Preble duo aims to get back to state
Great teammates always have each other’s back.
For Aubrie Gorski and Carley Duffney, they also crack each other’s back.
“It’s just good luck,” Gorski said. “I always have to crack Carley’s back on race days because it’s good luck if she’s loose.”
The Green Bay Preble standouts know they’ll be facing a tight race Thursday to advance to the WIAA state meet again in multiple events.
The duo combined to qualify for sectionals in seven individual events in leading the Hornets to a Division 1 regional title. Their event loads both include the 100-meter hurdles and triple jump.
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“I can tell when I’m running with her,” Duffney said. “I run way better than when I’m running with myself. It’s nice to have someone there pushing me. At practice, we’re always pushing each other.”
Gorski and Duffney both rank in the Top 10 of the Green Bay area for four individual events.
Gorski, a junior, leads the area in the 100 hurdles (15.49 seconds) and triple jump (37-10¾) in addition to holding Top 10 marks in the long jump (17-5) and 300 hurdles (49.25).
Her personal-best mark in the triple jump set on April 26 at the Kimberly Invite broke a school record and ranks fifth in the state this year.
Duffney, a sophomore, leads the area in the 300 hurdles (47.83), while also possessing Top 10 marks in the 100 hurdles (15.55), triple jump (33-7½) and high jump (5-3).
As close as their times and distances have been, Gorski and Duffney are even closer off the track.
“It’s friendly competition,” Gorski said. “We’re best friends, so it makes it even better because we’re just pushing each other and making each other the best we can be.”
Gorski and Duffney powered Preble to a second straight Fox River Classic Conference title this year.
Flexibility and balance have been strengths for both.
After advancing to state in both hurdle races as a freshman, Duffney has continued to improve her marks in track and field while competing in club basketball tournaments this spring. She received a scholarship offer from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay women’s basketball team on Monday.
Duffney also recorded a personal-best jump of 5-3 in the high jump and a season-best mark of 33-7½ in the triple jump on the way to becoming a four-event sectional qualifier after competing in a basketball tournament in Minnesota last weekend.
She credits her coaches for being flexible with her this season and leading to her success. For example, Preble hurdles coach Josh Zill and high jump coach Andy Fameree met with her Sunday to makeup for the track practice she had missed due to the tournament.
“They’re always behind me telling me how much they have my back,” Duffney said. “I really want to make it to state. That’s a huge goal of mine.”
Gorski, obviously, has that same goal in mind.
She credits much of her track and field success to her gymnastics and dance background.
“Preble track has benefited so much from the Preble dance team so much over the years,” Preble girls track and field coach Jeff Kline said. “We have had other girls that have done this over the years that have been hurdlers and dancers.”
Gorski won regional titles in the 100 hurdles, long jump and triple jump on Monday. She’s also an alternate on the 400 relay.
“Our goal is to get them to state and to have them do as well as they can,” Kline said. “As a team, we’re really looking at next year as an opportunity to really demonstrate what we can do as a team at state, so we’re trying to set the stage for that right now.”
