Craig Track Sends 25 Athletes to State
by Gabby petruzzello
The Cougars were well represented at the state track meet, held at UW-La Crosse on June 1 and 2. Some of the highlights included Peyton Sippy’s two state titles and Trevion Moore’s advancement to the finals, eventually finishing in 10th place.
“I think it says a lot about the work ethic and the buy-in from the kids. They trust the workouts and they trust the plan for them, and so they’re willing to put themselves all out there because it’s not fun every single day. It can be really tough some days, and they are willing to push through that because they know it’s going to make them better and help them reach their goals,” said Head Distance Coach Brandon Miles.
At the start of the season, many meets were cancelled due to stormy and snowy weather. The delay of meets set both the distance and sprints group back, which is a factor for many athletes who were unable to achieve their fastest times and therefore, unable to perform to their maximum at the later meets.
“I think it affected where the times are now quite a bit, but I also think we are going to get caught up here going in the state track meet. You are going to see super fast times at the state track meet,” commented Head Coach Jeff Deninger.
On the girls side, Craig sent 9 student athletes. On the strength of Sippy’s two championship runs and 20 points, Craig finished 14th overall.
“I think going as a sophomore is pretty cool and we’ll all do well there,” said Maddy Arrowood.
The 4 x 800 Relay, which consisted of Ellie Lorenz, Mae Williams, Grace Meister, and Claire Hulick finished with a time of 9:57.27, good for 20th place. After the first leg of the relay was tripped up by Monona Grove and the baton scattered into the center of the track, the record became a distant possibility. Next year, the 4x800 will only lose one athlete, with a great possibility of achieving the record, which was within seconds on their grasp this year.
“We want to, I think we’re capable of doing it. We all just have to run, try our best, and remember that we are doing it for the team and I think we can get it,” said Ellie Lorenz when asked about the possibility of the record in the upcoming year.
Sophomore Maddy Arrowood remains hopeful of breaking the record next year, saying, “I definitely think that if we push ourselves to the best of our abilities, we can break the record.”
Peyton Sippy competed in both the 3200 and the 1600, scoring 10 points each. As a two time state champion in track, Sippy also broke two school records. Sippy finished in a time of 4:53.41 for the 1600 and 10:42.01 for the 3200. At the Big 8 Conference Championships, Sippy won both the mile and two-mile for the second year in a row.
As one of the three individual qualifiers on the girls side, Freshman Clare Hulick finished with a time of 2:21.94, good for 16th place. Hulick has high hopes for the years to come and hopes to carry this momentum into the cross country season. At the Big 8 Conference Championship, Hulick received 2nd place with a time of 2:23.01. Tina Hulick, formerly Tina Bennett. was the record holder at Craig in the 400 meters. C. Hulick’s talent and hard work were some of the many things Hulick says that she learned or acquired from her mother.
“She’s really found her niche in the 800,” said Distance Coach Mr. Miles.
“It’s a good experience...To get first in my heat is definitely one of my goals and to break 2:21...I always knew that I liked the 800,” said Individual State Qualifier Clare Hulick, who hopes to PR and qualify again in the 2019 track season.
Junior Amy Groshan finished 21st with a time of 25.92 against fierce competition. Groshan is close to the record which was set by Lesley Perry with a time of 25.5 in 1985.
The 4x400 meter relay finished with a time of 4:10.73, good for 22nd place. The relay consisted of Amy Groshan, Rileigh Elgas, Ellie Lorenz, and Grace Meister.
“We’re just hoping to have a good time and perform to the best of our abilities,” said Sophomore Ellie Lorenz.
“I love the team so much. They’ve kinda become my family,” said Junior Grace Meister.
This year, the middle distance group has focused on speed work, whereas the longer distance group has focused on aerboic strengthing, which has been a factor that contributed to their success.
“To really be your best at those races really requires you to be strong in different areas, so the 400-800 kids needed more speedwork than the milers and two milers. The milers and two milers need more aerobic capacity than the 400-800 runners,” said Distance Coach Brandon Miles.
On the boys side, Craig sent 16 athletes from three relays and four individual events. The main highlight was Trevion Moore’s preliminary run that got him into the finals. All of the athletes who were placed into the WIAA Sectional Meet advanced to the WIAA State Meet.
Regarding the number of athletes and the variety of events, Boys Head Coach Jeff Deninger said, “I think it shows a pretty even mix between distance and our sprint groups. It shows that we’re well-rounded as far as events go in track and field...that’s a positive sign for track at Craig High School.”
The 4x800 meter relay consisting of Blake McCann, Matt Dillon, Zander Arena, and Aaron Leverson finished in a time of 8:17.56, good for 17th place.
“I’m super excited, should be a lot of fun, and hopefully we can PR as a team,” said Captain and Senior Blake McCann on his pre-race thoughts.
Trevion Moore (JR) qualified from the boy’s team as one of four individuals. Moore qualified in the 110H. At state, Moore advanced to the finals with a time of 14.66. On Saturday, Moore finished 10th, being only one of two juniors in the finals. At the Big 8 Conference Championships, Moore received 1st place with a time of 14.63.
“Trevion Moore is killing it in the hurdles...he’s one of the top hurdlers in the state with the times that he’s running,” commented Head Coach Brad Troeger.
“Not going last year when all of my friends went really pushed me to go harder,” commented Trevion Moore on the difference between this year and last year.
Senior and Captain Alijah Jones qualified for state as an individual in the 100 meters. Running a time of 11.25, Jones placed 21st and failed to advance to the finals. In the previous track season, Jones advanced as an individual in the 200 meter dash.
“Going to state last year definitely motivated me this year to work harder and to see if I could make it again,” commented Senior and Captain Alijah Jones.
The 4x200 meter relay including Trevion Moore, Orion Mitchell, Gabe Rubine, and Alijah Jones ran a time of 1:30.05, placing 15th and failing to advance to the finals. At the Big 8 Conference Championships, the 4x200 meter relay won with a time of 1:31.53.
The 4x200 meter relay was put together at the end of the season, making their debut at the Big 8 Conference Championships. With just two meets to practice, the 4x200 exceeded all expectations, punching their ticket to the state track meet.
The 4x100 meter relay including Trevion Moore, Orion Mitchell, Gabe Rubine, and Alijah Jones ran a time of 43.28, placing 16th in the prelims. At the Big 8 Conference Championships, the 4x100 meter relay ran 43.71, winning the race by .01.
Junior Aaron Leverson qualified as an individual in the 800 meters. Leverson placed 17th with a time of 1:59.72 with an impressive sub-2 performance.
Freshman Brian Bloomquist qualified as an individual in the 3200 meter run, placing first in the sectional with a PR of 9:41. Bloomquist placed 16th with a time of 9:44.44. Bloomquist was the only freshman in any Division 1 sectional that advanced to state in the 3200 meters.
“He’s the only boy in the field...it’s hard as a boy to make state as a freshman, it’s incredibly difficult, so he ran an awesome race,” commented Distance Coach Mr. Miles.
Regardless of the individual who advanced to the WIAA State Track Meet, all athletes from Craig who advanced can be characterized by their hardwork and dedication to the sport.
“We had a small team, but the kids that we did have really worked hard and we got a lot of kids through,” said Head Girls Track Coach, Brad Troeger.
“I think it says a lot about the work ethic and the buy-in from the kids. They trust the workouts and they trust the plan for them, and so they’re willing to put themselves all out there because it’s not fun every single day. It can be really tough some days, and they are willing to push through that because they know it’s going to make them better and help them reach their goals,” said Head Distance Coach Brandon Miles.
At the start of the season, many meets were cancelled due to stormy and snowy weather. The delay of meets set both the distance and sprints group back, which is a factor for many athletes who were unable to achieve their fastest times and therefore, unable to perform to their maximum at the later meets.
“I think it affected where the times are now quite a bit, but I also think we are going to get caught up here going in the state track meet. You are going to see super fast times at the state track meet,” commented Head Coach Jeff Deninger.
On the girls side, Craig sent 9 student athletes. On the strength of Sippy’s two championship runs and 20 points, Craig finished 14th overall.
“I think going as a sophomore is pretty cool and we’ll all do well there,” said Maddy Arrowood.
The 4 x 800 Relay, which consisted of Ellie Lorenz, Mae Williams, Grace Meister, and Claire Hulick finished with a time of 9:57.27, good for 20th place. After the first leg of the relay was tripped up by Monona Grove and the baton scattered into the center of the track, the record became a distant possibility. Next year, the 4x800 will only lose one athlete, with a great possibility of achieving the record, which was within seconds on their grasp this year.
“We want to, I think we’re capable of doing it. We all just have to run, try our best, and remember that we are doing it for the team and I think we can get it,” said Ellie Lorenz when asked about the possibility of the record in the upcoming year.
Sophomore Maddy Arrowood remains hopeful of breaking the record next year, saying, “I definitely think that if we push ourselves to the best of our abilities, we can break the record.”
Peyton Sippy competed in both the 3200 and the 1600, scoring 10 points each. As a two time state champion in track, Sippy also broke two school records. Sippy finished in a time of 4:53.41 for the 1600 and 10:42.01 for the 3200. At the Big 8 Conference Championships, Sippy won both the mile and two-mile for the second year in a row.
As one of the three individual qualifiers on the girls side, Freshman Clare Hulick finished with a time of 2:21.94, good for 16th place. Hulick has high hopes for the years to come and hopes to carry this momentum into the cross country season. At the Big 8 Conference Championship, Hulick received 2nd place with a time of 2:23.01. Tina Hulick, formerly Tina Bennett. was the record holder at Craig in the 400 meters. C. Hulick’s talent and hard work were some of the many things Hulick says that she learned or acquired from her mother.
“She’s really found her niche in the 800,” said Distance Coach Mr. Miles.
“It’s a good experience...To get first in my heat is definitely one of my goals and to break 2:21...I always knew that I liked the 800,” said Individual State Qualifier Clare Hulick, who hopes to PR and qualify again in the 2019 track season.
Junior Amy Groshan finished 21st with a time of 25.92 against fierce competition. Groshan is close to the record which was set by Lesley Perry with a time of 25.5 in 1985.
The 4x400 meter relay finished with a time of 4:10.73, good for 22nd place. The relay consisted of Amy Groshan, Rileigh Elgas, Ellie Lorenz, and Grace Meister.
“We’re just hoping to have a good time and perform to the best of our abilities,” said Sophomore Ellie Lorenz.
“I love the team so much. They’ve kinda become my family,” said Junior Grace Meister.
This year, the middle distance group has focused on speed work, whereas the longer distance group has focused on aerboic strengthing, which has been a factor that contributed to their success.
“To really be your best at those races really requires you to be strong in different areas, so the 400-800 kids needed more speedwork than the milers and two milers. The milers and two milers need more aerobic capacity than the 400-800 runners,” said Distance Coach Brandon Miles.
On the boys side, Craig sent 16 athletes from three relays and four individual events. The main highlight was Trevion Moore’s preliminary run that got him into the finals. All of the athletes who were placed into the WIAA Sectional Meet advanced to the WIAA State Meet.
Regarding the number of athletes and the variety of events, Boys Head Coach Jeff Deninger said, “I think it shows a pretty even mix between distance and our sprint groups. It shows that we’re well-rounded as far as events go in track and field...that’s a positive sign for track at Craig High School.”
The 4x800 meter relay consisting of Blake McCann, Matt Dillon, Zander Arena, and Aaron Leverson finished in a time of 8:17.56, good for 17th place.
“I’m super excited, should be a lot of fun, and hopefully we can PR as a team,” said Captain and Senior Blake McCann on his pre-race thoughts.
Trevion Moore (JR) qualified from the boy’s team as one of four individuals. Moore qualified in the 110H. At state, Moore advanced to the finals with a time of 14.66. On Saturday, Moore finished 10th, being only one of two juniors in the finals. At the Big 8 Conference Championships, Moore received 1st place with a time of 14.63.
“Trevion Moore is killing it in the hurdles...he’s one of the top hurdlers in the state with the times that he’s running,” commented Head Coach Brad Troeger.
“Not going last year when all of my friends went really pushed me to go harder,” commented Trevion Moore on the difference between this year and last year.
Senior and Captain Alijah Jones qualified for state as an individual in the 100 meters. Running a time of 11.25, Jones placed 21st and failed to advance to the finals. In the previous track season, Jones advanced as an individual in the 200 meter dash.
“Going to state last year definitely motivated me this year to work harder and to see if I could make it again,” commented Senior and Captain Alijah Jones.
The 4x200 meter relay including Trevion Moore, Orion Mitchell, Gabe Rubine, and Alijah Jones ran a time of 1:30.05, placing 15th and failing to advance to the finals. At the Big 8 Conference Championships, the 4x200 meter relay won with a time of 1:31.53.
The 4x200 meter relay was put together at the end of the season, making their debut at the Big 8 Conference Championships. With just two meets to practice, the 4x200 exceeded all expectations, punching their ticket to the state track meet.
The 4x100 meter relay including Trevion Moore, Orion Mitchell, Gabe Rubine, and Alijah Jones ran a time of 43.28, placing 16th in the prelims. At the Big 8 Conference Championships, the 4x100 meter relay ran 43.71, winning the race by .01.
Junior Aaron Leverson qualified as an individual in the 800 meters. Leverson placed 17th with a time of 1:59.72 with an impressive sub-2 performance.
Freshman Brian Bloomquist qualified as an individual in the 3200 meter run, placing first in the sectional with a PR of 9:41. Bloomquist placed 16th with a time of 9:44.44. Bloomquist was the only freshman in any Division 1 sectional that advanced to state in the 3200 meters.
“He’s the only boy in the field...it’s hard as a boy to make state as a freshman, it’s incredibly difficult, so he ran an awesome race,” commented Distance Coach Mr. Miles.
Regardless of the individual who advanced to the WIAA State Track Meet, all athletes from Craig who advanced can be characterized by their hardwork and dedication to the sport.
“We had a small team, but the kids that we did have really worked hard and we got a lot of kids through,” said Head Girls Track Coach, Brad Troeger.