Wisconsin Middle School Track & Field State Championship: Top Performers and Breakthroughs
Wisconsin middle school athletes delivered standout performances across the 7th Annual Wisconsin MS Track & Field Championships and the Middle School State Championship Meet. The state meets featured elite sprint depth, major distance breakthroughs, and significant personal-bests across hurdles and field events, with several athletes peaking in championship form.
Sprints & Hurdles
The boys sprint events were highlighted by a tightly contested 100 meters, where Jaylen Harris (New Berlin West MS) captured the state title in 11.56 ahead of Dalton Beebe (Lineville Intermediate School), who also ran 11.54 earlier in the season, showing how thin the margin was at the top of Wisconsin sprinting.
Harris doubled back to win the 200 meters in 23.41 at the Middle School State Championship Meet, ranking just ahead of Brantley Knickerbocker (Chetek-Weyerhaeuser) who ran 23.82 to win the MS Track & Field Champs. Ben Rosemurgy (Our Lady Queen of Peace) clocked an impressive 24.04 right behind Knickerbocker. He also added a dominant 400-meter win in 52.90, completing one of the strongest sprint-to-mid-distance doubles of the meet.
PR progression was a major storyline in the boys hurdles, as Kayden Biesterveld (DeLong Middle School) improved significantly from earlier marks in the mid-15 range down to a 14.42 winning performance at the Northstar MS Track Invite. Janzer also posted a major PR last week with a time of 14.44 at the Maunesha Conference Meet.
On the girls side, Sophia Drouse (Kewaunee) led the 100 meters at the MS Track & Field Champs in 12.61, followed by Colette Dunn (Mineral Point Middle School) in 12.79 and Kennedy Steldt (Bartels Middle School) in 12.89.
Dunn and Steldt returned for strong doubles in the 200 meters, where Sienna Ganser (Sauk Prairie) won in 26.04, ahead of Steldt (26.53) and Dunn (26.79) in an extremely close race.
In the 400 meters, Honor Werdin (Woodworth Middle School) took the title in 1:00.49, just ahead of Lily Johnson (Barneveld Middle School) in 1:01.02.
The girls hurdles were led by Vienna Paulson (Menomonie) in 16.66, followed by Mackenzie Sigourney (Westfield Area/Montello) in 16.99 and Daria Kazakova (Wisconsin Hills - Brookfield) in 17.02.
Several girls also delivered strong improvements into championship form. Colette Dunn (Mineral Point Middle School) dropped from 26.79 earlier-season performances to 12.79 in the 100, while Kennedy Steldt (Bartels Middle School) showed consistent improvement across both sprint finals. In the hurdles, Mackenzie Sigourney (Westfield Area/Montello) continued a steady drop into the 16.99 range after earlier-season marks in the 17s.
Distance
The boys distance events were highlighted by a strong 800-meter title at the MS Track & Field Champs from Jackson Lawton (Lac du Flambeau Middle School) in 2:08.89, completing a meet that also included a 53.78 runner-up finish in the 400 meters.
In the 1600 meters, Austin Helms (Kiel Middle School) delivered one of the strongest all-around performances of the meet, winning in 4:41.95 after also placing second in the 800 meters in 2:10.26.
PR progression was a major storyline in the boys distance events. Austin Helms (Kiel Middle School) dropped from earlier 1600-meter marks in the mid-4:50 range down to his 4:41.95 winning performance, while also improving in the 800 meters. Ramsey Prellwitz (Ripon) and Porter Faust (Campbellsport) also ran personal-best level performances in the 4:45-4:46 range to round out a deep final.
On the girls side, Julianne Johnsen (Forest Park Middle School) was the most dominant distance athlete of the meet, sweeping the 1600 meters in 5:08.74 and the 800 meters in 2:20.30.
PR progression was equally significant here, as Julianne Johnsen (Forest Park Middle School) dropped her 1600-meter best to 5:08.74 from her previous best of 5:13.02. Audrey Sigl (Seymour) also improved by over 3-seconds with a 2:21.66 runner-up finish in the 800, marking a strong late-season jump in fitness.
Relays
Relay competition was extremely tight across all divisions.
In the boys 4x100 relay, Mishicot won in 46.75, followed by Iola-Scandinavia (47.59) and Edgerton (47.66).
The boys 4x400 relay produced one of the closest finishes of the weekend, with Lodi winning in 3:51.56 over Dodgeland (3:51.57) and Arcadia (3:52.44).
On the girls side, Turtle Lake captured the 4x100 title in 52.67, narrowly ahead of Menomonie (52.82) and Onalaska Middle School (52.90).
Phillips Middle School won the 4x400 in 4:19.26, with Winneconne (4:20.24) and James Williams Middle School (4:20.27) finishing in a tightly packed podium.
Jumps
The boys jumps were highlighted by Kolby Zellmann (USATF Wisconsin), who won the long jump at the state meet with 19-7, ahead of Quinn Moses (Sauk Prairie) who won the MS Track & Field Champs at 19-4. The triple jump title went to Andrew Rutz (Onalaska Middle School) with a winning mark of 40-4.
Quinn Moses (Sauk Prairie)19-4 performance was a significant improvement after earlier-season marks closer to the 18-foot range, while Andrew Rutz (Onalaska Middle School) continued off of his steady seasonal progression with his triple jump mark.
In the high jump, Carson Gerloff (Wild Rose) cleared 5-10, posting the top mark of the meet.
On the girls side, Addelyn Schumacher (St Mary's Springs Middle School) won the high jump at 5-2 ahead of Kali Coats (Lourdes Academy) at 5-1.
Caroline Reimer (Brodhead-Juda) captured the long jump title at 16-2.5, while Olivia Eades (James Williams Middle School) won the triple jump in 33-10.5. Also worth noting was Brynn Bellford's (St. Mary Visitation) 16-8.75 long jump at the Tosa Track and Field Invite last weekend.
Improvements were also strong in the girls jumps. Olivia Eades (James Williams Middle School) showed major progression in the triple jump, moving into the 33-range after earlier-season jumps in the low-30s range.
Throws
The throws were one of the most dominant areas of the championship meet, led by Brock Weeden (New Glarus), who won both the shot put (55-11.5) and discus (168-2).
Mason Mahloch (Shawano Community) also delivered elite consistency with runner-up marks in both events, throwing 51-9 in the shot put and 167-3 in the discus.
On the girls side, Haddie Nault (Peshtigo) dominated the throws, winning the shot put (41-10.5) and discus (113-9). Ashley Wiedmeyer (Winneconne) added a strong double runner-up showing at 41-1 and 103-6.
PR improvements were significant in the girls throws as well, as Haddie Nault (Peshtigo) delivered season-best marks in both events, while Ashley Wiedmeyer (Winneconne) continued her upward trajectory with improved marks in both shot put and discus at the state meet.
Overview
With so many athletes posting personal bests at Wisconsin's multiple championship meets this past weekend, it is safe to say that middle school athletes are progressing in the right direction. With many athletes likely competing in post-season national meets, it seems Wisconsin should have a strong presence on the national stage.