Gerrard Diaz, gdiaz@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Marion High School sophomore Delaney Greene-Gretzinger runs the last stretch of the WIAA Division 3 girls state cross-country race Saturday at Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids. Greene-Gretzinger took first with a time of 19:05.
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Clintonville High School senior Allison Johnson, left, outpaces Appleton Xavier’s Audrey Miller near the finish line of the WIAA Division 2 girls state cross-country race Saturday at Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids. Johnson finished 16th.
Delaney Greene-Gretzinger didn’t think she could do it.
Then she changed her mind.
The Marion High School sophomore could feel the pressure of staying in the lead in the last leg of Saturday’s WIAA Division 3 girls state cross-country race.
“At the 2-mile, I was thinking I could just let them pass me,” Greene-Gretzinger said. “I just felt like I could change my mind. My mind wants me to stay back, but I could break over that barrier.”
Greene-Gretzinger broke the barrier, finishing the race in 19 minutes, 5 seconds, outpacing second-place finisher Jennifer Foley of La Crosse Aquinas by six seconds for the state championship.
“I’m just really happy,” Greene-Gretzinger said. “I didn’t think this could happen to me. I guess hard work really pays off. Don’t give up, because I didn’t even make state last year, and I was so upset. There’s those days where you don’t want to do it anymore, you just feel like giving up. You’ve just got to keep going.”
Greene-Gretzinger is the first state champion for the Marion cross-country team.
“It’s really, really special,” Marion coach John Krueger said. “She’s a girl who works all year round. She’s not just a seasonal runner. She knows nutrition, knows what to eat and everything. She’s just a phenomenal runner. We’re very blessed to have her.”
In the girls Division 2 race, Clintonville seniors Allison Johnson and Jessica Petruzates took 16th and 28th, respectively.
Johnson, a three-time state qualifier, said the extra distance — the WIAA increased girls cross-country from 4,000 to 5,000 meters — made this year’s race tougher.
“It was a lot harder than it used to be,” Johnson said.
Johnson said running with Petruzates, both of whom were part of Clintonville’s state-qualifying team last year, has been special this year.
“I’ve ran with her since I was 13. We’re together every race and it’s always been us,” Johnson said. “We didn’t have a full team most of the year. We’ve been doing a lot of individual. We’ve grown a lot together this year. It’s really been a lot of fun running with her this year. She’s my best friend.”
Division 2 Results
Girls
Team Scoring: 1. Green Bay Notre Dame 91, 2. McFarland 99, 3. Shorewood 104, 4. Two Rivers 118, 5. Wisconsin Lutheran 130, 6. Dodgeville/Mineral Point 133, 7. Freedom 222, 8. Winneconne 234, 9. Cedar Grove-Belgium 256, 10. Pewaukee 270, 11. Deerfield/Cambridge 272, 12. Ashland 309, 13. Fox Valley Lutheran 314, 14. Northwestern 315, 15. Mauston 352, 16. Wisconsin Dells 359
Clintonville: 16. Allison Johnson, 19:31; 28. Jessica Petruzates, 19:55
Division 3 Results
Girls
Team Scoring: 1. Oshkosh Lourdes Academy 68, 2. Westby 90, 3. Poynette 127, 4. Aquinas 147, 5. Phillips 173, 6. Rosholt 205, 7. Brookfield Academy 227, 8. Boscobel 229, 9. Kenosha St. Joseph Academy 238, 10. Chequamegon 242, 11. St. Mary’s Springs 256, 12. Glenwood City 256, 13. Howards Grove 271, 14. Fall Creek 309, 15. Cameron 339, 16. Stratford 342
Marion: 1. Delaney Greene-Gretzinger, 19:05