By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Redbirds run away with a SWAL sweep
Darl BTF Glendenning HJ color
ETHAN GLENDENNING won a conference title in the boys high jump after clearing the bar at 60 at the SWAL Track and Field Meet last Tuesday.
Thomas Gunnell
Updated: May 24, 2012, 2:27 PM
Published: May 24, 2012, 2:31 PM

    CUBA CITY – Strength in numbers in the running events and depth throughout the line-up allowed Darlington to sweep the team titles at the 2012 SWAL Track and Field Meet held at Cuba City High School on Tuesday, May 15.
    The Lady Redbirds won four events and placed competitors in 16 of the 18 events with three athletes placing in three events and two placing in six other events to run away with the girls’ SWAL championship for the second year in a row with 168 points.
    Boscobel, which led the way by winning six conference events, was a distant second with 132 points.
    The Redbirds won five events and also placed competitors in 16 of the 18 events with three athletes placing in three events and two placing in six other events to claim their fourth consecutive boys’ conference championship with 161 points.
    Boscobel, which also won five events, placed second with 124 points.

Girls Meet
    The Lady Redbirds defended their titles in the 1,600-meter relay with Hannah Huffman, Alison Wedig, Claire Scott and Tatum Evenstad teaming up to finish first in a time of 4:12.85 and in the 3,200-meter relay with Evenstad joining with Cheyenne Wolfe, Harley Douglas and Amy Jorgenson to post a winning time of 10:43.44.
    Haily McGowan also defended her conference title in the discus with a toss of 109’7”, and placed third in the shot put with a mark of 35’11”.
    Christa Wamsley led a 1-2-3 finish for the ‘Birds in the 3,200-meter run by finishing first in 12:20.9 ahead of teammates Douglas (12:43.45) and Hannah Robiolio (13:21.01), while Wamsley (5:56.18) and Robiolio (5:57.78) finished second and third in the 1,600 with Evenstad placing fourth (6:05.29).
    Wedig was second in the 200 (:28.6) and the 400 (1:02.05) with Scott taking third in the 400 (1:03.15) and fourth (:29.65) in the 200 for the Redbirds.
    Jorgenson was second (:51.88) and Rebecca Mathias was third (:54.83) in the 300-meter low hurdles, and Huffman was second (15’7”) and Carly Reilly was third (14’10.75”) in the long jump. 
    The 800 relay team of Reilly, Shannon McDaniel, Shai Rowe and Haleigh Sonsalla was second in 1:53.91, and Abigail Merriam was third in the high jump (5’0”).

Boys Meet
    Tyson Miehe repeated as SWAL champion for the second year in a row in the 3,200 (10:23.58) and 1,600 (4:34.41) runs, while the Redbirds’ 4x800-meter relay squad of Quinn Cullen, Kent Miehe, Destin Komprood and Brady McDaniel defended the team’s title in a winning time of 8:24.4.
    Cullen was second in the 400 (:53.45) and 800 (2:06.4), while Komprood was second in the 1,600 (4:39.38) and third in the 800 (2:06.86). Storm Wiegel added thirds in the 200 (:25.29) and 400 (:54.23),  and K. Miehe was fourth in the 800 (2:07.82) and the 1,600 (4:46.55).
    In the 3,200, Michael Sinclair took second (10:32.99) and Garth Garrison was third (10:41.88) for the ‘Birds.
    Kyle Johnson captured a SWAL title in the 110-meter high hurdles (:16.55) and was second in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles (44.36).
    Ethan Glendenning garnered a title in the high jump (6’0”) with teammate Cedric Flesher placing third (5’10”) in the event.
    Levi Wedig also finished second for the ‘Birds in the pole vault (12’3”) on the day.

Girls Meet
Team Scores: Darlington 168, Boscobel 132, Cuba City 85, Fennimore 78, Southwestern 48, Riverdale 43.

Other Redbird results: 100- 6- Shannon McDaniel, 14.1; 800- 4- Claire Cullen, 2:34.05; 5- Cheyenne Wolfe, 2:34.52; 6- Tatum Evenstad, 2:39.62; 400R- 4- Darlington (Rebecca Mathias, Hannah Huffman, Haleigh Sonsalla, McDaniel), 53.89; TJ- 4- Claire Scott, 31’6.5”; SP- 5- Brianna Reichling, 33’5.5”; D- 4- Reichling, 98’10”.

Boys Meet
Team Scores: Darlington 161, Boscobel 124, Fennimore 95, Cuba City 84, Riverdale 48, Southwestern 40.

Other Redbird results: 110HH- 4- Sam Johnson, 18.36; 300IH- 5- S. Johnson, 46.08; 400R- 4- Darlington (Dylan Nyffenegger, Ethan Glendenning, TJ Lawson, Adam Wiederholt), 48.29; 800R- 4- Darlington (Nyffenegger, Glendenning, Wiederholt, Cole Whalen), 1:40.87; 1600R- 4- Darlington (Brady McDaniel, Levi Wedig, S. Johnson, Kyle Schulte), 3:46.4; PV- 5- Patrick Roche, 10’0”; TJ- 6- S. Johnson, 33’6.5”; SP- 5- S. Michael Ruf, 41’1.25”; 6- Cruz Bahena, 40’6”; D- 6- AJ Coulthard, 101’9”.
At Cuba City H.S., Tuesday, May 15
Darlington honors long-time coach Arnie Miehe
School renames cross country course after legendary coach
Arnie Miehe
Former Darlington cross country coach Arnie Miehe (left) stands as it is announced that the DHS cross country course will be renamed after him at the Darlington Invitational on Sept. 7. The years of accomplishments are displayed on the banner behind Miehe. - photo by Casey Lindecrantz
Natalie Dillon, Fox Tales
Updated: Sep 13, 2024, 4:03 PM
Published: Sep 13, 2024, 4:04 PM

DARLINGTON — At its 41st annual Darlington Invite, the cross country team honored long-time head coach Arnie Miehe by renaming the course after him.

“It’s an incredible honor,” Arnie said. “It’s very humbling. It makes me think of all the hours, days, weeks and years that went into it — all the events and kids I’ve come in contact with.”

Since taking over  the program in 1982, Arnie has had nine state championship teams — eight for the boys and one for the girls — including six consecutive boys’ titles from 2011-2016. Another 39 teams went to state — 23 for the boys and 16 for the girls. For four straight years from 1993-1996, Darlington boys were state runners-up to Cochrane-Fountain City. In this 41-year span, he’s also had numerous individual state runners.

Two of those runners were his sons, Kent and Tyson. Tyson has run in the Olympic trials, and Kent currently coaches the Redbirds cross country teams.

“The recognition needs to be spread out,” Arnie said. “It should really be named the Miehe course. My wife and kids had as much to do with the success as I did. It was an entire family effort.”

But Kent was quick to turn the recognition back to his father.

“All the success we had started here, with him,” Kent said of Darlington’s home course and the annual Invite, which Arnie had begun years ago.

Darlington kept its successful streak at home with the girls finishing runners-up to Lancaster. Adalee Berget led the squad with her third-place finish. As a team, the Lady Redbirds, ranked No. 9 in Division 3 per Week 1 of the Wisconsin Cross Country Coaches Association Poll, ran faster than the 2023 squad that finished third at state.

“We are learning what good is,” Kent said. “The returners know what it takes to be good. We have a perspective of what we are working toward. The season is far from over.”