There is no doubt that by the success of several area runners, the Green and Lafayette County areas are blessed with some of the state's premier long distance runners. The success of local track and cross country runners in the last year is impressive. This is a snapshot of their journey and the second part of the Times top 10 sports stories of the year in no particular order or rank.
Monroe boys track wins 2 state titles, sets 2 records
The tradition of the Monroe boys 3,200-meter relay team continues to grow after the Cheesemakers won the WIAA Division 2 state title with a record-breaking time.
The Cheesemakers' 3,200 relay team of Steve Christiansen, Alex Barenklau, Matt Bush and Ethan Moehn won the race with a time of 7 minutes, 50.13 seconds. The mark eclipsed the previous record set by Grafton in 2005. Moehn won the 800-meter title at the WIAA Division 2 state track and field championships with a state-record time of 1:54.
Moehn outdistanced Brown Deer's Jake Schimenz, last year's state champion (1:55.34), by more than 1.3 seconds, and Sugar River senior Wesley Morgan was third (1:55.36).
Even though the Cheesemakers set a Division 2 state record in the 3,200 relay, it's still not a school record. The school record in the 3,200 relay (7:42.91) was set in 2007 and stood as the Division 1 state record until Brookfield Central won the title (7:40.09) moments after Monroe's championship.
Raiders win Div. 2 state track title
New Glarus' Ryan McCoy shook off the memory of a wobbly finish in the 1,600 meters to win a state title in the 3,200-meter run to help Sugar River clinch the WIAA Division 2 state track and field team championship. It was the first state title for Sugar River since 1996.
Dodgeville-Mineral Point had a four-point lead on the Raiders heading into the 3,200. Dodge-Point had Trevor Wunnicke (seeded fourth) and Brett Hottman (seeded fifth). McCoy built a lead on his sixth lap to finish the race with a time of 9 minutes, 23.62 seconds, which was well ahead of Madison Edgewood's Joe McKenna, who took second (9:27.79).
Sugar River sophomore Garrison Woods put the Raiders in good position after taking second in the triple jump (45 feet, 5 3/4 inches). Sugar River's Jon Beckman took third in the 110 high hurdles (15.03) and McCoy teamed with Riley Miller, Josh Stern and Wesley Morgan to take fifth in the 3,200 relay. The Raiders had five individuals at state in six events and the 3,200 relay team. The Raiders scored in six of the seven events they competed in at state.
Sugar River track coach Dan Schettler was also selected by the Wisconsin Track and Field Coaches Association as the recipient of the 2011-12 NFHS Coaches Association Boys Track and Field Coach of the Year Award for Wisconsin.
Miehe, Redbirds, McCoy repeat as state champs
The Darlington boys cross country team had five of the top 16 runners in the team scoring and repeated as Division 3 state champions 50-99 over Boscobel. The Darlington girls, who were looking to bring home the first girls state championship in the school's history, finished as the state runner-up, 110-108 to Spring Valley.
Darlington junior Tyson Miehe repeated as the state champion with a time of 15:51.94 seconds in the 5,000-meter run. Senior Quinn Cullen finished eighth (16:58.89) and senior Garth Garrison took 10th (17:03.80).
n New Glarus-Monticello senior Ryan McCoy closed out a stellar prep career by repeating as a the WIAA Division 2 state champion with a state record time of 15:28.30. McCoy finished ahead of state runner-up Michael Christianson of La Crosse Aquinas and Dodgeville-Mineral Point's Trevor Wunnicke.
n Monroe finished fourth at state as a team with 147 points. Shorewood edged Freedom 80-90 for the state title. Four of the Cheesemakers' seven runners set a personal record time. Monroe junior Jake Hirsbrunner finished 11th (16:26.29) to lead the Cheesemakers. Hirsbrunner, who made the switch from football to cross country, set a new PR with his time at state. Monroe junior Ethan Moehn took 21st (16:40.34) and senior Steve Christiansen was 29th (16:46.6). Moehn, who missed most of the season with a stress fracture in his foot, ran two seconds faster at state this year than he did last year.
Monroe softball brings home silver
Monroe's Becca Armstrong tossed a four-hit shutout, and the Cheesemakers (22-8) got some timely hits and took advantage of a Richland Center error to knock off the Hornets 3-0 in a WIAA Division 2 Portage sectional championship game. With the win - their 15th in a row - Monroe advanced to the state tournament for the second straight year and sixth time in the last 10 years.
The Cheesemakers lost 7-0 to No. 1 ranked Baldwin-Woodville in the state title game and earned the silver trophy.
"We had a tremendous run there with the 15 wins in a row," Monroe coach Dale Buvid said at the time. "It's tough to lose the last one and you'd like to have your (state championship) picture on the wall in the school. But at the same time, 114 teams started (the Division 2 tournament), and we finished second. That's not too bad."
Colden, Klopfenstein capture medals
MADISON - Brodhead-Juda junior Hunter Colden finished fourth and Monroe's Kevin Klopfenstein took sixth at the WIAA Division 2 state wrestling tournament at the Kohl Center. It marked the first state medals for Colden and Klopfenstein. Colden is the first three-time state qualifier in the history of the Brodhead-Juda program.
Klopfenstein (38-13) at 132 pounds lost a controversial fifth place match to Sparta senior Derek VonRuden, 2-1. Klopfenstein scored on an escape in the second period and had a 1-0 lead heading into the third period. Klopfenstein got called for stalling twice in the third period, consequently awarding VonRuden with a point, and VonRuden escaped with about 10 seconds left to break the tie and defeat Klopfenstein 2-1.
Colden (43-5) finished fourth at 170. He lost a third place match 9-1 to Bloomer-Cofax senior Levi Nayes. Colden was in a position to wrestle for third place after hanging on and defeating Saint Croix Falls senior Jake Radamacher 6-5 in a wrestleback. He had a 3-2 lead going into the third period. He scored on a reversal and near fall and was able to hang on.
Monroe boys track wins 2 state titles, sets 2 records
The tradition of the Monroe boys 3,200-meter relay team continues to grow after the Cheesemakers won the WIAA Division 2 state title with a record-breaking time.
The Cheesemakers' 3,200 relay team of Steve Christiansen, Alex Barenklau, Matt Bush and Ethan Moehn won the race with a time of 7 minutes, 50.13 seconds. The mark eclipsed the previous record set by Grafton in 2005. Moehn won the 800-meter title at the WIAA Division 2 state track and field championships with a state-record time of 1:54.
Moehn outdistanced Brown Deer's Jake Schimenz, last year's state champion (1:55.34), by more than 1.3 seconds, and Sugar River senior Wesley Morgan was third (1:55.36).
Even though the Cheesemakers set a Division 2 state record in the 3,200 relay, it's still not a school record. The school record in the 3,200 relay (7:42.91) was set in 2007 and stood as the Division 1 state record until Brookfield Central won the title (7:40.09) moments after Monroe's championship.
Raiders win Div. 2 state track title
New Glarus' Ryan McCoy shook off the memory of a wobbly finish in the 1,600 meters to win a state title in the 3,200-meter run to help Sugar River clinch the WIAA Division 2 state track and field team championship. It was the first state title for Sugar River since 1996.
Dodgeville-Mineral Point had a four-point lead on the Raiders heading into the 3,200. Dodge-Point had Trevor Wunnicke (seeded fourth) and Brett Hottman (seeded fifth). McCoy built a lead on his sixth lap to finish the race with a time of 9 minutes, 23.62 seconds, which was well ahead of Madison Edgewood's Joe McKenna, who took second (9:27.79).
Sugar River sophomore Garrison Woods put the Raiders in good position after taking second in the triple jump (45 feet, 5 3/4 inches). Sugar River's Jon Beckman took third in the 110 high hurdles (15.03) and McCoy teamed with Riley Miller, Josh Stern and Wesley Morgan to take fifth in the 3,200 relay. The Raiders had five individuals at state in six events and the 3,200 relay team. The Raiders scored in six of the seven events they competed in at state.
Sugar River track coach Dan Schettler was also selected by the Wisconsin Track and Field Coaches Association as the recipient of the 2011-12 NFHS Coaches Association Boys Track and Field Coach of the Year Award for Wisconsin.
Miehe, Redbirds, McCoy repeat as state champs
The Darlington boys cross country team had five of the top 16 runners in the team scoring and repeated as Division 3 state champions 50-99 over Boscobel. The Darlington girls, who were looking to bring home the first girls state championship in the school's history, finished as the state runner-up, 110-108 to Spring Valley.
Darlington junior Tyson Miehe repeated as the state champion with a time of 15:51.94 seconds in the 5,000-meter run. Senior Quinn Cullen finished eighth (16:58.89) and senior Garth Garrison took 10th (17:03.80).
n New Glarus-Monticello senior Ryan McCoy closed out a stellar prep career by repeating as a the WIAA Division 2 state champion with a state record time of 15:28.30. McCoy finished ahead of state runner-up Michael Christianson of La Crosse Aquinas and Dodgeville-Mineral Point's Trevor Wunnicke.
n Monroe finished fourth at state as a team with 147 points. Shorewood edged Freedom 80-90 for the state title. Four of the Cheesemakers' seven runners set a personal record time. Monroe junior Jake Hirsbrunner finished 11th (16:26.29) to lead the Cheesemakers. Hirsbrunner, who made the switch from football to cross country, set a new PR with his time at state. Monroe junior Ethan Moehn took 21st (16:40.34) and senior Steve Christiansen was 29th (16:46.6). Moehn, who missed most of the season with a stress fracture in his foot, ran two seconds faster at state this year than he did last year.
Monroe softball brings home silver
Monroe's Becca Armstrong tossed a four-hit shutout, and the Cheesemakers (22-8) got some timely hits and took advantage of a Richland Center error to knock off the Hornets 3-0 in a WIAA Division 2 Portage sectional championship game. With the win - their 15th in a row - Monroe advanced to the state tournament for the second straight year and sixth time in the last 10 years.
The Cheesemakers lost 7-0 to No. 1 ranked Baldwin-Woodville in the state title game and earned the silver trophy.
"We had a tremendous run there with the 15 wins in a row," Monroe coach Dale Buvid said at the time. "It's tough to lose the last one and you'd like to have your (state championship) picture on the wall in the school. But at the same time, 114 teams started (the Division 2 tournament), and we finished second. That's not too bad."
Colden, Klopfenstein capture medals
MADISON - Brodhead-Juda junior Hunter Colden finished fourth and Monroe's Kevin Klopfenstein took sixth at the WIAA Division 2 state wrestling tournament at the Kohl Center. It marked the first state medals for Colden and Klopfenstein. Colden is the first three-time state qualifier in the history of the Brodhead-Juda program.
Klopfenstein (38-13) at 132 pounds lost a controversial fifth place match to Sparta senior Derek VonRuden, 2-1. Klopfenstein scored on an escape in the second period and had a 1-0 lead heading into the third period. Klopfenstein got called for stalling twice in the third period, consequently awarding VonRuden with a point, and VonRuden escaped with about 10 seconds left to break the tie and defeat Klopfenstein 2-1.
Colden (43-5) finished fourth at 170. He lost a third place match 9-1 to Bloomer-Cofax senior Levi Nayes. Colden was in a position to wrestle for third place after hanging on and defeating Saint Croix Falls senior Jake Radamacher 6-5 in a wrestleback. He had a 3-2 lead going into the third period. He scored on a reversal and near fall and was able to hang on.
