WIAA Division 1 State Track and Field finals preview

By RICK SOLEM

They’ve run against each other time and time again. Friday, they both qualified for the state championship.

And today will be the last time the Logan and Central high school girls 400-meter relay teams go at it, at the WIAA Division 1 State Track and Field Championships, which begin at 10:30 a.m.

Logan’s Kammesha Thomas, Tore Washa, Ashley Sprain and Chloe Malin will be in lane seven – the fourth seed. Fifth-seeded Central, made up of Olivia Roberts, Hanna Docter, Rachel Zander and Lauren Smith, will be in lane three.

The relay is one of two finals for the Rangers at UW-La Crosse’s Veterans Memorial Field. The second, the 800 relay, is the one most will have their eyes on.

Thomas, Sprain, Washa and Malin defended the team’s state title last year. They secured the No. 2 seed in preliminaries. Now, all that’s left is the three-peat. Brookfield East secured the top seed with a 1:42.24. Logan ran 1:42.66 – the fastest time of the season after heading into the meet just the 10^th seed.

Washa will be running in another final, as well. She qualified as the fifth seed in the 200.

On the boys side, the Rangers already have a medal. For the second season in a row, Aric Elmore – who will take part in the triple jump today – took fourth in the long jump (22-10¼).

Rival Brandon Dawson was right behind him in fifth (22-4¼). That was the Onalaska senior’s career best by five inches. He came in the 12^th seed.

Holmen’s Ross Kinderman will be busy today. The senior qualified sixth in the 110 hurdles, eighth in the 200 and is the third leg in the 400 relay, which also qualified in sixth. The Vikings’ 800 relay of Seth Wilson, Aaron Zmolek, Dillon Martinez and Adam Johnson also qualified with a ninth seed.

For the Holmen girls, Danielle Kohlwey is the third seed in the 300 hurdles and fourth in the 100 hurdles.

There were mixed emotions for Central in the 100 dash. Freshman Luwonna McCloud qualified with the 10^th and final spot (12.78 seconds). Senior teammate Katie Hanson missed the cut by .04 seconds.

The two, however, will be the latter half of the 400 relay, which qualified fifth. Abbi Klos and Tessa Erickson lead off the relay.

WIAA STATE TRACK AND FIELD
DIVISION I
(Finals qualifiers by team)

Seed or Final – event-Athlete (Yr., School).

LOGAN

Boys

Final – TRIPLE JUMP–Aric Elmore (Jr., Logan).

Girls

5^th – 200–Tore Washa (Jr.).

4^th – 400 RELAY–Logan (Thomas, Washa, Sprain, Malin).

2^nd – 800 RELAY–Logan (Thomas, Sprain, Washa, Malin).

Final – LONG JUMP–Kaitlyn Ganrude (Jr.).

Final – HIGH JUMP–Carly Morris (Jr.).

Final – SHOT PUT–Kassera Hansen (So.).

HOLMEN

Boys

8^th – 200–Ross Kinderman (Sr.).

6^th – 110 HURDLES–Ross Kinderman (Sr.).

6^th – 400 RELAY–Holmen (Wilson, Zmolek, Kinderman, Martinez).

9^th – 800 RELAY–Holmen (Wilson, Johnson, Christnovich, Zmolek).

Girls

4^th – 100 HURDLES–Danielle Kohlwey (Jr.).

3^rd – 300 HURDLES–Danielle Kohlwey (Jr.).

Final – LONG JUMP–McKenzee Ellis (Sr.).

CENTRAL

Boys

Final – 3,200 RELAY–Central (Stinson, Misch-Mattison, Baumgartner, Schmitt). 

Girls

10^th – 100–Luwonna McCloud (Fr.).

5^th – 400 RELAY–Central (Klos, Blank, McCloud, Hanson).

Final – 800–Grace Weber (Sr.).