Ricardo ArguelloAppleton Post-Crescent
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LA CROSSE − The Xavier girls 3,200-meter relay team and Freedom's Lydia Merrick were both looking for a measure of redemption but for different reasons heading into the WIAA state track and field meet Saturday at Veterans Memorial Field Complex.
The Hawks set a school record in the Division 2 relay in taking second place with the quartet of freshman Hannah Linsmeyer, senior Annalise Minorik, sophom*ore Joy Krull and senior Lilile Fouts clocking in with a time of 9 minutes, 28.57 seconds.
The Hawks just missed a spot on the podium last season, finishing seventh in 9:50.23. Krull and Fouts ran in that event and Fouts said this year's relay team was ready to put an emphatic stamp on their final race of the season.
Xavier stayed within striking distance the first three legs and was seventh when Fouts took the baton as the anchor leg. She exploded over the final two laps, recording the fastest 400 splits of any competitor in the event with times of 1:05.26 and 1:04.93.
"I just turned with the 400 and with 300 left I knew anyone inside I could take down," Fouts said. "The 1:04 was my fastest yet and that was a school record and a PR."
It helped that the team had state experience in cross-country, as all four runners were major contributors in the Hawks' Division 2 state team title in the fall.
"It was huge, especially last year when we lost the podium spot by just a few seconds," Fouts said. "It was good to come back for redemption. And just ... this team, we won cross-country state, so it was good to run together again."
There was an added wrinkle for Minorik, who has been doing double duty this spring as a starter on the Hawks' soccer team that also had a regional final game against Wrightstown on Saturday afternoon. Minorik was there as Xavier advanced to sectional play with a 4-2 win against the Tigers.
"All season I've been doing both," Minorik said. "I haven't done (both) until this year, but I was like, 'It's my senior year, might as well,' And we have a good 4x8 team and I wanted to help them."
Merrick nets silver in Division 2 300 hurdles
Merrick experienced a wave of emotions over a span of 24 hours at the state track meet. On Friday, the defending Division 2 state champ in the high jump scratched on all three attempts at 5-5 and finished sixth in the event with a leap of 5-4.
With Freedom in contention for the team title, Merrick finished sixth in the 100 hurdles (:15.53) but wanted to do even better in both the 300 hurdles and 1,600 relay later that day. She did just that, placing second in the 300 hurdles with a time of :44.56 and then ran the anchor leg of the team's 1,600 relay that placed third (3:58.38).
Merrick accounted for 20 of Freedom's 45 team points as the Irish tied Rice Lake for the D2 crown.
"It feels good," Merrick said after placing second in the 300 hurdles. "I needed to take second and I wanted to do that for my team because they worked so hard all season and I wanted to do it for my coaches because they put in so much time and effort into us."
Merrick was disappointed about the high jump results Friday, but she has a shot for redemption next season.
"It is unfortunate because I was consistent all year in I hadn’t missed (5-5) all year," she said. "But I guess there was a plan for everything and I was able to make up for it here.
"I definitely have to improve my form. I'm still too high over the hurdles and my start needs some work, but I'm excited to start working on it for next season."
Also placing second for Freedom was the boys 1,600 relay team of Noah Heinke, Nixon Heinke, Bradley Obermueller and Aaron Hambel. The quartet notched a time of 3:22.95.
Nilson, Reybrock, McGivern and Dean pace area third-place finishers
Fox Valley Lutheran's Emma Nilson shook off the rain and a slow start by recording a heave of 124-8 on her last throw in the finals to claim third place in the Division 2 girls discus competition.
That completed a great weekend for the Foxes senior after she won the shot put Friday.
"It was a good way to end even though it was a little bit of a rough day," Nilson said. "I’m glad that I could bring my best for today and on my last throw and end the season on a good note."
And the wet weather?
"It was a big puddle in there, so it was a struggle to get used to," she said. "Especially mentally knowing that it was there. I think everyone did a good job."
Kimberly's Sam McGivern also wasn't one to blame the weather. He finished third in the D1 boys shot put with a throw of 60 feet, 2 inches.
"I didn't get the throw I wanted to, but you can't win them all," he said. "I'm not one to make excuses. (Other throwers) performed in it. It is what it is."
McGivern is heading to Yale to play football and reflected on what was his final event of his track and field career.
"It kind of hit me right before my last (attempt) that this was going to be my last track throw ever," he said. "I'm not going to be a track athlete in college. It was a good time."
New London's Macy Reybrock placed third in the D2 girls 400 with a time of :58.13. She also had a strong finish to put herself in position to be high on the podium.
"That's kind of how I run," she said. "I usually was a distance runner, so I don't really know how to get out fast. But I try to and I think that's the extra push to want to get there the last 50 meters. Give it all you have."
Neenah's Grant Dean took third in the D1 400 with a personal-best time of :48.85. The time was even more impressive given the fact he's not 100% healthy.
"My hamstring is bothering me a little bit," he said. "But to get the 48.85 and PR ... it felt good just having that little thing in my head with the hamstring and knowing I got something against me."
Other third-place finishers Saturday were Little Chute's 3,200 relay team in D2 of Sami Miller, Ashley Wilson, Campbell DeBoth and Lauren Wegand (9:29.37).
Winneconne's D2 800 relay team of Cody McLeod, Jack Quigley, Ethan Mathe and Ryan Curran was also third with a time of 1:29.21.
Freedom freshman Ashley Hietpas placed third in the 100 hurdles (:15.31).
On the D1, D2 podium
Fourth-place finishers included included Little Chute's Cal Van Rossum in D2 boys high jump (6-2) and the Fox Valley Lutheran girls D2 400 relay team of Sophia Wunderlich, Annalise Patchett, Amethyst Holmes and Mya Burleton (:49.6).
Also placing fourth was Xavier's D2 girls 800 relay team of Grace Renz, Caroline Basehoar, Faith Hafner and Lauren Erickson.
Kaukauna had three fifth-place finishers in D1: Brady Hoffer in the high jump (6-6), Andrew Milhans in the 800 (1:55.05) and the 400 girls relay team of Jenna Kinas, Emma Sippel, Amber Gerrits and Ava Hammen (:48.97).
Kimberly's Alejandro Pagan Vega was fifth in the D1 100 (:11.11), as was Neenah's Mazie Olkowski in the D1 girls 3,200 run (10:44.67). Kimberly junior Hunter Sprangers was also fifth in the D1 shot put (58-4.25).
Neenah's D1 1,600 relay team placed sixth as the quartet of Charles Fredrickson, Alex Thayer, Owen Wise and Dean finished in 3:20.63. Also placing sixth was Winneconne sophom*ore Hudson Samolinski in the D2 boys shot put (53-3.5).
Kaukauna's Sydney Fauske was sixth in the D1 girls 3,200 (10:53.25).
Zephyrs' Nolie Anderson third in D3 discus
Nolie Anderson was upbeat following a third-place finish in the D3 girls discus Saturday. The St. Mary Catholic junior was the defending state champ in the event and bested her title throw from last year with a throw of 131-10.
Colfax's Jeanette Hydukovich won the event with a toss of 137-02, with Drummond's Nora Skoraczewski second (134-2). Both are seniors, leaving the door open for Anderson next season.
"It's hard to put a whole season’s worth of work into one meet and be proud of what I accomplished this season," she said. "But looking back, I improved from last year and I have to hang my head up high. I'm definitely going to work on building strength and lifting some weights and just coming back strong and hungrier next year."
Shiocton’s Karissa Birch finished third in the 100 in 12.88 seconds. She also placed 10th in the long jump with a leap of 16-6.5.
Smith sets shot put record: Hortonville's Ben Smith wins third straight shot put title, sets state meet record in Division 1
Day 1 state track recap: Hortonville's Smith places second at state in Division 1 discus; Neenah's Gentile takes second in long jump
Shiocton’s 800 relay team of Lydia Hofacker, Cordilia Monnot, Destiny Monnot and Birch finished seventh in 1:46.43. Weyauwega-Fremont’s 800 relay team of Chamille Birdyshaw, Cathryn Gunst, Raegan Farkas and Joslynn Clumpner finished ninth in 1:48.00.
Other podium finishers in D3 included Manawa’s Olivia Santos, who was sixth in the discus with a throw of 116-5.
In relays, Weyauwega-Fremont’s 400 boys team took third. The team of Brayden Arndt, Dawson Lind, Oliver Najdowski and Kameron Zielke finished in 43.17 seconds.
