MONROE — The Lady Cheesemakers have set their sights high this season. Nine letterwinners return, with seven qualifying for sectionals in 2021. Also back are last year’s pole vaulters, which finished with the best and second-best numbers for freshmen in program history.
“We should compete to be in the top half of conference this season,” coach Eric Jubeck said. “A main goal is to win our fifth consecutive regional championship. With our depth, we will work hard to get a relay or two back to La Crosse this year.”
Aleigh Zettle and Sophie McGuire made strong first impressions a year ago in the pole vault. Zettle also went on to post the second fastest 200-meter run for a freshman in school history, plus had a second-place finish in the conference meet and narrowly missed qualifying for state — all while recording a team-high 181.5 points.
Bre Lambert, now a senior, scored 121 points as a junior and was a state qualifier, posting the 8th-fastest 400-meter run in school history. Other top returners include juniors Taylor Jacobson, Brenna Aebly, Lauren Coppes; seniors Sierra McGuire, Alyssa Roelli and Kaylea Paulson; and sophomore Jadyn Elgin, who fell just short of state in distance. Roelli signed her National Letter of Intent to run track for Elmhurst University in Illinois.
“We will have better depth this year than last season. The girls have been working hard in the offseason and are ready to compete. For most events, we look to have more than one athlete capable of scoring points,” Jubeck said.
The hardest hit area for the Cheesemakers will be in the throwing department. In each of the last two years Monroe has graduated a top-end Badger Conference and state-caliber thrower — Chloe Bunker (2020) and Riley Hartwig (2021).
“This will be the first season in 5 seasons without an elite thrower,” Jubeck said. “There are several throwers in the mix to give us points, and this competition will be vital for our success.”
Jubeck said that Edgewood is the team to beat in the conference, as the Crusaders won it in 2021 and return “pretty much everybody”, though Jubeck alluded to the conference race being more open than closed.
“Mount Horeb had a nice season last year and return a lot. Oregon’s size and program are always tough. Our tradition and talent always make us a tough team to beat at the conference meet,” Jubeck said.
