MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U.COM GAME OF THE WEEK (May 16–23)
TRACK & FIELD: SWC Conference Meet
By Jason Nihles, The Platteville Journal / Fennimore Times / Boscobel Dial
Platteville boys tie Dodgeville/Mineral Point to share this year’s SWC track and field title, the 76th in program history
RICHLAND CENTER — Platteville track and field coach Rob Serres is constantly reminding his teams that, “every point matters.”
Never was that more true than last Tuesday at the Southwest Wisconsin Conference Meet for coach Rob Serres’ Platteville boys.
The Hillmen scored 123 points, despite winning just three of the 18 events, to tie Dodgeville/Mineral Point (123) for first place this year’s SWC Meet at Richland Center High School. Lancaster finished third with 108 points.
It was the 76th conference title for the Platteville boys since 1926.
“Five of the six teams had a shot at capturing the (boys’) trophy,” said Serres. “By the end of the meet it came down to Dodgeville/Mineral Point and Platteville. We were trading points back and forth with each event. At the end it seemed Dodgeville was going to have the upper hand, but with one event remaining, Logan Day and Tyler Sasse teamed up in the long jump (Both jumping PR’s) to bring us back into the fight and give us a conference championship.
Sasse jump 19’9.75” to place seventh, while Day scored four team points with a fourth-place finish at 20’5.5”.
Platteville’s 4x400 relay team of seniors Quinn Wright, Nick Burkard and Casen Udelhofen and sophomore Andrew Donner teamed up to win the 4x400, the final event on the track, with a winning-time of 3:37.33, to gain two crucial points on the Pointers, who finished second in the event.
Udelhofen also won the boys’ 200 (22.77) and 400 (50.57) to score 20 team points.
The top six place finishers in each event were scored (10–8–6–4–2–1) with the top three finishers receiving medals.
Donner (2:10.06) and Wright (2:10.26) placed second and third in the 800.
Junior Marcus Sponsler finished second in both the 110 hurdles (16.53) and 300 hurdles (43.49).
Freshman Cash Peterson, juniors Brian Richter and Dominic Fansler and senior Noah Dies placed second in the 4x800 relay (8:57.01).
Sophomore Fletcher Cline (130’8.25”) and junior Mason Troester (123”4”) finished second and third in the boys’ discus.
“I told the kids all season, how important each and every place and point is,” said Serres. “They took the message to heart and it resulted in a victory.”
The Platteville girls scored 106 points and finished as this year’s runner-up behind repeat champion Lancaster (153).
“Both the girls and boys meets were some of the finest battles that I have seen,” said Serrers. “In the girls, we knew that Lancaster was the team to beat and we also knew that actually beating Lancaster was going to be a tall task. There were three other teams, other than us, that could have ended up second (Dodge–Point, Richland Center, and Prairie du Chien). Our goal was to capture the runner-up spot, and our girls did just that and I was extremely proud for them.
“I want to say thanks to the teams for their valiant efforts, and to our coaches Russ Yurs, Brett Zierath, Amber Budden and Tom Caccia for all of their sacrifices and work throughout the season.”
Junior Ketura Goomey won a pair of individual conference titles, sweeping the girls’ hurdles events, winning the 100 hurdles in 16.67 seconds and the 300 hurdles in 47.93.
Senior Emma Rooney placed second in the 3,200 (12:06.90) and third in the 1,600 (5:34.07).
Fellow senior Grace Stombaugh on the girls’ high jump by clearing 4’10”. Sophomore Dye cleared 4’8” to finished third.
Rooney, juniors Isabelle Rooney and Josie Yurs, and senior Kendra Stastny finished second in the 4x800 relay (10:02.74).
Junior Emelia Theleman placed third in the discus at 101’0”.
Dye, Desaray Washington, Emma Brunton and Addison Schneider placed third in the 4x200 (1:56.70), while Schneider, Yurs, Stastny and Isabelle Rooney finished third in the 4x400 (4:22.94).
Platteville was back in action Monday at the WIAA Division 2 Prairie du Chien Regional.
SWC Conference Meet
(from Tuesday, May 16 @ Richland Center)
(Boys)
Team scores — 1(tie).Platteville 123, 1(tie).Dodgeville/Mineral Point 123, 3.Lancaster 108, 4.Prairie du Chien 90.5, 5.Richland Center 77.5, 6.River Valley 32.
Platteville top finishers (top 8)
100 — 4.Ashton Thompson 11.53, 7.Logan Day 11.85. 200 — 1.Casen Udelhofen 22.77. 400 — 1.Udelhofen 50.57, 5.Andrew Donner 53.03, 6.Quinn Wright 53.97. 800 — 2.Donner 2:10.06, 3.Wright 2:10.26, 6.Cash Peterson 2:11.44. 3,200 — 5.Brian Richter 11:08.33. 110 hurdles — 2.Marcus Sponsler 16.53, 3.Thompson 16.91, 6.Eli Langmeier 17.68. 300 hurdles — 2.Sponsler 43.49, 6.Langmeier 47.70. 4x100 relay — 4.Platteville (Kale Richards, Myron Reuter, Tyler Sasse, Day) 48.41. 4x200 relay — 5.Platteville (Thompson, Tate Zuehlke, Mike Loeffelholz, Day) 1:40.13. 4x400 relay — 1.Platteville (Wright, Donner, Nick Burkard, Udelhofen ) 3:37.33. 4x800 relay — 2.Platteville (Peterson, Richter, Noah Deis, Dominic Fansler) 8:57.01. High jump — 8.Sasse J5’6”. Pole vault — 4.Garrison Tashner 11’6”. Long jump — 4.Day 20’5”, 7.Sasse 19’9.75”, 4.Day 19’5”. Triple jump — 6.Caleb Digman 39’1.5”. Shot put — 4.John Baxter 39’5.25”, 5.Brendan Millard 39’3.75”, 8.Marcus Kreul 38’4.75”. Discus — 2.Fletcher Cline 130’8.25”, 3.Mason Troester 123’4”, 5.Millard 120’1.5”.
(Girls)
Team scores — 1.Lancaster 153, 2.Platteville 106, 3.Dodgeville/Mineral Point 99, 4.Prairie du Chien 82, 5.Richland Center 73, 6.River Valley 35.
Platteville top finishers (top 8)
100 — 7.Mack Champion 13.92. 200 — 4.Addison Schneider 28.54, 7.Emma Brunton 30.06. 400 — 4.Isabelle Rooney 1:05.15, 6.Kendra Stastny 1:06.79. 800 — 4.Josie Yurs 2:28.75, 8.Ally Dehuhr 2:41.89. 1,600 — 3.Emma Rooney 5:34.07, 6.Paige Kerkenbush 6:07.99. 3,200 — 2.E. Rooney 12:06.9, 6.Shaena Prestegard 13:47.40, 7.Kerkenbush 14:08.3. 100 hurdles — 1.Ketura Goomey 16.67, 7.Ava Sonsalla 20.13. 300 hurdles — 1.K. Goomey 47.93. 4x100 relay — 4.Platteville (Brunton, Liz Poller, Addie Popp, Desaray Washington) 55.18. 4x200 relay — 3.Platteville (Washington, Brunton, Linnea Dye, Schneider) 1:56.70. 4x400 relay — 3.Platteville (Kendra Stastny, I. Rooney, Yurs, Schneider) 4:22.94. 4x800 relay — 2.Platteville (E. Rooney, I. Rooney, Yurs, Stastny) 10:02.74. High jump — 1.Grace Stombaugh J4’10”, 3.Linnea Dye J4’8”. Pole vault — 4.Sarah Dreger 8’6”, 6.Champion J8’0”. Long jump — 7.Kaelyn Sasse 14’6”, 8.Poller 14’1.75” Triple jump — 5.Champion 31’5.5”. Shot put — 6.Emelia Theleman 27’8.5”, 8.Olivia Millsap 27’2.25”. Discus — 3.Theleman 101’0”, 5.Natalie Jentz 96’5.5”, 6.Olivia Millsap 93’3”.
