STEVENS POINT BOYS & GIRLS WIN SECTIONAL TITLES; MARSHFIELD SENDING 4 TO STATE CROSS COUNTRY
Zaleski Sports
STEVENS POINT – The Marshfield cross country team will be sending four runners to next week’s state meet after competing at the WIAA Division 1 sectional on Saturday at Standing Rock Park.
Joseph McKee took fifth in 16:21.0 and Joshua McKee was sixth in 16:21.0 in the boys race, earning individual qualifying spots for the state meet.
The Marshfield girls also had two state qualifiers as sophomore Eliana Kanitz finished second in 19:30.7 and freshman Michaela Dick took seventh in 19:55.3.
Joseph McKee will be making his third-straight state appearance. Kanitz and Joshua McKee are going back for the second year in a row.
Stevens Point had three top-10 finishers and won the boys team title, with Hortonville second, Marshfield third and Wisconsin Rapids fourth.
The top two teams and top five individuals not on those teams move on the 2019 WIAA State Cross Country Championships at the Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids on Saturday, Nov. 2.
“We are so pleased to see four of our runners qualify for state next week,” Marshfield coach Dan Akin said. “Our seniors today – Addison Hill, Elijah Witzel, Evan Ellis and Eben Lonsdale – meant so much to our program and they all should be proud of their races today.”
Jake Krause of Hortonville won the boys race in 15:47.1, two seconds ahead of Wausau West’s Ryan Hartman. In addition to Hartman and the McKee brothers, Neenah’s Trenton Bauer (third, 16:14.0) and D.C. Everest’s Zach Brandenberg (ninth, 16:35.6) also qualified for state.
Jake Bourget was fourth (16:17.5), Jake Lepak took eighth (16:35.0), and Christian Manthey was 10th (16:37.1) for Stevens Point.
D.C. Everest finished sixth, Wausau West seventh and Wausau East 11th in the boys team standings.
Jacob Olson led East, taking 46th in 18:25.8.
Stevens Point and Appleton North earned the girls team spots at state. Wisconsin Rapids was third, Marshfield fourth, Wausau West fifth, Wausau East eighth and D.C. Everest ninth.
Roisin Willis of Stevens Point won the girls race in 18:39.0, 51 seconds ahead of Kanitz.
Elizabeth Schmidt of Merrill was third (19:31.6), McKenna Taylor of Wausau East took fourth (19:37.4), and Willow Sering of Wisconsin Rapids finished sixth (19:54.2) to join Kanitz and Dick of Marshfield as the individual state qualifiers.
Wausau West’s top runner was Alex Galang, who finished 14th in 20:20.5.
Kaylie Lyga led D.C. Everest, taking 30th in 21:28.5.
The Division 1 girls race will be at 12:40 p.m. and the D-1 boys race will be at 2:35 p.m. at the state meet Nov. 2.
<