Northeast Wisconsin shines at State: Lenn wins title for De Pere

GREEN BAY — From the moment the starting gun sounded, De Pere’s Grady Lenn made it clear this was his race. The senior standout led from start to finish at the Division 1 State Cross Country Championships on Saturday, claiming his first individual title in 15:03 — more than 21 seconds ahead of the nearest runner.

“It feels great,” Lenn said after his win. “This has kind of been a long time coming. I’ve been on the podium all three years, so I knew eventually the time would come when I was the favorite. This year, I had that target on my back, and it felt good to get the job done.”

In the cool fall conditions, Lenn set the tone immediately. He opened with a 4:42 first mile, built his lead through the 9:40 two mile mark, and surged home with a 5:24 final mile. By the final turn, the runners behind him could only watch as the De Pere standout powered away to one of the largest margins of victory in Division 1 history.

Behind Lenn, the Redbirds put together a balanced performance to finish fourth overall as a team with 165 points. Senior Noah Zhang (19th, 16:22) and Daniel Zhang (41st, 16:50) joined Lenn in the top half of the field, while Vincent Hauser (51st, 17:00) and James Derenne (53rd, 17:01) helped solidify De Pere’s podium push.

Green Bay Preble Boys finished 12th as a team, led by Brayden Michaels (18th, 16:21) and Jacob Nuthals (24th, 16:28). Both Hornets earned top 25 finishes in a very tough race, while Louis Jean-Baptiste (75th, 17:24), Bryce Voskuil (86th, 17:32), and Jacob Mathys (90th, 17:36) all placed in the top 100. Green Bay Preble’s sole female individual qualifier, Arya Shefchik, also had a strong race, finishing 33rd with a time of 19:09. 

Pulaski’s boys individual qualifiers Parker Marshall (82nd, 16:59) and Arden Gillen (87th, 17:01), both cracked the top 90 to cap the Red Raiders state meet. On the girls side, Pulaski’s Maggie Gerth led all local Division 1 girls runners with a 20th place finish in 18:52. 

In Division 2, Notre Dame Academy Men’s team finished fourth overall behind a deep lineup led by Leo Muller (18th, 16:53), Eli Weiss (20th, 16:59), and Nicholas Fogarty (27th, 17:18). Marshall Pahl (30th, 17:24) and Gabriel Stoik (52nd, 17:58). Notre Dame’s girls claimed fifth overall, led by Anna Miller (6th, 19:36) and Mya Beckett (18th, 20:06). Rounding out the Tritons top five were Molly Hodkiewicz (42nd, 20:58), Samantha Goral (54th, 21:18), and Paige Knaus (66th, 21:39).

Lenn’s state title headlined a productive day for area programs while Pulaski, Preble, and Notre Dame each delivered solid performances to close out another successful season for Northeast Wisconsin cross country.