The Whippet Cross Country Team competed on September 5 in their largest invitational of the season to date at McCarty Park in West Allis. With another week of training, perfect weather, and a growing ability to embrace being uncomfortable, the team rose to the challenge against much larger programs.
Several athletes ran lifetime bests. Freshman Tyler Carollo led the way with his first sub-19 effort, running 18:55 for 58th place—over a minute faster than his debut race last week. Wyatt Esch stepped up as the team’s No. 2 finisher, earning a personal best of 20:09 for 85th. Marcus Roselle joined the PR party with a 20:37 (91st), followed closely by Isaiah Mendez in 21:01 (93rd). Quinton O’Toole finished 99th in 21:26, and Angel Kilar capped the varsity effort with a big breakthrough—running 22:08, over a minute better than his previous best. The team placed 15th out of 25 schools.
In the JV race, Sam Nickelsburg made a big jump from last week, clocking 24:23. Freshman Jameson Rothwell debuted with a 25:37, and Ian Agen nearly broke 30 minutes, crossing in 30:31.
On the girls’ side, Virginia Nelson led the varsity squad with a 22:48 for 56th. Delaney Hammack dropped 32 seconds for a PR of 23:46 (71st), while Ema Aranda finished 83rd in 24:34. Freshman Madelyn Taylor cut nearly three minutes from her season opener, setting a lifetime best of 27:08.
In JV action, Payton Brautigam looked outstanding, running faster than she had in the past three seasons with a 27:02 for 66th. Noelia Villegas-Korbel showed grit, cutting nearly a full minute from her opening race.
The Whippets will now take a week off from racing to focus on training (and water softener salt sales!) before returning to competition at the Dana Waddell Invite in Cottage Grove on Tuesday, September 16.
Full Results: https://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/meet/258799/info
Article Submitted by Chad Carstens
Whitewater High School Head Cross Country Coach
ccarstens@wwusd.org
File Photo Courtesy of Heather Hammack
