Track

The Track and Field teams celebrated the 2018 season with their banquet on Monday. Award winners for the girls were:

Most Valuable Track Athlete: Hailey Murphy
Most Valuable Field Athlete: Ali Ketterhagen
Most Improved Athlete: Hailey Murphy
Outstanding Senior Award: Miranda Reynolds
Outstanding Freshmen Award: Lily Dunklau

Award winners for the boys were:
Most Valuable Track Athlete: Tyler Sheffield
Most Valuable Field Athlete: Sashi Popke
Most Improved Athlete: Juan Cuellar
Outstanding Senior Award: Jacob Korf
Outstanding Freshmen Award: Trenten Zahn, Ignacio Cuevas

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From Coach Houwer:

The Whippet track and field teams will be sending 8 people to compete in LaCrosse next Friday and Saturday.

Miranda Reynolds will be the lone female representative, returning to the bluffs of LaCrosse to take another go at the high jump. She clutched up to clear 5′ on her third attempt when a miss would have ended her season. She then went on to clear 5′ 1″ and take second at sectionals last night.

The boys will be led by junior Sashi Popke. Sashi qualified in all 4 of his events. That feat has only been done 1 other time in school history, by Chad Simes in 2001. He won the pole vault and the long jump last night and ran on the 4×100 and 4×200 relays that qualified.

The 4×100 meter relay team of Will Leibbrand, Tyler Sheffield, Sashi Popke and Jack Mayer will go into the state meet seeded third after running a school record time last night of 43.54. Jared Clapper and Tyler Pavlik will join those 4 on the trip, ready to step in should their services be needed. It will be an exciting race in LaCrosse, with a number of other teams within a few tenths of a second.

The same four individuals sit one spot better entering the state competition in the 4×200 meter relay, seeded second, just 15 hundredths of a second out of the top seed. They ran the second fastest relay in school history with a 1:30.89 and look to improve upon that with hopefully two more races in LaCrosse. Juan Cuellar and Tyler Pavlik will serve as the alternates for this relay and gain valuable experience for the next two years.

There were a few close calls last night as well, where Whippets, unfortunately, found themselves on the outside looking in. Abby Grosinkse finished 5th in the shot put, just 2 inches out of a qualifying spot.

Even closer was the boys 4×400 relay of Tyler Sheffield, Juan Cuellar, Ignacio Cuevas, and Jacob Korf. They finished their race in the fast heat in 4th place, just 2 hundredths of a second out of third. Thinking they had secured a spot in the state meet, they began to celebrate only to find out they were beaten by one team in the first heat. That meant their 4th place finish was actually 5th, and they were just 2 hundredths of a second out of the final spot. Fighting all the way through the line, Jacob Korf was passed with about 15 meters left. The runner, believing he was ahead, let up a little and Jacob just missed passing him back. He kept fighting to the finish and needed only another step or two to take the spot back. It was an exciting, emotional race. And one where all 4 guys ran their best races of the season. I’m sure it’s a race they will remember for a long time.

The state competition festivities will kick off with Miranda jumping at 3:00 pm on Friday, June 1, followed shortly thereafter by Sashi in the vault at 3:15 pm. Both relays will have prelims on Friday and with a top ten finish, compete in finals on Saturday, June 2. Sashi will also compete in the long jump on Saturday. It will be an exciting time in LaCrosse.

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Comments from Coach Houwers:

Saturday afternoon the Whippets Track and Field teams competed in the Rock Valley Conference Championships held at Jefferson High School.  The boys’ team finished 3rd out of 10, while the girls finished 6th.

Sashi Popke was the only Whippet to be crowned conference champion, winning both the pole vault and the long jump.  Both efforts were personal bests.  His pole vault of 13’3″ was 3″ better than his previous best. His long jump of 21′ 5.5″ was also a personal best and put him on the top ten list in the long jump.  That’s the 3rd event he’s made the top ten list for this season.

A number of other boys had big days.  Tyler Sheffield scored in the 100m, 200m, 4×100 relay and triple jump.  The meet was the first time Tyler competed in the triple jump, going 40′ 2.5″ for 5th place.  Will Leibbrand also had 4 events and scored in them all.  He was 3rd in the 100m, ran on the 2nd place 4x100m relay and 4th place 4x200m relay, and scored in the long jump.  Jack Mayer was 3rd in both the 110 hurdles and the 200m dash, and ran on the 4th place 4×400 relay.  Jacob Korf and Trenten Zahn tripled with the 4×800 relay, 800m run, and 4×400 relay, and both scored in all three events.  Juan Cuellar joined them on both relays and also scored in the 400m dash.  The boys put together a real strong performance across the board.  Everyone who competed carried their weight and made the meet a very exciting one.

Miranda Reynolds and Abby Grosinske had the highest finishes for the girls’ team, taking 2nd in the high jump and shot put respectively.  Miranda was competing for the first time this season after injuring her quad the first week of the season.  The 4×100 relay of Morgan Radaj, Abby Grosinske, Morgan Wiedenhoeft, and Grace Black was third.  Hailey Murphy and Ali Ketterhagen finished 4th in the 300 hurdles and high jump. The 4×200 relay of Morgan Radaj, Morgan Wiedenhoeft, Lily Dunklau and Catherine Skingdingsrude and the 4×800 relay team of Nicole Tomomitsu, Allisan Barrett, Jenna Lee, and Grace Fanshaw also medalled with a 4th place finish.  Nicole had a fantastic leadoff leg, really setting the table for the rest of the team.

Elkhorn JV Quad: At Elkhorn on Thursday night, Whitewater Boys and Girls produced four individual event winners. Amanda Tovar led the way for the girls’ team by winning the 200m Dash with a time of 29.81 and tying for first in the Pole Vault with a jump of 7’6”. Her teammates, Catherine Skindingsrude (30.49) and Cassidy Pinkowski (31.18) helped sweep the 200m Dash with their second and third place finishes. Skindingsrude was also able to contribute with a second place finish in the 100m Dash with a finishing time of 11.47. Other Whippets to contribute were Kathryn Donner with a second place finish in the 400 (1:15.21) followed by her teammate, Bailee Korf in third place (1:16.73).

On the boys’ side, Zach Gross and Shawn Chan were able to put forth efforts that ended with first place finishes in their respected events. Zach Gross won the 200m Dash with a time of 25.25 and also was part of the second place 4x200m relay team that consisted of Cody Rupke, Denver Isbell, and Thomas Utynek (1:47.00). Shawn Chan won the 300m hurdles with a time of 48.18 and also finished fourth in the 110m hurdles (19.54). Carter Henry (58.69) and Jovany Manriquez (1:01.64) placed second and fourth in the 400m dash to help add to the overall team point total.

Comments from Coach Houwers:

The boys and girls track teams headed to Elkhorn for the Walworth County meet on Tuesday.  It was their final tune-up before the conference meet on Saturday.

The two biggest highlights came with wins from Abby Grosinske in the shot put and the boys 4x100m relay.  Abby threw 36′ 2″ to win the shot.  That throw puts her at #5 on the all-time top ten list for Whitewater High School.  The boys 4×100 relays also made the top ten list, placing 8th all-time with their winning time of 44.35.  Hailey Murphy also won the 300 hurdles in another good race.  She will find more time to cut as her season continues.  Ali Ketterhagen had a personal best in the discus, taking second.  Brianna Staebler had a personal best while finishing third in the shot put.  Jack Mayer ran a great 200m race to take second in that event.  Brianna Tillett jumped well again, taking third in the long jump, and Morgan Radaj finished third in the 100m dash.

Thursday the Whippets return to Elkhorn for a JV meet before heading to Jefferson for the conference championships on Saturday.

Comments from Coach Howers:

The JV track and field teams went to Lake Geneva for a 7 team invite yesterday.  The kids performed well, with a number of kids getting personal bests.

The girls’ team brought home all the hardware.  The highest finishes were Grace Black in the 100m dash, and the 4×200 relay team of Amanda Tovar, Catherine Skingdingsrude, Kathryn Donner and Cassidy Pinkowski.  Amanda Tovar also took third in the pole vault, with a best of 7′ 6″, and was on the third-place 4×100 relay team joining Skingdingsrude, Pinkowski, and Black.

For the boys, the highlights came from Hayden West in the pole vault and Zach Gross in the 200m dash.  Zach finished 5th with a personal best, as did Hayden.

The varsity team travels to Elkhorn tonight in the Walworth County meet.

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From Coach Houwers:

The Whippets track and field teams competed at the Edgerton Tider Invite on Friday night.  Spring weather was finally cooperating, giving us a great night to compete.  The teams struggled early on in prelims, advancing just one individual to the finals of the 100, 200, or 100/110 hurdles.  Tyler Sheffield managed to sneak into the 200 finals with the final qualifying spot.  Jack Mayer got out to a great start in the 110 hurdles and looked to be on his way to finals before catching his trail leg on a hurdle mid-race and falling.  As the meet progressed, things did begin to improve, but not enough to prevent finishing in the bottom 3 teams for both the girls and boys teams.  Even without a good team performance, there were some highlights from the competition.

The highlight for the girls’ team came in the technical events.  Sydney Treder finished second with another 8′ 6″ vault in the pole vault.  Freshman Jenna Caldwell tied for 3rd, clearing 8′ 0″ for the first time this season.  Ali Ketterhagen continues to improve in the high jump.  She finished 3rd, clearing 4′ 10″ for the first time in her career.  She looks to hit the 5′ mark as we come into the championship part of the season.  Hailey Murphy dropped 2 seconds off her 300 hurdles race to also finish third.  Her time moves her into the top ten all-time times in the event.

For the boys’ team, Sashi Popke took home to only gold, winning the pole vault.  Aidan Coburn was a bright spot, trying the 1600, 3200 double for the first time.  He proved ready for the task, as he set personal bests in both events, going under the 5 min barrier in the 1600 for the first time.  Jacob Korf impressed to close out the night, running a great split on the 4×400 relay.

This week is a busy week as the JV teams compete Monday and Thursday, and the Varsity goes Tuesday in Elkhorn at the Walworth County meet and again on Saturday at the Conference Championships in Jefferson, beginning at 10 am.

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From Coach Houwers:

The Whippets tracksters were finally able to get back to running, jumping and throwing last night at the 70th annual Fort Invite. This was their first meet after a string of 5 cancellations due to weather.

There were many highlights on the night. The first on the track was Ignacio Cuevas, running a great anchor leg in the 4×800 relay. It was his first ever 800, and the freshmen responded with a great leg in a pretty tough situation. For the boys, the sprinters had a very good night. Tyler Sheffield and Will Leibbrand finished 1st and 4th in the 100m. The 4×100 relay also took home gold. Sheffield was joined by Jared Clapper, Jack Mayer and Sashi Popke for that relay.

Leibbrand, Clapper, and Mayer are a part of a very solid group of sophomore boys that will play a key role for the team as they approach conference. Juan Cuellar, Tyler Pavlik, Matt Foss, Justin Mitchell, Aiden Coburn, Cody Rupke and Thomas Utynek all contributed last night with great efforts. Many are still learning the nuances of the sport. It’s going to be fun to see that group develop over the rest of the season and for years to come.

On the girls’ side, there were a number of gold medal performances to celebrate. The first came in the girls high jump, with Ali Ketterhagen taking home gold. Her ability and desire to compete has been truly amazing, considering she’s less than a year off knee surgery for a torn ACL.

Hailey Murphy picked up her first ever gold in the 100 hurdles. She had an incredible night, running lifetime bests in all her races. She looks like the real deal, ready to take a big step forward this year. She’s knocking on the door of the top ten lists in both hurdle races.

Sydney Treder isn’t far off the top ten list either. In just her third meet vaulting, she cleared 8’6″ to win the pole vault. The girls 4×100 relay took home the final gold for the ladies. The team of Morgan Wiedenhoeft, Abby Grosinske, Lily Dunklau and Morgan Radaj were able to get the stick around the track the fastest last night. Radaj and Dunklau both claimed silver in their individual sprints as well, competing in the 100m and 200m respectively.

The Whippets have a busy week ahead, with the freshmen meet in Clinton on Tuesday, and JV Invite in Lake Geneva on Thursday. The week is capped off with the Tider Invite next week Friday.