Wisconsin's outdoor season continued to build momentum last week, with athletes posting strong early state-leading marks, breakout efforts, and impressive multiple-event performances. From sprints and hurdles to throws and jumps, here's a look at the top performers and breakthrough efforts from March 23-29.
Sprints
The boys sprint events saw several of the week's strongest performances come out of Monona Grove, thanks to athletes like Makai Fowler leading the boys 100-meter dash in 11.50. He was followed closely by Christopher Odoi (Poynette) at 11.54 and Will Kelly (Madison Edgewood) at 11.56. Monona Grove added more depth through Bubakary Jatta and Nico Lindert Olivencia, who both clocked 11.77.
Kelly returned to lead the boys 200 meters in 23.26, capping one of the better sprint doubles of the week, with Kivin Juresh (Whitehall) at 23.92 and Augie Sager (Madison Edgewood) at 24.14 also landing among the top marks. In the 400, Grant Tranowski (Madison Edgewood) posted the fastest time of the week at 54.16, narrowly ahead of teammate Augie Wagner, who ran 54.19.
One of the week's more notable sprint breakthroughs came indoors from Cormac McGowan (Reedsburg Area), who dropped from 6.88 to 6.62 in the boys 55 meters at WR Indoor. The freshman now ranks No. 2 among his Wisconsin classmates, and his performance stands out as one of the clearest signs of emerging young speed from the week.
On the girls side, Briley Radovan (Monona Grove) put together one of the top sprint weeks in the state, leading the girls 100 in 13.23 and the 200 in 27.51. Braylee Loging (Rio) also had a strong week with 13.37 100m and 28.43 200m showings, while Cate Lockton (Madison Edgewood) went 27.90.
Another important sprint breakthrough came from Michell Tra (Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln), who lowered her girls 55-meter best from 8.04 to 7.71 at WR Indoor. The junior finished third and gave herself a major early-season boost with a significant PR headed into outdoor competition.
Distance
Cochrane-Fountain City made a strong statement in the distance events. Paxtyn Duellman led the girls 800 in 2:22.73, while Addy Duellman topped the 1600 in 5:07.21, one of the strongest girls distance marks of the week statewide. Taylor Sylla (Independence-Gilmanton) led the 3200 in 11:29.91, setting the tone early in that event.
There were also several underclassmen who surfaced quickly in the girls distance events, including Lilah Anderson (Madison Edgewood), who ran 5:29.52 in the 1600, and Kinley Arneson (Cochrane-Fountain City), who broke into the top five of the 800.
Hurdles
The hurdles produced some of the most meaningful movement of the week, especially on the boys side.
The biggest breakthrough came from Miller Mason (Stratford), who lowered his 60-meter hurdles best from 8.91 to 8.09 at the Marshfield Tiger Boys Invite. That performance moved him to No. 6 in Wisconsin, set a Stratford school record, and immediately made him a notable name in the state through the opening weeks of the season.
On the girls side, Cate Lockton (Madison Edgewood) led the 100 hurdles in 17.40, while Mya Zukowski (Monona Grove) paced the 300 hurdles in 55.02. Zukowski's week stood out not only because of the hurdle mark, but because she also contributed in the pole vault, establishing her event versatility early in the outdoor season.
Field Events
In the boys long jump, George Apter (Madison Edgewood) posted the top mark of the week at 21-8, but one of the most notable performances came from Evan Thurston (Eau Claire North), who broke through with a 21-6 effort after entering the week with a previous best of 19-7.
The boys vertical events also saw important movement. Luke Frohwirth (Brookfield East) delivered one of the week's biggest overall field event performances by clearing 15-0 in the pole vault at the Greater Metro Conference Boys Indoor Championships. The senior added a full foot to his previous best and now sits No. 3 in Wisconsin. In the high jump, Mason Severson (Independence-Gilmanton) led the weekly rankings at 6-0.
The boys throws were headlined by Jackson Fassl (Monona Grove), who led the shot put at 47-1, and Tanner Wolf (Monona Grove), who topped the discus at 136-1.
On the girls side, Eva Akpandja (Madison Edgewood) was one of the week's top all-around field event performers, leading the shot put with 40-1 and the discus with 104-5. It's still early in the season, but anytime an athlete sits atop two event leaderboards in the same week, it deserves attention.
The girls shot put also featured one of the biggest breakthrough efforts of the week from Haley Mathison (Cadott) who improved from 38-10.25 to 41-5.25 at the Northern Badger Classic. The throw set a Cadott school record and pushed her into the upper tier of early-season throwers statewide.
In the jumps, Cate Lockton and Giselle Lindert Olivencia (Monona Grove) shared the top girls long jump mark of the week at 16-9, while Piper Cook (Madison Edgewood) led the triple jump at 33-3.25. Braylee Loging also continued her impressive week there with a 32-10.75.
Stella Guetzlaff (Abundant Life Christian) led the week's high girls jump efforts at 5-4, while Evelyn Hoffman (Waterford Union) produced one of the more meaningful breakthrough marks by clearing 5-3, improving on her previous best and moving herself further into the statewide conversation. In the pole vault, Landry Rebella (Arrowhead) led the week at 10-0.
Relays
On the boys side, Elkhorn Area led the 4x100 in 45.46, Poynette topped the 4x200 in 1:38.24, Monona Grove led the 4x400 in 3:48.73, and Delavan-Darien paced the 4x800 in 9:22.25.
For the girls, Elkhorn Area also led both the 4x100 (58.42) and 4x200 (1:58.06), while Cochrane-Fountain City posted the top 4x400 mark at 4:21.88. Monona Grove led the 4x800 in 11:02.25.
Outlook
Even with the calendar still in March, last week gave Wisconsin several important early-season indicators.
Programs like Monona Grove, Madison Edgewood, Cochrane-Fountain City, Poynette, and Elkhorn Area showed up repeatedly across event groups, while athletes like Miller Mason, Luke Frohwirth, Haley Mathison, Cormac McGowan, and Evan Thurston delivered the kind of breakthroughs that can quickly reshape statewide expectations.
That's what makes this point in the season fun. The state leaders matter - but so do the athletes who suddenly look very different than they did a week ago.