MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U.COM GAME OF THE WEEK (May 9–16)
TRACK & FIELD: SWAL Conference Meet

By Jason Nihles, The Platteville Journal / Fennimore Times / Boscobel Dial

Juniors lead Fennimore girls win conference title since 2010

DARLINGTON — Juniors Izzy Bender, Rose French and Rachel Schauer won individual title to lead the Fennimore girls track and field team to conference title at Monday’s SWAL Conference Meet at Darlington High School.

Bender cleared 5’4” to win the girls’ high jump, placed second in the 300 hurdles (50.78), third in the triple jump (33’5”) and she also was on the second-place 4x200 relay with fellow juniors Rosalie Griesel, Braycee Nelson and Jillian Adam.

French won the shot put (33’5”) and placed second in the pole vault (8’6”) at add 18 team points. Schauer won the discus (121’6”) and placed third in the shot put (32’5.5”) for 16 more team points.

The Fennimore girls piled up 127 points to win their first conference title since 2010. The Lady Eagles nearly missed a conference title two years ago when they came up a point short to Cuba City, 121–20, in the 2020–21 season. 

“The strength of the SWAL conference and competing against these teams numerous times throughout the seasons has always benefited us when going into postseason action,” said Fennimore head coach Gregg Davis. 

“The girls dominated the field events at the conference meet. We scored 84 of our 127 points there. We saw many athletes have PRs in their events.  

Another key to Fennimore’s championship day was solid performances in the relays.

“Nearly 20 percent of our points were produced from our relays,” said Davis. “Instead of putting girls in individual sprint/mid events, we chose to load relays and it paid off with team points. The 4x200 team of Rosalie, Braycee, Izzy, and Jillian had an especially competitive time.”

Griesel, Nelson, Adam and freshman Payton Lendosky finished second in the 4x100 relay at 53.48 seconds. Adam (15’9.5”) and Nelson (15’9”) finished second and third in the long jump.

Freshman Rhiannon Nelson-Hahn placed second in the triple jump (34’3.75”), third in the high jump (5’0”), fifth in the 100 hurdles and sixth in the 300 hurdles.

The Fennimore boys scored 94 team points to finish second to Cuba City (159).

“Our boys were once again led by our middle distance and field events, including Co-Athlete of the Meet, Isaac Henkel.”

The Fennimore sophomore won the top individual award after winning the 800 meters in a new meet record time of 1:58.16. Henkel’s time also broke the previous mark of 1:59.0, set by Riverdale’s Chris McKenna in 1997, and broke his own school record for the fourth time this season.

Henkel. also teamed with juniors Carter Bunn and Riley Foreyt, and sophomore Ben Varela to win the 4x400 relay (3:35.62), and Bunn, Foreyt, and junior Nick Needham to win the 4x800 relay (8:14.68).

Sophomore Matt Winch also won an individual conference title for the Fennimore boys with a throw of 120’8” in the discus. He also placed third in the pole vault (10’6”).

The boys scored 70 of their 94 points in relays and field events. 

“Our goal has always been to have healthy, happy legs going into the tournament section of the year,” added Davis. “We aren’t quite as healthy as we need to be but we are getting close.”

Fennimore will travel to Lancaster for Monday’s WIAA Division 3 Regional. 

SWAL Conference Meet
(from Monday, May 15 @ Darlington)
(Boys)
Team scores — 1.Cuba City 159, 2.Fennimore 94, 3.Darlington 87, 4.Riverdale 80, 5.Iowa–Grant 52, 5.Boscobel 52, 7.Southwestern 28.
Fennimore top finishers (top 8)
100 — 5.Max Miles 12.23. 200 — 6.Brandon Seitz 26.14. 400 — 4.Riley Foreyt 54.55, 6.Nick Needham 57.17. 800 — 1.Isaac Henkel ***1:58.16***, 4.Carter Bunn 2:05.13, 8.Ben Varela 2:10.99. 1,600 — 8.Walker Wubben 5:35.08. 110 hurdles — 7.Owen Klaas 22.77. 300 hurdles — 7.Klaas 52.58. 4x200 relay — 4.Fennimore (Seitz, Miles, Varela, Brennen Freymiller) 1:43.55. 4x400 relay — 1.Fennimore (Bunn, Henkel, Foreyt, Varela) 3:35.62. 4x800 relay — 1.Fennimore (Bunn, Needham, Foreyt, Henkel) 8:14.78. High jump — 6.Wubben 5’4”. Pole vault — 3.Matt Winch 10’6”. Long jump — 5.Freymiller 18’0”. Triple jump — 3.Freymiller 37’6.5”, 5.Kaden Hubbard 35’9”. Shot put — 3.Madden Crubel 39’0.5”, 5.Corbin Demo 37’7.5”. Discus — 1.Winch 120’8”, 3.Demo 111’7”, 6.Crubel 101’9”. 
*** = SWAL record
(Girls)
Team scores — 1.Fennimore 127, 2.Riverdale 101.5, 3.Cuba City 100, 4.Darlington 97.5, 5.Boscobel 73, 6.Iowa–Grant 44, 7.Southwestern 10.
Fennimore top finishers (top 8)
100 — 5.Jillian Adam 13.78, 6.Peyton Lendosky 13.92. 200 — 4.Rosalie Griesel 28.752. 400 — 6.Alyssa Bray 1:06.06, 8.Ariana Collins-Miller 1:12.98. 110 hurdles — 5.Rhiannon Neson-Hahn 18.10. 300 hurdles — 2.Izzy Bender 50.78, 6.Nelson-Hahn 52.77. 4x100 relay — 2.Fennimore (Griesel, Braycee Nelson, Lendosky, Adam) 53.48. 4x200 relay — 2.Fennimore (Griesel, Nelson, Bender, Adam) 1:50.94. 4x400 relay — 4.Fennimore (Bray, Gwen Johnson, Nelson, Dakota Northouse) 4:31.98. 4x800 relay — 4.Fennimore (Bray, Lily Conley, Johnson, Northouse) 11:13.19. High jump — 1.Bender 5’4”, 3.Nelson-Hahn 5’0”. Pole vault — 2.Rose French 8’6”, 4.Brooklyn Lull J8’6”, 8.Northouse 7’6”. Long jump — 2.Adam 15’9.5”, 3.Nelson 15’9”, 5.Lendosky 15’2.5”. Triple jump — 2.Nelson-Hahn 34’3.75”, 3.Bender 33’5”. Shot put — 1.French 33’5”, 3.Rachel Schauer 32’5.5”. Discus — 1.Schauer 121’6”.