MONROE — Going into the WIAA Division 2 Monroe Sectional, New Glarus-Monticello senior Melanie Fink and the rest of her team set their sights on second place — the last qualifying spot. Instead, the Knights earned the sectional title, winning the tiebreaker over Mount Horeb,

“We were shocked when we won because we were expecting to fight for the No. 2 slot,” Fink said. “It was an amazing team effort, as we had no girls in the top 10. Instead, we all ran together as a pack, which paid off.”

NGM and Mount Horeb, ranked No. 11 and 10 in the final Wisconsin Cross Country Coaches Association (WCCCA) poll, both finished with 83 points. The tiebreaker went to the sixth runner, where Emma Martinson (37) beat out Kayman Sutter (44).

Monroe girls, who were never ranked during the season, missed out on state by eight points. Their top runner, Mary McKenzie, was the third-highest finisher not on an advancing team, thus earning a spot at state.

Monroe boys finished the season ranked No. 14 but came in fourth behind three other ranked teams — Lakeside Lutheran (1), McFarland (10) and Edgewood (15). Tre Dammen, the team’s top runner, finished fourth overall to earn a spot at state.

Both McKenzie and Dammen ran at state last year, as both Monroe boys and girls qualified as teams.

“Tre had this as a goal all season long, while this became a goal for Mary later in the season once she realized she had a chance,” Monroe head coach Scott Mosher said. “Both got the opportunity to run at state last year, and neither will be happy just making it there this year, nor will they be intimidated by the race. I’m expecting great races and think they both have the potential to place well and even run PRs on the difficult state meet course.”

Brodhead-Juda’s Kalena Riemer also qualified as an individual — her second time in as many years. 

“Kalena ran a tough race to earn her back-to-back state trip,” Brodhead-Juda head coach Curt Gratz said. “She had to work hard the last mile to put herself in position. I was impressed with her will and determination to not give up and fight back into position to make it on.”

In the Division 3 Poynette Sectional, Darlington girls also made some noise as runners-up to Lancaster. 

“Each girl down the line was focused on where they needed to be during the race and made the necessary moves to keep us in the mix,” Darlington head coach Kent Miehe said. “Their hard work and togetherness truly earned them that chance to run at State next weekend.”

The Lady Redbirds and Flying Arrows are ranked No. 1 and 2, respectively.

Belleville’s Carter Scholey also qualified for state. As a sophomore, Scholey, took eighth and last year, he took third overall.

Continuing tradition

Despite being in different divisions and 34 miles apart, New Glarus-Monticello and Darlington have more in common than one would think. Both programs are led by first-year head coaches after their previous WCCA Hall of Fame coaches retired.

Steve Wehrley coached NGM for 35 years and sent 11 girls teams to state, most recently in 2021. That team had five runners on the current team — Fink, Martinson, Camryn Arnett, Lily Maynard and Lucy Melvin. Now, the Lady Knights are under the direction of Dennis Haak, who was a four-time state qualifier himself.

Arnie Miehe, Kent’s father, coached Darlington for 41 years and sent 16 girls teams to state, most recently in 2019. Last season was the first since 2003 that neither boys nor girls — not even an individual — qualified for state. The Lady Redbirds are back in action under Kent Miehe, who was a member of the 2011 boys state championship team. Senior Raquel Reuter is the only runner with state experience, having participated as a freshman and sophomore.

THE MEET

The 111th running of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Boys Cross Country Championships and the 50th Annual Girls Cross Country Championships will take place Saturday, Oct. 28, at The Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.

ADMISSION TICKETS

The WIAA uses GoFan Ticketing for all digital and cashless tickets. Admission is $9 plus online fees for adults and students. All tickets must be redeemed on a mobile device. To purchase tickets, visit the WIAA website at: https://gofan.co/app/school/WIAAWI?

activity=Cross%20Country.

NEED RESULTS?

The most efficient way to get results will be to access the WIAA website at: www.wiaawi.org and choose the cross country home page. In addition, PT Timing will be providing live updates from the course during the races. To access the updates, go to:  https://www.pttiming.com/results-current.php.