LA CROSSE - After just missing out on a medal in the high jump, Monroe sophomore Jordan Hirsbrunner had a race in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles for the record books.
Hirsbrunner finished eighth place in the high jump after clearing 5 feet, 2 inches on her second try Friday at the WIAA Division 2 state track championships at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse's Veterans Memorial Stadium. The fifth- and sixth-place state medal winners both cleared 5-2, but it came down to a tie-breaker on misses.
"It was pretty tough and kind of disappointing," Hirsbrunner said. "I'm not mad. It was a great opportunity to make it here. I'm really looking forward to the next couple of years."
Hirsbrunner bounced back from the high jump to qualify for the finals in the 300-meter hurdles to break a 32-year-old school record with a time of 45.68 seconds. The previous school record in the 300 hurdles was set by Kerry Brennan in 1983.
"I'm very excited and happy," Hirsbrunner said. "I knew there were a lot of great competitors. It's nice to break a 32-year-old record. I'm glad I did it at this meet."
Hirsbrunner is the seventh seed in the 300 hurdle finals today. She has a chance to medal as one of the top six finishers.
"There is always a possibility," she said of medaling. "I think if I can run the same time or better that would be a really good accomplishment."
Monroe girls track coach Matt Davis was excited to see Hirsbrunner's performance on the biggest stage.
"It's a good accomplishment," Davis said of Hirsbrunner's eighth-place finish in the high jump. "It was a game of misses. The state meet is a hard one to predict."
Brodhead-Juda freshman Cora Purdue took fifth place in the 800 (2:16.74) and junior teammate Taylor Bluemel finished sixth place in the 1,600 (5:09.92). With her performance in the 800, Purdue broke Brodhead-Juda's school record.
"She (Purdue) is extremely competitive," Brodhead-Juda girls track coach Ken Peterson said. "She wants to win every race. Her times continue to come down. She's the most competitive person we have."
Peterson wasn't surprised to see Bluemel medal in the 1,600.
"She went out very fast and we expected this," Peterson said of Bluemel medaling. "It wasn't a surprise."
Brodhead-Juda freshman Madee Harding ran the second-fastest time in the preliminaries in the 400 (58.07) to qualify for the finals. The Cardinals will also have their 3,200 relay team running in the finals today.
"She (Harding) is just learning how to run the race (400)," Peterson said. "She's discovering that she can go out hard and still have something left in the end."
Sugar River sophomore Krista Diaz finished fifth place in the preliminaries of the 100 hurdles (15.71) to qualify for the finals.
Brodhead-Juda senior Logan Maurer finished third place in the discus (165-5) and Sugar River junior Landon Zimmerman was fourth (161-3).
"I wasn't too upset," Maurer said. "I threw two feet further this year than I did last year when I won it. I wish I would have won gold, but things play out the way they play out."
Maurer enters the shot put finals today as the No. 5 seed, but he's looking to repeat as state champion.
"I definitely want to repeat in the shot put," Maurer said of the state title he won last year. "I like having the shot put on a different day because I get to regenerate my energy. I'm hoping to PR and throw 56 feet."
The Monroe boys 3,200 relay team of freshman Dylan Scace, junior Thang Lu, freshman Jonah Tostrud and senior Cody Faust finished 12th place (8:09.58).
Sugar River senior Colton Boley finished fourth place in the preliminaries of the 300 hurdles (39.93) to qualify for the finals. The Raiders' 400 relay team of Cade Martin, Nick Smith, Ryan Hayes and Brandon Shemanski took 11th in the preliminaries and just missed on qualifying for the finals by 0.2 seconds. The Raiders ran a time of 44.17, which was just short of earning one of the top 10 qualifying spots.
Division 3
The Darlington boys 3,200-meter relay team ran to a sixth-place finish. The Redbirds' 3,200 relay team of senior Thomas Schultz, junior Blake Cwynar, junior Jaden Komprood and senior Dane Siegenthaler took sixth with a time of 8 minutes, 15.63 seconds.
Darlington senior A.J. Coulthard took ninth place in the discus (140-8). Albany senior Brennan Bloedel finished 11th place in the 3,200 run (10:10.47).
Darlington's 800 relay team of Trevor Johnson, Jared Meister, Kade Carey and Jason Singer took fifth place in the preliminaries to qualify for the finals.
Monticello junior Drew Yaun took 10th place in the preliminaries of the 400 (51.96) to qualify for the finals.
Pecatonica-Argyle sophomore Josie Penniston finished first place in the preliminaries of the 400 (58.51) to qualify for the finals.
Penniston took 12th in the preliminaries of the 100 (13.07 and didn't qualify for the finals.
Darlington senior Johanna Meister finished eighth place in the 800 run (2:22.59). Meister teamed with Meghan Douglas, Paige Schilling and Carly Langkamp to take 10th place in the preliminaries of the 1,600 relay (4:17.64) to qualify for the finals. The Redbirds and Albany also will have 3,200 relay teams in the finals today.
Hirsbrunner finished eighth place in the high jump after clearing 5 feet, 2 inches on her second try Friday at the WIAA Division 2 state track championships at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse's Veterans Memorial Stadium. The fifth- and sixth-place state medal winners both cleared 5-2, but it came down to a tie-breaker on misses.
"It was pretty tough and kind of disappointing," Hirsbrunner said. "I'm not mad. It was a great opportunity to make it here. I'm really looking forward to the next couple of years."
Hirsbrunner bounced back from the high jump to qualify for the finals in the 300-meter hurdles to break a 32-year-old school record with a time of 45.68 seconds. The previous school record in the 300 hurdles was set by Kerry Brennan in 1983.
"I'm very excited and happy," Hirsbrunner said. "I knew there were a lot of great competitors. It's nice to break a 32-year-old record. I'm glad I did it at this meet."
Hirsbrunner is the seventh seed in the 300 hurdle finals today. She has a chance to medal as one of the top six finishers.
"There is always a possibility," she said of medaling. "I think if I can run the same time or better that would be a really good accomplishment."
Monroe girls track coach Matt Davis was excited to see Hirsbrunner's performance on the biggest stage.
"It's a good accomplishment," Davis said of Hirsbrunner's eighth-place finish in the high jump. "It was a game of misses. The state meet is a hard one to predict."
Brodhead-Juda freshman Cora Purdue took fifth place in the 800 (2:16.74) and junior teammate Taylor Bluemel finished sixth place in the 1,600 (5:09.92). With her performance in the 800, Purdue broke Brodhead-Juda's school record.
"She (Purdue) is extremely competitive," Brodhead-Juda girls track coach Ken Peterson said. "She wants to win every race. Her times continue to come down. She's the most competitive person we have."
Peterson wasn't surprised to see Bluemel medal in the 1,600.
"She went out very fast and we expected this," Peterson said of Bluemel medaling. "It wasn't a surprise."
Brodhead-Juda freshman Madee Harding ran the second-fastest time in the preliminaries in the 400 (58.07) to qualify for the finals. The Cardinals will also have their 3,200 relay team running in the finals today.
"She (Harding) is just learning how to run the race (400)," Peterson said. "She's discovering that she can go out hard and still have something left in the end."
Sugar River sophomore Krista Diaz finished fifth place in the preliminaries of the 100 hurdles (15.71) to qualify for the finals.
Brodhead-Juda senior Logan Maurer finished third place in the discus (165-5) and Sugar River junior Landon Zimmerman was fourth (161-3).
"I wasn't too upset," Maurer said. "I threw two feet further this year than I did last year when I won it. I wish I would have won gold, but things play out the way they play out."
Maurer enters the shot put finals today as the No. 5 seed, but he's looking to repeat as state champion.
"I definitely want to repeat in the shot put," Maurer said of the state title he won last year. "I like having the shot put on a different day because I get to regenerate my energy. I'm hoping to PR and throw 56 feet."
The Monroe boys 3,200 relay team of freshman Dylan Scace, junior Thang Lu, freshman Jonah Tostrud and senior Cody Faust finished 12th place (8:09.58).
Sugar River senior Colton Boley finished fourth place in the preliminaries of the 300 hurdles (39.93) to qualify for the finals. The Raiders' 400 relay team of Cade Martin, Nick Smith, Ryan Hayes and Brandon Shemanski took 11th in the preliminaries and just missed on qualifying for the finals by 0.2 seconds. The Raiders ran a time of 44.17, which was just short of earning one of the top 10 qualifying spots.
Division 3
The Darlington boys 3,200-meter relay team ran to a sixth-place finish. The Redbirds' 3,200 relay team of senior Thomas Schultz, junior Blake Cwynar, junior Jaden Komprood and senior Dane Siegenthaler took sixth with a time of 8 minutes, 15.63 seconds.
Darlington senior A.J. Coulthard took ninth place in the discus (140-8). Albany senior Brennan Bloedel finished 11th place in the 3,200 run (10:10.47).
Darlington's 800 relay team of Trevor Johnson, Jared Meister, Kade Carey and Jason Singer took fifth place in the preliminaries to qualify for the finals.
Monticello junior Drew Yaun took 10th place in the preliminaries of the 400 (51.96) to qualify for the finals.
Pecatonica-Argyle sophomore Josie Penniston finished first place in the preliminaries of the 400 (58.51) to qualify for the finals.
Penniston took 12th in the preliminaries of the 100 (13.07 and didn't qualify for the finals.
Darlington senior Johanna Meister finished eighth place in the 800 run (2:22.59). Meister teamed with Meghan Douglas, Paige Schilling and Carly Langkamp to take 10th place in the preliminaries of the 1,600 relay (4:17.64) to qualify for the finals. The Redbirds and Albany also will have 3,200 relay teams in the finals today.
