Annika C & Jake Z Qualify for State
The WIAA creates ten Division 1 sectionals based off of geography each year to qualify two teams and five individuals for the WIAA State meet. Our geography has always landed us in a difficult sectional...this is both bad & good. It is bad because it is hard to get out of our sectional to state but it is good because if we make it to state we know we will be one of the top teams/individuals at the state meet. This season Middleton, Madison West, DeForest, Verona, & Madison Memorial have all been ranked by the WCCCA coaches association. All these teams are teams that are capable of competing at the state meet but only 2 qualify out of this sectional. Our sectional is one of (if not the most) most competitive sectionals in the state. How do you get out of this sectional? Make sure your team is at a level to finish in the top 10 in the state or even be ready to compete for a trophy at the state meet. This year, we were not at that level but we hoped to get some individuals through to the state meet.
The boys race was competitive from the gun as some individuals who were looking to qualify individually and hoping to pull a low number for there team took out the pace hard & fast. Our team settled into the next group of runners & were right in the mix with the top 5 teams in the race. Jake Z moved towards the front of the race finishing 7th overall and since no #2 runners were ahead of him we knew that 2 of these guys would qualify with a team and leave Jake as a top 5 individual qualifier. Jake ran 16:54 to earn his first trip to the state meet in Rapids. AJ came in 7 seconds later just missing out on being an individual qualifier (he was the 4th best #2 runner in the race). Mick was our #3 runner in 17:20 (4th best #3 runner in the race). Jakob M and Henry B finished together as our #4 & 5 runners in 17:56 (both as the 5th best runners for their # in the race). Nick Z ran 18:01 in his first of hopefully many Sectional races and Jonathan finished his first varsity season with an 18:14 as a sophomore. Our #6 runner was the 3rd best runner in the race and our #7 was the 2nd best seventh runner in the race...our depth was strong. Overall, we need to shift up our front of the race to put more guys running in the top 10 and with the leaders from the start. Our depth and our strength will follow to keep up with a tight pack. Who will step up and make that happen for us?? That is why we run the races and that is what off-seasons are all about.
This race was a very solid race for our team. We had higher hopes at the start of the season but where our team was at the end of the season kind of matches where we are at. This season we beat multiple teams who made it to state and only loss to teams that made it to state (except LaFollette who took 3rd at their sectional). We are one of the top 25 teams in the state...the next step, be one of the top 2 teams in our sectional and show that we are a top 10 (or better) team in the state. Jake will represent us well at the state meet and all team members should help celebrate and cheer on this effort.
RESULTS
DeForest Sectional
All Sectionals
NEXT COMPETITION
Saturday October 30th
WIAA State Championships @ Ridges Golf Course - Wisconsin Rapids, WI
Van - 8:00am
12:00pm - First Race - Boys D2
12:35pm - Boys D1 Race (2019 Results) (Jake is in Lane 3)
2:25pm - Girls D1 Race (Annika is in Lane 3)
3:40pm - Awards - top 2 teams and 10 individuals
SPECTATOR INFORMATION
Come cheer on Jake & Annika AND see some amazing Cross Country running!
Tickets = $9 --> Must be purchased in advanced through a mobile device
Parking & Shuttles = $5 per vehicle --> Arrive early to park & ride shuttle to the course
Course Map - HERE
Live Results - Link should be located HERE on race day
