Elk Mound boys second, girls third at Stanley-Boyd regional track and field
By Cara L. Dempski
STANLEY — The tournament season in any sport at any level is no stranger to controversy.
In the case of Elk Mound’s May 22 WIAA Diviaion 2 regional track appearance at Stanley-Boyd, it was an uncalled interference during the boys’ 4×400 m relay race that set tongues wagging. Head coach Jeremiah Fredrickson said he was proud of how his athletes handled it.
He was proud of his entire team after the meet, despite the relay disqualification which dropped the Mounder boys out of contention for first and into second place. Elk Mound finished exactly 10 points behind winner Chetek-Weyerhaeuser – 96.5 to 106.5. A victory in the 4×400 m relay, which the Mounders were a favorite to win – would have given the team an extra ten points in the final tally.
The Elk Mound girls took third on a series of strong performances across the board to finish in a tie with conference foe Durand with 79 points apiece.
“The kids did a great job of stepping up and performing,” Fredrickson said. “Beyond all the qualifiers, we had others that finished with season and career bests. If I counted right, we had 12 bests.”
Despite the controversial finish in the 1600m relay, the Elk Mound boys held their own in the majority of races. Sophomore Brady Redwine qualified for the May 25 sectional meet at Medford when he finished the 100m dash in fourth place with a time of 12.19. Durand’s Karter Kurth carried his sprinting dominance over from the D-SC conference meet to win the race in :11.47.
Senior Hunter Johnson qualified in the 400m dash with a 54.17 sprint to finish fourth behind winner Brett Ingli of Durand. Cade Hanson was beaten on a lean in the 3200m race, taking second place to Alex Conrad of Bloomer, who edged Hanson’s time of 10:28.22 with his own time of 10:28.16.
Junior hurdler Jake Johnson qualified for sectionals in both the 110m and 300m races after winning the 110m highs in :15.63 and taking third in the 300m intermediates after a :41.77 finish. Neillsville/Granton senior Mason Barth won the 300m race in :40.72.
Sprinters George Friberg, Noah Zurbuchen, Tyler Sahm and Brady Redwine swept wins in the 400m and 800m relays with times of :45.21 and 1:33.66.
Tyler Brantner qualified for sectionals in fourth place for high jump after clearing 5-10.00. He was bested by Chetek-Weyerhaeuser’s Dawson Davis and his 5-11.00 jump. Senior Chandler Schreiber vaulted 12-00.00 to earn the event win and move on to Medford, while Conner Mavis threw the discus 125-07 to place third behind event winner Dillon Richardson of Chetek-Weyerhaeuser.
The Bulldogs took home the boys’ regional championship scarcely one week after suffering through a tornado that leveled many homes and businesses and caused many injuries in their community and surrounding area.
Distance runner Kristin Martinson finished third in the 1600m race to qualify for sectionals. Her 5:58.53 run put her just eight seconds behind Bloomer’s Emily Freagon, who won the event.
Sophomore Alana Plaszcz raced across the finish line in 12:53.54 in the 3200m race for a win. Martinson and Victoria Fasbender finished third and fourth with times of 13:37.04 and 13:49.27 to join Plaszcz at the sectional meet.
Hannah Cedarblade qualified seventh in the girls’ 100m hurdles, but finished fourth to move on to Medford with her :17.85 effort. Altoona’s Maria Hoepner took the win in :16.75.
The girls’ 400m relay team of Sydney Simpson, Kourtney Zurbuchen, Paige VanSchoonhoven and Brynn McVey finished the race in 55.00 to take third behind Bloomer. McVey and VanSchoonhoven were joined by Cedarblade and Sarah Sweeney in the 800m race, where they took third behind Neillsville/Granton and Bloomer with a time of 1:56.19.
Alana and Brook Plaszcz, Fasbender and Taya Schaefer raced to a third-place finish in the 3200m relay with a time of 11:01.17, not quite 30 seconds behind Durand’s winning team.
Senior Mikayla Solberg was the lone girls’ field event qualifier after earning second place in the discus with a 103-09 throw. She was beaten by Sierra Raine of Bloomer and her 108-05 effort.
The Blackhawk girls’ team took the 2017 regional championship plaque home after earning 145 points. The Mounder ladies tied for third with Altoona and Durand.
The top four place finishers in each event advanced to the sectional meet that was held Thursday in Medford.
BOYS’ INDIVIDUAL RESULTS: 100m dash: 4. Brady Redwine 12.19; 400m dash: 4. Hunter Johnson 54.17, 7. Ben Lambele 56.91; 800m: 5. Nate Lind 2:11.94; 3200m: 2. Cade Hanson 10:28.22; 110m hurdles: 1. Jake Johnson 15.63; 300m hurdles: 3. Jake Johnson 41.77; 400m relay: 1. Elk Mound 45.21; 800m relay: 1:Elk Mound 33.66; 3200m relay: 6. Elk Mound 9:05.66; High jump: 4. Tyler Brantner; Pole vault: 1. Chandler Schreiber 12-00.00, 7. George Friberg 10-00.00; Long jump: 6. Brady Redwine 19-02.75; Triple jump: 5. Tyler Brantner 39-00.50; Shot put: 6. Bryce Kasper 39-08.75; Discus: 3. Conner Mavis 125-07.
BOYS’ TEAM RESULTS: 1. Chetek-Weyerhaeuser 106.50, 2. Elk Mound 96.50, 3. Durand 87, 4. Bloomer 83, 4. Stanley-Boyd 83, 6. Mondovi 62, 6. Neillsville/Granton 62, 8. Altoona 61, 9. Cadott 31, 10. Fall Creek 29.
GIRLS’ INDIVIDUAL RESULTS: 200m dash: 7. Paige Van Schoonhoven 29.56; 400m dash: 7. Kortnee Halgren 1:12.42; 800m: 6. Brook Plaszcz 2:40.55; 1600m: 3. Kristin Martinson 5:58.53; 3200m: 1. Alana Plaszcz 12:53.54, 3. Kristin Martinson 13:37.04, 4. Victoria Fasbender 13:49.27; 100m hurdles: 4. Hannah Cedarblade 17.85, 6. Emily Winchester 18.61; 300m hurdles: 6. Emily Winchester 18.61; 400m relay: 3. Elk Mound 55.00; 800m relay: 3. Elk Mound 1:56.19; 1600m relay: 6. Elk Mound 4:37.84; 3200m relay: 3. Elk Mound 11:01.17; Triple jump: 8. Sarah Sweeney 30-06.50; Discus: 2. Mikayla Solberg 103-09, 6. Kassie Jain 85-07.
GIRLS’ TEAM RESULTS: 1. Bloomer 145, 2. Neillsville/Granton 81.50, 3. Altoona 79, 3. Durand 79, 3. Elk Mound 79, 6. Fall Creek 63, 7. Stanley-Boyd 57, 8. Chetek-Weyerhaeuser 43.50, 9. Cadott 38, 10. Mondovi 36.