THE STATE MEET:  The 123rd Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Boys Track and Field Championships and the 48th Girls Track and Field Championships will be held Friday and Saturday, June 1-2, 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=2

MEET INFORMATION:  The meet features two sessions Friday. The Division 1 session begins at 9:30 a.m. with the competition proceeding in the order of events. The Divisions 2 and 3 session begins at 3 p.m. The competition resumes Saturday at 10:30 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.nfhsnetwork.com and click on the subscription image on the home page www.nfhsnetwork.com

LAST YEAR’S TEAM RESULTS-BOYS:  Kimberly won the Division 1 championship with 41 team points. Oak Creek was runner-up with 40 points. Xavier won the Division 2 title with 44 points, which was seven more than runner-up Rice Lake. In Division 3, Coleman won its second consecutive title by scoring 43 points, and Rosholt placed second with 39 points. Chippewa Falls and Marquette shared the team championship in the wheelchair competition with 36 points apiece.

LAST YEAR’S TEAM RESULTS-GIRLS:  In Division 1, Milwaukee King won the team championship for the second straight season by accumulating 58 points. Hamilton and Waukesha West finished runner-up with a point total of 34. Wittenberg-Birnamwood earned the title in Division 2 with 40 points, which was six more than runner-up Catholic Memorial with 34. Algoma won the Division 3 team championship by scoring 44 points to edge runner-up Edgar by two points. Madison La Follette won the wheelchair team title, tallying 40 points. Burlington placed second for the fourth consecutive season, compiling 32 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. Three 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 on wheelchair participants with 10 total chamionships. Milwaukee South lays claim to the most event titles throughout the history of the meet with 99. Whitefish Bay is second with 96.

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 and Nekoosa have won five titles with Edgar, Madison Memorial, Milwaukee Bradley, Milwaukee King, Prairie du Chien, Waukesha West 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, Jaclynn Kriegl of Florence, Cami Davre 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 40 titles. Madison Memorial is next on the list with 34.

DIVISION 1 NOTES - BOYS:   Kimberly has 17 competitors participating in the meet with 22 total entries in all events, including 19 individual events and three relays to lead the rest of the division. Wauwatosa is next with 13 total entries with four relays and a total of 18 competitors. Three individual events and one relay return their champions from last year and one champion in two events moves up from Division 3. Senior Wesley Schiek of Oshkosh North won both the 1,600 and 3,200 runs at Valley Christian last season, and he also won the 3,200 in 2016. Senior Jose Guzman of Ashwaubenon is the two-time defending champion in the 400-meter dash. He returns this year as the seventh-fastest qualifier with a time of 50.86. Senior Boyd Dietzen of Kimberly has the second-best qualifying throw in the discus at 184-0 after winning gold in the event last year. Senior L.O. Johnson of Waunakee returns to the 100 dash after capturing the crown last year. He enters competition with a qualifying time of 11.02, which ranks fourth among qualifiers. The Muskego 800 relay team attempts to win back-to-back titles. It returns to the field with the fastest qualifying time at 1:27.47. 

DIVISION 1 NOTES - GIRLS:  Sun Prairie has 16 competitors participating in 14 event entries in the meet, including 11 individual events and three relays to lead the division in total entries. Hudson has 10 participants and is second with 13 total entries, including three relays. Six individual events and four relays feature the return of their champions from 2017. In addition, three other returning champions will challenge for another title. Junior Brooke Jaworski of Wausau West is attempting to win her third straight championship in the 400 dash. She will enter the race with the 13th-fastest time of 58.39. Senior Armoni Brown of Waukesha South is poised to win her second straight title in the long jump. She enters the meet with a qualifying mark of 19-9 3/4, which is more than seven inches better than the next competitor. Senior Emily Scott of Kimberly is tied with nine others for the second best qualifying performance in the high jump after she earned the championship last year. Junior Destiny Huven of Nicolet won the 100 hurdles a year ago and is back defending her title with the second-best qualifying time of 14.75. She will need to contend with senior Alexis Jackson of Oregon, who fell to third last season after winning the title in 2016. She enters the competition with the swiftest sectional time of 14.45. Jackson should also be considered a contender in the 300 hurdles after winning the event in 2016 and finishing sixth last season. She’ll need to dethrone sophomore Jadin O’Brien, who won the gold medal last season and Jaworski, who has turned in the best qualifying time from sectionals at 42.55. Jackson qualified with a time of 43.86, and O’Brien enters competition with a sectional time of 43.92. Junior Makayla Jackson of Milwaukee King is the returning champion in the 100 dash. She brings the third-best time into the preliminaries at 12.22. Senior Hailey Orlowski of Wisconsin Lutheran won the pole vault in Division 2 in 2016 and finished fifth in Division 1 last year. She is the top qualifier in the event at a height of 12-7. Waukesha West has the top qualifying time of 9:23.43 in the 3,200 relay in pursuit of its third consecutive crown in the event. The Milwaukee King 400 and 800 relay teams seek a repeat title after their championship performance last season. The Lady Generals enter the meet with the fastest qualifying time in the 800 relay at 1:41.29 and the second-quickest time in the 400 relay at 48.39. The Hamilton 1,600 relay ranks third on the qualifying list in the event with a time of 3:57.80 after running to the title a year ago.

DIVISION 2 NOTES - BOYS:  Catholic Memorial and Freedom have the most event entries in the meet with 10. Catholic Memorial’s 10 events are represented by 14 participants in six individual events and four relays, and Freedom has qualified 13 competitors in eight individual events and two relays. There are five events returning their 2017 champions, and two relays attempt to win consecutive titles. Senior Kenneth Bednarik of Rice Lake is the returning two-time champion in both the 200 and 400 dashes. He qualifies this year with the top sectional times posted in each of those events. He ran a 21.24 in the 200 dash and a 46.68 in the 400 dash at sectionals. Senior Ben Dunkleberger of Lake Mills is the two-time defending champion in the triple jump and the returning champion in the long jump. He enters competition with the top qualifying mark of 22-7 1/2 in the long jump and the second-best distance in the triple jump at 45-6 1/2. Senior Brekan Day of Brodhead/Juda is the returning champion in the high jump. He tops the field of qualifiers with a mark of 6-6 recorded at sectionals. The Catholic Memorial 400 relay is back in the State meet attempting to win its second consecutive championship. The Crusaders have the fourth-swiftest qualifying time at 43.58. The Lakeland 3,200 relay attempts to repeat as champion as well, qualifying with the third quickest time of 8:15.14.

DIVISION 2 NOTES - GIRLS:  Jefferson leads all schools in the division with 15 total event entries, including 14 competitors participating in 12 individual events and three relays. Fox Valley Lutheran has the second-most total entries with nine competitors in seven individual events and three relays. Ten events in the division feature former champions returning to challenge for another title this year, including six individual events and all four relays. Senior Daily Albino of New Berlin West moves down after winning the Division 1 championship in the pole vault last year. She has qualified with the top height in the field of competitors at 11-6. Junior Dana Feyen of Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau returns to defend her title in the 3,200 run. She is positioned second on the qualifying performance list with a time of 11:21.14. She is also the top qualifier in the 1,600 with a time of 5:11.13. The event was won last season by junior Jillian Weston of Viroqua. Her sectional time of 5:21.63 this season ranks seventh entering the meet. In a related note, Weston possesses the top qualifying time in the 800 run at 2:18.61. Senior Mariah Hoepner of Altoona is the returning champion in the high jump. She currently ranks tied for second with a qualifying performance of 5-4. Senior Maddy Pietz of Wittenburg-Birnamwood looks to return to the top of the award stand in the 400 dash after earning the gold medal last season. She has a qualifying time of 58.60 in the event. Senior Emily Stendel of Jefferson eyes her second consecutive championship in the discus. Her qualifying throw of 137-3 at sectionals ranks third in the qualifying field of contenders. The Catholic Memorial 400 and 800 relays seek their third consecutive titles. The Crusaders enter the meet with the top time in the 800 relay at 1:45.23 and the third-fastest qualifying time in the 400 relay at 50.22. Wittenberg-Birnamwood is the two-time defending champion in the 1,600 relay, returning with the second-fastest seed time of 4:02.87. East Troy’s time of 10:02.05 in the 3,200 relay ranks 12th among qualifiers in the event in pursuit of a second consecutive victory in the event.

DIVISION 3 NOTES - BOYS:  Darlington possesses the most event entries with 10, including four relays, with 11 participants qualifying. Bangor and Cambridge have entries in nine events, including four and two relays, respectively. Cambridge is represented with eight competitors and Bangor has six participants in the meet. There is only one individual event that returns a champions along with three relays. Senior Isaac Bohaty of McDonell Catholic is the 2017 champion returning in 800 run in an attempt to defend his title. His qualifying time of 1:58.60 is second-fastest entering the meet. The Rosholt 3,200 relay seeks its third straight title, and the Hornets’ 1,600 relay is in pursuit of its second consecutive victory at State. Their 3,200 relay time of 8:25.74 ranks second among qualifiers in the event, and the 1,600 relay time is positioned seventh on the performance list in the event at 3:29.92. The Glenwood City 400 relay is one of the favorites to win the event and retain the title they won a year ago. The Hilltoppers possess the top qualifying time at 44.33.

DIVISION 3 NOTES - GIRLS:  Algoma has 12 total event entries, including 11 competitors participating in nine individual events and three relays. Shell Lake has the second-most total entries with 10 competitors in five individual events and four relays. Ten events in the division feature former champions returning to challenge for another title this year, including six individual events and all four relays. There are an abundance of returning champions in the division with nine former champions in individual events and all four relays featuring the return of past victors. Senior Elise Large of Ozaukee, who was named a WIAA Scholar-Athlete earlier this spring, is a returning defending champion in both the 1,600 and 3,200 runs. She enters the State meet in quest of repeating as champion in both events with the second-best qualifying time in the 3,200  at 11:58.32 and the seventh fastest effort in the 1,600 at 5:27.67. She’ll need to contend with senior Erika Kisting of Iola-Scandinavia. She was the 2016 champion in both those distance events. Kisting looks to return to championship form this season with the fourth quickest seed time in the 1,600 at 5:21.68 and the seventh fastest time in the 3,200 at 12:04.87. Senior Elizabeth McClure of Algoma is the top qualifier in the high jump with a leap of 5-5 at sectionals. She attempts to win back-to-back titles in the event after winning the crown in 2017. Senior Julianne Barkholz of Newman Catholic is the returning champion in the 400 dash. She has her sights on another title, qualifying with the third fastest time among all competitors in the event at 57.94. Sophomore Hannah Constable of Johnson Creek won the State title in the 800 run as a freshman and looks to repeat the feat with the top qualifying time in the event this season with a time of 2:20.26. In addition to Kisting, two other 2016 champions return to challenge for another title. Senior Emma Richards of Ozaukee, who did not place last season after winning the discus in 2016,  has the top qualifying mark this season with a throw of 158-2 at sectionals. Junior Ashlie Lockington of Bangor, who placed runner-up in the triple jump a year ago after earning the title two years ago, has the second longest qualifying jump at 36-9 1/2. The Wild Rose 800 relay goes for its third consecutive crown with the third best qualifying time of 1:48.28. The Lourdes Academy 3,200 relay will also attempt to win a third straight title, entering competition with the event’s 12-fastest seed time of 10:23.41. The Auburndale 1,600 relay had the third-fastest qualifying time at sectionals at 4:09.16 in pursuit of its second title in a row.

WHEELCHAIR NOTES:  Sophomore Audrey Kleiss-Garcia won four events last year and appears to be in position to duplicate the feat this season in the girls competition. She won the 100, 400 800 races and the shot put last year. This year, she has the top qualifying time in the 100 at 22.87, the 400 at 1:31.30 and the 800 at 3:20.42. Her 13-2 1/2 throw at sectionals also tops the qualifying performances. In the boys competition, sophomore Ty Wiberg of Chippewa Falls returns to defend the titles he won in the shot put and the 1600 race. He has the top qualifying time in the 1600 with a time of 5:01.17 and the second-best toss in the shot put at 22-1 3/4.

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 track & field results page  at: http://www.wiaawi.org/Sports/BoysTrackField.aspx or http://www.wiaawi.org/Sports/GirlsTrackField.aspx

NEED RESULTS?:  The quickest way to get results of the 2018 State Track and Field results is to access the WIAA website at www.wiaawi.org and access either the boys or girls track and field home page 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/

State Track & Field Schedule