in D2 this year. I don’t think we’ve ever beaten Osceola’s A-team head-to-head, so that was a motivational boost for our boys.”

Even considering the success Prescott’s relays had last year, it’s nothing compared to what the Cardinals have done in 2023 – and the year isn’t finished. Both the girls’ and boys’ squads are close to where they finished last year timewise, and some have already eclipsed those marks.

While coach Calabrese has her theories, she isn’t exactly sure why all of the relays are so far ahead of where they were last year. She hypothesized about the catalyst for the success this season.

“All of the girls’ relays are far ahead of where they were last year and the 4x100 and 4x200 did better than they did at the end of last year,” Calabrese said. “I think everyone was prepared for the year, but for the girls, it’s a lot of maturity and experience. For the boys, I think it’s having a lot of new talent out and cultivating it the best that we can.”

Prescott’s relays will be put to the test once again at the New Richmond Relays on Friday, May 5. The meet is expected to feature some of the top relay teams in the state spanning multiple divisions. Events are slated to begin at 4 p.m.