Division 1
With impressive team depth, the Arrowhead boys team won the WIAA Division I Boys State Championship, scoring 55.5 points over Kimberly, who scored 36 points to place runner-up.
Using many strong relays, along with versatility in the distance and field events, the West De Pere women's team won the WIAA Division I State Championship, scoring 60.33 points over Homestead, who scored 36 points to place runner-up. Chippewa Falls placed 3rd with 35 points, spearheaded by Brooklyn Sandvig's individual efforts.
The fans of the WIAA State Championship got to witness history on Saturday afternoon, as Roisin Willis set the NFHS National Record in the 800m, running a remarkable 2:00.03. She obliterated the WIAA Division I state record, which she already earned in 2019, which had previously been 2:05.68.
To go on top of that, Willis came back in the 4x400m relay, splitting an unreal 52.34 to carry her Stevens Point teammates to a 2nd place finish in that event.
It was great to see Willis in action at the WIAA State Championship again, after electing not to compete in 2021 to focus on the Olympic Trials.
Brooklyn Sandvig of Chippewa Falls made light work of a loaded weekend of competition, as she earned state championships in the 100m (11.84), 200m (24.26), and 400m (54.83), earning decisive wins in all of the sprints.
Not to mention, she also placed 4th in the long jump with a mark of 18-10.25, which brought her to a total of 35 points scored for Chippewa Falls High School- placing 3rd in the team standings.
Rachel Blaskowski of Oak Creek jumped straight to a state record in the long jump, with an impressive mark of 19-9.75, winning the state championship by nearly a foot. She had a very busy weekend as well, placing 5th in the 100m (12.70) and 200m (25.81), along with competing in the 4x100m relay with her Oak Creek teammates.
Griffin Ward of Middleton completed a strong distance double in the 1600m and 3200m, running 4:14 and 9:07 in rather tactical races, flexing his ability to win with a strong finish. He closed the final lap of his 1600m state championship in 57.9 seconds.
Zaira Malloy-Salgado of Middleton seemingly came out of nowhere to win the girls' 3200m state title. She was in 9th place at the halfway point, then with just 800 meters left, she was still nearly six seconds behind the leader, sitting in 7th place. Yet, with a 70-second final lap in tow, she found herself bringing home her first state championship, having thrown down the hammer over the field.
After an early hiccup after two misses at 11-6, Peyton Berryman steamrolled through the rest of her pole vault series, vaulting 12-9 and earning her first state championship. The new Division I state record holder in this event has her sights on Nationals at Hayward Field in the coming weeks.
In the throws, Ben Smith of Hortonville came away with two titles in the shot put and discus, throwing 59-4 in the shot and 179-3 in the discus. He's only a sophomore, so he'll certainly be one to watch out for in the coming years.
Riley Quinn of Watertown also followed suit in the throws, doubling with wins in the shot put and discus. The senior locked up the discus state championship on her 6th and final throw of her series, throwing 134-5, while she threw a mark of 41-9.50 to win the shot put state championship by less than an inch.