G-E-T boys ninth, girls 10th at first meet
Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau runners (left to right) Carter Giemza, Adrian Bautista and Sawyer Smock kept pace with one another in the early turns of last Saturday’s Gale Johnson Kick-Off meet in West Salem. Giemza and Bautista each finished in the top 35 times, while Smock finished 63rd in a field of 145 athletes. (Times photograph by Benjamin Pierce)
Isabella Tibbitts ran the 5,000-meter girls race in 25 minutes, 5.9 seconds at last Saturday’s Gale Johnson Kick-Off meet in West Salem. Tibbitts placed 58th in a field of 121 runners, and G-E-T placed 10th in a field of 12 teams. (Times photograph by Benjamin Pierce)
The first cross country meet of the season included a commanding first-place finish for the Dodgeville/Mineral Point girls team and a new course record in the boys race at last Saturday’s Gale Johnson Kick-Off at Maple Grove Venues in West Salem.
Saturday began with the girls race, one that ended with six Dodgeville/Mineral Point runners in the 16 fastest times. Ellie Robinson won the event in 19 minutes, 1.6 seconds, and just behind her in second place was teammate Annie Robinson.
Dodgeville/Mineral Point won the event as a team, followed by two area squads. Westby took second with the help of two top-10 finishes, and West Salem was behind the Norse in third place.
West Salem’s Mia Olson was the fastest local runner, finishing fourth in 20:55.6.
The G-E-T girls team finished 10th after running in a tight cluster for much of the race.
Reyna Garcia led the Red Hawks, her time of 24:43.8 placing her 50th in the field of 121 runners. Just behind her was teammate Ruby Johnson in 52nd, followed by Isabella Tibbitts in 58th place. Jasmine Tarjeson ran to 62nd, Anya Wolfe took 69th, and Charlee McCutchen finished in 81st.
Aubrynn Rotering (83rd), Ellie Cox (84th) and Claire Breidenbach (87th) rounded out the G-E-T finishes.
Onalaska senior Manny Putz — the defending Division I individual state champion — broke his own course record in the boys race on Saturday.
Putz earned the record in 14:50.3, more than 90 seconds ahead of second-place runner Layne Aurit of Dodgeville/Mineral Point.
West Salem claimed the boys team title with all seven runners finishing in the top 18, including five in the top 10.
Carter Giemza was the Red Hawk leader, finishing 32nd. Adrian Bautista was just behind Giemza, placing 35th. Mason Busch finished 52nd, AJ Earney finished 54th and Sawyer Smock ran to 63rd.
Calvin Spitzmacher placed 66th for G-E-T, which also got finishes from Carson Mayer (75th), Liam Caya (85th), Ayden Aschenbrener (94th), Matthew Senn (100th), Quinn O’Neill (104th) and Hunter James (119th).
The Red Hawks will join numerous other Trempealeau County teams at a meet in Cochrane-Fountain City this Thursday.
Girls cross country, Gale Johnson Kick-Off, Aug. 31 at Maple Grove Venues
Dodgeville/Mineral Point 31, Westby 75, West Salem 81, La Crosse Central 113, Boscobel 158, Sparta 165, Fennimore 202, Onalaska 224, Wisconsin Dells 226, G-E-T 244, Tomah 293, Prairie du Chien 301
G-E-T—Garcia, 50th, 24:43.8; Johnson, 52nd, 24:50.7; Tibbitts, 58th, 25:05.9; Tarjeson, 62nd, 25:19.4; Wolfe, 69th, 25:54; McCutchen, 81st, 26:45.4; Rotering, 83rd, 27:05.5
Boys cross country, Gale Johnson Kick-Off, Aug. 31 at Maple Grove Venues
West Salem 35, Dodgeville/Mineral Point 48, Boscobel 148, Sparta 161, Onalaska 168, Prairie du Chien 185, Fennimore 188, Tomah 204, G-E-T 205, Westby 229, La Crosse Central 242, Luther 303
G-E-T—Giemza, 32nd, 19:03.8; Bautista, 35th, 19:09.3; Busch, 52nd, 19:38.3; Earney, 54th, 19:43.5; Smock, 63rd, 20:03; Spitzmacher, 66th, 20:07.8; Mayer, 75th, 20:35.2
