In his fourth consecutive trip to state, Rosholt High School senior Adam Rzentkowski will run in three events at the WIAA Division 3 State Meet in La Crosse this weekend. (John Kemmeter photo)

Portage County Gazette

By John Kemmeter

Area athletes from Stevens Point Area Senior High School (SPASH), Rosholt High School, Pacelli Catholic High School, Amherst High School and Almond-Bancroft High School will compete in the WIAA Track and Field State Meet at Veterans Memorial Stadium in La Crosse Friday and Saturday, May 31 and June 1.

The SPASH boys had State Qualifiers in eight individual events and also advanced one relay team to state, as they won the WIAA Division 1 Sectional at D.C. Everest Thursday, May 23.

SPASH junior Jake Lepak (left) and senior Blake Milkowski (right) both qualified for the WIAA Division 1 State Meet in individual events, and for the Panthers’ 4×800 relay team. (John Kemmeter photo)

Senior Gage Haack won the shot put and discus at the Sectional, and senior Blake Milkowski won the 800 run (2:01.15) just ahead of senior teammate and second-place finisher Chad Franz (2:01.89), while Milkowski and Franz teamed up with freshman Zach Scharbarth and junior Jake Lepak to win the 4×800 relay.

Sophomore Karter Rashke placed second behind Haack in the shot put, while Lepak (1,600 run), sophomore Colton Engle (110 hurdles), sophomore Jake Bourget (3,200 run) each placed third to also qualify for state for the SPASH boys.

The SPASH girls had State Qualifiers in seven individual events and also advanced one relay team to state, as they placed second at the D.C. Everest Sectional.

Freshman Roisin Willis won the 800 run for the SPASH girls, and also teamed up with junior Maddie Hyland, freshman Mallory Greenwood and senior Taylor Konczal to win the 4×400 relay.

Seniors Gabby Johnson and Renee Hinchcliffe both qualified in a pair of events, as Johnson was second in the long jump and third in high jump at the Sectional, and Hinchcliffe qualified in the 100 hurdles and the 300 hurdles after she placed third in both events. Seniors Maria Dade (discus) and Madelynne Brown (triple jump) both added third-place finishes to also advance to state.

SPASH freshman Roisin Willis enters the WIAA Division 1 State Meet with the top seeded time in the 800 run, and is part of the Panthers’ 4×400 relay team that also has the top-seeded time in Division 1. (John Kemmeter photo)

Freshman Lauren Bird moved on to the WIAA Division 2 State Meet for the Amherst girls, after she placed third in the shot put at the Sectional at Freedom last Thursday.

Senior Adam Rzentkowski qualified for the WIAA Division 3 State Meet in three individual events for the Rosholt boys, as he won the 1,600 run, the 3,200 run and the 800 run at the Marathon Sectional last Thursday. He enters state with the top-seeded time in the 800 run, while he is third in the 3,200 run and fourth in the 1,600 run, after he placed fourth in the 800 last year behind former Rosholt teammate Sawyer Fleming, and second in the 1,600 run and second in the 3,200 run behind current Onalaska Luther senior David Vannucchi.

The Rosholt boys also qualified in the 4×800 relay after they won the State Title in the event last year for the second year in the row and the fifth time in eight years. Sophomore Josh Zick and senior Zach Lepak return from last year’s State Championship team and combined with senior Cade Bowker and junior Reese Anderson to place fourth in the event at Sectionals, while junior Matt Ross finished third in the 3,200 run at Sectionals to also advance to state.

Rosholt High School junior Jordan Zdroik will compete in the 3,200 run at the WIAA Division 3 State Meet for the third year in a row. (John Kemmeter photo)

Junior Jordan Zdroik placed third in the 3,200 run at the Marathon Sectional to qualify for state for the Rosholt girls, after she placed fourth at state in the 3,200 run last year.

The Rosholt girls also qualified a pair of relay teams for state, as senior Kenzie Stalter, freshman McKenna Wierzba, freshman Mckenzie Zimmerman and sophomore Amber Studzinski combined to place second in the 4×400 relay; and Zimmerman and Wierzba teamed up with sophomore Logan Krogwold and junior Jenna Trzebiatowski to place third in the 4×800 relay.

Junior Luke Ferro qualified for the Division 3 State Meet for the Pacelli boys after he placed third in the long jump at the Marathon Sectional last Thursday, while the 4×800 relay team of sophomore Chrissy Barron, senior Grace Engebretson, sophomore Maggie Hahn and senior Grace Van Handel teamed up to place second at the Sectional to advance to state for the Pacelli girls.

Pacelli’s Luke Ferro clears the bar in the high jump at the 2018 WIAA Division 3 State Meet in La Crosse. (Rusty Mitch photo)

Almond-Bancroft junior Jackson Beggs placed fourth in the long jump at the Marathon Sectional to qualify for state, while he also teamed up with junior Dylan Omernick, senior Noah Kollock and junior Matt Lukas to earn a trip to state in the 4×200 relay with a third-place finish at Sectionals.

Almond-Bancroft junior Jackson Beggs will compete in the long jump and the 4×200 relay at the WIAA Division 3 State Meet. (John Kemmeter photo)

The Division 2 and Division 3 State Meet is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. Friday, while the Division 1 State Meet is set to start at 4:30 p.m. Friday, with the second day due to start at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.