MONROE - Jim Ingold has been to the top of the mountain, winning WIAA state championships with the Monroe High School boys cross country team in 1973 and 1974.
Now, as a co-coach and father, he gets to motivate and cheer on his two sons, Parker and Drake, as they look to run for a state title.
Jim Ingold said there are about six teams that can contend for a state championship at the WIAA Division 2 state meet Saturday at the Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids.
"If we all run like I know we can run we are in the mix to win state," Ingold said. "It's kind of a dream to have the season we have had and get the opportunity to coach my own boys. I'm sure for every coach who gets to coach his own kids it's an elation. I would like nothing more to see them do something special up there. I would like them to experience the success I did."
The Cheesemakers won the Class B state championship in 1973 and the Class A state title in 1974. Monroe has been a perennial state qualifier with nine state trips in the past 12 years. The Cheesemakers finished as the state runner-up in 2013 when Ethan Moehn, who is now running at the University of Arkansas, became the first runner in the history of the program to win an individual state title. The last state championship for the Cheesemakers came in 1979.
Monroe senior Nick Baumann will run in his fourth state meet. Baumann finished 16th last year.
"What makes this year different is we feel like we have a chance to be one of the top teams at state," Baumann said.
There will be a new team crowned state champion in Division 2. Last year's winner, Pewaukee moved up to Division 1. The top teams vying for a title in Division 2 are Monroe, Dodgeville-Mineral Point, Wisconsin Lutheran, Shorewood, Lakeland Union and Omro. Wisconsin Lutheran, the state champion three of the past five years, finished as the runner-up last year.
"We know if we run our best we could be in contention to win it," Monroe co-coach Scott Mosher said. "We are hoping to be in the picture."
Monroe junior Dylan Scace will be competing in his second state meet. Scace took 102nd out of 150 runners at state last year. However, out of all the runners who qualified for state this season, Baumann and Scace both have times in the top 10.
Monroe ranks second in the Wisconsin Cross Country Coaches Association Division 2 state poll.
"I don't really feel any pressure from the rankings," Scace said. "That doesn't mean anything. It doesn't matter what you have done. All that matters is what you do that day."
Xavier senior Luke Bailey is the top returning individual after racing to a third-place finish last season. Two other runners who return from top-10 finishes last year are seniors Clark Otte of Sheboygan Falls, who placed sixth, and Chris Pahnke of McFarland, who was 10th. Other potential contenders for the individual title based on sectional performances are seniors Matt Olson of Wisconsin Lutheran, Dustin Hatfield of River Valley and Rylee Miller of Jefferson; and juniors Maury Miller of Ashland and Miguel Mathias of Nekoosa/Port Edwards.
Scace looks forward to the challenge of the state meet.
"It's a big accomplishment not just for me but the team," he said. "I have been looking forward to this since last cross country season. We didn't run our best at the sectional. At the state meet if we all run our best like we plan to do, we have a great chance to win the state meet."
The other Monroe runners - Drake Ingold, sophomore Kyle Legler, Parker Ingold, junior Jonah Tostrud and senior Ryan Peterson haven't run at state before - but they went last year and ran a warmup on the course before watching Baumann and Scace.
Scace said the Ridges Golf Course is a slow course. The varying degrees of terrain pose challenges.
"The hills on the course are challenging," Scace said. "The top runners will pull you along to a faster time."
Co-coaches Mosher and Ingold held runners out from meets all year if they had minor injuries or were nicked up.
"I think our coaches understand there are three meets at the end of the year that matter most," Baumann said. "I think they did a good job of making sure at the end of the year we were ready to run."
Now, as a co-coach and father, he gets to motivate and cheer on his two sons, Parker and Drake, as they look to run for a state title.
Jim Ingold said there are about six teams that can contend for a state championship at the WIAA Division 2 state meet Saturday at the Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids.
"If we all run like I know we can run we are in the mix to win state," Ingold said. "It's kind of a dream to have the season we have had and get the opportunity to coach my own boys. I'm sure for every coach who gets to coach his own kids it's an elation. I would like nothing more to see them do something special up there. I would like them to experience the success I did."
The Cheesemakers won the Class B state championship in 1973 and the Class A state title in 1974. Monroe has been a perennial state qualifier with nine state trips in the past 12 years. The Cheesemakers finished as the state runner-up in 2013 when Ethan Moehn, who is now running at the University of Arkansas, became the first runner in the history of the program to win an individual state title. The last state championship for the Cheesemakers came in 1979.
Monroe senior Nick Baumann will run in his fourth state meet. Baumann finished 16th last year.
"What makes this year different is we feel like we have a chance to be one of the top teams at state," Baumann said.
There will be a new team crowned state champion in Division 2. Last year's winner, Pewaukee moved up to Division 1. The top teams vying for a title in Division 2 are Monroe, Dodgeville-Mineral Point, Wisconsin Lutheran, Shorewood, Lakeland Union and Omro. Wisconsin Lutheran, the state champion three of the past five years, finished as the runner-up last year.
"We know if we run our best we could be in contention to win it," Monroe co-coach Scott Mosher said. "We are hoping to be in the picture."
Monroe junior Dylan Scace will be competing in his second state meet. Scace took 102nd out of 150 runners at state last year. However, out of all the runners who qualified for state this season, Baumann and Scace both have times in the top 10.
Monroe ranks second in the Wisconsin Cross Country Coaches Association Division 2 state poll.
"I don't really feel any pressure from the rankings," Scace said. "That doesn't mean anything. It doesn't matter what you have done. All that matters is what you do that day."
Xavier senior Luke Bailey is the top returning individual after racing to a third-place finish last season. Two other runners who return from top-10 finishes last year are seniors Clark Otte of Sheboygan Falls, who placed sixth, and Chris Pahnke of McFarland, who was 10th. Other potential contenders for the individual title based on sectional performances are seniors Matt Olson of Wisconsin Lutheran, Dustin Hatfield of River Valley and Rylee Miller of Jefferson; and juniors Maury Miller of Ashland and Miguel Mathias of Nekoosa/Port Edwards.
Scace looks forward to the challenge of the state meet.
"It's a big accomplishment not just for me but the team," he said. "I have been looking forward to this since last cross country season. We didn't run our best at the sectional. At the state meet if we all run our best like we plan to do, we have a great chance to win the state meet."
The other Monroe runners - Drake Ingold, sophomore Kyle Legler, Parker Ingold, junior Jonah Tostrud and senior Ryan Peterson haven't run at state before - but they went last year and ran a warmup on the course before watching Baumann and Scace.
Scace said the Ridges Golf Course is a slow course. The varying degrees of terrain pose challenges.
"The hills on the course are challenging," Scace said. "The top runners will pull you along to a faster time."
Co-coaches Mosher and Ingold held runners out from meets all year if they had minor injuries or were nicked up.
"I think our coaches understand there are three meets at the end of the year that matter most," Baumann said. "I think they did a good job of making sure at the end of the year we were ready to run."
