(WIAA) – The 129th Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Boys Track and Field Championships and the 54th Girls Track and Field Championships will be held Friday-Saturday, June 6-7 at the Veterans Memorial Stadium Complex on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
MEET INFORMATION: The meet features two sessions Friday. The Divisions 2 & 3 session begins at 9:30 a.m. with the competition proceeding in the order of events, which can be found on the Track & Field Tournament page on the WIAA website. The Division 1 session begins at 4:30 p.m. The competition resumes Saturday at 9:30 a.m. The order of the finals for each event Saturday begins with Division 3, followed by Divisions 2 and then Division 1.
TICKET INFORMATION: The ticket price for the State Track & Field Championships is $11 per session plus online fees. Tickets are available to be purchased online on the WIAA website through GoFan, the WIAA ticketing partner, at: https://www.wiaawi.org/
2024 TEAM RESULTS-BOYS: Arrowhead won the Division 1 boys’ team championship for the fourth year in a row by accumulating 60 points, and Onalaska was runner-up with 44 points. In Division 2, Lakeside Lutheran rolled to its second straight title with 81 points, 44 points more than second-place Somerset with 37 points. Iola-Scandinavia was the team champion in Division 3 with 45 points, and Stratford finished second with 34 points. Marquette won the boys’ wheelchair team championship for the second consecutive season, compiling 36 points, and Waupaca was second with 27 points.
2024 TEAM RESULTS-GIRLS: Arrowhead also won the Division 1 girls’ team title, compiling 67 points. It marks the first time in Division 1 that both genders have won the team championships in the same year. Homestead came in second with 57 points. Freedom and Rice Lake shared the gold trophy in Division 2, scoring 45 points each. In Division 3, Deerfield captured the team title with 42 points, three more than runner-up Cameron with 39 points. Sun Prairie East won the girls’ wheelchair team championship with 38 points, and Greenwood was second with 26 points.
BY THE NUMBERS-BOYS: Whitefish Bay has won the most boys team championships with 18, 16 of them coming consecutively from 1937-52. Milwaukee Riverside and Kohler are second with 16 titles each. Only two competitors have ever won the same individual event four times. Dave Greenwood of Park Falls won four titles in the high jump from 1976-79, and Paul Annear of Richland Center repeated the feat in the same event from 2005-08. Three individuals have won four relay titles in the same relay. Kevin Bledsoe of Milwaukee South did it in the 400 relay (1984-87) as did Josh Dickerson of D.C. Everest (1993-96) and Greg Bracey of Milwaukee Vincent (2000-03). Justin Austin of Brown Deer (2005-08) holds the boys record for the most titles won by an individual in a career with nine. Darrell Jansen of Kimberly (1958-60) and Annear have won eight championships. Four others have won seven titles. Only Alvin Kraenzlein of Milwaukee East has won five State titles in one meet (1895), and Andrew Rock of Stratford is the only other athlete to win four State titles in the same year (2000). Joe Schubert of Marquette is the only wheelchair competitor to win the same event four times. He did it in both the 100 and 400 races (2014-17). He leads all wheelchair participants with 10 total championships. Milwaukee South and Whitefish Bay lay claim to having the most event titles throughout the history of the meet with 99.
BY THE NUMBERS-GIRLS: Madison West and Rosholt have won the most girls’ team titles with six. Three of West’s titles came in succession from 1980-82. Arcadia, Marathon, Nekoosa and Waukesha West have won five titles with Edgar, Madison Memorial, Milwaukee Bradley, Milwaukee King, Prairie du Chien and Whitewater are next on the list with four. Twenty-five girls have won the same event four times during their career. Kennedy Blahnik of Algoma, Cami Davre of Whitefish Bay, Bonnie Draxler of Wrightstown, Joanna Schultz of Holmen and Molly Seidel of University Lake School are the only athletes to accomplish the feat in two different events. Blahnik won the discus and shot put from 2011-14; Davre won the gold in the 800 and 1,600 runs from 2014-17; Draxler won the 400 dash and pole vault from 2011-14; Schultz captured the titles in the 200 and 400 dashes from 2003-06; and Seidel won the 1,600 and 3,200 runs from 2009-12. Davre, Draxler, Jaclynn Kriegl of Florence, and both Elizabeth Pospyhalla and Tess Thurs of Edgar hold the record for the most championships won in a career by an individual with 10. Dana Collins of Milwaukee Marshall, Heather Hyland of Nekoosa and Jenni Westphal of Marinette are next in line with nine. Edgar has won the most events in the history of the meet with 42 titles. Madison Memorial is next on the list with 35.
DIVISION 1 NOTES – GIRLS: Wisconsin Lutheran has the most entries in the meet with 20, including representation in 15 individual events and four relays. Muskego and Wauwatosa East have the second-most entries in the meet with 19. Wauwatosa East is represented in 13 individual events and four relays, and Muskego has participants in seven individual events and four relays. Remarkably, all events except the 300-meter hurdles have at least one former champion returning to contend for another gold medal in their respective events. Junior Lydia Lazarescu of Holmen captured the crown in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes last season. She returns to the events with the second-fastest qualifying time in the 100 at 11.95 and the ninth-fastest seed time in the 200 at 25.39. Lazarescu also had a third-place finish in the 100 in 2023. Senior Nicole Repka of Verona is the returning champion in the 400 dash. She enters the event with the second-fastest sectional time at 55.85. Junior Charlize-Trinity McKenzie of Cedarburg qualifies for the third straight season in the 800 run. She won the title last season on the heels of a runner-up finish in the event in 2023. Her qualifying time of 2:11.19 this season is more than two seconds quicker than the next-best qualifying time. McKenzie also has the fastest qualifying time in the 1,600 at 4:52.90. She’ll need to contend with junior Ella Anschutz of Muskego, who won the title in the 1,600 in 2023 and was runner-up last season. She enters the event with the ninth-best time of 5:06.42. Anschutz is the defending champion in the 3,200 run after placing 12th in 2023. Her sectional time of 11:24.59 ranks 13th on the qualifying performance list. Also worth noting, Anschutz was also the 2023 and 2024 cross country champion. Junior Sydnee Nelson of Oshkosh West won the 100 hurdles last season, and she is back as the leading contender to win the championship again this season with the fastest qualifying time of 14.30. Senior Allyson Armstrong of DeForest won the gold medal in the high jump last season, and she is in position to win back-to-back titles with a qualifying jump of 5-5, which ties for the best height entering the meet. Junior Elise Schroeder of Arrowhead is the returning champion in the pole vault, improving on a runner-up finish in the event in 2023. Her sectional performance of 12-0 ranks second-best among all qualifiers, behind only senior Erica Miner of Oak Creek, who vaulted 12-9 at sectionals last week after a runner-up finish in 2024. Senior Anisa Barnett of Homestead is the returning champion in the long jump and the two-time defending champion in the triple jump. She also placed fifth in the triple jump as a freshman in 2022. Her qualifying leap of 18-2 1/2 in the long jump ranks seventh on the event’s performance list. Barnett’s mark of 37-8 3/4 in the triple jump at sectionals positions her third best on the list of qualifiers. Senior Thea Kral of Ashwaubenon appears to be positioned to win a third straight title in the discus. Her qualifying effort 153-5 is almost 11 feet further than the next-best qualifying effort. She should also be considered the favorite to repeat as champion in the shot put with the best qualifying toss of 47-3 1/2. The four-time qualifier also placed seventh in 2023 and ninth in 2022. Senior Keira Fax of Wauwatosa West is also a former champion in the shot put, winning the title in 2023 and placing fourth last season and sixth in 2022. The Mukwonago 400 relay returns to the meet seeking a second straight championship, and it appears to be in good position to contend for the title with the fastest qualifying time of 47.86. The Arrowhead 800 relay squad has the fourth-fastest qualifying time at 1:43.12 after winning the event in 2024, and the Verona 1,600 relay has the third-swiftest seed time at 3:57.97 after earning gold last year. Likewise, the Homestead 3,200 relay possesses the third-quickest qualifying time at 9:25.97 after racing to victory in the event the past two seasons.
DIVISION 1 NOTES – BOYS: Oak Creek has the most entries in the Division with 19, including representation in seven individual events and four relays. Arrowhead, Brookfield East, Homestead, Marquette and West Allis Hale are next with 17 entries. Of this group, Homestead has the most representation with competitors in 11 individual event and three relays. Wisconsin Lutheran is represented in a division-high 16 events, including 14 individual events and two relays. Four individual events and two relays have their champions from last year returning this year. Senior Manny Putz of Onalaska is the returning champion in both the 1,600 and 3,200 runs. He is back attempting to retain the titles this season with the fastest qualifying time in the 3,200 at 9:22.92 and the seventh-best seed time in the 1,600 at 4:20.05. In addition, Putz is one of seven individuals to win three individual State cross country championships. Senior Nate Williams of Greenfield won the high jump last season, and he returns with the 11th-highest qualifying leap at 6-4. Senior Andrew Cartier of De Pere returns with the second-best qualifying performance in the triple jump at 47-1 1/2 after he won the gold medal last season on the heels of a sixth-place standing in 2023. The Arrowhead 400 and 800 relays have qualified this year with the fastest qualifying times of 42.20 and 1:26.66, respectively, after capturing the titles in both those events a year ago.
DIVISION 2 NOTES – GIRLS: Little Chute has the most entries in the division with 13, including representation in five individual events and three relays. Freedom, Grafton and Lancaster are all second on the list of most entries with 12. Of those, Freedom has the most representation in events with 11, including nine individual events and two relays. Nine events in the division feature a former champion returning to challenge for another title this year, including six individual events and three relays. Senior Lucci Aizpurua of Amery is on the threshold of history, attempting to win her fourth championship in the 100-meter dash. The three-time reigning champion and the State record-holder in the event is back with the fastest qualifying time of 11.86. She would become the 26th girl in the history of the State Meet to win four titles in an event. Sophomore Ciara Hartman of Bloomer won the 3,200 run championship last year as a freshman. She returns to the event this year with the second-fastest qualifying time of 11.01.05. Junior Elletta Uddin of Osceola is the two-time defending champion and State record-holder in both the 100 and 300 hurdles. She will again contend for the titles in both events with the fastest qualifying times of 13.98 in the 100 hurdles and 43.49 in the 300 hurdles. Senior Lydia Merrick of Freedom won the high jump back in 2023 and fell to sixth last season. She hopes to return to the top of the awards podium this season. Merrick is tied with four others with the fourth-best qualifying jump of 5-4. Sophomore Hayden Lauer of Kettle Moraine Lutheran won the triple jump title as a freshman last season. She returns for another attempt at the title with a sectional performance that tied for fifth best among the qualifying field. New Berlin West captured the 800 relay crown a year ago, and the Vikings return to the event this year in pursuit of back-to-back titles with the second-fastest qualifying time of 1:42.85. The Kettle Moraine Lutheran 1,600 relay is the reigning champion seeking a second straight title, possessing the fastest seed time from sectionals at 3:53.99. Bloomer enters the State Meet with the third-quickest time of 9:30.89 in the 3,200 relay after earning the championship last season.
DIVISION 2 NOTES – BOYS: Little Chute has the most entries in the division with 16, including representation in six individual events and three relays. Catholic Memorial is next on the list of most entries with 15, including seven individual events and two relays. There are four individual events and two relays that return former champions. Senior Jack Hefty of Whitewater is the two-time defending champion in the 1,600 run. He returns with the ninth-best qualifying time of 4:27.24. The 2025 WIAA Scholar-Athlete also ran to the State cross country title in the fall. Senior Amare Jackson of Milwaukee School of Science improved on a 14th-place finish in the long jump in 2023 to win the event championship last season. He returns to State this season on a quest for back-to-back titles with the third-best qualifying jump of 22-3. Senior James Flanigan of Notre Dame is the returning champion and record-holder in the shot put after placing runner-up in 2023. He enters the event with the seventh furthest qualifying toss of 52.6 1/2. Flanigan is also a returning former champion in the discus. He was runner-up last year after winning the title in 2023. Flanigan may be considered a heavy favorite to regain the discus title based on his qualifying mark of 192-2, which is more than 16 further than the next-best qualifying distance. The Catholic Memorial 400 relay qualifies this season after winning the event a year ago, but they may need to improve on their seed time of 43.75 if they are to retain the title. The Crusaders’ time ranks 17th out of the 17 qualifying relays. The McFarland 3,200 relay is the top seed this year with a qualifying time of 7:56.39. The Spartans are seeking their second straight title in the event.
DIVISION 3 NOTES – GIRLS: Lourdes Academy has the most entries in the division with 14 with representation in three individual events and three relays. The Prairie School is next on the list with 13 entries, including participants in three individual events and three relays. Ten individual events, and two relays feature returning champions seeking to add to their collection of titles. Junior Bella Thomas of Assumption has sprinted to titles in the 100 dash the last two seasons, and she possesses the quickest qualifying time in the event this year at 12.09. Thomas is also the defending champion in the 200 dash after finishing runner-up in the event in 2023. She possesses the fastest qualifying time this season at 24.71. Another junior returning two-time champion is Iszy Sonnegtag from Cadott. She has won the 400 dash the last two seasons, and she is in position to win the event for the third consecutive year with the fastest seed time of 56.55. Senior Erin Moore of Lourdes Academy raced to the title in the 800 run last in 2024 after placing seventh in 2023. She also captured gold in the 1,600 run last year. She has qualified again in both events this year in pursuit of back-to-back titles. Moore possesses the swiftest qualifying performances in both events at 2:12.28 and 4:53.98, respectively. Senior Kamdan Johnson of Florence/Niagara has won the championship in the 100 hurdles the past two seasons. Her qualifying time of 14.86 in the event this year ranks second-best among the list of qualifiers. Sonnentag possesses the top sectional time at 14.71 after finishing fourth in the event in 2024 and third in 2023. In the pole vault, senior Alena Sanfelippo of Fall Creek is the top qualifier in her pursuit of regaining the title with a height of 12-9. She won the title in 2023 before finishing runner-up a year ago. Senior Lauren Wickus of Luther ascended from a 13th-place finish in the long jump in 2023 to earn the gold medal last season. She seeks a second straight championship in the event, entering the competition with the best qualifying jump at 17-7 3/4. Senior Chloe Kessenich of Pardeeville won the shot put last season after placing sixth in 2023. Her distance of 42-3 at sectionals ranks as the top performance among this year’s qualifiers as she embarks on the attempt to win another title. Senior Nolie Anderson of St. Mary Catholic looks to return to the top of the award podium after winning the discus crown in 2023 and dropping to third a year ago. The four-time qualifier placed eighth her freshman season in 2022. She enters competition this week with the second-best qualifying distance in the event at 140-5. The Pacelli 400 relay team returns to defend its title this season. The Cardinals enter the event with the 15th fastest time among the 16 qualifiers at 51.94. Deerfield will attempt to retain the title in the 3,200 relay, entering the meet with the 12th-best seed time at 10:05.52.
DIVISION 3 NOTES – BOYS: Stratford has the most entries in the division with 17, including representation in five individual events and four relays. Abundant Life Christian, Edgar and Marathon are all second on the list of most entries with 14. Of the three programs, Marathon has the most representation in events with nine, including six individual events and three relays. There are three individual events and two relays that return former champions to the meet this year. Junior Alex Wierzba of Rosholt won the 2024 gold medals in both the 200 and 400 dashes. He claims the fourth-fastest qualifying time in the 200 dash at sectionals last week at 22.20, and his 49.30 in the 400 is the top time among the qualifiers. The three-time State qualifier also placed eighth in the 200 and fourth in the 400 in 2023. Senior Jacob Sturm of Abundant Life Christian qualifies for the third time in the 800 run. He won the event last year after finishing 10th in 2023. He enters competition this week with the second-fastest qualifying time in the event at 1:57.10. On a related note, junior Chris Marcell of Marathon has qualified in the discus and shot put with a mark that would shatter the State Meet records in those events if he can equal the tasks. His sectional throw in the discus of 202-8 well out-distances the record of 181-0, and his 60-8 seed mark in the shot put eclipses the record of 59-9 1/4. Marcell was runner-up in the discus last year and eighth in 2023. Defending champion Stratford is in contention for a second straight title in the 400 relay, returning to the meet with the quickest time of 43.22. The Edgar 1,600 relay has qualified in pursuit of retaining the crown it captured last year in the event. The Wildcats are seeded fifth this year with their qualifying time of 3:28.89.
WHEELCHAIR NOTES: There are four girls’ wheelchair events returning former champions. Junior Megan Egstad of Sun Prairie East accounts for three of those events. She won the 400 and 800, as well as the shot put last year. Egstad is top qualifier in each of those events this year in pursuit of a repeat trifecta. She recorded a seed time of 1:18.97 in the 400 and 2:52.67 in the 800 at sectionals, and she tossed the shot put 15-3. Junior Renaya Horvath of Greenwood raced to the championship the last two seasons in the 100. To win a third title, she will most likely need to shave time off her seed time of 26.80, which ranks fourth among the list of qualifiers. Two boy’s wheelchair events return its champion, junior Gianni Quintero of Marquette. He is the two-time champion in both the 400 and 800 races. Quintero is in position to win his third crown in both those events with the fastest qualifying times of 1:02.32 and 2:27.08, respectively.
