MONROE - Therese Hughes had something to prove running the WIAA Division 2 Monroe sectional on her home course.
Hughes emerged as the Cheesemakers' No. 1 runner at Twining Park on Saturday. The Monroe sophomore took 23rd and finished the 4,000-meter race with a time of 16 minutes, 39 seconds.
"I just wanted to stay hydrated and it paid off," Hughes said. "I just wanted to show everyone that this was my home course."
Hughes said she just wanted to break 17 minutes.
"I wanted to break 17 minutes and wanted to be consistent," she said.
Dodgeville-Mineral Point (26 points) was the sectional champion and Madison Edgewood edged McFarland for the second state berth at 69-71. New Glarus-Monticello finished seventh (202) and Monroe took eighth (234) at the 17-team sectional on Saturday. There were no area girls runners who qualified for state.
Monroe coach Brian Jefferson was excited by Hughes' performance.
"Right from the get-go she put herself in position," Jefferson said. "She got out hard and ran really well. Even when she was getting tired that last half mile she just had this look and determination."
Jefferson said fifth or sixth place was a realistic goal in the Monroe sectional.
"If you make it out of this sectional you deserve it," he said. "The girls competed today. You could see the girls fighting through some pain. They didn't let it beat them."
Brodhead-Juda sophomore Morganne Goecks finished 28th with a time of (16:51) and New Glarus-Monticello junior Madeline Brunner took 29th (16:53).
"I knew it would take a lot of work to get into the top five," Brunner said of trying to qualify for state. "It just wasn't my day. I knew I would have to be under 16 minutes. I wasn't nervous coming in. I just went out and gave it all I could for today and it just wasn't enough."
Monroe sophomore Nicole Witt finished 42nd (17:27), and junior Abby Rogerson took 54th (17:47). Monroe freshman Kelley Baumann took 55th (17:47), and freshman Alyssa Dale was 60th (18:01).
"Unfortunately, Rogerson got off to a rough start," Jefferson said. "Nicole Witt stepped up and picked up some of the slack."
New Glarus-Monticello senior LouAnn Judd took 32nd (16:58), and sophomore Carly Duerst was 37th (17:03). Senior Amanda Kaiser finished 43rd (17:31), and junior Anna Cruse was 61st (18:02) to round out the top five for the Glarner Knights.
Brodhead-Juda finished 11th as a team, with sophomore Camilla Klar finishing 44th (17:31) and sophomore Jacque Conway finishing 78th (18:34). Fellow sophomores Meg Duffield and Katie Ryser finished 91st and 102nd respectively.
Hughes emerged as the Cheesemakers' No. 1 runner at Twining Park on Saturday. The Monroe sophomore took 23rd and finished the 4,000-meter race with a time of 16 minutes, 39 seconds.
"I just wanted to stay hydrated and it paid off," Hughes said. "I just wanted to show everyone that this was my home course."
Hughes said she just wanted to break 17 minutes.
"I wanted to break 17 minutes and wanted to be consistent," she said.
Dodgeville-Mineral Point (26 points) was the sectional champion and Madison Edgewood edged McFarland for the second state berth at 69-71. New Glarus-Monticello finished seventh (202) and Monroe took eighth (234) at the 17-team sectional on Saturday. There were no area girls runners who qualified for state.
Monroe coach Brian Jefferson was excited by Hughes' performance.
"Right from the get-go she put herself in position," Jefferson said. "She got out hard and ran really well. Even when she was getting tired that last half mile she just had this look and determination."
Jefferson said fifth or sixth place was a realistic goal in the Monroe sectional.
"If you make it out of this sectional you deserve it," he said. "The girls competed today. You could see the girls fighting through some pain. They didn't let it beat them."
Brodhead-Juda sophomore Morganne Goecks finished 28th with a time of (16:51) and New Glarus-Monticello junior Madeline Brunner took 29th (16:53).
"I knew it would take a lot of work to get into the top five," Brunner said of trying to qualify for state. "It just wasn't my day. I knew I would have to be under 16 minutes. I wasn't nervous coming in. I just went out and gave it all I could for today and it just wasn't enough."
Monroe sophomore Nicole Witt finished 42nd (17:27), and junior Abby Rogerson took 54th (17:47). Monroe freshman Kelley Baumann took 55th (17:47), and freshman Alyssa Dale was 60th (18:01).
"Unfortunately, Rogerson got off to a rough start," Jefferson said. "Nicole Witt stepped up and picked up some of the slack."
New Glarus-Monticello senior LouAnn Judd took 32nd (16:58), and sophomore Carly Duerst was 37th (17:03). Senior Amanda Kaiser finished 43rd (17:31), and junior Anna Cruse was 61st (18:02) to round out the top five for the Glarner Knights.
Brodhead-Juda finished 11th as a team, with sophomore Camilla Klar finishing 44th (17:31) and sophomore Jacque Conway finishing 78th (18:34). Fellow sophomores Meg Duffield and Katie Ryser finished 91st and 102nd respectively.
