Area track athletes advance to State Meet this weekend

Area athletes from Stevens Point Area Senior High
School (SPASH), Pacelli High School, Amherst High School and Rosholt High
School will compete in the WIAA State Meet in La Crosse Friday and Saturday,
June 3-4.
The SPASH girls track team will send 13 qualifiers to the
WIAA Division 1 State Meet, after the Panthers won the WIAA
Division 1 Sectional at D.C. Everest Thursday, May 26.
Junior Sam Danczyk won the discus and won the shot put and senior
Abbey Hyland won the 800 run to lead the Panthers. Senior Tatum Houlihan finished
second in the triple jump and third in the long jump, senior Autum
Shurbert-Hetzel was second in the 800 run, senior Taylor Louis placed second in
the shot put, senior Laura Canapa was third in the 100 dash and freshman Renee
Hinchcliffe came in third in the 300 hurdles to also advance to state.
Shurbert-Hetzel, freshman Grace Belson, junior Mya Zajakowski and
Hyland teamed up to win the 4×800 relay; while the 4×200 relay team of junior
Lauren Woyak, sophomore Halle Gregorich, Laura Canapa and junior Hannah Sankey finished
second. The 4×400 relay team of Gregorich, Hyland, Shurbert-Hetzel and Sankey
also placed second, while the 4×100 relay team of Woyak, Gregorich, Ashly
Canapa and Laura Canapa came in third to also advance to state.
The SPASH boys also won a Sectional at D.C. Everest
last Thursday and will send seven qualifiers to the Division 1 State Meet.
Senior Alex Scott won the shot put and the discus, senior Tyler
Patoka won the 300 hurdles, and sophomore Liam Belson won the 800 run to
advance to state.
Senior Victor Kizewski, senior Chase Franz, sophomore Nolan Metz
and Belson won the 4×400 relay; junior Mark Stoskopf, freshman Chad Franz,
junior Matt Altmann and Belson won the 4×800 relay; and Metz, sophomore Colton
Kizewski, Patoka and Victor Kizewski placed second in the 4×200 relay team to
also advance to state.
Amherst senior and NCAA Division 1 University of
Wisconsin recruit Alissa Niggemann qualified for the WIAA Division 2 State Meet in
the 800 run at the Division 2 Little Chute Sectional Thursday, May 26.
Niggemann placed second in the 800 run in 2:21.97 to finish just behind senior
Michelle Petkovsek of Waupaca (2:21.93) and earn a trip to state.
The Rosholt girls track team placed
second at the WIAA Division 3 Sectional at Rosholt Thursday, May 26, and
qualified six for the Division 3 State Meet.
Senior Amber Bianco won the 400 dash, senior Briana Simonis was
second in the 100 hurdles, junior Brittany Gagas placed second in the 3,200 run,
and senior Mikaela Glodowski took fourth in the 1,600 run to also advance to
state.
The 4×800 relay team of Gagas, Glodowski, junior Riley Walski and
Bianco finished second; and the 4×400 relay team of senior Jasmine Yenter,
Bianco, freshman Kenzie Stalter and Simonis also placed second to qualify for
state.
The Rosholt boys finished third at the WIAA Division 3 Sectional
at Rosholt Thursday, May 26, and qualified six for the Division 3 State Meet.
Freshman Adam Rzentkowski was second in the 1,600 run, sophomore
Sawyer Fleming was second in the 800 run and senior Bailey Zdroik finished
third in the 1,600 run and third in the 800 run to qualify for state.
The team of senior Louie Schultz, junior Cole Bembenek, Rzentkowski
and Fleming combined to win the 4×800 relay, while the 4×400 team of Schultz,
Zdroik, Bembenek and Fleming finished third to also advance to state.
The Pacelli boys qualified for state in two events at
the Rosholt Sectional, as sophomore Thomas Basala was second in the 3,200 run and also
joined with sophomore Andrew Blanker, sophomore Hayden Jurgella and senior Jake
Elliott to place second in the 4×800 relay.
Meanwhile, freshman Grace Van Handel finished second in the 800 run
at the Rosholt Sectional to also earn a trip to state for the Pacelli girls.
The Division 1 State Meet will begin at 9:30 a.m.
Friday, with Division 2 events set to begin at 3 p.m. Friday.