Arcadia, G-E-T each send senior to compete with Wisconsin’s best

As the front cluster of runners began to separate from the pack at Saturday’s Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division Two cross country sectional, Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau senior Adrianna Rotering found herself near the cutoff line for an individual qualification to the state championships this week.

Rotering was hovering around fifth behind the race’s lead runners on a day the top five individual times advanced to state, and the senior wanted to be sure she finished her career as a Red Hawk in a way she could be proud of.

Rotering can consider that mission accomplished — the G-E-T runner advanced to her second consecutive state championship with a seventh-place run in 20 minutes, 25.2 seconds at Maple Grove Venues in West Salem.

“It was intimidating,” Rotering said of the fast start to the race. “But all I kept thinking to keep myself going was, ‘You have nothing to lose. This is possibly your last race, you might as well just do everything you can.’ I found a couple of girls and stuck with them, and I think that worked out pretty well.”

Dodgeville/Mineral Point and West Salem claimed the team berths to state in both the boys and girls races. The former took first in the girls race, while the Panthers won the boys competition.

Dodgeville//Mineral Point’s Layne Aurit was the fastest male runner at Maple Grove Venues, finishing in 16:28. Female teammate Ellie Robinson won the girls’ race in 18:33.5.

Trempealeau County residents will have to keep tabs on multiple runners this weekend as Rotering isn’t alone at the state meet, set for this Saturday at Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids. Arcadia senior Nestor Badillo will be the lone boys runner from the county competing for a state title this year.

Badillo finished 12th (17:05.6) on Saturday, securing the final individual qualification to the state run. 

“It’s amazing. For my senior year, I love it,” Badillo said.

Other runners blazed to the front of the boys race, but Badillo mentioned his focus was on staying smart and picking the right times to pass his opponents. Once he hit the one-mile marker, that was when he began to run past others to secure his qualification.

“That first mile I just tried to be smart so in the second I could start catching other kids,” he said.

The Arcadia senior gave credit to teammates Peyton Nelson and Andy Monroy as two reasons he is a state-caliber runner. The teammates push each other every day, he said.

“Peyton and Andy, they really stick with me. I love them and that they are pushing each other with me. I wish we could make state as a team so we all could experience it together.”

Monroy finished 20th for the Arcadia boys, and teammate Cole Lockington took 21st. Nelson finished 35th, Ivan Aguilar was 40th, Matthew Badillo, 52nd and Juan Hernandez, 62nd. 

Both county runners advancing say they plan to enjoy the state meet regardless of finish as they end their prep careers among the best Wisconsin has to offer.

Rotering will return to the state championship after taking 85th in the 2022 state meet. Badillo’s trip will be his first.

“I’ve just got to be grateful for what I’ve had these past four years and it being my last race,” Rotering said. “I think I just need to go through and enjoy it no matter what happens. If it’s a good one or a bad one, I feel lucky to be there.”

AJ Parker was the next best county runner on Saturday with her 17th-place run in the girls’ race. Anya Wolfe finished 34th, one spot better than Reyna Garcia and Isabella Tibbits rounded out the top five by finishing 40th. Jasmine Tarjeson and Ellie Gold were the team’s sixth and seventh runners, finishing 53rd and 54th, respectively. 

Xander Burmeister led the G-E-T boys, finishing 31st overall. Adrian Bautista finished 34th and Sawyer Smock took 39th while Carter Giemza and AJ Earney rounded out the top five by taking 47th and 51st. Liam Caya and Grant Ruiter were the team’s sixth and seventh runners, finishing 60th and 72nd, respectively. 

Linsy Cruz led the Arcadia girls, taking 76th overall while Marianna Garcia was 83rd; Nayeli Reyes, 85th and Andi Pronschinske, 89th. 

Boys cross country, La Crosse Division Two Sectional, Oct. 21 at Maple Grove Venues

West Salem 41, Dodgeville/Mineral Point 48, Richland Center/Ithaca 82, Mauston 87, Arcadia 128, Platteville 199, G-E-T 202, Logan 221, Southwestern/Cuba City/Benton 234, Wisconsin Dells 235, Prairie du Chien 297, Black River Falls 341

Arcadia—N. Badillo, 12th, 17:05.6; Monroy, 20th, 17:36.5; Lockington, 21st, 17:39; Nelson, 35th, 18:12; Aguilar, 40th, 18:24; M. Badillo, 52nd, 18:59; Hernandez, 62nd, 19:25.

G-E-T—Burmeister, 31st, 18:10.1; Bautista, 34th, 18:11.1; Smock, 39th, 18:23; Giemza, 47th, 18:41; Earney, 51st, 18:55; Caya, 60th, 19:16; Ruiter, 72nd, 20:05.5.

Girls cross country, La Crosse Division Two Sectional, Oct. 21 at Maple Grove Venues

Dodgeville/Mineral Point 26, West Salem 75, G-E-T 133, Viroqua 149, Richland Center/Ithaca 163, Logan 182, Platteville 184, Prairie du Chien 202, Southwestern/Cuba City/Benton 212, Mauston 241, River Valley 260, Wisconsin Dells 263

Arcadia—Cruz, 76th, 25:39.4; Garcia, 83rd, 27:30.4; Reyes, 85th, 28:47.3; Pronschinske, 89th, 33:59.5.

G-E-T—Rotering, seventh, 20:25.2; Parker, 17th, 21:29.9; Wolfe, 34th, 22:34.7; Garcia, 35th, 22:47.8; Tibbitts, 40th, 22:56; Tarjeson, 53rd, 23:37.6; Gold, 54th, 23:40.2.