The Whitewater High School Boys’ and Girls’ Cross Country Teams came to play on Saturday, Aug. 30, sweeping the 22nd Annual Dirk Seibold Alumni Meet on their home course. The event, named after longtime Hall of Fame Coach Dirk Seibold, has become a celebrated tradition that brings together past and present Whippets in a spirited competition. This year’s event was shortened from the usual 3.1 miles to 1.5 as the team raced two days prior in their first invite of the year.
On the boys’ side, Whitewater scored 25 points to edge out the Alumni team, which finished with 33. Former Whippet standout Nate Holden took the overall title in 8 minutes, 28 seconds, while Assistant Coach Quinn McKenzie followed in 8:49. Whitewater freshman Tyler Carollo paced the Whippets with a third-place overall finish in 9:20. Senior Isaiah Mendez (10:19), junior Marcus Roselle (10:41), and senior Quinton O’Toole (10:48) packed closely to secure the team win. Junior Angel Kilar (11:37), senior Sam Nickelsburg, and sophomore Ian Agen added depth for the Whippets. Alumni contributors included Onyx Thompson (9:55), Ben Holden (10:52), Mark Schroeder (13:20), and Chad Lorenzen (16:42).
The Whippet girls were equally dominant, cruising to a 20–43 win over the Unattached team. Alumna Sarah Ziolkowski set the pace, winning in 9:48, with WHS teacher Maddy Blain second at 9:55. Sophomore Virginia Nelson led the current Whippets, placing third overall in 11:01. Freshman Melody Smith (11:44), junior Ema Aranda (12:28), and senior Delaney Hammack (12:35) rounded out the team’s top five. Freshman Madelyn Taylor (13:07) and senior Payton Brautigam (14:44) also had strong showings, while freshman Noelia Villegas-Korbel and senior Kelly Mayorga provided additional depth.
The meet once again highlighted the strength of the Whippet program while honoring the tradition of connecting current athletes with the alumni who helped build it. Coach Carstens would like to thank everyone who came to support the team, as many were present but did not run in the event. It is so wonderful to visit with people who all have a shared bond through the wonderful sport of cross country.
RESULTS: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1isUKsndIW65ln2xr_A1SZXfVeYDq2DnmPAiIIKXjaXM/edit?usp=sharing
Article Submitted by Chad Carstens
Whitewater High School Head Cross Country Coach
ccarstens@wwusd.org
Photo Courtesy of Laura Masbruch
