Numerous local athletes have punched their tickets to the state track and field meet.
In the Division 1 Girls Sectional at Bever Dam, Manitowoc Lincoln qualified six athletes for the state meet at Veterans Memorial Stadium Complex in La Crosse.
Calla Eichman qualified with a 3rd-place finish in the 400m race, Libby James was first in the pole vault, and the 4×800 relay team of Natalie Portmann, Charlie Drossart, Ava Bierman, and Norah Free finished 3rd.
Portmann also narrowly missed qualifying in the 3200m race while the 4×400 relay team of Abby Gebhart, Bierman, and Eichman missed qualifying by less than 1/10th of a second.
The only other local qualifier was Oliva Knowles of Sheboygan South.
She earned a trip to the state meet in the 100m, 200m, and 300m hurdles events.
As for the boys, the only local qualifiers were Sheboygan North’s Ian Willemsen and Kasey Levinson in the 1600 and 3200m races, respectively, and Jayden Wesaw of Sheboygan South, who qualified in the Long Jump and Triple Jump.
Meanwhile, at the Division 2 Sectional in Chilton, a Two Riers athlete qualified in two events. Malasia Lee finished 2nd in the 200m race and 3rd in the 100, earning her a spot in the statewide field.
Kiel also has several athletes making the trip to La Crosse, including Sam Keuler, who won the 3200m race, and William McDole, who finished 3rd in the pole vault.
Maddison McDole also earned a spot with a 2nd-place finish in the high jump, while the Raiders’ 4×400 relay team of Jayda Arenz, Evalyn Schafer, McDole, and Chelsea Schmidt was 3rd.
And in the Boys Division 3 Sectional in Hilbert, Manitowoc Lutheran continued to showcase its talent, qualifying athletes in five events.
Individual qualifiers were Julian Stuebs in the 400m, Tristan Hulse in the Shot Put, and Trenton Schettpelz in the triple jump, while the 4x200m relay team of Ben Harrison, Isaac Wagner, Roman DiMarco, and Isaiah Muchka finished 1st, and the 4×400 relay team of Muchka, Stuebs, DiMarco, and Luke Mehlhorn qualified with a 4th place finish.
Also, Roncalli’s Dominic Thiele was 2nd in the 800m run, as was the 4x800m relay team of Jacob Harrison, Atley Flores, Elliott Onesti, and Thiele.
Also qualifying was Mishicot’s Taylor Mohorne, who was the top high jumper.
As for the girls, it was Mishicot who was dominant.
The Indians qualified in seven events, three of them by Michaelynn Wotachek alone.
She was 1st in the high jump, 3rd in the 300 hurdles, and 4th in the 100 hurdles, while Juliana Doerner also qualified in three events.
She finished 1st in the 100 and 200m races and was a part of the top 4×200 relay team, alongside Kambrya Christoffel, Tatum Fix, and Kensington Rosenow.
The 4×100 relay team of Christoffel, Fix, Julia Backus, and Rosenow also qualified with a 3rd place finish.
Other local qualifiers included Paige Backus of Valders in the 400m race, Manitowoc Lutheran’s Eva Manzano in the Triple Jump, and Reedsville’s Allena O’Connell in the 1600m run and Willow Grimm in the Triple Jump.
