WISCONSIN RAPIDS — Entering the 112th annual WIAA boys state cross country meet on Saturday, Nov. 2, Monroe head coach Scott Mosher and his team had high hopes. The Hounds, ranked No. 6 in Week 8 of the Wisconsin Cross Country Coaches Association Poll and No. 2 headed into the meet, finished fifth overall with 182 points.
“We said all year long that we were a top-5 team, so to end up fifth, we were thrilled,” Mosher said. “You go in with the expectation of first or second. You have to aim that high. You get a little disappointed when it doesn’t happen, but to be in the top five is very cool. The guys worked really hard.”
Junior Tre Dammen, a three-time state participant, led the pack with his third-place finish (15:52.9). As a freshman in 2022, Dammen was a member of the state-qualifying team that finished 15th. That season, Dammen ran the course in 17:34.3. The following year as an individual qualifier, Dammen made the podium with a 16:20.9 time.
With his state cross country experience — combined with his recent trip to the state track meet this spring — Dammen knew what to expect and where to make his moves.
“A kilometer out I really tried to push,” Dammen said. “I knew all the hills were going to hurt, and everyone else was going to be hurting, too.”
In the first mile, with a slight dip in elevation, Dammen positioned himself in the top 10. By the second mile, he had moved up to sixth. Even with the most drastic elevation changes in the last mile, Dammen steadily moved up. In the home stretch, he made a move to lead the pack. But Whitewater’s Jack Hefty still had enough left in his tank to surpass Dammen for first.
“‘If you can stay close, use your instinct when to go,’” Mosher told Dammen. “With 500 or 600 left, he made a move and was ahead of everybody. Jack Hefty from Whitewater, who he sees all the time, won state in the mile. He knew he’d have to do something to beat him early. He tried.”
The battle between Hefty and Dammen has been long-standing. In the 2022 state cross country meet, Hefty (17:08.2; 30th) finished ahead of Dammen (17:34.3, 54th). Last season at state, Dammen (16:20.9; 10th) beat Hefty (16:28.7; 13th). At the 2024 spring state track meet, Hefty won the 1,600-meter run (4:13.00), where Dammen took eighth (4:24.67).
Dammen was one of three Monroe male runners that had state experience. Seniors Padriac Houston and Kylan Ditsworth were also members of the 2022 state team. For everyone else — Lukas Gerber, Kamrin Gerber-Reamer, Weston Huntsman and Brady Keehn — it was their first time running the route at Ridges Golf Course.
“The state course is so tough,” Mosher said. “It’s a different race, even with all the fans. You have to experience it to really be ready for it. Four guys ran it for the first time, so it gives them experience to hopefully come back next year.”
Mary McKenzie represented Monroe girls in the 50th annual girls cross country meet. Like Dammen, it was her third trip to the state cross country meet — twice as an individual and once with the 2022 team. As a freshman, McKenzie ran the course in 21:08.8, finishing 67th overall. Last season, she shaved off nearly a minute for a 20:18.4.
“It definitely helped me to know the course better and know where I should place,” McKenzie said of her previous experience. “You really want to keep fighting up the hills and hope that no one passes you and hope you can keep up with the girls you were with. If someone passes you, you have to try and pass them on the downhill.”
Taking place at the Ridges Golf Course, where elevation changes challenge golfers, the state cross country meet also tests runners. Beginning at 1,020 feet elevation, the route dips as low as 980 feet and reaches heights of nearly 1,030 feet — a difference of 50 feet. That’s like running up five flights of stairs.
Even though McKenzie finished with a slower time than the 2023 season (20:24.6; 51st), she was proud of her performance. Combined with breaking the school’s record, McKenzie chalks the 2024 season up to a success.
“I was really happy with today’s performance because I’ve been slower all season long,” McKenzie said. “Coming really close to where I was last year and being in the top third of the state in the race is a pretty cool accomplishment.”
Another female runner that made her second straight state meet appearance was New Glarus-Monticello’s Molly Olson. The Lady Knights qualified as a team last season, where Olson led the squad with a 20:27.6 time and 54th-place finish. This year, Olson ran a 20:54.2 for 76th.
