Hilltoppers’ Simmons finishes 11th in state CC meet
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EARLY MORNING RUN — Glenwood City junior Kendall Schutz is shown running in the Session A race, which began at 9:30 a.m., of the girls’ WIAA Division 3 state cross country championship held October 31 in West Salem. Schutz placed 36th in a field of 112 runners with a time of 20:49.68. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
END IN SIGHT — The Hilltoppers’ Bella Simmons neared the finish line of last Saturday’s WIAA Division 3 girls’ state cross country championship. Simmons ran in the Session A race that began at 9:30 a.m. The junior finished in 11th place following a run of 19:48.42 on the 5,000-meter state course. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
By Missy Klatt
Sports Correspondent
WEST SALEM — Juniors Bella Simmons and Kendall Schutz and sophomore JJ Williams of the Glenwood City cross country team woke to a brisk morning as they got ready to compete in the WIAA Division 3 State Cross Country meet held at the Maple Grove Venue in West Salem on Halloween morning.
In the state meet – which was run in three sessions due to COVID protocols – the Hilltoppers competed in session A, with the girls’ race starting at 9:30 a.m. last Saturday, October 31.
Finishing near the front of the pack, Bella Simmons put up a personal best time of 19:48.42; her teammate and friend, Kendall Schutz clocked in at 20:49.68. As to how well they compared with the runners in the remaining two sessions, they would have to wait most of the day until all the races were done and the times were merged to determine the placings.
At the end of the day, Simmons finished in eleventh place, just missing a spot on the podium. Schutz was a very respectable thirty-sixth out of 112 total runners.
“The runners did well. It was so hard to tell overall when Bella came in 7th during her session which still was a new PR (19:48) for her, and Kendall had to actually run alone the last 2 miles of the race as the group in front of her was too fast. She didn’t have anyone to push with throughout the run, but kept telling herself that no one behind me is going to catch me. Not a typical state meet when there are usually 150 runners to move with, not 38,” remarked Glenwood City head coach Matthew Schutz.
Brooklyn Luebke of Manitowoc Lutheran was the girls’ champion with a time of 18:55.53, while Lancaster took home the team championship with a score of 93.
The boys’ race that followed around 10:10 a.m. consisted of 113 runners total for the three sessions. JJ Williams, in his first trip to the state meet, finished the 5K course in twenty-sixth place with a time of 17:30.5. Parker Schneider of Durand was the boys’ champion completing the course in 16:05.78.
The team from Sheboygan Area Lutheran were the team champions for the boys with a score of 56.
“JJ came in 11th in his session which we were expecting better, but still ran well for his first state meet when the times were combined,” commented Coach Schutz. “I think running in the morning was good, but we all realized we should have eaten breakfast around 5:30 a.m. instead of 6:30 a.m. as they noticed their stomachs didn’t feel the best throughout the race. They hadn’t raced in the morning all year, let alone 9:30 a.m. which is earlier than normal. I’m very proud of what they accomplished all year and with none of them being seniors I look forward to the new goals they will set for next year.”
RUNNING amongst company, sophomore JJ Williams looked to gain some separation during his WIAA Division 3 boys’ state cross country race in West Salem October 31. In his first state race, Williams ran a 17:30.50 to place 26th out of the 113 runners that competed in three sessions. —photo by Shawn DeWitt