WISCONSIN RAPIDS — Prior to the WIAA state cross country meet on Saturday, Oct. 28, three-time state qualifier Carter Scholey knew not to put any added pressure on himself. Rather, he would be grateful for the opportunity to represent Belleville once again.

“I’m just super grateful for the opportunity. Most people don’t get to do this at all,” Scholey said. “Going into the week, I tried not to stress myself out because if you put pressure on yourself, you’re going to come out here and race poorly.”

The senior finished third for the second straight season, passing three runners in the last mile. He finished with a time of 16:04.3, which was 16 seconds faster than his time a season ago.

Scholey was one of three local runners to make the podium, including Monroe’s Tre Dammen and Darlington’s Adalee Berget — both sophomores.

Dammen came back to the course prepared, using his experience from last year. In 2022, the entire Monroe boys team qualified for state after its sectional championship. 

“I knew the course this year, so I know what I had to do,” Dammen said. “It just felt weird warming up without the team. Otherwise, it felt the same. You just have to stick to a strict routine.”

Dammen steadily moved up the ranks each mile, from 12th to 11th, finishing 10th to nab the final spot on the podium in the Division 2 boys race. In the process, Dammen set a PR of 16:20.9, which was over a minute faster than his state time a year ago.

“I was more than thrilled with my finish,” Dammen said. “My goal was top 20 and I got tenth. I’m happy.”

The final runner on the podium was Darlington’s top runner, Berget. Last season, Berget ran the Division 3 Albany sectional with a bummed ankle and missed out on the state meet. With better health, Berget won the Poynette sectional and had a strong chance of making the top 10, according to the WIAA preview.

Berget remained outside of the top 10 for the first two miles before passing four runners to finish ninth. She paced the Darlington girls team, who took third in a tiebreaker.

“It was super rewarding to make it to state this year, especially as a team,” Berget said. “Getting on the podium was a very satisfying experience after not even making it to state last year, and it really showed me that hard work does pay off.”

Raquel Reuter, the only Redbird on the team with state experience, missed out on the podium by two spots. The senior improved upon her previous state time by over 10 seconds, though. The rest of the Darlington team filed in after.

Initially, Darlington and Phillips tied with 138 points. In the tiebreaker, though, Phillips’ sixth runner, Caitlin Pesko, beat Darlington’s sixth runner, Shayla Gould. Although the Redbirds missed out on taking home hardware, it was the best team finish since its title in 2016.

“The tiebreaker was a heartbreaker, but when you start to dig deeper into the results, it’s amazing what our girls accomplished,” Darlington head coach Kent Miehe said. “They ran so unbelievably well. To race the way they did after not even making it in 2022 is a testament to the commitment they made to each other and to the team all season long.”

In the Division 2 girls race, New Glarus-Monticello finished 10th, as sophomore Molly Olson led with a time of 20:27.6. Following a Capitol South Conference championship and sectional title, seniors Lucy Melvin, Melanie Fink, Lily Maynard and Emma Martinson were happy to end their careers at the highest level. The quad had previously run at state in 2021.

“Running at state one final time was such a remarkable feeling,” Martinson said. “Over the last four years, the seniors on this team have endured tough races and earned championships. Running one final time, at the peak of high school cross country, put the cherry on top of the perfect end to it all.”

Melvin had arguably one of the best endings, as she was the team’s second runner in the last two races. During the regular season, Melvin was near the back of the pack nearing the 22-minute mark. On Saturday, she completed the race with a time of 21:14.6.

“I have had an absolutely amazing support system throughout my whole cross country experience,” Melvin said. “For me, staying strong in my head throughout the race has always been my biggest battle. I think what allowed me to do my best in our postseason was focusing on my mindset and trusting all our training.”

Brodhead-Juda’s Kalena Riemer also ended her decorated cross country career at the state meet. The senior not only met her season goal of a 20:30 5K, but she also set a PR of 20:00.4. Just a week prior in the Division 2 Monroe sectional, Riemer ran a 20:51.1.

“Kalena ran an outstanding race for herself to cap off an excellent career, ending on a monster PR,” Brodhead-Juda head coach Curt Gratz said. “On the way up, she decided she wanted her goal to be just to race with max effort and whatever time that was she would be happy with. I really think that was a key for her unlimiting herself and achieving what she did.”

Monroe’s Mary McKenzie nearly set a PR, too, finishing four seconds shy of her best time. Despite missing the mark, McKenzie shaved off 70 seconds from her state time a year ago.

McKenzie, along with Dammen and Berget get another two years to return to state. The experience is one they will use to their advantage in the coming seasons. 

“This experience has given me a new type of confidence that I will be able to apply to my next two cross country seasons,” Berget said. “It also showed me that I need to continue making goals and keep working hard.”