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Beacom places fifth in two races
By Greg Seubert
Aspen Linjer relies on her speed.
Abby Bartel counts on endurance.
Jada Beacom has a little of both.
All three runners made two trips to the podium at the WIAA State Track & Field Championships, held May 31 and June 1 in La Crosse, after placing in the top six of their respective individual events in Division 3.
Linjer
Linjer, a sophomore from Manawa, placed second in the 100-meter dash and sixth in the 200; Bartel, a freshman from Weyauwega-Fremont, placed third in the 1,600-meter run and fourth in the 3,200; and Beacom wrapped up her high school track career at Iola-Scandinavia with fifth-place finishes in the 400-meter dash and 800-meter run.
Besides placing second and sixth in her individual races, Linjer also ran the fourth leg of the Wolves’ 1,600-meter relay team that placed second.
Her time of 12:27 in the 100 final was, 0.15 of a second behind Ithaca/Weston’s Haley Durst, who won her second straight championship while setting a state record.
“I knew about Haley Durst all season,” said Linjer, who placed sixth in the 100 last year as a freshman. “She’s just an amazing runner. I was really happy that I was able to be up there with her. I thought I was going to get third or fourth.”
She also turned in a time of 26.31 in the 200 final, while the relay team that also included Ireland Griffin, Laynie Bessette and Mataya Moede finished in 50.53, 0.01 of a second behind Three Lakes/Phelps.
“I feel like I’m a little more prepared this year for everything,” Linjer said. “Last year, I didn’t know what was actually happening.”
Linjer said her goal for next year is a state championship in the 100.
“It’s so quick,” she said. “All of my adrenaline goes into those 100 meters.”
Bartel
Bartel came into her first race – the 1,600 – seeded seventh out of 16 runners. She ended up shaving nine seconds off of her qualifying time by crossing the finish line in 5:11.3.
“I was really nervous and I just gave it everything I had,” she said. “I was ranked seventh, so I wasn’t really sure how it was going to turn out.”
Bartel followed that up with a time of 11:24.97 in the 3,200.
“My coaches told me a lot about what to expect and my teammates were really supportive, so I’m thankful for that,” she said. “My coach told me there would be a lot of people, but I didn’t expect it to be this big.”
Beacom
While Bartel made it to the podium after her first race at state, Beacom had to wait until her senior season after qualifying for state as a freshman, sophomore and junior.
She ran the 1,600 last year and was on the Thunderbirds’ 1,600- and 3,200-meter relay teams as a sophomore and freshman.
“I’m really grateful to be on the podium twice this year,” she said. “This is actually my first year being on the podium. It was definitely always a goal.”
She turned in times of 2:18.29 in the 800 and 1:00.2 in the 400, her final high school race.
“These are the races that I really live for, so I was really excited to do it one more time,” said Beacom, who will now compete in track and cross country at the University of Wisconsin. “It’s been an amazing experience. I love coming down for state, but I’m really excited for what next year has to offer.”