Freshman helps team place 10th
By Greg Seubert
The Weyauwega-Fremont girls’ cross country team is moving up.
That’s up as in the Division 3 standings at the WIAA State Cross Country Championships.
Freshman Abby Bartel’s 11th-place finish helped the Indians place 10th out of 16 Division 3 teams at The Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids.
Meanwhile, junior Patrick Long placed 70th in the boys’ race.
Bartel helped the W-F girls improve on last year’s 16th-place finish in the team standings. The Indians edged Bonduel by one point. Both teams compete in the Central Wisconsin Conference.
Bartel led for much of the race before crossing the finish line in 19:34.1.
“I started out fast and feeling good, but I think the hills got to me,” she said. “I ran on hills before. I ran on golf courses before, but they haven’t ever been this hilly.”
Bartel’s teammates returned to state after placing 16th last year.
Places and times were Katie Bleck (81st, 21:47.1); Allison Halat (98th, 22:21.5); Natalie Schneider (104th, 22:31.1); Saylor Alberts (118th, 22:57.5); Kaitlyn Monty (129th, 23:21.5); and Rylee Bartel (143rd, 24:35.6).
“It was pretty amazing to me,” Bartel said. “I’m really proud of our team. We’ve been working hard for this and I’m just happy our team made it. My team was really supportive. We all motivate each other before a race. It’s just a really close team.”
Bartel admitted she wasn’t sure what to expect in high school cross country after running on W-F’s middle school teams.
“I was kind of nervous because (a race is) 3.1 miles and it wouldn’t be as fun,” she said. “My team made it a lot better.”
Long turned in a time of 17:57.9, 19 seconds faster than last year’s 84th-place time.
“I did my best,” he said. “I kind of felt like it would happen, but I knew I’d have to put in an effort. I trained well and tried to stay healthy despite being sick right now.”
Less than a minute after finishing, Long greeted other competitors as they made their way through the runners’ tent near the finish line.
“That’s normal,” he said. “I try to do it every time unless I’m feeling really bad.”
Bartel’s first season of cross country is now in the books, but she’s already looking forward to next year.
“I just have to run a lot this summer and get ready for next year,” she said.
• Neenah, Valders and Aquinas won boys’ team championships in divisions 1-3, respectively, while Muskego, Medford and Lancaster placed first on the girls’ side.