Amherst, Clintonville win championships

By Greg Seubert

Three area cross country teams opened their season Aug. 25 at the Standing Rocks Invitational.

Varsity, junior varsity and middle school runners from Iola-Scandinavia, Weyauwega-Fremont and Manawa competed at the eight-team meet at Standing Rocks County Park between Amherst and Plover.

Amherst and Clintonville won boys’ and girls’ championships, respectively.

Amherst and Brillion were the only boys’ squads to field a full team. Amherst finished with 24 points, while Brillion ended up with 36. Iola-Scandinavia, Manawa, Weyauwega-Fremont, Clintonville, Marion and St. Mary Catholic had incomplete teams.

Clintonville edged Iola-Scandinavia by two points to take first among girls’ teams. Team scores were Clintonville (50), Iola-Scandinavia (52), Brillion (69), Amherst (85), Weyauwega-Fremont (107) and Marion (161). St. Mary Catholic had an incomplete team.

Runners for the I-S boys were Joe Makovec (third, 18:55.8); Erick Kriewaldt (15th, 20:16.4); and Trenton Niemi (21st, 22:59.9).
Sebastian Wagner placed 20th in 22:31.7 to lead Manawa, followed by Jonathon Lubahn (24th, 23:39.4); and Devin Loughrin (31st, 27:26.2).

Jacob Carroll placed 27th in 24:05.1 for Weyauwega-Fremont, while Chris Strehlow finished 30th in 25:17.3.

I-S had three runners in the top 10 in the girls’ varsity race. Erika Kisting placed second in 20:13.4, nearly a minute behind Clintonville’s Kara Pyatskowit, who won the race in 19:19.2.

Other finishers for the Thunderbirds were Leighten Fischer (fourth, 21:16.2); Jada Beacom (fifth, 22:02.2); Natalie Rustad (20th, 24:39.7); Brynn Rasmussen (23rd, 25:24.9); Makenna Brown (34th, 26:57.3); and Haley Ullom (40th, 30:51).

Weyauwega-Fremont’s finishers were Daisy Wilson (seventh, 23:10.2); Allison Halat (18th, 24:36.9); Natalie Schneider (25:39.7); Saylor Alberts (28th, 25:58.1); Katie Monty (35th, 27:07.7); and Katie Bleck (36th, 27:08.4).

Iola-Scandinavia’s Brock Wester won the boys’ middle school race, while Weyauwega-Fremont’s Abby Bartel won the girls’ race.