I-S runner places first at state
By Greg Seubert
If Charlie Vater isn’t considered one of the state’s top high school distance runners, he should be.
Less than five months after winning a pair of state titles in the boys’ Division 3 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs at the WIAA State Track & Field Championships in La Crosse, the Iola-Scandinavia High School senior added the Thunderbirds’ first state cross country championship to his long list of accomplishments.
Vater won the boys’ Division 3 race Oct. 28 at the WIAA State Cross Country Championships at The Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids. His time of 15:49.7 was more than 12 seconds faster than runner-up Taylor Karcz of Crandon.
His first-place finish at a sectional meet in Colby Oct. 21 helped the T-Birds qualify for state as a team on the boys’ side. The T-Birds finished 12th out of 16 teams with 292 points.
Meanwhile, Manawa senior Jolie Jaeger and Hortonville sophomore Hannah Huza ran in the girls’ Division 3 and Division 1 races, respectively.
Iola-Scandinavia’s other runners in the boys’ race were sophomore Ben Beck (55th, 17:39.8); freshman Jack Beck (112th, 18:52.1); freshman Evan Linjer (135th, 19:51.1); and freshman Henry Vater (136th, 19:52.7).
Jaeger wrapped up her cross country career at Little Wolf High School by placing 58th out of 152 runners with a time of 21:02.2.
Huza placed 48th in 19:44.5.