Don Loker CC Championships - Varsity = 4th & JV = 3rd

The Madison running community lost a legend, teacher, coach, official, event worker, fan, and friend this past summer with the passing of Don Loker. Don came to Madison in the fall of 1959 to run at the University of Wisconsin after winning multiple state mile championships for Appleton West HS. After completing his Badger running career Don became a high school math teacher and coached cross country and track and field at Madison West. After coaching for 25+ years he continued to give back to the community by working as a meet official, volunteering at multiple athletic events, and helping develop and advance scoring systems locally and for the state. Don expanded his reach helping out at youth events, community events, and UW-Madison competitions. He has coached, assisted, and encouraged countless runners who passed through the Madison area. Whether it was being checked in at the start line, jumping over a hurdle set by Don, competing at a meet that was set up and taken down by him, or running for a coach who was influenced by Don our athletes have benefitted from his endless giving to the sports of cross country and track & field. It is because of this dedication to our Madison running community that the race was proudly named after Don Loker. We missed you at the meet this fall Don but your impact will not be forgotten. THANKS for everything you have done for Madison!

Our varsity started off the day with an outstanding race led by senior AJ K who ran a lifetime PR of 16:23 to take 4th place and earn All-City 1st Team honors. Jack G added another lifetime PR crossing in 17:42 followed closely by Alvaro S who also broke 18:00 with his 17:57 to earn a top 20 finish in 19th. Finn just missed the top 20 but ran a season best coming across in 18:07. Alex B better his lifetime PR by running 18:26 with Aatman close behind crossing in 18:29 equalling his best performance. The teams combined effort earned a 4th place finished and set the tone for the day. We continue to run better each week and I look forward to seeing what we can do at the conference & sectional meets.

Our JV kept the energy going and brought some focused determination to earn a 3rd place in their race. Racing his first CC race Tammo P led our squad with a lifetime best of 18:32. Cole W broke 19 minutes for the first of many times as he ran 18:54. PJ (19:10), Hunter (19:16), and Peter S (19:26) raced to top 20 placing finishes to wrap up our scorers. Nathan F ran a great lifetime PR in 19:27 and Jonathan wrapped up our top 7 runners with his season best time of 19:36. Fred S opened his season with a lifetime PR running 20:09. Liam B chopped over a minute off his lifetime best, while David B chiseled away over a 1/2 minute off his PR. Levi M also took a 1/2 minute PR to drop under 22:00 minutes for the first time. Elijah E ran as lifetime PR of 21:31 and Caleb S was close behind for his lifetime PR of 22:00. Nicholas S also ran to a lifetime best of 22:24 on the day wrapping up our great finish for the team. The JV runners now turn their focus to their season finale at Sheehan Park in Sun Prairie and the Big 8 Conference Championships. I'm excited to see all the hard work showcased at this meet.

RESULTS
JV - Overall - Team
Varsity - Overall - Team

NEXT COMPETITION
Saturday October 15th
Big 8 Conference Championship @ Sheehan Park - Sun Prairie, WI
Bus = 7:30am
9:30am - Boys Varsity (top 7 runners) (2021 Results)
10:35am - Boys JV1 (8 - 14 runners) (2021 Results)
11:40am - Boys JV2 (15 + runners) (2021 Results)
1:00pm - Awards - Top 15 in each race
** We will not stop to eat...plan accordingly - bring snacks or $ for concessions...we should return to Memorial about 2:00pm**

NEWS & NOTES

--> Captains will be collecting money this week for coaches gifts & team shirts...more info to be posted

--> Monday practice - right after school = finished by 5:15pm (practices this week will be a little shorter for JV runners...use this extra time to get caught up on school work and get extra rest)

--> JV Runners will have a required practice on Monday Oct 17th @ 2:45pm...uniforms & other checked out items must be returned at this time. Only varsity runners preparing for Sectionals will have required practice the rest of the week