By Rich Palzewic
Sports Editor
BROWN COUNTY – Several area cross-country teams and athletes punched their ticket to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) state meet with strong performances at sectionals across the state.
The WIAA State Cross Country Championships are Saturday, Oct. 30, at the Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids.
Manitowoc Lincoln Sectional – Division 1 – boys
Locally, both the Bay Port and Green Bay Preble boys’ teams advanced to state.
The Pirates scored 53 points as a team, while the Hornets amassed 63.
Bay Port runners include Tony Adriansen (16:01 – second), Connor Behrend (17:06 – ninth), Jacob Schertz (17:32 – 12th), Landen Heim (17:35 – 13th), Dylan Shulstad (17:45 – 17th), Grant Rocheleau (18:13 – 23rd) and Steven North (18:23 – 27th).
Preble runners include Garrison Willems (16:59 – sixth), Aaron Paris (17:01 – seventh), Ethan Raye (17:22 – 11th), Ian Hoppe (17:48 – 18th), Adam Cotter (18:03 – 21st), Connor Shaw (19:11 – 53rd) and Peyton Kuehn (19:24 – 58th).
West De Pere (fifth – 130), Pulaski (sixth – 168), De Pere (eighth – 213), Ashwaubenon (ninth – 243), Green Bay East (10th – 249), Green Bay Southwest (11th – 250) and Green Bay West (12th – 338) also competed.
Two individual athletes, Noah Jahnke (West De Pere) and TJ Shaw (Pulaski), also advanced to state based on their placing.
The top-five runners not on advancing teams will run at state.
Jahnke won the meet overall with a 15:59, beating Adriansen by 2 seconds.
Shaw placed eighth in 17:02.
Manitowoc Lincoln Sectional – Division 1 – girls
No area girls’ teams advanced to the Division 1 state meet, but several runners did as individuals.
West De Pere’s Kate Schmoll won the meet overall in 18:31, beating her nearest competitor by more than a minute.
Ashwaubenon’s Lauren Carlton (19:40 – third), Preble’s Elise Smith (19:53 – seventh), De Pere’s Emma Coon (19:54 – eighth) and Preble’s Emma Dornbush (20:28 – 13th) will also run at state.
The Preble girls finished third with 68 points to lead the area teams.
The Hornets missed out on advancing their entire team to state by eight points.
Kaukauna (36) and Kimberly (60) finished first and second, respectively.
Kiel Sectional – Division 2
Both the Notre Dame Academy boys’ and girls’ teams advanced to state.
The boys (50) beat runner-up Two Rivers (82) by 32 points.
The girls (46) beat runner-up Little Chute (63) by 17 points.
Boys
Notre Dame’s Connor Hawley won the meet overall in 16:26.
Other Notre Dame athletes include Isaac Nowak (16:40 – third), Joseph Stumpf (17:20 – 12th), Braeden Tilot (17:36 – 16th), Bryce Hawley (17:42 – 18th), Jackson Fogarty (17:45 – 19th) and Beckett Chambers (17:55 – 24th).
Girls
Lauren Conway led the Tritons with a second-place finish of 19:35.
Other Notre Dame runners include Camille Broullire (19:54 – fourth), Anna Gruesen (20:07 – ninth), Mia Miller (21:03 – 15th), Zita Lulloff (21:05 – 22nd) and Kinsey Gallagher (21:53 – 34th).
Oconto Falls Sectional – Division 2 – boys
With his sixth-place time of 17:16, Seymour’s Jason Skinkis advanced to the state meet as an individual.