LA CROSSE - Monroe senior Thang Lu capped off his prep track and field career by taking fourth place in the 800-meter run at the WIAA Division 2 state track championships at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse's Veterans Memorial Stadium on Friday.
Lu was just 0.65 seconds away from winning a state championship. Berlin senior Jacob Caswell won the state title with a time of 1:55.29.
Lu's performance in the 800 was a season-best time.
"He (Lu) went out there and battled," Monroe boys track coach Scott Mosher said. "He ran a great race. It really was a tight race the whole race. He put himself in a position to win it. He's happy he got a medal. He has no regrets."
The Monroe boys track team won two medals on Friday. Senior teammate Mitch Keith tied for sixth in the pole vault. Keith cleared 13 feet to tie West Salem senior Noah Ready for sixth. Freedom senior Adam Schommer cleared 14 feet to win a state championship in the pole vault.
"He (Keith) came on strong at the end of the year," Mosher said. "A couple of weeks ago we didn't even know if he would qualify for state. To get a medal is quite an accomplishment. He deserves everything he is getting."
The Cheesemakers' 1,600 relay team of Alex Koller, Jason Koller, Cam Shaw and Dominick Curtiss finished 17th in the preliminaries (3:36.05) and did not make the finals.
"We were just surprised they made it to state and got one more race," Mosher said.
For Koller, Shaw and Curtiss it marked their first trips to state.
"To let them get this experience at state is really a great way to end their careers," Mosher said.
The Monroe boys 3,200 relay, which has the top qualifying time, will look to run to a gold medal today. It won't be easy with defending Division 2 state champion Lakeland Union back and last year's Division 1 state champion Wisconsin Lutheran in the Division 2 field this year.
"They are all excited because we have the guys who can be in the race," Mosher said. "All we can ask for is that we are in it at the end of the race. Thang is our last runner and hopefully he has a chance to win it for us."
Lu was just 0.65 seconds away from winning a state championship. Berlin senior Jacob Caswell won the state title with a time of 1:55.29.
Lu's performance in the 800 was a season-best time.
"He (Lu) went out there and battled," Monroe boys track coach Scott Mosher said. "He ran a great race. It really was a tight race the whole race. He put himself in a position to win it. He's happy he got a medal. He has no regrets."
The Monroe boys track team won two medals on Friday. Senior teammate Mitch Keith tied for sixth in the pole vault. Keith cleared 13 feet to tie West Salem senior Noah Ready for sixth. Freedom senior Adam Schommer cleared 14 feet to win a state championship in the pole vault.
"He (Keith) came on strong at the end of the year," Mosher said. "A couple of weeks ago we didn't even know if he would qualify for state. To get a medal is quite an accomplishment. He deserves everything he is getting."
The Cheesemakers' 1,600 relay team of Alex Koller, Jason Koller, Cam Shaw and Dominick Curtiss finished 17th in the preliminaries (3:36.05) and did not make the finals.
"We were just surprised they made it to state and got one more race," Mosher said.
For Koller, Shaw and Curtiss it marked their first trips to state.
"To let them get this experience at state is really a great way to end their careers," Mosher said.
The Monroe boys 3,200 relay, which has the top qualifying time, will look to run to a gold medal today. It won't be easy with defending Division 2 state champion Lakeland Union back and last year's Division 1 state champion Wisconsin Lutheran in the Division 2 field this year.
"They are all excited because we have the guys who can be in the race," Mosher said. "All we can ask for is that we are in it at the end of the race. Thang is our last runner and hopefully he has a chance to win it for us."
