The Coulee Region was fortunate to have a pair of WIAA individual state cross country champions last year when Onalaska High School’s Manny Putz won the Division 1 championship, and Aquinas’ Declan Gregg crossed the finish line first in Division 3.
But both have graduated, so the landscape changes this fall with Holmen senior Sabrina Lechnir taking over a bigger part of the spotlight after winning the last three MVC girls individual championships.
Plenty of state qualifiers return, and Holmen’s girls and West Salem’s boys — now led by senior Carson Gronemus — will try to continue extraordinary recent success.
There will be new faces that makes splashes, but here is a look at those eligible to return for our featured schools after big seasons last fall:
RUNNERS TO WATCH
(Alphabetical order)
Boys
CARSON ARNESON, jr., Melrose-Mindoro: He was the second-place Mustangs’ top runner at the Dairyland Conference meet and placed fifth overall in 18:33.
KALEB AZENE, sr., Aquinas: WIAA Division 3 state qualifier who placed 58th (17:48) and was 11th in the MVC meet (17:29)
EVAN BERRA, so., West Salem: Placed eighth in the Coulee Conference meet (17:49)
OLIVER BUCK, sr., Aquinas: WIAA Division 3 state qualifier who placed 92nd (18:27) after placing 15th in the MVC meet (17:46)
ALEC CONRAD, sr., Arcadia: Seventh-place finisher in the Coulee Conference meet (17:47)
CARSON GRONEMUS, sr., West Salem: WIAA Division 2 state qualifier who placed 14th (16:45) and was second overall in the Coulee Conference meet.
MATTHEW HOFF, jr., Holmen: WIAA Division 1 state qualifier who placed 104th (17:05). … Also placed fourth in the MVC meet (16:47) and is the top returning runner in the conference.
JOSIAH KULMACZEWSKI, sr., Holmen: Placed seventh in the MVC meet (16:58)
ANDREW LORENZ, jr., West Salem: Placed sixth in the Coulee Conference meet (17:29)
GABE PASSE, jr., Logan: WIAA Division 2 state qualifier who placed 90th (17:46) after a 12th-place run at the MVC meet (17:31)
SAWYER STAKSTON, sr., West Salem: Placed ninth in the Coulee Conference meet (17:56)
LYNDON TORKELSON, sr., Central: Placed ninth at the MVC meet (17:20)
Girls
EMILY BAGNIEFSKI, jr., Aquinas: WIAA Division 3 state qualifier who placed 15th (19:52) and runner-up in the MVC meet (19:23)
DELILAH HEACOX, jr., Holmen: Seventh-place finisher in the MVC meet (20:47)
SHEILA JOHNSON, jr., Melrose-Mindoro: Team’s top performer at the Dairyland Conference meet with a 10th-place finish and time of 22:13
SABRINA LECHNIR, sr., Holmen: WIAA Division 1 state qualifier who placed 36th (19:27) and won the MVC championship (19:23)
SAMANTHA MACROGERS, jr., West Salem: Ran to a 10th-place finish in the Coulee Conference meet (21:30)
SANJANA MUSAFIR, so., Aquinas: WIAA Division 3 state qualifier who finished 19th (20:08) after a third-place run in the MVC meet (19:34)
ALEXA MYRE, sr., Aquinas: WIAA Division 3 state qualifier and 40th-place finisher (20:37)
SADIE PETERSON, so., Onalaska: Eighth-place finisher in the MVC meet (20:52)
JOLEE VALISKA, so., Holmen: Fourth-place finisher in the MVC meet (19:43)
NAOMI WEDAN, sr., Holmen: WIAA Division 1 state qualifier who placed 92nd (20:16) and finished fifth in the MVC meet (19:45)
CAITLIN WENGEL, jr., Aquinas: WIAA Division 3 state qualifier and 43rd-place finisher (20:46) and ninth-place performer at the MVC meet (21:17)
CHLOE WYNN, sr., Central: Finished 10th in the MVC meet (21:20)
