AREA ATHLETES SNAG NINE MEDALS AT FIRST DAY OF WIAA STATE TRACK & FIELD MEET
Zaleski Sports
LA CROSSE – Three members of the Athens boys track team picked up medals with top-six finishes at the opening day of the 2022 WIAA State Track & Field Championships on Friday at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
The three Athens’ athletes were among the eight area athletes that earned nine medals on Friday.
Caden Decker won the Division 3 boys pole vault with a vault of 14 feet, 9 inches, besting teammate Ryan Peel, who was second at 13-0.
Aiden Janke also picked up a medal for Athens as he placed fourth in the D-3 discus with a toss of 153-8.
Connor Sheahan just missed out on a medal as he placed seventh in the 1,600 in 4:31.35.
Auburndale’s Jesse Fowler placed fifth in the Division 3 discus with a throw of 149-5 to earn a medal as well.
Neillsville’s Taytor Lowry picked up a pair of fourth-place medals as he was fourth in the D-3 1,600 (4:32.22) and 800 (2:00.16).
Pacelli’s Adam Eiden won a bronze medal in the Division 3 1,600, taking third in 4:32.11, just ahead of Lowry. Eiden also placed eighth in the 800 (2:01.27).
Loyal’s Alyssia Zvolena picked up a sixth-place medal in the D-3 girls high jump (5-2) and Wild Rose’s Mason Beder finished sixth in the D-3 boys discus with a throw of 148-5 to also snag some hardware.
Columbus Catholic junior Andrew Scheer was 10th in the Division 3 boys 1,600 (4:33.19). Scheer will compete in the 3,200 on Saturday, along with his brother, Isaac.
In qualifying efforts, Stratford’s Conner Weigel finished ninth in the Division 2 boys 400 (50.92) to move on to Saturday’s finals, and was part of the Tigers’ 1,600 relay team that also consists of Jett Schoenherr, Elijah Lucio and Noah Lucio that qualified third in 3:27.87. The top 10 in each event requiring qualifying move on to the finals.
Auburndale’s Terrance Roberson narrowly missed out on qualifying for the finals in three Division 3 events. He finished 11th in the 100 in 11.30, 12th in the 200 in 23.10, and was part of the 400 relay team along with Parker Empey, Austin Quinlan and Gavin White Eagle that was 12th in 44.86. Roberson missed out on the finals in the 100 by 0.005 of a second, and the relay team is out of the finals by 8/100 of a second. Roberson will compete in the long jump on Saturday.
Marshfield failed to earn any medals, and all athletes in qualifying races were eliminated as they failed to crack the top 10, which move on to Saturday’s finals.
Aubri Brown finished eighth in the Division 1 girls discus with a throw of 117 feet, 5 inches. The top six in each event earn state medals. Brown will compete in the shot put on Saturday.
Sophie Nikolay finished 19th in the girls pole vault with a vault of 10-0 and Graham Lonsdale finished 10th in the boys 800 meters in 1:58.48 in other finals events on Friday.
Failing to qualify for Saturday’s finals for Marshfield were Lizzie Hanson in the 100 hurdles (21st, 16.41), Michaela Dick in the 300 hurdles (17th, 48.37), and Olivia Page in the 200 (21st, 27.08).
The Marshfield boys 3,200 relay team, along with Dani Minsaas in the girls high jump, will compete on Saturday.
Stevens Point had two entries qualify for finals on Saturday as Matthew Eiden took fifth in the boys 400-meter qualifying in 49.64 seconds, and the girls 1,600 relay team of Brittany Beadles, Jenna Jones, Anna Plautz and Rosin Willis qualified second 3:59.17.
In the girls 3,200 relay finals, the SPASH team of Beadles, Autumn Itzen, Jones and Sarah Hopp took 22nd 10:11.56, and sophomore Nick Tuchscherer finished 14th in the boys long jump (21-0).
Failing to qualify for finals in their events for the Panthers were Taigan Anderson in the girls 300 hurdles (23rd, 50.91) and Cam Saeger in the boys 100 (17th, 11.17). Bode Erickson did not run in the boys 1,600 and the 1,600 relay team did not finish the race.
Wisconsin Rapids saw one of its three athletes competing in qualifying advance to the finals. Andrew Vold finished ninth in the boys 100 qualifying in 11.07 to move on to Saturday. Missing out the finals were Jackson Schooley in the boys 400 (18th, 52.54) and Elise Moon in the girls 400 (15th, 1:01.35).
Also qualifying for Division 2 finals events from the area were Mosinee’s Kate Fitzgerald in the girls 200 (seventh, 25.72) and the Mosinee girls 800 relay team of Fitzgerald, Adalyn Lehman, Claire Selenske and Kate Baars (fourth, 1:46.57).
Mosinee’s 400 relay team of Fitzgerald, Lehman, Baars and Makayla Weisner just missed out on a finals spot, taking 11th in 50.80, 7/100th of a second behind the final qualifying spot.
Division 3 girls qualifying for Saturday’s finals were: Kinsey Reynolds of Wild Rose in the 100 hurdles (ninth, 16.28); Edgar’s Morgan Schnelle in the 100 (sixth, 12.68) and the 200 (third, 26.19); Edgar’s 800 relay team of Rachel Schnieder, Malana Koehler, Brooke Imhoff and Schnelle (eighth, 1:48.98); Newman Catholic’s Mel Severson in the 400 (sixth, 1:00.83); Pittsville’s Reese Grimm in the 400 (ninth, 1:01.68); Colby’s Trinity Severson in the 300 hurdles (third, 46.69); Colby’s 1,600 relay team of Severson, Willow Oehmichen, Hayden Willner and Daisy Feiten (first, 4:07.35); Loyal’s 400 relay team of Leah Scherer, Sheila Tellock, Zvolena and Aubre Robida (sixth, 51.60); and Rosholt’s 1,600 relay team of Sophia Bablitch, Mckenna Wierzba, Sydney Trzebiatowski and Sarah Trzinski (fifth, 4:10.44).
Division 3 boys moving on to finals include Edgar’s 800 relay team of Ayden Weisenberger, Mattison Butt, Avery Normington and Kohlbe Weisenberger (fifth, 1:32.46) and 1,600 relay team of Teegan Streit, Normington, and the Weisenbergers (fourth, 3:30.56).
Others that competed in Division 3 finals events on Friday but did not place in the top six were: Assumption’s Blake Lobner in the Division 3 boys 800 (ninth, 2:02.08); Pacelli’s Nick Schroeder in the D-3 boys pole vault (12th, 11-6) and Jacob Schroeder in the boys 110 hurdles (12th, 16.12); Abbotsford’s Marcus Bohl in the discus (ninth, 142-8); Rosholt’s Payton Skortz in the girls shot put (37-1 ¼) and Dan Simonis in the boys 800 (2:06.27); Colby’s Malayna Rieck in the shot put (13th, 33-10) and the 3,200 relay team of Mercedes Sarkkinen, Oehmichen, Severson and Feiten (seventh, 10:01.54); and Greenwood’s Lauren Ingold in the girls shot put (11th, 34-4).
In Division 2, Amherst’s Hannah Wall did not record a height in the girls high jump, Lauren Bird was 10th in the shot ptu (36-10 ¼), and the Falcons’ 3,200 relay team of Saige Peerson, Lia Peterson, Estella Brown and Leonie Chabbert finished 11th in 10:03.04.
Others failing to qualify for finals from area Division 3 teams were: the Pacelli girls 800 relay team of Casey Vaughan, Natalie Cooper, Ashley Strizel and Sarah Meyers (11th, 1:49.66) and 1,600 relay team of Emma Reincke, Malania Cashin, Meyers and Vaughan (15th, 4:18.89); the Edgar girls 400 relay team of Schneider, Koehler, Amber Skrzypcak and Imhoff (13th, 52.30); Abbotsford’s Ty Falteisek in the boys 400 (16th, 53:02) and the girls 400 relay team of Sommer Brodhagen, Chloe Cihlar, Briseida Escalera and Sydney Falteisek (11th, 51.94); Iola-Scandinavia’s Ian Koss in the boys 400 (14th, 52.57); Willner of Colby in the 300 hurdles (11th, 48.71); and the Loyal girls 800 relay team of Zvolena, Tellock, Lisa Steffens and Scherer (16th, 1:51.35).
Click here for complete results from Day 1 of the state track meet, courtesy of the WIAA.