LA CROSSE - New track, better field.
That was Pecatonica senior Elise Sigg's reaction Friday after finishing fifth in the 1,600-meter run in the WIAA Division 3 state track meet. After finishing third in the event last year, Sigg's final 1,600 race came on the new track at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse's Veterans Memorial Sports Complex.
Sigg certainly ran well enough. Her time of 5 minutes, 11.64 seconds broke the Pecatonica-Argyle school record she set last year at state.
"I was aiming for that (record). You just feel like you're flying," Sigg said of running on the new track.
Still, her record time didn't translate into a better placing this year.
"Last year I got third and this year I got fifth, but ran a faster time," said the UW-Milwaukee recruit. "That just goes to show you how much better the field is this year."
Elise's cousin, freshman teammate Kendra Sigg, finished ninth in the 1,600 (5:28.48), her first race at state. Monticello junior Kelsey Bernet finished 15th in the same race with a time of 5:41.19.
"It's just so exciting to have her running with me," Elise said.
The Black Hawk girls 400 relay team of Katie Place, Rachel Rygh, Savannah Ernzen and Hailey Meier finished fourth in the preliminaries with a time of 51.6 seconds to qualify for today's finals.
Meier qualified for the finals by taking sixth in the 400 prelims (1:00.93), but failed to qualifying in the 100 after posting a time of 13.23 seconds.
Albany senior Devan Brugger took ninth in the 100 hurdles (:16.74) to qualify for the finals.
Darlington qualified for the finals in both the 800 and 1,600 relays.
The Redbirds' 800 relay team of Lisa Kreidler, Kayla Lange, Kelsi Blosch and Hannah Huffman finished eighth in the prelims with a time of 1:50.37.
Huffman teamed with Lange, Blosch and Olivia Wedig to take fifth in the prelims of the 1,600 with a time of 4:11.14.
The Redbirds' 400 relay team of Kara Krahenbuhl, Blosch, Chayse Hermanson and Huffman took 15th in the prelims and failed to qualify.
Notes: Darlington and Albany girls will run in the finals of the 3,200 relay today. ... Black Hawk junior Katie Place competes today in the triple jump and Darlington's Kara Krahenbuhl will compete in the pole vault. ... Four Division 3 girls state records were broken or tied Friday. Iola junior Rachel Melum tied a Division 3 state record in the high jump by clearing 5 feet, 9 inches to win a state title. ... Florence senior Aileen Lemanski set a new Division 3 record in the long jump with a leap of 18-6, breaking the record she set last year at state. ... In the 100 dash prelims, Whitehall's Chelsey Simon tied a state record (:12.20) which was set by Marathon's Linda Gassner in 1986. ... Newman Catholic broke a 24-year-old state record in the prelims of the 400 relay (:50.44). ... Niagara senior Jamie Vandenberg repeated as the state champion. Vandenberg set the state record last year (2:13.29).
That was Pecatonica senior Elise Sigg's reaction Friday after finishing fifth in the 1,600-meter run in the WIAA Division 3 state track meet. After finishing third in the event last year, Sigg's final 1,600 race came on the new track at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse's Veterans Memorial Sports Complex.
Sigg certainly ran well enough. Her time of 5 minutes, 11.64 seconds broke the Pecatonica-Argyle school record she set last year at state.
"I was aiming for that (record). You just feel like you're flying," Sigg said of running on the new track.
Still, her record time didn't translate into a better placing this year.
"Last year I got third and this year I got fifth, but ran a faster time," said the UW-Milwaukee recruit. "That just goes to show you how much better the field is this year."
Elise's cousin, freshman teammate Kendra Sigg, finished ninth in the 1,600 (5:28.48), her first race at state. Monticello junior Kelsey Bernet finished 15th in the same race with a time of 5:41.19.
"It's just so exciting to have her running with me," Elise said.
The Black Hawk girls 400 relay team of Katie Place, Rachel Rygh, Savannah Ernzen and Hailey Meier finished fourth in the preliminaries with a time of 51.6 seconds to qualify for today's finals.
Meier qualified for the finals by taking sixth in the 400 prelims (1:00.93), but failed to qualifying in the 100 after posting a time of 13.23 seconds.
Albany senior Devan Brugger took ninth in the 100 hurdles (:16.74) to qualify for the finals.
Darlington qualified for the finals in both the 800 and 1,600 relays.
The Redbirds' 800 relay team of Lisa Kreidler, Kayla Lange, Kelsi Blosch and Hannah Huffman finished eighth in the prelims with a time of 1:50.37.
Huffman teamed with Lange, Blosch and Olivia Wedig to take fifth in the prelims of the 1,600 with a time of 4:11.14.
The Redbirds' 400 relay team of Kara Krahenbuhl, Blosch, Chayse Hermanson and Huffman took 15th in the prelims and failed to qualify.
Notes: Darlington and Albany girls will run in the finals of the 3,200 relay today. ... Black Hawk junior Katie Place competes today in the triple jump and Darlington's Kara Krahenbuhl will compete in the pole vault. ... Four Division 3 girls state records were broken or tied Friday. Iola junior Rachel Melum tied a Division 3 state record in the high jump by clearing 5 feet, 9 inches to win a state title. ... Florence senior Aileen Lemanski set a new Division 3 record in the long jump with a leap of 18-6, breaking the record she set last year at state. ... In the 100 dash prelims, Whitehall's Chelsey Simon tied a state record (:12.20) which was set by Marathon's Linda Gassner in 1986. ... Newman Catholic broke a 24-year-old state record in the prelims of the 400 relay (:50.44). ... Niagara senior Jamie Vandenberg repeated as the state champion. Vandenberg set the state record last year (2:13.29).
