Ahead of the 2023 state meet, take one more look back on sectional highlights and coverage from last weekend!
Related: WIAA Sectional Meet Hub | Top 500 Girls' Times out of Sectionals | Top 500 Boys' Times out of Sectionals
WIAA D1 Sectional 8 - Brookfield East
Brookfield East, Central Qualify; Kriegel Takes Individual Victory
On the girls' side, Brookfield East (56 pts) and Brookfield Central (67 pts) secured the two state-qualifying team spots in a competitive sectional, ahead of top-10 ranked teams including Homestead (75 pts), and Whitefish Bay (75 pts).
In an otherwise close race, Lily Kriegel closed her senior sectional run 35 seconds ahead of the competition in 18:34 for the individual victory. DSHA's Ava Johnsen (19:09) and Brookfield Central's Emory Winter (19:10) followed for second and third.
Despite a missed team trip to state, Homestead sends three individual qualifiers in freshman Mara Gaskin (19:19) and juniors Shaylin Swenson (19:31) and Sierra Gill (19:32). The trio round out the individual qualifiers for the sectional.
Speaking to the competitive nature of the sectional, 19 girls ran sub-20 times.
Wheeler Leads Brookfield East to Sectional Win; Homestead Follows
On the boys' side, Junior Evan Wheeler took home the sectional title in 16:22, leading Brookfield East to a team victory in 50 points. Homestead secured the second qualifying spot, close behind with 53 points.
Leading Homestead was senior Connor Rathe, who crossed the line in 16:30 for second.
Menomonee Falls and Wauwatosa East each send a pair of individual qualifiers in Caleb Rechlicz (3rd, 16:31) and Lucas Conroy (6th, 16:44), and Patrick Margerie and Ethan Mattek, respectively.
Nicolet freshman Birk Newman (9th place, 16:50) grabbed the final individual qualifying spot.
Full Photo Album by Elizabeth Schreiber | Results
WIAA D1 Sectional 6 - Verona
Madison West Takes Title, Babcock Leads Monona Grove to State with Sectional Win
Madison West took the girls' competition by a landslide with 48 points. West was led by a 6-7-8 finish by Audrey Culp (20:19), Quinn Mangerson (20:22), and Charlotte Fleming (20:22). The trio of freshman and sophomores finished just ahead of senior pair Celia Wallace (20:44) and Anna Wickizer (20:48), who rounded out the scoring five for Madison West, finishing 13th and 14th respectively.
West proved their depth, with sixth and seventh runners Sophie Stephenson and Natalie Schoer placing 16th and 17th. The finishes brought Madison West's entire team across the line within the top 20 positions.
Monona Grove senior Mackenzie Babcock will make her third trip to Wisconsin Rapids with a sectional victory in 19:19. Babcock looks to be a top state contender following third and fourth-place championship finishes in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
In the team competition, Monona Grove and Babcock were supported by freshmen Allie Hrodey (5th, 20:18) and Logan Babcock (10th, 20:36). Allison Spangenberg and Riley Zielke followed in scoring for a total of 71 points.
Madison West Wins in 32 Points, Sectional Champ Castellanos Leads La Follette to State
On the boys' side, the Madison West story repeats itself, with all seven runners among the top 20 finishers of the sectional. Senior Zach Temple led the pack with a runner-up finish in 16:37, followed by Liam Culp (16:57.10) and Eli Pettit (16:57.40), who finished just fractions of a second apart for fourth and fifth, respectively. Truman White (17:19) and Jonah Simonson (17:24) crossed the line in 10th and 11th, rounding out Madison West's scoring five for a team total of 32 points.
Senior Nico Castellanos took the individual victory in 16:19, leading Madison La Follette to the second qualifying team position (69 pts).
Sun Prairie East senior Jonah Marshall followed Castellanos and Temple for third in 16:44. Also qualifying as individuals were Pat McRoberts (17:06), Elijah Judd (17:12), Will Lisowski-Semb (17:17) and Andrew Peters (17:19).
Full Photo Album by Andrew LeMay | Results