(WIAA) -The 113th running of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Boys Cross Country Championships and the 51st Annual Girls Cross Country Championships will take place Saturday, Nov. 1, at The Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.
RACE INFORMATION: The boys and girls will both run a 5,000-meter course. The following is a listing of the scheduled start times for each race:
Boys
Noon – Division 3
12:35 p.m. – Division 2
1:10 p.m. – Division 1
Girls
1:45 p.m. – Division 3
2:25 p.m. – Division 2
3:05 p.m. – Division 1
HOW THEY GOT HERE: There are 20 teams contending for the State championship in Division 1 for boys and girls, and 16 teams competing for the boys and girls Divisions 2 and 3 team titles. Teams competing for the titles qualified last weekend at their respective sectional meets. The top two teams in each of the 10 Division 1 sectionals and the top two teams from each of the eight Divisions 2 and 3 sectionals advanced. In addition to the qualifying teams, the first five individual finishers at their respective sectionals, who are not a member of a qualifying team, also qualified for the State Meet.
LAST YEAR-BOYS: Stevens Point raced to the boys team championship in Division 1 for the third year in a row by compiling 77 points, and Marquette was runner-up with 129 points. Manny Putz of Onalaska won the boys Division 1 individual championship for the third consecutive year, finishing with a time of 15:07.5. Kohler earned the Division 2 team championship last year on the heels of a Division 3 crown in 2023. They scored 77 points, which was 37 better than runner-up West Salem with 114. Jack Hefty of Whitewater earned the individual medalist honor in Division 2 with a time of 15:46.5. Cedar Grove-Belgium ran to the title in Division 3 with 98 points. Prentice/Rib Lake was runner-up, scoring 126 points. Declan Gregg of Aquinas was the individual champion in Division 3 with a time of 15.52.7.
LAST YEAR-GIRLS: Neenah won the Division 1 State team championship, compiling a five-runner score of 57. Wauwatosa East was a distant second with a score of 123. Ella Anschutz of Muskego was the individual champion in Division 1 for the second straight year by completing the 5,000-kilometer course in a time of 18:04.5. University School of Milwaukee captured the team title in Division 2, finishing with 60 points, and Bloomer finished second for the second year in a row, compiling a score of 80. Emmerson Drobac of Deerfield/Cambridge earned the girls Division 2 medalist honor with a time of 17:38.9. Kohler won the Division 3 team championship with a score of 95, which was three points fewer than runner-up Aquinas with 98. Mallory Kohn of Dodgeland won the individual title with a time of 18:08.4.
BOYS DIVISION 1 TEAM NOTES: This year’s Division 1 field features nine of the top 10 squads that competed last year. Three-time defending champion Stevens Point is back to contend for a fourth-straight championship. The other programs in this year’s meet that finished in the top eight a year ago are Marquette (2nd), Green Bay Preble (3rd), DeForest (4th), Hartford (5th), and Madison West (6th), Oconomowoc (8th), Hudson (9th) and De Pere (10th). The Panthers return four runners that compiled 77 team points to win the title a year ago. Marquette appears to have the experience to contend for the team title with six returning runners from last season’s team. DeForest and De Pere qualify this year with five runners that ran in last year’s meet. The other programs that placed in the top 10 in 2024 have three members back to compete for the team title.
BOYS DIVISION 1 INDIVIDUAL NOTES: The Division 1 individual competition has four runners back in the field that placed in the top eight a year ago. Senior Grady Lenn of De Pere is the top returner, racing to a runner-up finish last season after placing third in 2023 and seventh in 2022. Other contenders for the crown include junior Will Pongonis of Eau Claire Memorial, who placed sixth after finishing 29th in 2023; senior Lucas Tanner of DeForest, who placed seventh after coming in 24th in 2023; and senior Reed Grotenhuis of Slinger, who was eighth after placing 32nd in 2023. Other returning runners outside the top eight that could be among the challengers for the gold medal include senior Cooper Erickson of Stevens Point, who was ninth last year, eighth in 2023 and 18th in 2022; senior Brendan Reardon of Marquette, who was 10th a year ago and 39th in 2023; and senior Jacob Nuthals of Green Bay Preble, who fell to 12th following a fifth-place finish in 2023; In addition to the aforementioned contenders, sectional champions last week that will compete for a position on the awards stand are senior Ben Weston of Arrowhead; junior Noah Gailey of Hartford; senior JeMekhi Tally of Homestead, who was 16th last year; junior Ryan Keller of Hudson, who placed 11th last season; junior Ethan Mattek of Wauwatosa East, who was 17th in 2024; and seniors Pavel Vorontsov of Oregon and Landon Franke of Racine Horlick.
BOYS DIVISION 2 TEAM NOTES: The Division 2 field has five teams returning that finished in the top 10 last season, including defending champion Kohler. The Blue Bombers moved up a division a year ago after winning two straight Division 3 championships in 2022 and 2023. They qualify this year with a squad that has four runners that were part of last year’s championship. Mauston and Monroe have the experience to challenge for the title this year. They each have five runners returning after finishing fourth and fifth, respectively, last season. In addition, Shorewood should also be considered a contender after placing 12th in Division 1 last year. The Greyhounds move back to Division 2 with six runners back from a year ago. The other two teams that qualify this year that placed in the top 10 in 2024 are Campbellsport, which returns three runners from a team that placed seventh, and Osceola, which has five runners returning from the team that placed 10th.
BOYS DIVISION 2 INDIVIDUAL NOTES: There are three individuals that return to the State Meet after placing in the top five last season. The top returner is senior Tre Dammen of Monroe with his third-place standing after finishing 10th in 2023 and 54th in 2022. Senior Carter Kucko of Rice Lake seeks to improve on his fourth-place finish last year after finishing 14th in 2023, and senior Seth Rogge of Bloomer attempts to better his fifth-place finish last year after placing 40th in 2023. Other qualifiers that won their sectionals last week that are vying for positions on the medal stand include senior Ryan Lien of Shorewood, who was 43rd in Division 1 last year and 21st in Division 2 in 2023; junior Avrom Barr of Rhinelander; senior Thomas McCarthy of Berlin; senior Eli Schaar of New Berlin Eisenhower; senior Grant Wenzelow of Winneconne; and freshman Owen Drier of Richland Center/Ithaca.
BOYS DIVISION 3 TEAM NOTES: The Division 3 race for the title may be competitive as only three teams that finished in the top eight return to the field of qualifiers. The most notable is Prentice/Rib Lake, which finished runner-up last season. The co-op returns five participants from that team. The other two teams returning after top-eight finishes last season are St. Ambrose/Abundant Life Christian, which finished seventh, and Phillips, which placed eighth. Those teams are back to contend for the title with four and three returning runners, respectively.
BOYS DIVISION 3 INDIVIDUAL NOTES: The race for the individual crown in Division 3 features three top-10 finishers returning from last year’s championships. Senior Bradyn Wendorff of Gillett is the highest-placing returning runner this year, finishing seventh after placing 27th in 2023. Junior Nolan Waltz of Three Lakes/Phelps should be among the challengers for the title based on last season’s eighth-place finish and placing 22nd in 2023. Junior David Simon of St. Ambrose Academy/Abundant Life Christian will also attempt to improve on his 10th-place finish a year ago. Senior Ben Beck of Iola-Scandinavia and junior Zayne Richardson of Durand-Arkansaw may also compete for positions on the medal stand after placing 12th and 14th, respectively, and gaining State experience in 2023. Qualifiers that were sectional champions last week that may finish among the leaders are David Simon’s sophomore brother, Jonathan, who placed 15th last season; senior Gavin Esterholm of Phillips, who fell to 24th after placing 18th in 2023; senior Luke Eiden of Pacelli; senior Wyatt See of Poynette, who was 18th last season and 45th in 2023; junior Elliott Onesti of Roncalli; junior Oliver Gariepym of Unity; junior Cooper Powell of Brookwood; and freshman Michael Dolan of Assumption.
GIRLS DIVISION 1 TEAM NOTES: The top four finishers in last year’s State Meet return in pursuit of the team championship; furthermore, 12 of the 20 qualifying teams participated last year, including the top two teams in Division 2 last year moving up a division. Neenah, the defending team champion in Division 1, returns a squad with plenty of experience returning to contend for a repeat title. The Rockets have five runners back that earned the gold last season. However, Wauwatosa East is also loaded for a run at the title with six returning racers from last season’s runner-up squad. The same can be said of Slinger, which also returns six runners following a third-place finish a year ago after the program won the championship in 2023 and finished runner-up in 2022. Madison West qualifies again with three runners that helped the team finish fourth in 2024. Three other qualifying teams that finished in the top 10 a year ago are Menomonie (7th), Whitefish Bay (9th) and Kimberly (10th). They also have a number of returning participants that may have them challenging for the crown. University School of Milwaukee was the champion in Division 2 a year ago, and the Wildcats move up a division to qualify with four returning runners. Bloomer qualifies after a second-place finish in Division 2 last year. The Blackhawks qualify with five runners that ran at State last year.
GIRLS DIVISION 1 INDIVIDUAL NOTES: Six individuals return to the qualifying field after they finished among the top 10 last season in Division 1. Most notable is junior Ella Anschutz of Muskego, who is the two-time defending champion to go with a sixth-place finish in 2022. She should again be considered the top contender for the crown. Sophomore Isabelle Decabooter of Verona merged on the scene last year, finishing runner-up. She is also a leading contender to challenge for a position on the medals stand this weekend. Junior Lauren McCalla of Menomonie qualifies for the third time with top-10 finishes in each of her first two State experiences, placing sixth last season and 10th in 2023. Other runners looking to improve on top-10 positions last year are senior Elsa Gruber of Neenah, who was seventh last year after placing 20th in 2023; senior Katie Rea of Wauwatosa East, who was eighth last season; junior Ana Buske of Wisconsin Lutheran, who placed ninth in 2024; and senior Piper Schuster of Slinger, who fell to 10th last year after placing seventh in 2023 and 29th in 2022. The competitive qualifying field is strengthened by the addition of junior Ciara Hartman of Bloomer, who finished runner-up in Division 2 last year and third in 2023, and junior Cate Kohli of University School of Milwaukee who placed 10th last year in Division 2. Additional qualifiers to keep eyes on this weekend based on their sectional titles last week include senior Olivia Chellevold of Middleton, who is back after a runner-up finish two seasons ago and a ninth-place finish in 2022; sophomores Eva Busch of Appleton North and Reina Ebeling of Wisconsin Lutheran; and freshmen Sam Zilm of Neenah, Kat Nelson of Waukesha West, Ella Tieman of Monona Grove and Karstin McCabe of Whitefish Bay.
GIRLS DIVISION 2 TEAM NOTES: The Division 2 field has four teams qualifying this year that finished in the top 10 last year, as well as one team that qualified in Division 1 last year and one that finished fourth at State in Division 3. Mount Horeb, who finished third in Division 2 last year, appears to be in a position for a strong run at the title with six returning runners. New Berlin Eisenhower placed fifth last season and attempts to improve on that standing with four participants that competed a year ago. Kiel has five runners back from a team that placed seventh last season, and St. Croix Central will attempt to improve on their eighth-place finish with four returning runners. As mentioned earlier, Notre Dame may be among the team contenders with four runners returning from a team that placed 14th in Division 1. In addition, Assumption moves up a division with five returning runners from a squad that placed fourth in Division 3.
GIRLS DIVISION 2 INDIVIDUAL NOTES: Two of the top 10 finishers at last year’s State Meet return this season, including senior Emmerson Drobac of Deerfield/Cambridge, who is the defending champion to go with her fifth-place finish in 2023 and ninth-place standing in 2022. The only other Division 2 top-10 finisher returning to the field this season is sophomore Maddie Driscoll of Lancaster, who placed ninth as a freshman last year. Senior Lucy Dolan of Assumption may also challenge for a finish among the leaders after she placed fifth in Division 3 last season, third in 2023 and fourth in 2022. Other qualifiers that could possibly challenge for a medal based on their sectional championships last weekend are senior Addison Vogel of Kiel, who was 22nd back in 2023; junior Jadelyn Wehrman of New Berlin Eisenhower, who placed 31st last season and 81st in 2023; sophomore Sofie Beadle of Kettle Moraine Lutheran, who placed 24th last year; sophomore Abbie Hoage of Altoona, who was 20th in 2024; and freshmen Quinn LeRoy of Winneconne and Berkeley Chaltry of Peshtigo.
GIRLS DIVISION 3 TEAM NOTES: The highly competitive field has seven teams returning from top-10 finishes a year ago. Most notably, reigning champion Kohler returns five runners that were instrumental in earning the title last season. Aquinas may again challenge for the gold trophy with three returning runners from a team that was runner-up a year ago. After finishing fifth last year, Cameron returns four participants that competed at State last season, while Darlington, which finished sixth last year, returns five racers to contend for a title. Lomira may also be in the running for the team title, returning its top four runners off a team that placed seventh a year ago. Valders was eighth last season, returning three runners, and Boyceville seeks to move up with its top five finishers back following a 10th-place standing last season.
GIRLS DIVISION 3 INDIVIDUAL NOTES: The field of individual qualifiers is crowded with quality experience as evident of the 13 runners returning after finishing in the top 20 last year, including six runners within the top 10. Junior Maggie Behler of Kohler heads the list of contenders after finishing runner-up the last two years. Senior Delilah Hedden of Necedah seeks to climb the medal stand again this year after placing third last year, 38th in 2023 and 47th in 2022. Senior Addy Duellman of Cochrane-Fountain City appears to be back in the title hunt as well. She rebounded with a fourth-place finish a year ago. Duellman fell to 43rd in 2023 after winning the gold in 2022. Junior Inez Schmidt of Cameron tries to improve on her sixth-place finish last year after placing ninth in 2023. Others in the top 10 last season back to contend for the title are senior Hannah Miller of Kewaunee, a four-time qualifier who placed seventh last year, 17th in 2023 and 49th in 2022; sophomore Allie Sylla of Independence/Gilmanton, who placed eighth her freshman campaign; and junior Lillian Pociask of Kohler, who was 10th last year. Another group of qualifiers could be in contention for a top-10 finish based on their sectional titles last week are senior Elizabeth Curtis of Westby, who was 12th last year, 27th in 2023 and 46th in 2022; senior Mariah Wondra of Bonduel; senior Leah Harper of Phillips; and freshmen Elsa Lee of Madison Country Day and Jaycie Oberle of Boyceville.
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