Lingering winter be damned.
The spring prep sports season finally got underway on Saturday, albeit indoors, at the Cashton Indoor Invitational at UW–La Crosse’s Mitchell Hall.
Seniors Matt Bartels, Brandon Stanek and Max Sebranek combined to win five individual titles, and each ran a leg of Hillsboro’s victorious 4x200 relay as the Tiger boys claimed the team title at the 16-team season-opening event.
Bartels bolted his way to gold medals in the 55-meter-dash in 6.88 seconds and later the 200 meters in 24.20 seconds.
Bartels also won a silver medal with a second-place 19–0¼ leap in the long jump.
Stanek won his pair of gold medals with his jumping ability. He cleared 6–0 to win the high jump in a tie-breaker over Brookwood’s Dylan Smith and also won the triple jump with a distance of 38–10. Stanek also placed fifth in the 55-meter dash (7.09).
Sebranek zoomed to victory in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 8.47 seconds.
Junior Warren Paulson finished fourth in the 55-hurdles with at 9.01 seconds.
The quartet of Bartels, Stanek, Sebranek and Paulson combined to win the 4x200 relay with a time of 1:38.40 giving the senior-dominated Hillsboro boys’ six wins in 16 events on the night.
Senior Noah Mayberry won a silver medal in the 800 (2:12.72) and finished fourth in the 1,600 (5:06.69).
Fellow senior Logan Rohn placed fifth in the 1,600 (5:12.42).
Senior Matt Anderson placed fourth in the shot put (40–6½).
The Hillsboro boys scored 99.5 teams points to run away with the boys’ title. Onalaska Luther scored 57 points to finish a distant second, just ahead of third-place Whitehall (55).
In the girls’ competition Hillsboro scored 26.5 points and tied for 11th.
The co-op team of Grand Meadow/LeRoy–Ostrander from Minnesota won the girls title with 82 points. Host Cashton finished third with 63 points.
Sophomore Mackenzie Sullivan turned in the Hillsboro girls’ top individual performance, a third-place finish in the high jump by clearing 4–8.
The Hillsboro 4x800 relay also placed third in 12:09.
Junior Bridgett Madden placed fourth in the shot put (28–11½). Freshman teammate Morgan Huntley finished sixth in the event (28–4½).
Sophomore Breanna Beaver finished fifth in the 800 (2:46.84).
Junior Shauna Parish ran to a seventh-place finish in the 400 (1:13.83).
Junior Michaela Bach placed eighth in the 1,600 (6:44.05).
Hillsboro is scheduled to open the outdoor season Tuesday, April 15 at the North Crawford Invitational.
