Leader Staff
The Shawano Community High School boys track and field team has two competitors in this week’s WIAA Division 1 state finals in La Crosse.
Senior Daniel Boivin qualified in both the 300-meter hurdles and the pole vault, while Jake Klister advanced in the 800-meter run.
Boivin’s sectional-best mark of 14 feet in the pole vault puts him in the top half of the qualifying heights in the event. Boivin (40.51 seconds) starts the hurdles event in the third heat, which also includes Jordan Mason of Badger, who has the event’s fastest seed time at 38.76.
Klister (1:57.24) starts the 800 in the first of two sections. Senior Eric Brown of Wisconsin Lutheran is a two-time champion and record holder in the 800 run. He has the fourth-fastest qualifying time in the event this year at 1:55.25, less than two seconds off the best qualifying pace.
Bay Port has qualifiers in 14 events, including relays, to lead the Division 1 entries. Wisconsin Lutheran and Middleton are next with competitors in 12 events, while Stevens Point has participants in 11 events.
Division 2
Clintonville senior Skyler Lehman is the lone area state-qualifier in Division 2 with his 13-3 mark in the pole vault, which ranks behind a five-person tie for the third-best. Edgerton’s Alex Schmidt is the lone qualifier to reach 14 feet, followed by West Salem’s Mac Anderson (13-9).
Freedom and Milwaukee Lutheran will compete in 12 events, including relays, which are the most of any school in Division 2. Lakeland and Little Chute are represented in 11 events.
Division 3
Gresham-Bowler senior Drew Payne qualified for both the triple jump (43-8) and the long jump (21-6.75) in Division 3.
Junior Kristian Welch of Iola-Scandinavia is the returning champion in the long jump. His jump of 22-10 ½ at sectionals ranks first in the field by a half inch.
Menominee Indian senior Gordon James (11.26) qualified in the 100, and teammate senior Alphonso Smith (47-1.25) qualified in the shot put.
Marathon will be competing in the most number of events in the D3 meet with 11, including relays. Cambridge and Princeton/Green Lake have competitors in eight events, and Newman Catholic and Rosholt have qualifiers in eight events.
AT A GLANCE
WHAT: WIAA State Track and Field Meet
WHERE: Roger Harring Stadium, Veterans Memorial Field, State Street, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, La Crosse.
WHEN: Competition in Divisions 2 and 3 starts at 9:30 a.m. Friday. The Division 1 meet begins at 4:30 p.m. Finals in the field events begin at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, with running events scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m.
FYI: All finals on Saturday will be in this order – Division 3, Division 2, Division 1.