WIAA State Track & Field Championships Preview

THE STATE MEET: The 124th Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Boys Track and Field Championships and the 49th Girls Track and Field Championships will be held Friday and Saturday, May 31-June 1, at the Veterans Memorial Stadium Complex on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

ADMISSION/TICKETS: Ticket prices for the meet are $8 for each session or $12 for both sessions Friday if purchased at the stadium. Tickets may also be purchased online with an applicable convenience fee. To order online, access the ticket link on the WIAA website homepage or go to: https://www.expressoticketing.com/wiaa/pickevent.aspx?ecn=31

MEET INFORMATION: The meet features two sessions Friday. The Divisions 2 & 3 session begins at 9:30 a.m. with the competition proceeding in the order of events. The Division 1 session begins at 4:30 p.m. The competition resumes Saturday at 9:30 a.m. The order of the finals for each event Saturday begins with Division 3, followed by Divisions 2 and 1, respectively.

MEET LIVE ON NFHS NETWORK.COM: The live stream of the State Meet will be produced by Rush Media on the WIAA.TV portal of the NFHS Network. To purchase a subscription to the live programming, log-on to www.wiaa.tv and click on the subscription image on the home page.

LAST YEAR’S TEAM RESULTS-BOYS: Kimberly won the Division 1 championship for the second straight year by compiling 74 team points. Oak Creek was runner-up for the second year in a row with 45 points. Rice Lake won the Division 2 title with 53 points, which was five more than runner-up Lodi. In Division 3, Cambridge won the crown by scoring 62 points, and Wild Rose placed second with 43 points. Chippewa Falls won the team championship in the wheelchair competition with 52 points.

LAST YEAR’S TEAM RESULTS-GIRLS: In Division 1, Waukesha West won the team championship by accumulating 38 points. Former two-time defending champion Milwaukee King finished runner-up with a point total of 35. Wittenberg-Birnamwood earned the title in Division 2 for the second straight year with 50 points in the meet, which was 14 more than runner-up Xavier with 36. The co-op of Benton/Scales Mound, Ill./Shullsburg won the Division 3 team championship by scoring 40 points to edge 2017 champion Algoma by a point. Madison La Follette won the wheelchair team title for the second straight season, tallying 40 points.

BY THE NUMBERS-BOYS: Whitefish Bay has won the most boys team championships with 18, 16 of them coming consecutively from 1937-52. Milwaukee Riverside and Kohler are second with 16 titles each. Only two competitors have ever won the same individual event four times. Dave Greenwood of Park Falls won four titles in the high jump from 1976-79, and Paul Annear of Richland Center repeated the feat in the same event from 2005-08. Three individuals have won four relay titles in the same relay. Kevin Bledsoe of Milwaukee South did it in the 400 relay (1984-87) as did Josh Dickerson of D.C. Everest (1993-96) and Greg Bracey of Milwaukee Vincent (2000-03). Justin Austin (2005-08) of Brown Deer holds the boys record for the most titles won by an individual in a career with nine. Darrell Jansen of Kimberly (1958-60) and Annear have won eight championships. Four others have won seven titles. Only Alvin Kraenzlein of Milwaukee East has won five State titles in one meet (1895), and Andrew Rock of Stratford is the only other athlete to win four State titles in the same year (2000). Joe Schubert of Marquette is the only wheelchair competitor to win the same event four times. He did it in both the 100 and 400 dashes. He leads all wheelchair participants with 10 total championships. Milwaukee South lays claim to the most event titles throughout the history of the meet with 99. Whitefish Bay is second with 97.

BY THE NUMBERS-GIRLS: Madison West and Rosholt have won the most girls’ team titles with six. Three of West’s titles came in succession from 1980-82. Arcadia, Marathon, Nekoosa and Waukesha West have won five titles with Edgar, Madison Memorial, Milwaukee Bradley, Milwaukee King, Prairie du Chien and Whitewater next on the list with four. Twenty-four girls have won the same event four times during their career. Kennedy Blahnik of Algoma, Bonnie Draxler of Wrightstown, Molly Seidel of University Lake School, Joanna Schultz of Holmen and Cami Davre of Whitefish Bay are the only athletes to accomplish the feat in two different events. Blahnik won the discus and shot put from 2011-14; Draxler won the 400 dash and pole vault from 2011-14; Seidel won the 1,600 and 3,200 runs from 2009-12; Schultz captured the titles in the 200 and 400 dashes from 2003-06; and Davre won the gold in the 800 and 1,600 runs from 2014-17. Draxler, Davre, Jaclynn Kriegl of Florence, and both Elizabeth Pospyhalla and Tess Thurs of Edgar hold the record for the most championships won in a career by an individual with 10. Dana Collins of Milwaukee Marshall, Heather Hyland of Nekoosa and Jenni Westphal of Marinette are next in line with nine. Edgar has won the most events in the history of the meet with 42 titles. Madison Memorial is next on the list with 34.

DIVISION 1 NOTES - BOYS:  Kimberly and Mukwonago are represented in the most events with 16. Kimberly has 12 competitors participating in the meet, including 15 individual events and one to lead the rest of the division. Mukwonago has 19 competitors in 14 individual events and two relays. Waukesha North is entered in 13 events with 15 competitors, including 11 individual and two relays. Five individual events and two relays return their champions from last year. Senior Drew Bosley of Homestead is the returning champion in a pair of events. He won both the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs a year ago. Bosley returns to the 1,600 with the third-fastest qualifying time of 4:19.77 and the top seed time in the 3,200 at 9:17.99. Senior Elijah Johnson of Milwaukee Washington is the fastest qualifier in the 100 dash with a time of 10.53 after sprinting to the title in 2018. Junior Nolan Wollmer of Whitefish Bay will attempt to duplicate his title performance in the high jump. He enters competition this week tied for the 13th-best qualifying leap at sectionals at 6-2. Senior Andrew Stone should be considered the favorite to repeat as champion in the shot put. His qualifying throw of 63-2 1/2 is over five feet farther then the next qualifier. The Muskego 800 relay team attempts to win its third straight title. It returns to the field with the fastest qualifying time at 1:28.85. The Warriors’ 400 relay is also seeking another crown after winning the gold in the event last year. It enters the State meet with the third-swiftest qualifying time of 42.56.

DIVISION 1 NOTES - GIRLS: Sun Prairie has 18 competitors participating in 14 events in the meet, including 10 individual events and four relays to lead Division 1.Muskego and Waunakee both have 13 events with representation. Muskego is entered in 10 individual events and three relays with its 17 participants, and Waukesha West is in 11 individual events and two relays with its 12 student-athletes, including alternates. Six individual events and three relays feature the return of their champions from 2018. In addition, one other returning champion from 2017 will challenge for another title. Senior Brooke Jaworski of Wausau West is attempting to win her fourth straight championship in the 400 dash to become the 25th girl to win an individual event four times. She will enter the race with the third-fastest time of 59.24. Jaworski also looks to retain the title in the 300 hurdles after winning gold in 2018. Her qualifying time of 43.56 is second to another former champion, junior Jadin O’Brien of Divine Savior Holy Angels. O’Brien won the title in 2017 and finished runner-up to Jaworski last season. She claims the top qualifying time in the event this year with a 43.44. Senior Destiny Huven of Nicolet has her sights on a third straight championship in the 100 hurdles. She is back and in possession of the fastest qualifying time of 14.09. Senior Olivia Fabry of De Pere won the pole vault championship a year ago. She returns to State tied for the third-best qualifying height of 11-0. Senior Kiara Lee of Madison La Follette has never finished lower than second in the State Meet in the triple jump. After finishing runner-up in both 2016 and 2017, she captured the crown last season. She boasts the top qualifying leap this year at 39-4 1/4. Junior Amari Brown of Milwaukee King is the reigning champion in the 200 dash. She is back to defend her title with the fastest seed time in the event at 23.78. Waukesha West is in pursuit of its fourth consecutive title in the 3,200 relay. The Wolverines enter the race with the third-quickest time of 9:37.4. The Nicolet 400 relay team seeks a repeat title after their championship performance last season. The Knights enter the meet with the fastest qualifying time at 48.23. The Hamilton 800 relay ranks fourth on the qualifying list in the event with a time of 1:44.28 after running to the title a year ago.

DIVISION 2 NOTES - BOYS: Wisconsin Lutheran has the most event entries in the meet with 11. Their 11 events are represented by 14 participants in seven individual events and four relays. Freedom is represented in 10 events with its 11 qualifiers, including seven individual events and three relays. There are three individual events returning their 2018 champions with one relay attempting to win a consecutive title. Senior Max Rauch of Peshtigo won the pole vault last season, and he is tied with two others for the top qualifying vault from sectionals at 14-0. Junior Collin Schulz of Lakeside Lutheran is the returning champion in the high jump. He went 6-4 at sectionals last week to tie for the third-best qualifying jump. Senior Bradon Gulch of Berlin seeks back-to-back titles in the shot put after winning the event last year. He enters the State Meet with the second-best toss of 55-8 1/2. The Clinton 1,600 relay is back in the State meet attempting to win its second consecutive championship. The Cougars have the fifth-swiftest qualifying time at 3:26.00.

DIVISION 2 NOTES - GIRLS: Wisconsin Lutheran leads all schools in the division with 15 total event entries, including 18 competitors, including alternates, participating in 12 individual events and three relays. Freedom has the second-most total entries with 12 competitors in 13 events, including 11 individual events and two relays. Nine events in the division feature former champions returning to challenge for another title this year, including eight individual events and one relay. Senior Dana Feyen of Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau returns to defend the titles she won the past two seasons in the 3,200 run and last season in the 1,600 run. She is also a two-time State cross country champion and WIAAScholar Athlete. Feyen ranks second on the qualifying list with a time of 10:54.53 in the 3,200 and second on the 1,600 list at 5:05.17. Senior Jillian Weston of Viroqua is also a former champion in the 1,600. She is looking to return to the championship form after winning the title in 2017 and slipping to third a year ago. Weston comes into the meet with the sixth-fastest qualifying time at 5:15.78. Senior Brooke Livingston of Adams-Friendship is the returning champion in both the 100 and 300 hurdles. She owns the fastest qualifying time in the 100 hurdles at 14.71 and the second-best time in the 300 at 45.76. Junior Eve Goldstein of Somerset is also looking to retain her title in two events. She won the shot put last season and possesses the top qualifying throw this year at 43-8 1/2. After earning the title in the discus in 2018, she ranks first among the qualifiers in the event this year with a toss of 149-2, which is more than 15 feet farther than the next qualifying distance. Senior Tatum Straw of Catholic Memorial is the returning champion in the 200 dash. She is the top qualifier in the event this season with a sectional time of 25.61. Junior Aubrey Anderson of Lakeland has the fifth-fastest qualifying time in the 800 run at 2:21.17 after she ran to the title last year. Edgewood’s time of 9:46.40 in the 3,200 relay ranks sixth among qualifiers. The Crusaders’ are in pursuit of a second consecutive victory in the event.

DIVISION 3 NOTES - BOYS: Aquinas possesses the most event entries with 10, including eight individual events and two relays, with 10 participants qualifying. Wild Rose has entries in nine events, including seven individual events and two relays with 12 qualifiers. There are five individual events that return champions along with three relays. Senior David Vannucchi of Luther attempts to win his second straight titles in both the 1,600 and 3,200 runs to go with the three cross country championships he’s won during his prep career. The WIAA Scholar Athlete enters the State Meet with the fastest qualifying times of 4:31.51 in the 1,600 and 9:22.81 in the 3,200. Senior Rudy Hommen of Cambridge is the 2018 champion returning in the 100 dash attempting to defend his title. His qualifying time of 11.19 is the fourth-fastest entering the meet. Senior Riley Olson of Cambridge seeks back-to-back championships in the 300 hurdles. After winning the title last season, he enters this year’s meet with the second-fastest time of 40.47. Sophomore Ashton Schwartzman of Wild Rose won the 400 dash State title as a freshman a year ago, and he’s back to defend the title with the fastest qualifying time of 48.61. The Cambridge 400 and 800 relays are in pursuit of their second straight State championships. The Blue Jays possess the fourth-fastest qualifying time in the 400 relay at 44.59 and the second-swiftest time in the 800 relay at 1:31.31.

DIVISION 3 NOTES - GIRLS: Aquinas, Edgar and Ozaukee have representation in seven events, which leads the division. Aquinas has four individual events and three relays with nine qualifiers. Edgar qualifies four individual events and three relays with eight qualifiers, and Ozaukee also has four individuals and three relays with its 11 qualifiers. Five events in the division feature former champions returning to challenge for another title this year, including four individual events and one relay. Junior Hannah Constable of Johnson Creek has won the State title in the 800 run in her first two high school seasons and looks to add a third championship in the event with the top qualifying time of 2:20.73. Junior Marissa Ellenbecker of Edgar seeks to retain her crowns in a pair of events. She won the 1,600 run last year and possesses the second-fastest sectional time this year with a 5:15.30. She also won the 3,200 run a year ago and has the second-best time in the event this season at 11:37.89. Senior Haley Durst of Ithaca/Weston is the fastest qualifier in this year’s field of the 100 dash at 12.08 after earning the gold last season. Cuba City’s 400 relay seeks to retain the title it earned in 2018. The Cubans come into the State Meet with the eighth-fastest qualifying time at sectionals at 51.81.

WHEELCHAIR NOTES: In the boys competition, junior Ty Wiberg of Chippewa Falls returns to defend the title he won in the 1600 race the past two seasons. He has the second-fastest qualifying time at 5:40.71. Wiberg will also look to regain the title in the wheelchair shot put he won in 2017. He qualifies with the second-best toss in the shot put at 22-2 1/2. The top qualifier in the event is last year’s champion, sophomore Isaac Morris of Parkview, who enters competition with the best qualifying toss of 25-3 1/2. Sophomore Noah Eckelberg of Columbus Catholic is the returning champion in a pair of wheelchair events. He won both the 400 and 800 races last season, and he owns the best qualifying finishes in those events at 1:06.15 and 2:17.58, respectively. On the girls side, sophomore Gabi Berthiaume of Racine Horlick is the lone returning champion. She won the wheelchair 1600 race last season, and she enters the State Meet with the top qualifying time of 11:13.16.

NEED THE QUALIFIERS?: Qualifiers and qualifying performance lists, along with meet schedule, heats and lane assignments are available on the WIAA website by navigating to the boys or girlstrack & field tournament page at:

https://www.wiaawi.org/Sports/Spring/Boys-Track-Field/Tournament or https://www.wiaawi.org/Sports/Spring/Girls-Track-Field/Tournament

NEED RESULTS?: The quickest way to get results of the 2019 State Track and Field results is to access the WIAA website at www.wiaawi.org and access either the boys or girls tournament track and field pages to choose the links to live updates as the meet unfolds, provided in cooperation with PrimeTime Event & Race Management, LLC.

FOLLOW THE TOURNEY ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Receive the updates of the Boys and Girls State Track &Field Championships on the WIAA State Tournament Facebook and Twitter accounts. The Twitter account is @wiaawistate with the hashtag #wiaatrack. Also like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram at wiaawi, and add us on Snapchat at wiaawis.

PARKING AVAILABILITY: Parking is available in a number of general public lots surrounding the stadium on event days. Cost of parking is $8 per day. To order parking online, access the link on the boys or girls track and field pages on the website or go to the UW-La Crosse website: https://www.uwlax.edu/housing/wiaa-housing/parking/


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content