VERONA — The Holmen High School boys and girls track and field teams will send a whopping 20 participants to the WIAA state meet after a dominant performance at the Division 1 Verona Sectional on Friday.
The Vikings and Onalaska — it has 12 boys and girls qualifiers — enjoyed big nights to assure themselves of an enjoyable weekend at the Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex on June 6-7.
Multiple individual championships were won by Holmen junior Lydia Lazarescu and sophomore Jakai Ayed and Onalaska senior Manny Putz and junior Makena McGarry, and some of them added a third event with a qualifying relay.
Lazarescu won he 100- and 200-meter dashes with respective times of 11.95 and 25.39 seconds. She also ran with Alivia Wickstrom, Abry Bloyer and Hadley Johnson on the winning 400 relay (49.07).
McGarry experienced similar success with wins in the long jump (18 feet, 10 1/4 inches) and triple jump (37-4 1/4) in addition to one led for the Hilltoppers’ victorious 800 relay 1:45.13). She also ran with Onalaska’s runner-up 1,600 relay (4:04.76).
Ayed won the 110 hurdles (14.62) and long jump (22-7 1/2) and placed second in the 300 hurdles (39.43), and Putz won the 1,600 (4:20.05) and 3,200 (9:22.92).
Lazarescu is aiming to defend Division 1 state championships in the sprints, and Putz will try to do the same in his distance events.
Wickstrom also gave the Vikings first-place points in two events with her win in the 300 hurdles (46.79) and one leg for the 400 relay. She also placed second in the 100 hurdles (15.5).
Onalaska senior Ella Stevens was also part of two victories when she crossed the line first in the 100 hurdles (14.87) and ran with the victorious 800 relay.
Aquinas senior Declan Gregg and Onalaska Luther senior Lauren Wickus joined that group with multiple championships in other divisions.
Gregg won the 1,600 and 3,200 in the Division 2 Durand-Arkansaw Sectional with times of 4:23.21 and 9:28. 9, and Wickus won the high jump (5-2) and long jump (17-7 3/4) at the Division 3 Bangor Sectional.
Here is a list of all area qualifiers in multiple events:
4: Onalaska senior Makena McGarry (Division 1 long jump, triple jump, 400 relay, 800 relay)
3: Holmen junior Lydia Lazarescu (Division 1 100, 200, 400 relay), Holmen junior Alivia Wickstrom (Division 1 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, 400 relay), Holmen sophomore Jakai Ayed (Division 1 110 hurdles, 300 hurdles, long jump), Aquinas junior Isaac Finch (Division 2 100, 400 relay, 800 relay),
2: Onalaska senior Manny Putz (Division 1 1,600 and 3,200), Onalaska sophomore Brendan Chenault (Division 1 400 and triple jump), Holmen junior Peyton Peterson (Division 1 400 relay, 800 relay), Onalaska senior Ella Stevens (Division 1 100 hurdles, 800 relay), Holmen junior Ryland Eickhoff (Division 1 400 relay, 800 relay), Holmen junior Jack Barth (Division 1 400 relay, 1,600 relay), Holmen junior Abry Bloyer (Division 1 100, 400 relay), Onalaska junior Isabella Malecek (Division 1 400, 1,600 relay), Holmen junior Brenna Schmidt (Division 1 shot put, discus), Holmen junior Sabrina Lechnir (Division 1 3,200, 3,200 relay), Holmen sophomore Jacob Simmons (Division 1 800 relay, 1,600 relay), Onalaska sophomore Gabe Mauss (Division 1 triple jump, long jump), Onalaska freshman Elin Gilles (Division 1 800 relay, 1,600 relay), Aquinas senior Declan Gregg (Division 2 1,600, 3,200), Aquinas senior Trey Bahr (Division 2 400 relay, 800 relay), Aquinas junior Logan Becker (Division 2 400 relay, 800 relay), Aquinas senior Eli Horstman (Division 2 400 relay, 800 relay), Logan senior Jacob Hackbarth (Division 2 discus, 1,600 relay), Luther senior Jack Schmeling (Division 3 high jump, discus), Luther senior Lauren Wickus (Division 3 high jump, long jump), Luther sophomore Nathan Dobberstein (Division 3 300 hurdles, 800 relay)
To see all WIAA state qualifiers from our featured schools, see our story that was posted earlier this evening.
