Back at State !!

Brady Ambrose/Times Press

BLACk RIVER FALLS - Led by Brea and Dakota Goodman, the Reedsburg girls cross country team will return to the WIAA state cross country meet this Saturday at Wisconsin Rapids.

With a blistering pace, the Goodman's took the top two spots at the Black River Falls sectional Saturday as Brea Goodman torched the course with a time of 15:24.20 and Dakota placed second at the 15:52.79 mark.

Only one other runner in the entire 105 person field cracked the 16 minute mark, junior Taylor Hickey of Wisconsin Dells placed third with a 15:58.80 to earn a trip to Rapids as well.  

The next closest runner was Ellsworth freshman Lydia Kuhl, who placed fourth at 16:09.05. Katelynn Diske placed 15th at 16:56, Rachel hasler was 17th (17:04), Arissa Michel was 23rd (17:23) and Rebecca Lavely was 24th at 17:24. Kellie Deitrich rounded out the Reedsburg runners as she placed 73rd at 19:39.

Coach Nicole Bruer said " I couldn't be happier for the team. The depth is a necessity at this level, and I can't wait to get four out of the seven back next year." Asked if she had any predictions for Saturday, the coach added, "Boy it would be awfully nice to see them on a podium. Mt. Horeb has been just ahead of us all season, including Conference, and I know the girls are just itching to have everything fall into place and come out in front of them, but they are an extremely tough team. You just never know."

Senior Rachel Hasler added, "We entered the sectional meet fairly confident due to the success we had at the Black River Falls Invitational a few weeks prior. We knew that we had a good shot at competing with the tough teams at our sectional, but would need strong finishes from all seven of us. It feels great to be heading back after such a successful season last year."  

According to the WIAA state meet preview, the girls D2 field features eight of last year's 16 qualifying teams, including Wisconsin Lutheran, Dodgeville/Mineral Point, Catholic Memorial and Mt. Horeb/Barneveld, which placed second, third, fourth and sixth last year, respectively.

Catholic Memorial and Mt. Horeb/Barneveld may be in good position to improve on last year's finish with five of the seven runners that competed a year ago returning.

Entering the state meet, Brea Goodman's sectional winning time of 15:24.20 is the seventh fastest time of any sectional qualifier in the entire Division 2 field, so the Reedsburg senior has a legitimate shot at a top 10 finish.

"Yes, it's possible. She is very focused and driven this year," said the coach. "I'm hoping for top 10 and personal best season/career times." Hasler, who along with the Goodman's are the only seniors on the team, added, "Everyone had their doubts after a shaky start this year, but we're really proud of what we've been able to accomplish as a team. We are hopeful that we can prove ourselves as strong competitors this Saturday in Wisconsin Rapids. There is really no better way to finish off such a successful season than competing among the best teams here in Wisconsin at the state cross country meet."

GIRLS

Team scores (top two teams qualify for state): Reedsburg 58, West Salem 69, Ellsworth 93, Viroqua 109, Mauston 136, Neillsville 164, Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau 226, Nekoosa 236, Wisconsin Dells 262, Westby 280, Black River Falls 283, Abbotsford/Colby 285, Durand 321, Mondovi 329, Adams-Friendship 378, Westfield 382.

Winner: B. Goodman (Reedsburg) 15:24.20.

Junior Mikey Turner will also compete Saturday as he placed seventh overall at Black River falls Saturday.

With Nekoosa and West Salem qualifying their entire teams, Turner's time of 17:31.46 was the fourth best time from a runner who was not from the top two teams.

Turner will be making his first trip to state, and coach Casey Whitehurst said, "Mikey was determined to run the minute he stepped off the bus. He was very focused and ready to run despite the cold and windy conditions. He knew that if he ran his race he would make it to state."

Nekoosa junior Jacob Peterson won the sectional with a time of 17:04.23, and was one of six underclassmen that finished in the top 10.

Whitehurst said that the influx of strong underclassmen is "A tribute to athletes like Mikey, who are willing to go the extra mile, are self-disciplined enough to get out and run during the off season, and are willing to continuously work hard and improve as the season progresses."

Other Beaver runners included Ethan Dempsey, who finished his prep career with a 29th place effort (18:26), freshman Allen Schuenke (57th), Derrick Kinsman (77th), Taylor Roessler (93rd), Michael Ernstmeyer (107th) and Andrew Nowak (110th).

Whitehurst said he is looking for good things from Turner, and that Mikey has been training hard for this day, "Mikey is very thrilled to be going to state. It has been his goal all year long and reaching that goal is quite an accomplishment for him. He really did earn his spot — running some 900+ miles in the last six months — and we look forward to him doing well in Wisconsin Rapids."

In Division 2, Turner will be running with some of the best in the state. Senior Evan Ross of Port Washington is the top returning finisher, according to the WIAA,  placing fourth last season. His senior teammate Mark Allen is also a legitimate contender after finishing sixth last year. Other possible challengers are seniors Alex Steiner of Chilton, Nick VanStrydonk of Tomahawk, Brett Denure of Monroe, Aaron Easker of Wittenberg-Birnamwood, Brian Kinnard of Luxemburg-Casco and Jessop Keene of Prescott; juniors Jake Tsacudakis of Ripon, John Luterbach of Catholic Memorial, Jacob Peterson of Nekoosa/Port Edwards, and teammates Ben Tyler and Peter Drews of Shorewood; and sophomore Jon Luedtke of Lomira.

BOYS Team scores (top two teams qualify for state): Nekoosa 55, West Salem 94, Black River Falls 142, Adams-Friendship 143, Westby 171, Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau 185, Viroqua 185, Neillsville 223, Ellsworth 228, Mauston 230, Durand 238, Reedsburg 263, Mondovi 316, Altoona 401, Wisconsin Dells 403, Abbotsford/Colby 425, Westfield 454.

Winner: Peterson (Nekoosa) 17:04.23.

RACE INFORMATION:  The boys will run a 5,000-meter course, and the girls will run a 4,000-meter course. The following is a listing of the times for each race:

Boys      

11 a.m    Division 3   

11:40 a.m.     Division 2   

12:20 p.m.     Division 1   

Girls

1 p.m.         Division 3

1:40 p.m.       Division 2

2:20 p.m.       Division 1

The races will be held at The Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids. Ticket price for the meet is $6.