Accomplished is a great word to describe Hanna Reichenberger. In her high school career, she earned third place in triple jump in state, broke the Kimberly High School record for triple jump as well as the four by one-hundred-meter relay and earned All-Conference honors seven times in her career. Fresh off a top fifty finish in the Wisconsin High School leaderboard for Track and Field, she decided to travel nearly two hundred miles west to Winona State to become a member of their track team.
Reichenberger spoke briefly about deciding to commit to Winona State.
“Overall, the campus was really nice. It just felt welcoming in all aspect when I came here.”
In her underclassman years for the Warriors, Reichenberger had time to improve her craft and continue improving on the little things that would help her succeed. She also had mentors above her who helped push her to improve every day. Ashlie Lockington and Kaylee Patnode created a positive influence for the young athlete during her first two years at Winona State. Lockington reached tenth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) championship for the triple jump and third in the 4×100 meter relay in 2022. Patnode was a fellow team captain and a three-time presidential scholar athlete.
“It was like a jump community with my teammates,” Reichenberger said. “Those two (totally) stick out to me, and they’re still my closest friends.”
Reichenberger put a lot of work into improving her times, and that hard work began to pay off, as her name is all over the record books at Winona State. She reached Warrior bests in indoor sixty-meter hurdles, outdoor one-hundred-meter hurdles and triple jump all in 2024. In the 2024 NSIC Indoor Championships, Reichenberger would claim sixth in the sixty-meter hurdles.
When discussing leaving her name in the record books, she emphasized, “I’m so grateful that I’m leaving with that mark. I would have never imagined really coming and finishing as the best in some of these events.”
Reichenberger began her fourth season strong, earning a bid to the NCAA Division 2 Indoor Track and Field Championship for the triple jump event. She also broke the Winona State record for the indoor triple jump this season with a 40’4.75″ distance, a top ten finish in the event for division two. She would go on to finish sixteenth in the championship event.
Reichenberger talked about her drive to consistently improve and what drove her to her success at Winona State.
“My teammates are big motivators,” she said. “The coaches are awesome with just motivating and figuring out recipes for success and treating as individual athletes.”
Outdoor season for track and field will start for the Warriors on April 5th in La Crosse for the Ashton May Invitational. Reichenberger was listed as an athlete to watch from the NSIC Preseason Poll, as well as Kylie Anderson. Reichenberger is looking to build up her already impressive resume with a strong finish for her Warrior career.
She spoke about receiving NSIC and All Regional honors and what they meant to her.
“It feels good to know that the hard work I’ve put in is recognizable like that. I mean, it’s really cool to have something like that.”
After her collegiate career, Reichenberger looks ahead to her future in education. She will go into Physical and Health Education, with a minor in Adapted Physical Education as well. She will be student teaching as well. In the future, she hopes to coach athletes and looks to grow as a teacher of the sport.
