Talented Mount Vernon-Lisbon goes carnivorous

MOUNT VERNON -- They went with the dinosaur theme this year.

"We thought about Raptors. That would have been nice," said Holly Salzbrenner, hurdling star of the Mount Vernon-Lisbon girls' track and field program. "And those flying dinosaurs ... what were they called?"

Pterodactyls. But that's a misspelling just waiting to happen.

Instead ...

"We chose T-Rexes," Salzbrenner said.

OK, with the annual mascot mystery solved, let's cut to the chase. Mount Vernon-Lisbon, the two-time defending Class 3A state champion, is laden once again with speed and relay muscle.

"The kids are hungry to try to win it again," said Bill Thomsen, who will coach his 16th (and final) team this spring. "I don't know if we have as much depth as before, or if we'll score as many points as we did last year, but I'm optimistic. Cautiously optimistic."

Mount Vernon-Lisbon tallied a staggering 92 points at state last year, outscoring runner-up Dubuque Wahlert by 37. Of those 92 points, 73 return.

Salzbrenner, who will run at Northern Iowa next year, was a triple winner. She captured the 400-meter hurdles and ran on winning 1,600- and 3,200-meter relay teams.

Alex Wilson, who will accompany Salzbrenner at UNI in the fall, was on both of those relays and was second in the 1,500, third in the 800.

They are the headliners. But they're far from the whole story.

Mount Vernon-Lisbon placed in the top four in seven relays. That's all of the them. Four-by-whatever, you don't mess with the T-Rexes.

"We have a sprinter (Courtney Kintzel) who told us early in her career that she would much rather run relays than individual events, even though she would do very well in those," Thomsen said. "She's certainly a reason our relays -- the 4-by-1, 4-by-2 and both medleys -- have been so strong.

"But this year, the question has been posed, 'If it comes down to us winning a state title, will you run a couple individual sprints?' She says she will."

That certainly presents another dimension to a team that can beat you many ways.

"We'll be reworking some things," Salzbrenner said. "We'll be looking for different ways to fill some spots."

Salzbrenner, Kintzel and thrower Amanda Platte are part of a Mount Vernon senior class that has enjoyed startling success in all major sports the past four years. Lisbon girls like Wilson -- and some promising freshmen -- make this program even better.

"I've been really lucky to be with all these talented girls," Wilson said. "Really lucky."

A fifth-place state finisher in the discus last year, Platte "wants to win it this year," Thomsen said. "You can't beat that type of attitude."

Bree Rehder (fifth in the 100 hurdles in 2010), Jessie Binsfield and Kelli Huenecke are staples in the relays.

"We'll be a little different team this year, but we have the same goals and the same expectations," Salzbrenner said.