Norse boys win DC track championship

It isn’t that Whitehall dominated every competition, but the team had multiple athletes finish near the top in numerous events and the result was a convincing Dairyland Conference Championship meet win for the WHS boys squad.

Whitehall had three first-place finishes — the same number as fourth-place Blair-Taylor — but it was the depth of the team that was the difference. The Norse had eight more finishers inside the top three, seven fourth-place finishes, and four in fifth. In all, the Norse scored 158.5 points, well ahead of second-place Melrose-Mindoro, 99.5. 

Sophomore Aiden Evans played a part in all three of Whitehall’s gold medals. He won both hurdle races and ran on the winning 1600-relay team with Devin Hutsell, Karston Ausderau, and Mason Przybylla. 

Przybylla added a second-place finish in the 400 while Caydan Johnston was the runner-up in both the 200 and the triple jump, while adding a third-place finish in the 100. Ashton Hanson was second in the 800. Ausderau added third-place finishes in the triple jump and 300 hurdles.

B-T’s Konnor Kruse proved to be the top sprinter in the Dairyland Conference, winning both the 100 and 200. Teammate Hunter Wagner won the 400 and Ethan Kniseley was second in the triple jump.

Independence/Gilmanton didn’t have the depth to compete at the top of the standings, but the team did have two first-place finishes. Sam Marsolek set a new school record at 12 feet, three inches in winning the pole vault. The 3200-relay team of Grant Klimek, Zander Strain, Owen Gierok, and Darion Gibbs) finished 13 seconds better than any other team. 

The I/G girls’ team finished third with 100 points, behind Eleva-Strum (121) and Cochrane-Fountain City (132).

The Indees didn’t quite have the same stronghold on the distance events as it typically does because C-FC competed in the meet with some of the best distance runners in the state — including the sister duo of Addy and Paxtyn Duellman, who won every race they competed in. But I/G wasn’t far behind. Taylor Sylla finished behind only Addy Duellman in the 3200 and ran on the second-place 3200 relay — which, again, finished behind C-FC which had both Duellman sisters running. Allie Sylla, Kia Back, and Anna Kent joined Taylor Sylla on the 3200 team. Taylor Sylla was also third in the 1600, behind the Duellman sisters. 

Anna Kent was third in the 3200 and fifth in the 400 for the Indees. Rielynn Sheahan ran on both the third-place 400- and 1600-relay teams. Sophia Kampa ran on the 1600 team and took third in the open 800 and Nora Schank was third in the high jump in addition to running on the 400-relay team.

Freshman Bria Pank won the triple jump for Whitehall, which finished seventh. Trinity Aasen finished third in the 100 hurdles and fourth in the 300 hurdles, while also running on the fourth-place 1600-relay team. 

Kelsey Lien ran on the fourth-place 3200-relay team for Blair-Taylor and took fourth individually in the triple jump. 

The teams will return to Whitehall on Thursday of this week for the Walek Invitational, the final tune-up before Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association competition begins. 

The local Dairyland teams will split up for regional competition on Tuesday as Blair-Taylor will compete in the Onalaska Luther regional while both I/G and Whitehall will head to Mondovi. Both are part of the Division Three Bangor sectional, which will be on Friday. 

Boys track and field, Dairyland Conference Championship meet, May 15 at Whitehall High School

Whitehall 158.5 Melrose-Mindoro 99.5 ECIL 74.5 B-T 73 E-S 59 AC Lincoln 51 A/P 50 Augusta 27 I/G 25.5 C-FC 19 O-F 10

B-T top five finishers

Firsts — Kruse, 100, 11.28; Kruse, 200, 23.94; Wagner, 400, 54.11

Seconds — Kniseley, high jump, 5-10

Thirds — Brandt, 3200, 11:12.08; 800 relay (Johnson, Wagner, Woodard, Kruse), 1:41.45; Kniseley, long jump, 18-10.25

Fifths — Brandt, 1600, 5:13.99; Halverson, discus, 125-3

I/G top five finishers

Firsts — 3200 relay (Klimek, Strain, Gierok, Gibbs), 9:10.17; Marsolek, pole vault, 12-3; 

Thirds — Santos, high jump, 5-6

Fourths — 1600 relay (Gibbs, Severson, Gierok, Strain), 4:00.37

Fifths — Klimek, 800, 2:18.83; Severson, high jump, 5-4

WHS top five finishers

Firsts — Evans, 110 hurdles, 16.81; Evans, 300 hurdles, 44.29; 800 relay (Hutsell, Ausderau, Belardinelli, Juresh), 1:36.68; 1600 relay (Hutsell, Ausderau, Evans, Przybylla), 3:40.71

Seconds — Johnston, 200, 23.95; Przybylla, 400, 54.49; Hanson, 800, 2:12.79; Johnston, triple jump, 39-9.5

Thirds — Johnston, 100, 11.58; Kulig, 1600, 5:06.7; Ausderau, 300 hurdles, 45.22; Ausderau, triple jump, 39-7.5 

Fourths —Juresh, 100, 11.58; Hutsell, 200, 24.58; Kulig, 800, 2:16.09; Santos, 110 hurdles, 18.44; 400 relay (Santos, Peterson, Belardinelli, Semb), 47.97; 3200 relay (Semb, Peterson, Hernandez Ramirez, Hanson), 9:53.60; Hutsell, triple jump, 39-0

Fifths — Przybylla, 100, 11.7; Juresh, 200, 24.68; Hemenway, 3200, 12:14.04; Przybylla, long jump, 17-11

Girls track and field, Dairyland Conference Championship meet, May 15 at Whitehall High School

C-FC 132 E-S 121 I/G 100 Mel-Min 81 ECIL 72 AC Lincoln 61 Whitehall 41 A/P 33 B-T 27 Augusta 22 O-F 2

B-T top five finishers

Fourths — Lien, triple jump, 29-5; 3200 relay (Borreson, Jorgenson, Walters, Lien), 12:47.27; Schenk, shot put, 27-7

I/G top five finishers

Seconds — T. Sylla, 3200, 12:15.26; 3200 relay (Back, Kent, A. Sylla, T. Sylla), 10:28.5

Thirds — Kampa, 800, 2:34.14; Sylla, 1600, 5:43.86; Kent, 3200, 13:10.59; 400 relay (Whitewater, Konter, Sheahan, Schank), 54.89; 1600 relay (Sheahan, Whitewater, A. Sylla, Kampa), 4:37.95; Schank, high jump, 4-10

Fourths — Back, 1600, 6:10.38; Back, 3200, 13:17.59

Fifths — Schank, 200, 29.23; Kent, 400, 1:06.69; Sheahan, 300 hurdles, 54.47; Sheahan, pole vault, 7-6

WHS top five finishers

Firsts — Pank, triple jump, 34-1

Thirds — Aasen, 100 hurdles, 17.64

Fourths — Aasen, 300 hurdles, 53.47; 1600 relay (Hemenway, Edge, Aasen, Ausderau), 4:40.2

Fifths —  3200 relay (Hemenway, Edge, Tudhope, Bauman), 13:13.32; Ausderau, triple jump, 29-2