By RICK SOLEM
ricks@mwfbroadcasting.com
Michael Christianson wrapped up his high school career with quite a run.
Coming off a second-place finish in the Division 2 cross country championships, the Aquinas senior came through with a second-place finish in the 3,200-meter run at the WIAA Track and Field championships.
Christianson finished in 9 minutes, 39.44 seconds, while Ashland senior Byrce Miller won in 9:35.39 at UW-La Crosse’s Veteran’s Memorial Complex. Christianson finished in fourth in last year’s 3,200 (9:28.28).
Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau senior Brad Walski came away with a pair of second-place finishes at Veteran’s Memorial Complex.
Walkski hit 59 feet, 9¼ inches in the shot put and 167-5 in the discus. The top throw in the discus was 178-7 by Marinette senior Dustin Valind and, in the shot, Pewaukee senior T.J. Watt won with a 60-½ mark.
Walski was a state champ in the shot last year (55-11¼) and finished fourth in the discus (156-2).
Also taking home a second-place finish was Aquinas senior Michael Conway. Mount Horeb senior Isaiah Lesure won the long jump (22-1½), while Conway came in inches behind at 21-8¼. Conway finished sixth last year (21-6½).
A few relays from the area also came away with medals.
West Salem’s 800-relay foursome of Nic Zwart, Shane Craig, Athen Viner and Cody Greene took second (1:30.07) behind Mt. Horeb’s winning time of 1:29.27.
Zwart, Kyle Monn, Craig and Greene also took sixth in the 400 relay (43.63). Just ahead of them, in fourth place (43.4), were Aquinas’ Robert Wettstein, Reggie Rabb, Ben Bettis and Collin Meyer.
WIAA STATE TRACK AND FIELD
at Veteran’s Memorial Complex
LOCAL FINISHES (and top finisher)
DIVISION 2
LONG JUMP
1. Isaih Lesure (Mount Horeb) 22-1½, 2. Michael Conway (Aquinas sr.) 21-8¼, 12. Robert Wettstein (Aquinas jr.) 20-2¾.
DISCUS
1. Dustin Valind (Marinette, sr.) 178-7, 2. Brad Walski (G-E-T sr.) 167-5.
SHOT PUT
1. T.J. Watt (Pewaukee, sr.) 60-½, 2. Brad Walski (G-E-T sr.) 59-9¼ , 14. Mitch Scherr (G-E-T sr.) 46-6.
POLE VAULT
1. Cason Cleveland (Edgerton, fr.) 14-0, 8. Byrce Galstad (Westby soph.) 13-0.
TRIPLE JUMP
1. Sandy Cohen (Seymour, jr.) 45-6½, 9. Michael Conway (Aquinas sr.) 43-5¼.
110 HURDLES
1. Luke Praschak (Somerset, sr.) 14.71, 9. Josh Stohr (Viroqua sr.) 15.52.
300 HURDLES
1. Tyler Zak (Little Chute, jr.) 38.92, 9. Josh Stohr (Viroqua sr.) 41.36.
200
1. Sam Tiahnybik (Catholic Memorial, sr.) 22.16, DNQ. Erik VanVleet (G-E-T, jr).
400
1. Sam Tiahnybik (Catholic Memorial, sr.) 48.26 (state record), 7. Bryce Koval (Arcadia jr.) 50.86, 9. Alex Aldonado (Viroqua jr.) 51.14
1,600
1. Trevor Wunnicke (Dodge, sr.) 4:21.87, 8. Michael Christianson (Aquinas sr.) 4:26.28.
3,200
1. Byrce Miller (Ashland, sr.), 2. Michael Christianson (Aquinas sr.) 9:39.44, 14.Isaiah Abt (Viroqua jr.) 10:23.89.
400 RELAY
1. Marinette, 42.64, 4. Aquinas (Wettstein, Rabb, Bettis, Meyer) 43.4, 6. West Salem (Zwart, Monn, Craig, Greene) 43.63.
800 RELAY
1. Mount Horeb, 1:29.27, 2. West Salem (Zwart, Craig, Viner, Greene) 1:30.07.