BELLEVILLE - Brodhead-Juda junior Rachel Nolte soared to familiar heights in helping catapult the Cardinals to the title at the Sugar River track Quad Thursday night.
Nolte won the pole vault with a jump of 8 feet, 6 inches, which tied her school record she set last month at Whitewater.
Brodhead-Juda outdistanced Sugar River 122-95 for the team championship. Cardinals coach Ken Petersen knows that Nolte is capable of soaring even higher.
"I'm thinking she will push 10 feet by the end of the season," Petersen said. "I was hoping we would have a chance of winning. I was worried about our depth, but our depth came through today."
Despite missing several athletes who were at a Show Choir performance, including top distance runner Shannon Klein, the Cardinals didn't miss a beat. Brodhead senior Kristen Ruchti, a UW-Parkside basketball recruit, won the high jump in her first high school track meet. Ruchti edged Sugar River's Ashley Brusveen for first. Ruchti cleared 4-6 on her second jump and Brusveen made it on her third and final attempt.
"It's exciting," Ruchti said about winning the high jump in her first competition since the seventh grade. "It's all new."
Brodhead-Juda dominated both the discus and shot put. The Cardinals swept the top three spots in the discus, with Diana Baade taking first (86-8); Heather Clankie second (84-6), and Stephanie Baade third (78-9).
The Cardinals took the top two spots in the shot put, with Clankie (30-0) just edging out teammate Diana Baade (29-0) for the top spot.
Brodhead's Amanda Johnson won the 200 (:28.9) and was second in the long jump (14-5), which was one inch away from Albany senior Jordan Mauerman for the individual title.
Dayton Seichter won the 100-meter hurdles in 20.3 seconds and took second in the 300 hurdles (59.0).
The Cardinals' 400 relay team of Larissa Klemm, Celine Martin, Megan Wiesenberg and Nolte finished first with a time of 58.7. Pecatonica-Argyle's 800 relay team of Holly Vlasak, Alisha Esselstein, Elise Sigg and Cassie Welch finished first in 1:56.6, which was almost three seconds faster than runner-up Brodhead-Juda. The 1,600 relay team of Veronica Bartels, Johnson, Seichter and Ruchti finished second with a time of 5:07.03.
Sugar River senior Tarah Crary had an impressive meet in leading the Raiders to a second-place finish. Crary won the triple jump (30-1 1/2) and the 300 hurdles (:56.5), and finished third in the 100 hurdles (:20.9).
"It was a difficult day for jumping," Crary said. "Once you are running, you get over it and your body goes numb. You try your best under the conditions."
Crary said she bugged her coach about letting her compete in the 300 hurdles last year. She received her wish midway through last season, and said she likes that she has time to make up ground in the 300 hurdles.
"It's not just three steps between hurdles," she said, comparing it to the 100 hurdles.
Sugar River's Rachel Miller took first place in both the 400 (1:10.2) and the 3,200 (13 minutes, 57.8 seconds). Alex Walters added a second-place finish in the 1,600 for the Raiders.
Albany finished third and received a big boost from its long-distance relays, winning the 1,600 and 3,200 relays.
The 1,600 team of Nicolette Blumer, Courtney Pfeuti, Rosy Bauman and Jordan Mauerman won in 4:53.5, which was 14 seconds faster than the Cardinals.
Mauerman added a second-place finish in the triple jump (29-6). She just started the event this year, but her long jump experience has paid dividends.
"I was really nervous because I had never done it before," Mauerman said. "It's really challenging. It's more complicated than the long jump. It has a little more to it."
Mauerman said the key is getting her footwork down between her second and third steps.
"I have the concept down," she said.
Bauman teamed up with Jessica Mauerman, Tamiya Sandlin and Ingrid Kallgren to win the 3,200 relay in 11:22.9, smashing the Raiders' second-place time by almost 30 seconds.
Pecatonica-Argyle senior Elise Sigg won the 800 (2:41.7) ahead of Blumer. Freshman teammate Kendra Sigg won the 1,600 (5:59.5), which was about 19 seconds ahead of Bauman, who took second (6:18.8).
"She looked comfortable," Pecatonica-Argyle coach Pat Hardyman said. "The concern you have with a rookie runner is that they try to go out too fast. Her pacing was good. She is definitely following in the footsteps of her first cousin (Elise)."
Hardyman was excited about establishing some times with the first outdoor meet, but he was cautiously optimistic.
"I was really concerned and didn't want anyone to get hurt or pull a muscle. I told everyone, 'No one blows a gasket at this meet.'"
Nolte won the pole vault with a jump of 8 feet, 6 inches, which tied her school record she set last month at Whitewater.
Brodhead-Juda outdistanced Sugar River 122-95 for the team championship. Cardinals coach Ken Petersen knows that Nolte is capable of soaring even higher.
"I'm thinking she will push 10 feet by the end of the season," Petersen said. "I was hoping we would have a chance of winning. I was worried about our depth, but our depth came through today."
Despite missing several athletes who were at a Show Choir performance, including top distance runner Shannon Klein, the Cardinals didn't miss a beat. Brodhead senior Kristen Ruchti, a UW-Parkside basketball recruit, won the high jump in her first high school track meet. Ruchti edged Sugar River's Ashley Brusveen for first. Ruchti cleared 4-6 on her second jump and Brusveen made it on her third and final attempt.
"It's exciting," Ruchti said about winning the high jump in her first competition since the seventh grade. "It's all new."
Brodhead-Juda dominated both the discus and shot put. The Cardinals swept the top three spots in the discus, with Diana Baade taking first (86-8); Heather Clankie second (84-6), and Stephanie Baade third (78-9).
The Cardinals took the top two spots in the shot put, with Clankie (30-0) just edging out teammate Diana Baade (29-0) for the top spot.
Brodhead's Amanda Johnson won the 200 (:28.9) and was second in the long jump (14-5), which was one inch away from Albany senior Jordan Mauerman for the individual title.
Dayton Seichter won the 100-meter hurdles in 20.3 seconds and took second in the 300 hurdles (59.0).
The Cardinals' 400 relay team of Larissa Klemm, Celine Martin, Megan Wiesenberg and Nolte finished first with a time of 58.7. Pecatonica-Argyle's 800 relay team of Holly Vlasak, Alisha Esselstein, Elise Sigg and Cassie Welch finished first in 1:56.6, which was almost three seconds faster than runner-up Brodhead-Juda. The 1,600 relay team of Veronica Bartels, Johnson, Seichter and Ruchti finished second with a time of 5:07.03.
Sugar River senior Tarah Crary had an impressive meet in leading the Raiders to a second-place finish. Crary won the triple jump (30-1 1/2) and the 300 hurdles (:56.5), and finished third in the 100 hurdles (:20.9).
"It was a difficult day for jumping," Crary said. "Once you are running, you get over it and your body goes numb. You try your best under the conditions."
Crary said she bugged her coach about letting her compete in the 300 hurdles last year. She received her wish midway through last season, and said she likes that she has time to make up ground in the 300 hurdles.
"It's not just three steps between hurdles," she said, comparing it to the 100 hurdles.
Sugar River's Rachel Miller took first place in both the 400 (1:10.2) and the 3,200 (13 minutes, 57.8 seconds). Alex Walters added a second-place finish in the 1,600 for the Raiders.
Albany finished third and received a big boost from its long-distance relays, winning the 1,600 and 3,200 relays.
The 1,600 team of Nicolette Blumer, Courtney Pfeuti, Rosy Bauman and Jordan Mauerman won in 4:53.5, which was 14 seconds faster than the Cardinals.
Mauerman added a second-place finish in the triple jump (29-6). She just started the event this year, but her long jump experience has paid dividends.
"I was really nervous because I had never done it before," Mauerman said. "It's really challenging. It's more complicated than the long jump. It has a little more to it."
Mauerman said the key is getting her footwork down between her second and third steps.
"I have the concept down," she said.
Bauman teamed up with Jessica Mauerman, Tamiya Sandlin and Ingrid Kallgren to win the 3,200 relay in 11:22.9, smashing the Raiders' second-place time by almost 30 seconds.
Pecatonica-Argyle senior Elise Sigg won the 800 (2:41.7) ahead of Blumer. Freshman teammate Kendra Sigg won the 1,600 (5:59.5), which was about 19 seconds ahead of Bauman, who took second (6:18.8).
"She looked comfortable," Pecatonica-Argyle coach Pat Hardyman said. "The concern you have with a rookie runner is that they try to go out too fast. Her pacing was good. She is definitely following in the footsteps of her first cousin (Elise)."
Hardyman was excited about establishing some times with the first outdoor meet, but he was cautiously optimistic.
"I was really concerned and didn't want anyone to get hurt or pull a muscle. I told everyone, 'No one blows a gasket at this meet.'"
