By RICK SOLEM
Despite being the two-time defending state champions, the Logan High School girls 800-meter relay team was not the favorite heading into the Division 1 WIAA State Track and Field meet.
Then Friday happened and the doubt began to fade. Saturday, they let everyone know there should never have been doubt.
Kemmesha Thomas, Ashley Sprain, Tore Washa and Choloe Malin became state champions, again, winning the relay in 1:41.61.
When it comes to running, the goal is to taper and peak at season’s end. Logan coach Tom Kammer did that perfectly with his team.
Throughout the track “playoffs,” his 800 relay foursome got faster every race. They went 1:44.58 at regionals. Knocked over a half second off that time in winning sectionals. They came into preliminaries just the 10th-ranked team, running in the dreadful outside lane 10, and finished that race almost two second faster than they had run at regionals … and also the second-fastest prelim time heading into finals.
Those same four also came up with a fourth-place finish in the 400 relay (48.89), while Washa took seventh (25.47 seconds) in the 200 dash.
Rain at Veterans Memorial Field at UW-La Crosse delayed the start of the meet by six hours. And when if finally wrapped up, deep into the night, the Logan girls finished tied with Holmen in the team standings at 17th.
The Vikings finished there thanks in part to the performance of Danielle Kohlwey. The junior took second in the 300 hurdles (44.33) and third in the 100 hurdles (14.37). Kohlwey lost the 300 hurdles by .04 seconds and the 100 hurdles saw Kenosha Tremper’s Danielle Riggins set a state record (13.67).
Kohlwey’s teammate, McKenzee Ellis scored some points for the Vikings, as well. The senior took sixth in the long jump (17-feet, 5-inches).
On the boys side, Holmen’s Ross Kinderman finished fifth in the 110 hurdles (14.57) and was the third leg in a 400 relay team that took fifth (43.16). Seth Wilson, Aaron Zmolek and Dillon Martinez were the others on that relay.