LA CROSSE — Onalaska High School senior Manny Putz was due for a speed challenge, so he entered the 800-meter run for Saturday’s Knights of Columbus Relays at UW-La Crosse on Saturday.
The race was the University of Wisconsin commit’s fourth of the spring and marked the first time he’d run a competitive 800 since he was a sophomore.
The result was like just about every race he has run as a Hilltopper, and he crossed the finish line first with a time of 1 minute, 55.93 seconds — faster than any other run in the state going into this week — for a comfortable victory on a nice afternoon at the same track that will host the WIAA state meet in late May.
“This was a great little race to show where my speed is at,” said Putz, who has run the 1,600 once and the 3,200 twice this season. “I’m very happy with it.”
Putz controlled the race from start to finish ahead of Hayward’s Ben Laird (1:57.29) and Ben McConnell (2:00.66) to continue the training progress he’s been making as he heads into his final postseason.
He may run just a few more times, but Putz said he’d run all three distance races in the MVC meet on May 17.
“Training is still the most important thing for me,” said Putz, who won the Division 1 championships in the 1,600 and 3,200 last season, then won his third Division 1 cross country title in October. “Once we get to conference, I will stop training, stop the high mileage and just start racing.”
Holmen won the boys and girls team titles in dominant fashion on Saturday. The boys scored 143.5 points to second-place West Salem’s 88.5, and the girls finished with 129.5, which was well ahead of runner-up Onalaska’s 98.
Holmen’s girls had a pair of double winners in juniors Lydia Lazarescu and Sabrina Lechnir. Lazarescu won he 100 (12.24) and 200 (25.6) and Lechnir the 1,600 (5:21.84) and 3,200 (11:40.47).
The Vikings also received a victory from junior Brenna Schmidt in the shot put (39 feet, 3 inches). Schmidt was also second in the discus (110-8).
Onalaska’s girls received victories from three competitors. Senior Ella Stevens won the 100 hurdles in 15.18, junior Olivia Peterson won the pole vault (9-6), and junior Makena McGarry won the long jump (17-4). McGarry was also second to Lazarescu in the 200 (25.95).
Holmen junior Ryland Eickhoff gave the Vikings first-place points in three events — two individual and one relay. Eickhoff won the 100 (11.08) and 200 (22.36) and ran with John Faherty, Peyton Peterson and Jaren Nygren) on the winning 400 relay (43.65).
Faherty and Nygren also helped Holmen win the 800 relay in 1:33.92. Sam Burke and Jakai Ayed also ran with that team.
The relay win was only part of Ayed’s success. He also set a school record with a victory over Prairie du Chien’s Blake Thirty in the 110 hurdles. Ayed’s time of 14.19 beat Thiry’s 14.41.
Senior Dane Mueller and sophomore Matthew Hoff also gave Holmen’s boys victories with top finishes in the pole vault (12-2) and 1,600 (4:29.1), respectively.
West Salem sophomores Jack Torrance and Isaiah Laack also won championships. Torrance cleared 6 feet in the high jump, and Laack went 142-6 in the discus.
Logan senior Jasper Moesch won the shot put with a 48-4.75, and the Rangers won the 1,600 relay when Briggs Schaffer, Jacob Hackbarth, Gavin Kreiling and Andrew Leaver were timed at 3:32.78.
For full results of the meet, follow the following site:
https://wi.milesplit.com/meets/683322-knights-of-columbus-relays-2025/results
