Three girls place in top 10 - Waupaca County Post

Erika Kisting of Iola-Scandinavia stays steps ahead of Marion’s Delaney Greene-Gretzinger Oct. 29 during the girls’ Division 3 race at the WIAA State Cross Country Meet in Wisconsin Rapids. Both Central Wisconsin Conference runners finished in the top 10, as Kisting placed seventh and Greene-Gretzinger finished 10th. Holly Neumann Photo

Iola-Scandinavia sophomore Jada Beacom stays in front of a group of runners in the girls’ Division 3 race at the WIAA State Cross Country Meet. Beacom went on to place 27th out of 149 runners with a time of 20:38.41 in her first appearance at state. Holly Neumann Photo

Iola-Scandinavia’s Leighten Fischer passes Melrose-Mindoro’s Carrie Pfaff and Living Word Lutheran’s Kenzie Dorth before finishing 22nd in Division 3 Oct. 29 at her fourth trip to the WIAA State Cross Country Meet in Wisconsin Rapids. Holly Neumann Photo

Unity’s Logan Jensen, Iola-Scandinavia’s Joe Makovic and Rosholt’s Jonah Guzman reach the halfway mark of the boys’ Division 3 race. Makovec went on to place 25th overall with a time of 17:22 in his first trip to the WIAA State Cross Country Meet. Holly Neumann Photo

Adam Wise (281) and Cole McKenzie (280) competed with the Amherst boys’ team in the Division 3 race at the WIAA State Cross Country Meet in Wisconsin Rapids. Wise placed 79th in 18:07.43, while McKenzie finished 70th in 18:01.22. The Falcons placed 14th out of 16 teams. Holly Neumann Photo

Local runners compete at state

By Greg Seubert

For the first time since 2013, a local runner did not return home from the WIAA State Cross Country Meet with an individual championship.

However, three runners – Iola-Scandinavia’s Erika Kisting, Clintonville’s Kara Pyatskowit and Marion’s Delaney Greene-Gretzinger – placed in the top 10 at this year’s meet, held Oct. 29 at The Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids.

Kisting was one of four Thunderbird runners to compete at the meet. She turned in a time of 19:42.49 to place seventh in the Division 3 race. Teammates Leighten Fischer and Jada Beacom finished 22nd and 27th in 20:34.28 and 20:38.41, respectively, while Joe Makovic placed 25th in the boys’ race in 17:22.

Greene-Gretzinger, who won the girls’ Division 3 race two years ago as a sophomore, placed 10th in 19:46.51. Pyatskowit turned in the highest finish among area runners, as she placed fifth in the Division 2 race with a time of 19:00.23.

The Hortonville girls’, Clintonville girls’ and Amherst boys’ teams competed in divisions 1, 2 and 3, respectively, while New London and Hortonville also sent individuals on the boys’ side.

Hortonville placed 12th out of 20 teams. Hannah Lohrenz led the Polar Bears with a 13th-place finish in 19:10.21, followed by Alyssa Rafuse (39th, 19:34.83); Claire Van Beek (123rd, 20:38.51); Chloe Byom (127th, 20:42.8); Kanza Allen (132nd, 20:45.73); Lauren Buchinger (164th, 21:25.18); and Abby Herndon (183rd, 22:23.43).

Pyatskowit’s fifth-place finish helped the Truckers place 13 out of 16 teams. Also placing for Clintonville were Madison Hohn (73rd, 21:04.27); Elly Arndt (103rd, 21:50.85); Kayla Klemp (117th, 22:06.94); Taylor Young (144th, 23:09.86); Bethany Klemp (150th, 24:54.89); and Jules Buttles (152nd, 26:20.1).

The Amherst boys placed 14th out of 16 teams. Cole McKenzie had the highest finish for the Falcons, as he placed 70th in 18:01.22. Also running for Amherst were Adam Wise (79th, 18:07.43); Sawyer Eiden (94th, 18:23.86); David Rieck (106th, 18:33.5); Seth Barnes (110th, 18:46.38); Trent Miller (135th, 19:16.14); and Robert Johannes (150th, 20:31).

Hortonville’s Joseph Nicholson (139th, 17:38.29) and Michael Jarvis (188th, 19:19.4) joined the Polar Bears’ girls’ team at state, while New London’s Robbie Watling placed 66th in 17:40.43 in Division 2.

Madison West, Lakeland and Darlington won boys’ team championships in division 1-3, while Sun Prairie, East Troy and Darlington placed first for the girls.