THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS: The 120th Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Boys Track and Field Championships and the 45th Girls Track and Field Championships will be held Friday and Saturday, June 5-6, 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:
http://www.expressoticketing.com/wiaa/pickevent.aspx?ECN=9
MEET INFORMATION: The meet features two sessions Friday. The Division 2 and 3 events begin at 9:30 a.m. with the competition proceeding in the order of events. Division 1 events begin at 4:30 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.
LIVE STREAM: The 2015 State Track & Field Meet will be produced by PlayOn! Sports and streamed live on foxsportswisconsin.com.
LAST YEAR’S TEAM RESULTS-BOYS: Kimberly won the Division 1 championship with 57 team points. Wisconsin Lutheran finished runner-up with 47 points. Monroe won the Division 2 title, compiling 63 points, which was 26 more than runner-up Seymour with 37. In Division 3, McDonell Central won the title by scoring 40 points, two ahead of runner-up Marathon with 38. Sun Prairie won the team championship in the wheelchair competition with 30 points. Eau Claire North and Marquette were second with 20 points.
LAST YEAR’S TEAM RESULTS-GIRLS: In Division 1, Kenosha Tremper won its second consecutive team championship by accumulating 48 points. Brookfield East finished runner-up, eight behind with 40. Hayward captured the title in Division 2 with 38 points, edging runner-up Dodgeville/Mineral Point with 37 points. Lourdes Academy won the Division 3 championship with 50 points. Cuba City finished four points behind in second place with 46 points. Franklin won the wheelchair competition with 38 points, and Burlington placed second with 18.
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 individuals 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 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). 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, Prairie du Chien, Waukesha West and Whitewater next on the list with four. Twenty-three 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 and Joanna Schultz of Holmen 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; and Schultz captured the titles in the 200 and 400 dashes from 2003-06. Kennedy Blahnik of Algoma, Bonnie Draxler of Wrightstown, Jaclynn Kriegl of Florence, and both Elizabeth Pospyhalla and Tess Thurs of Edgar hold the record for the most championships won 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: Bay Port has qualifiers in 14 events, including relays, to lead the rest of the division. Wisconsin Lutheran and Middleton are next with competitors in 12 events, while Stevens Point has participants in 11 events. Two individual events and three relays return their champions from last year. Senior Eric Brown of Wisconsin Lutheran is a two-time champion and record holder in the 800-meter run. He has the fourth-fastest qualifying time in the event this year at 1:55.25, less than two seconds off the best qualifying pace. Senior Olin Hacker of Madison West is the returning champion in the 3,200 run. He enters the meet as the favorite to repeat with the best qualifying time of 9:20.75. The Muskego 800 relay, the Oconomowoc 1,600 relay and the Wisconsin Lutheran 3,200 relay are each racing for a repeat title after winning these respective events in 2014. Other individuals to watch are junior Cole Van Lanen of Bay Port, junior Perrin Hagge of Middleton and Maurice Simpson of Milwaukee King. Van Lanen has qualified with the best marks in both the shot put and the discus at 62-10 and 177-0, respectively; Hagge is the top qualifier in both the 800 and 1,600 runs at 1:53.63 and 4:12.60, respectively; and Simpson has the fastest qualifying times in both the 100 and 200 dashes at 10.74 and 21.60, respectively.
DIVISION 1 NOTES-GIRLS: Arrowhead, Beloit Memorial, Muskego and Sun Prairie are entered in the most events, each with 11. Brookfield East, De Pere and Stoughton are next in line with participants in 10 events. Six individual events and all four relays feature the return of their defending champion. In addition, two events have their 2013 champions hoping to return to championship form. Sophomore Cami Davre of Whitefish Bay is the returning champion in two events. She won both the 800 and 1,600 runs, and she appears poised to add another title in both events. Her qualifying time in the 800 is more than two seconds swifter than the next competitor, and her qualifying time in the 1,600 is almost two seconds faster. Natisha Hiedeman of Green Bay Southwest is the defending champion in the triple jump. Her qualifying leap of 38-3 1/4 ranks second and 2 1/4 inches below the top qualifying jump. In addition, she has the best qualifying mark in the long jump at 18-5 1/2. Junior Sam Noennig of Hartford was the champion in the discus last season. She qualifies this year with the second-best qualifying toss of 150-10, which is nearly 10 feet shy of the best qualifying mark. Noennig will also compete for the title in the shot put, having recorded the event’s best throw at sectionals with a toss of 45-3 1/2. Senior Tierney Lindner of Sun Prairie is the returning champion in the high jump. Her qualifying jump of 5-2 is seven inches off the mark of the best qualifying leap of 5-9 recorded by senior Khadiya Hollingsworth of Brookfield East. Hollingsworth finished second to Lindner last season after winning the title in 2013. Junior Kylie Swiekatowski of De Pere is in pursuit of a second straight championship in the pole vault. She enters competition with the top qualifying performance at 12-6. The mark is six inches better than the next closest qualifier, which is junior Rayce Albino of New Berlin West. Albino won the pole vault title in 2013. Neenah is attempting to make it five straight State titles in the 3,200 relay. Two relays attempting to win their fourth consecutive championship are Milwaukee King in the 400 and La Crosse Logan in the 800.
DIVISION 2 NOTES-BOYS: Freedom and Milwaukee Lutheran will compete in 12 events, including relays, which are the most of any school in the division. Lakeland and Little Chute are represented in 11 events. There are five defending individual event champions and three relays attempting to win consecutive titles. Senior Logan Maurer of Brodhead/Juda accounts for two of the returning event champions. He won both the discus and shot put last season. He enters the meet with the top qualifying distance in the discus with a throw of 171-2, which is three feet farther than the second-best toss. His qualifying throw of 52-5 in the shot put ranks fifth at more than a foot shorter than the best qualifying mark. Senior Ethan Willman of Two Rivers returns to the 300 hurdles after achieving glory in the event last year. His sectional time of 39.36 is the fastest among all qualifiers in the event. Junior Jonah Bauer of Elk Mound sprinted to the title in the 100 dash a year ago. He returns to defend the title with the quickest qualifying time of 10.80. Xavier attempts to gain back-to-back titles in the 400 relay, and Grafton will attempt to win consecutive championships in the 1,600 relay. Another multi-event qualifier to watch is senior Collin Hofacker of Freedom. He is the top qualifier in the 200 dash (21.82), 400 dash (48.87) and long jump (22-8).
DIVISION 2 NOTES-GIRLS: Lakeside Lutheran leads all schools in the division with representation in 12 events, including relays. Wittenberg-Birnamwood has the second-most event entries with 11. Osceola is third with nine, and Dodgeville/Mineral Point is next with eight. There are seven individual events and three relays that have returning champions from 2014, as well as two additional individual champions that won gold in 2013. Amy Davis accounts for two of the 2014 champions returning to their events. She won both the 1,600 and 3,200 runs. Davis has turned in the best sectional time in the 1,600 run at 5:01.22 and the second-fastest time in the 3,200 run at 10:57.70, which is five seconds off the fastest qualifier. Junior Nadia Williams of Mount Horeb is the returning champion in the 200 dash. She enters the race with the fastest qualifying time of 25.67. Williams should also challenge for the titles in the 100 dash and the long jump. She enters both of those events with the best qualifying performances with a time of 12.48 in the 100 and a mark of 18-10 in the long jump. Senior Allison Johnson of Clintonville is back in pursuit of her second straight title in the 800 run. She is the event’s top performer advancing from sectionals with a time of 2:16.94, which is almost two seconds faster than the next-best time. Junior Meghan Pingel of Lakeside Lutheran is the returning champion in the 100 hurdles. She is in position to win her second straight title in the event with the fastest qualifying time of 14.82. She is also the top qualifier in the triple jump with a leap of 36-3 at sectionals. Junior Mikaela Grant of Jefferson won the 300 hurdles and is back to defend her title in the event, advancing from sectionals with the top time of 44.76. Sophomore Brooke Blazei of Martin Luther enters the State meet with the best qualifying height in the high jump at 5-6 in an attempt to win back-to-back titles in the event. Senior Taylor Stanek of Dodgeville/Mineral Point, who was the high jump champion back in 2013, has qualified with a leap of 5-3. Senior Annalese Lamke of Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau will attempt to regain the championship status she earned in the shot put in 2013. Her qualifying throw of 41-0 is a little more than two feet behind the top qualifying toss. The Lakeside Lutheran 800 relay is going after its third straight championship, and the Catholic Memorial 400 relay and the Dodgeville/Mineral Point 3,200 relay seeks their second straight titles in those respective events.
DIVISION 3 NOTES-BOYS: Marathon will be competing in the most number of events with 11, including relays. Cambridge and Princeton/Green Lake have competitors in eight events, and Newman Catholic and Rosholt have qualifiers in eight events. Five individual events and all four relays have sights on adding an additional championship in Division 3. Senior Jordan Wesner of Princeton/Green Lake is attempting to win his third consecutive title in the high jump, and it appears he’s prepared for the challenge. He has the best qualifying leap of 6-6, which is two inches higher than the next competitor. Tucker Wedig is the champion returning in two events. He won both the shot put and discus a year ago, and he possesses the best qualifying performances in each of those events this year with marks of 54-5 1/4 and 152-4, respectively. Senior Morgan Malm of Loyal won the 110 hurdles in 2014, and he returns in an attempt to stake claim to another title. He has the event’s second-fastest qualifying time entering the State meet at 14.89, which is less than a second off the leading pace. In addition, Malm owns the top qualifying time in the 300 hurdles at 39.76. Junior Kristian Welch of Iola-Scandinavia is the returning champion in the long jump. His jump of 22-10 1/2 at sectionals ranks first in the field by a half an inch. The Marathon 400 relay, the Deerfield 800 relay and the Iola-Scandinavia 1,600 relay will each attempt to repeat as champions in those events, while McDonell Central goes for a third straight championship in the 3,200 relay.
DIVISION 3 NOTES-GIRLS: Newman Catholic has athletes competing in 13 events, including relays, to lead the division. Cuba City has qualified competitors in 12 events, and St. Mary’s Springs is entered in 11 events. There are eight individual events and two relays that have returning champions from 2014 and an additional champion that won gold in 2013. Senior Betsy Schreier of Cashton is back attempting to win her third straight title in the triple jump. Her qualifying leap of 37-6 is close to two feet farther than the next-best qualifier. Senior Brittany Davis of Benton/Scales Mound/Shullsburg is the returning champion in a pair of events, winning both the 400 dash and 800 run in 2014. She has clocked in with the best qualifying time in both events at 58.09 in the 400 and 2:17.09 in the 800, which is two seconds better than the next-fastest time in the 800. Junior Aidan Campbell of Madison Country Day/Abundant Life/St. Ambrose won the 800 run two years ago. If she is going to unseat Davis for the title, she’ll most likely need to improve her qualifying pace, which is four seconds behind Davis. Sophomore Faith Lubner of Reedsville has her sights on a second consecutive championship in the 300 hurdles. She has qualified with a time of 45.71, which ranks first among all qualifiers in the field by over a second. She also possesses the top qualifying time in the 100 hurdles. Junior Alexandra Hutchison of Columbus Catholic is the returning champion in the 200 dash. She has posted the fastest sectional time in the event at 25.29. Hutchison also boasts the swiftest performance at sectionals in the 100 dash with a time of 12.43. Senior Rachel Zastrow of Spencer enters the State meet with highest mark in the pole vault at 10-0. This comes on the heels of the State title she earned in the event in 2014. Senior Isabella Weekly of Tri-County is back to defend her crown in the high jump. She has the third best qualifying mark at sectionals at 5-1, which is three inches below the best height in the event. Senior Carly Maves of Newman returns to the long jump after capturing gold a year ago. Her qualifying leap of 16-5 1/2 this year is over a foot shorter than the top qualifying mark. The 3,200 St. Mary’s Springs relay will attempt to win the event for the fourth consecutive season, and Cuba City attempts to win its third straight title in the 800 relay.
WHEELCHAIR NOTES: Sophomore Joe Schubert of Marquette is the reigning champion in the wheelchair version of the 100 and 400 dashes. He returns with the top qualifying times in each of those events at 19.12 and 1:07.60, respectively. He also has the best time in the 800 race with a sectional time of 2:27.94. Junior Brock Holman of Eau Claire North is the returning wheelchair champion in the shot put. His qualifying toss of 19-10, puts him atop of the qualifying list in the event. Sophomore Leah Joslyn of Burlington is the returning champion in the girls wheelchair shot put. She has qualified with a toss of 10-0 1/4, which is more the four feet shorter than the top qualifying throw recorded at sectionals.
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 2015 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 appropriate results link and for 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 #wiaawitrk.
WIAA CHAMPIONSHIP HIGHLIGHTS: FS Wisconsin will air the highlights of the meet. See the dates and times of the programming below. Check your local cable listings for the FS Wisconsin channel in your area.
Event-Date -Time
Boys-Division 1-June 25 - 6 p.m.
Boys-Division 2 June 27 - 6 p.m.
Boys-Division 3 June 28 - 5 p.m.
Girls-Division 1 June 25 - 8 p.m.
Girls-Division 2 June 27 - 7 p.m.
Girls-Division 3 June 28 - 7 p.m.
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.