Lady Bulldogs finish 10th in first WIAA state cross country meet
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DASH TO THE FINISH — Boyceville junior Halle Tonn (left) and sophomore Ellie Engeman ran toward the finish line at last Saturday’s WIAA Division 3 girls’ state cross country race in Wisconsin Rapids. The pair finished just one second apart with Tonn taking 99th in 22:07.2 while Engeman placed 100th in 22:08.2.
—photo by Rochelle Olson
THE BULLDOGS’ Ashlyn Maska (#316) was the second-place finisher for the Boyceville girls’ cross country team in the WIAA Division 3 state cross country race held November 2 in Wisconsin Rapids. Maska was 79th in a time of 21:38.5.
—photo by Rochelle Olson
FRESHMAN Blake Jeske was the first Bulldog runner to cross the finish line when the Boyceville girls ran in their first-ever WIAA Division 3 state cross country championship in Wisconsin Rapids Saturday, November 2. Jeske placed 30th out of 147 runners with a time of 20:22.3. As a team, the Boyceville finished tenth out of 16 schools. —photo by Jacob Maes Photography
BULLDOG fresehman Brooklyn Talmage (#317) headed toward the finish line of the WIAA Division 3 girls’ state cross country race held November 2 at The Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids. Talmage ran a 21:54 on the 5K course to finish 92nd.
—photo by Jacob Maes Photography
BULLDOG sophomore Sydney Larson made her way toward the finish of last Saturday’s WIAA Division 3 girls’ state cross country race in Wisconsin Rapids. Larson placed 118th after running the challenging state course in 23:14.
—photo by Jacob Maes Photography
BOYCEVILLE sophomore Lyla Score is shown running in the WIAA Division 3 girls’ state cross country race which was held Saturday, November 2 in Wisconsin Rapids. Score finished 145th in a time of 25:45.6 while the Lady Bulldogs placed tenth as a team. —photo by Jacob Maes Photography
by Renee Bettendorf
Sports Correspondent
WISCONSIN RAPIDS — The first-ever Bulldog girls’ cross country team to compete at state placed tenth out of 16 Division 3 teams at the 2024 WIAA State Cross Country Championships held at The Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids last Saturday, November 2.
Boyceville head cross country coach, Jacob Peterson said that leading up to the state meet, they talked a lot about the race environment and how it differs from a typical high school meet. Some big differences are the number of spectators and how fast the first mile can get out.
“The girls did not get too ruffled by the difference of the state meet, which shows their strong connection as a team. They support one another on and off the course 100 percent,” said Peterson.
The Bulldogs scored 228 points beating Wittenberg-Birnamwood, Kewaunee, Bonduel, Saint Ambrose/Abundant Life, Prairie Farm/Turtle Lake and Chequamegon. The team from Kohler won the girls’ Division 3 state championship with a score of 95.
“Going into the race, we knew that we were seeded around tenth. We had our top five finish at or below 22 minutes, which is a good day for us,” said Peterson.
Freshman Blake Jeske, who has been the first runner for the team all season, did not disappoint. Jeske placed 30th in the 5K race out of 147 runners with a time of 20:22.3 – her second fastest of the season. Junior Ashlyn Maska was the team’s second runner. She placed 79th and came in at 21:38.5.
Coming in third for the team was freshman Brooklyn Talmage who placed 92nd with a time of 21:54. Placing 99th and 100th, respectively, were junior Halle Tonn and sophomore Ellie Engeman running times of 22:07.2 and 22:08.2.
Sophomores Sydney Larson and Layla Score also ran the race. Larson placed 118th with a time of 23:14 and Score placed 145th with a time of 25:45.6.
Mallory Kohn of the Dodgeland won the girls’ D3 race in 18:08.4.
Peterson said that the course at the state meet has a fairly flat first mile but the second and third miles have much more elevation. They planned for and used strategy to cope with the final two miles of the race.
“The girls knew not to get too caught up in the excitement of the first mile. They put themselves through the mile at their typical times and held a strong second mile. They made a strong push and gained some spots in that last mile, said Peterson.
This is a fairly young team with their top seven runners comprised of two freshmen, three sophomores and two juniors. As a result, they have time to improve.
“Looking ahead, all the girls that ran at state are coming back next year. They were already talking about summer training after the meet,” said Peterson. I am proud of what they accomplished this year and excited to see what they can do in the upcoming seasons.”