LA CROSSE - Black Hawk junior Jen Wellnitz has shot the basketball in the Kohl Center in Madison, but even that didn't compare to the high she felt after winning the WIAA Division 3 state title in the 100-meter dash.
Wellnitz won a state championship by finishing the 100 with a time of 12.73 seconds, which was 0.8 seconds ahead of Newman's Abby Brown (12.78) Saturday, June 1 at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse's Veterans Memorial Stadium.
"I looked up and saw 'Wellnitz' in the top spot and my heart jumped a little bit," Wellnitz said. "It was the best feeling in the world. It was more exciting than winning the sectional final to go to state in basketball. I told my dad as long as I won the 100, I could scratch my other events. I couldn't have asked for anything better."
Wellnitz medaled in three events, taking fourth in the 200 (26.49) and sixth in the long jump (16 feet, 10 inches). She is a four-sport athlete playing softball and running track in the spring, basketball in the winter and volleyball in the fall.
Wellnitz has received Division I basketball recruiting interest from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Drake and Marquette. She recently visited Marquette and plans to visit Penn State, Creighton and Ohio University. Wellnitz will play for the U17 Wisconsin Academy basketball team this summer along with Brodhead's Carly Mohns. She hasn't made a decision on her basketball future, but she is excited about having one more year to add to her six career medals in track.
"I won one medal my freshman year, two last year and three this year," she said. "I want to get four medals next year."
Darlington's 1,600 relay team of junior Carly Reilly, freshman Carly Langkamp, senior Claire Scott and junior Alison Wedig finished as the state runner-up for the second straight year with a season-best time of 4 minutes, 7.57 seconds.
"We were out to show that we could run with the best in the state," Scott said.
Wedig said the strategy was to beat Edgar. That's something a lot of schools have been trying to do. Edgar ran away with its fourth straight state team championship 70-36.5 over Saint Mary's Springs. Black Hawk finished 12th (19) and the Redbirds were 16th (17.5).
Wedig said even after graduating two runners from last year's team, the Redbirds were able to show that they are still one of the state's top 1,600 relay teams.
Langkamp, who was in her first year of track at the high school level, ran on three of the four relays the Redbirds had at state.
"I'm just glad it's over now," she said.
Darlington senior Cassidy Chambers won her second medal at state, taking fourth in the pole vault (9-3).
Black Hawk junior Olivia Holland took eighth in the 300 hurdles (49.41) and Albany junior Chantel Rogers took 10th in the 400 (1:01.64). The Redbirds' 3,200 relay team of senior Cheyenne Wolfe, senior Tatum Evenstad, junior Claire Cullen and senior Christa Wamsley took 10th (10:09.56). Albany finished 14th in the same race (10:32.47) and Black Hawk was 15th (10:36.88). Wamsley added a 12th-place finish in the 3,200 (11:57.37).
Wellnitz won a state championship by finishing the 100 with a time of 12.73 seconds, which was 0.8 seconds ahead of Newman's Abby Brown (12.78) Saturday, June 1 at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse's Veterans Memorial Stadium.
"I looked up and saw 'Wellnitz' in the top spot and my heart jumped a little bit," Wellnitz said. "It was the best feeling in the world. It was more exciting than winning the sectional final to go to state in basketball. I told my dad as long as I won the 100, I could scratch my other events. I couldn't have asked for anything better."
Wellnitz medaled in three events, taking fourth in the 200 (26.49) and sixth in the long jump (16 feet, 10 inches). She is a four-sport athlete playing softball and running track in the spring, basketball in the winter and volleyball in the fall.
Wellnitz has received Division I basketball recruiting interest from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Drake and Marquette. She recently visited Marquette and plans to visit Penn State, Creighton and Ohio University. Wellnitz will play for the U17 Wisconsin Academy basketball team this summer along with Brodhead's Carly Mohns. She hasn't made a decision on her basketball future, but she is excited about having one more year to add to her six career medals in track.
"I won one medal my freshman year, two last year and three this year," she said. "I want to get four medals next year."
Darlington's 1,600 relay team of junior Carly Reilly, freshman Carly Langkamp, senior Claire Scott and junior Alison Wedig finished as the state runner-up for the second straight year with a season-best time of 4 minutes, 7.57 seconds.
"We were out to show that we could run with the best in the state," Scott said.
Wedig said the strategy was to beat Edgar. That's something a lot of schools have been trying to do. Edgar ran away with its fourth straight state team championship 70-36.5 over Saint Mary's Springs. Black Hawk finished 12th (19) and the Redbirds were 16th (17.5).
Wedig said even after graduating two runners from last year's team, the Redbirds were able to show that they are still one of the state's top 1,600 relay teams.
Langkamp, who was in her first year of track at the high school level, ran on three of the four relays the Redbirds had at state.
"I'm just glad it's over now," she said.
Darlington senior Cassidy Chambers won her second medal at state, taking fourth in the pole vault (9-3).
Black Hawk junior Olivia Holland took eighth in the 300 hurdles (49.41) and Albany junior Chantel Rogers took 10th in the 400 (1:01.64). The Redbirds' 3,200 relay team of senior Cheyenne Wolfe, senior Tatum Evenstad, junior Claire Cullen and senior Christa Wamsley took 10th (10:09.56). Albany finished 14th in the same race (10:32.47) and Black Hawk was 15th (10:36.88). Wamsley added a 12th-place finish in the 3,200 (11:57.37).
