Several area schools qualify athletes, relays for state

Rogowski, Kietlinski, Sleeter, Peterson make it in multiple events
By: 
Morgan Rode
Sports Editor

Eight area high school track and field teams will be represented at the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association State Track and Field Championships on June 2-3 at Veterans Memorial Stadium Complex in La Crosse.

Shawano and Pulaski competed in Division 1, where the top four finishers from regionals moved on and then the top three finishers at sectional qualified for state.

Wittenberg-Birnamwood competed in Division 2, while Bonduel, Gillett, Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas Academy, Suring and Gresham/Bowler all competed in Division 3. The top four finishers from regionals and sectionals moved on and kept their seasons alive.

Division 1

Shawano will be represented at state by three girls individuals and one girls relay team. Pulaski advanced one girl and one boy onto state.

Shawano’s 4x800-meter relay team of Adalyn Barkley, Grace Chelberg, Lily Guenther and Bailey Hendricks placed first at sectionals in 9 minutes, 43.14 seconds to move on to state. Maci Beyer and Anabelle Schroeder are the alternates.

That time set a new school record, but still leaves Shawano with the 12th-best seed time in the 12-relay team field heading into state.

Barkley, Chelberg and Guenther also made it to state in individual events.

Chelberg qualified for state in the 800 after breaking her own school record time. Her mark of 2:17.73 in the fourth-best time in the Division 1 field, and she will run in the second section of 800 runners at state.

Guenther also broke a school record that she held, finishing the 3,200 in 11:32.1 and qualifying for state in the event. She is seeded 18th in the 24-runner field at state.

Barkley made it to state individually in the 400 after a sectional time of 1:00.17. She will run in the first of three heat prelim races at state and hope to have one of the top-10 times to make the finals.

Pulaski freshman Olivia Sprangers advanced to state in the 200 dash after a sectional time of 25.66 seconds. She will race in the first of three heats and advance to the finals with a top-10 time.

Pulaski senior Jack Marsh placed fourth at sectionals in the discus with a throw of 172 feet, 3 inches, but made it to state as an extra qualifier after that mark ranked among the eight best of all sectional performances.

Marsh has the fifth-best throw heading into state, and will throw in the third of three flights.

Division 2

Reese Rogowski and Faith Resch will represent Witt-Birn at the state championships.

Rogowski advanced to state in four individual events, the 100, 200, 400 and long jump. She won sectional titles in the three sprints, while taking third in the long jump.

Rogowski posted a time of 12.32 seconds in the 100. She is tied for the fourth-best mark heading into state, and will compete in the second of two heat prelim races. If she places in the top 10 in the prelim, she’ll advance to the finals.

The Witt-Birn senior has a seed time of 25.08 in the 200 and will again be in the second heat of the prelims. Her time is behind just four runners going into state.

Rogowski won sectionals in the 400 with a time of 56.49 seconds. That is the top seed time going into state, and she will compete in the second of two heat prelims.

Rogowski owns a seed distance of 17-1½ in the long jump. That puts her in the second of two flights and trailing six other jumpers heading into state.

Resch qualified for state in the 300 hurdles, placing third at sectionals in 46.28.

Resch is part of the first of two heat prelims and will need to place in the top 10 to advance to the finals. She is seeded seventh going into state.

Division 3

Bonduel will sent two boys and one girl to state, along with a girls relay team. Gillett had one boy and a boys relay team at state, while Lena/STAA is sending a boy and girl to La Crosse. Suring will send one girl to state, while Gresham/Bowler sends one boy to state.

Emmitt Kietlinski will represent the Gresham/Bowler co-op in La Crosse. He made it to state after a sectional title in the high jump and third-place finish in the triple jump.

Kietlinski cleared 6-6 in the high jump, which is the second-best mark going into state, trailing the top jumper by an inch.

The senior’s mark of 43-1 in the triple jump has him in the second flight of jumpers at state. Just six athletes own a better seed mark than Kietlinski.

Suring’s Christine Sleeter is also in two individual events at state, the pole vault and high jump.

She placed second at sectionals in the pole vault after clearing 10 feet. She trails only six athletes’ marks going into state.

Sleeter came in fifth at sectionals in the high jump after clearing 5-2, but advanced to state as an extra qualifier. She is tied with seven other high jumpers at 5-2, and only seven athletes have a higher mark, all within three inches.

One of Sleeter’s competitors in the high jump is Lena’s Eva Brooks.

The sophomore placed second at sectionals after clearing 5-4. That mark is tied for second best among the state qualifiers, with the leader just an inch away.

Anthony Seefeldt is the other Lena athlete going to La Crosse.

He’ll compete in the shot put after taking third at sectionals with a top throw of 46-10½. Seefeldt is in the first flight of throwers.

Bonduel’s Ryan Westrich is one of Seefeldt’s competitors in the shot put. He claimed fourth at sectionals after a toss of 46-8¼. Westrich will throw right before Seefeldt at state.

Karter Schroeder is the other Bonduel boys athlete at state, making it in the high jump after taking third at sectionals with a mark of 6 feet. Schroeder is tied with five other leapers at that mark, and they trail eight others going into state.

Mariah Wondra will represent the Bonduel girls in the 3,200. She took second at sectionals in 12:06.3. She’s seeded 14th in the 16-runner state field.

Wondra is also part of the girls 4x800 relay team that made state after taking third at sectionals in 10:16.71. Kendra Troxel, Ashlyn Kurey and Cierra Schnell form the rest of the relay, while Hailey Berg serves as an alternate. The relay team will run in the first of two sections at state.

Gillett’s Alex Peterson will have a busy time at state, competing in the 1,600 and 3,200 as an individual and also running with the 4x800 relay team.

Peterson came in fourth at sectionals in the 1,600 (4:30.84) and 3,200 (9:48.93). He’s seeded fifth in the 3,200 and eighth in the 1,600 going into state.

The boys 4x800 relay, which is rounded out by Evan Peterson, Bradyn Wendorff and Ben Matczak, with Scott Herroux and Nash Stange as alternates, was first at sectionals with a time of 8:15.85.

The relay team is seeded third before state and will run in the second of two sections.

A full list of area sectional qualifiers can be found online at www.newmedia-wi.com

More state track and field information can be found at www.wiaawi.org/Sports/Spring/Boys-Track-Field/Tournament.