The 2018 State track & field meet crowned eight team champions and 118 event champions this weekend at Veterans Memorial Stadium in La Crosse.
Waukesha West was crowned the girls’ champion in Division 1 with 38 points. Wittenberg-Birnamwood was the Division 2 champion for the second consecutive year with 50 points, and the Benton/Scales Mound/Shullsburg co-op won the Division 3 championship with 40 points.
Kimberly won the boys Division 1 team champion with 74 points, and Rice Lake won the Division 2 crown with 53 points. Cambridge was the champion in Division 3 with 62 points.
Madison La Follette won the girls’ wheelchair division title for the second straight season with 40 points, and Chippewa Falls was the team champion in the boys’ wheelchair division with 52 points.
Kenneth Bednarek of Rice Lake sprinted to three State championships and three meet records in Division 2. He won the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes. His prelim times of 10.42 and 20.43 in the 100 and 200 dashes, respectively, and his finals time of 46.73, each set new records.
Brooke Jaworski of Wausau West won the Division 1 title in the 300 hurdles with a record time of 41.40. She also won her third straight crown in the 400 dash.
Maddy Pietz of Wittenberg-Birnamwood ran to the title in the 100 dash in Division 2 and ran to the State record time of 11.98 in the prelims.She also ran to the championship for the second straight season in the 400 dash and as a member of the record-setting 1,600 relay team. Pietz and teammates Paige Norrbom, Kylie Linke and Emily Norrbom won the school’s third straight 1,600 relay in a meet-record time of 3:54.19.
Ashlyn Oren of Edgerton won the Division 2 long jump with the record-setting leap of 19-1 1/4, and she added titles in the long ans high jumps.
Two boys’ 800 relays also established State meet records. The Muskego quartet of Spencer Reichart, RJ Bosshart, Sam Scholz and Justin Kotarak won the Division 1 title in a record time of 1:26.82, as well as the title in the 400 relay. The Cambridge 800 relay of Riley Olson, Rudy Hommen, Will Kaashagen and Spencer Deforest won the Division 3 title with a record time of 1:29.40. Hommen also ran to a title in the 100 dash, and Olson added a championship in the 300 hurdles.
Robby Hatch of Lodi won the 300 hurdles in Division 1 and established a record in his preliminary race with a time of 37.82. He also earned a victory in the 110 hurdles.
In addition to Jaworski, Pietz and Oren, there were a number of multi-event winners in the girls’ competition, Audrey Kleiss-Garcia of Madison La Follette won four wheelchair events, including the 100, 400 and 800 races, as well as the shot put.
In Division 1, Peyton Sippy of Janesville Craig ran to glory in both the 1,600 and 3,200 runs, and Destiny Huven of Nicolet captured the 100 hurdles title in addition to her participation on the winning 400 relay team.
In Division 2, Dana Feyen of Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau won both the 1,600 and 3,200 runs, and Brooke Livingston of Adams-Friendship was the victor in both the 100 and 300 hurdles. Eve Goldstein of Somerset celebrated titles in the shot put and discus.
In Division 3, Julianne Barkholtz of Newman Catholic won the 200 and 400 dashes, as well as the long jump, and Ashlie Lockington of Bangor won three titles, including the triple jump and as a member of the 200 and 400 relay teams. Allison Everson, Ariana Hundt and Kiana Moore teamed with Lockington on those two relay squads. Marissa Ellenbecker of Edgar was the winner in both the 1,600 and 3,200 runs. Emma Lawrence of the Benton co-op won the 100 and 300 hurdles.
The boys also featured a number of other multiple event champions. Kotarak won the 200 dash to go along with his titles as a member of the Muskego 400 and 800 relays in Division 1. Drew Bosley of Homestead was the champion in both the 1,600 and 3,200 runs.
In Division 2, in addition to Bednarek and Hatch, Trevor Wenzel of Valders won both the 1,600 and 3,200 runs. Ben Dunkleberger of Lake Mills won his third straight triple jump and his second consecutive win in the long jump, and Tanner Maier of Lodi was a champion in the 800 run and as a member of the 800 relay team.
In Division 3, in addition to Hommen and Olson, David Vannucchi of Luther was the champion in a pair of events, including the 1,600 and 3,200 runs. Ashton Schwartman of Wild Rose was also a two-time winner by winning the 400 dash and as a member of the 1,600 relay. Gavin Dorrler of Ozaukee also won a pair of events with victories in the 200 dash and the long jump.
Ty Wiberg of Chippewa Falls and Noah Eckelberg of Columbus Catholic were multi-champions in the boys wheelchair events. Wiberg won the 100 dash and 1,600 race, and Eckelberg captured the titles in the 400 and 800 races.