Oct. 26, 2019

By Scott Williams and Brian Kalish

STEVENS POINT – Wausau West’s Ryan Hartman, Zach Brandenberg of D.C. Everest and Wausau East’s Mckenna Taylor will close out their high school cross country careers at the Division 1 state meet next week.

All three area athletes qualified to compete as individuals at The Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids by virtue of strong performances at the Stevens Point Sectional Saturday.

The top five finishers not part of the two state qualifying teams earn state berths as individuals.

Hartman nearly added a sectional title to his Wisconsin Valley Conference crown, but the Warrior senior had to settle for a runner-up finish in a time of 15 minutes, 49.6 seconds.

Hortonville’s Jake Krause won the sectional championship with a time of 15:47.1.

Meanwhile, Brandenberg, a senior, grabbed the fifth and final individual spot thanks to a ninth-place showing in 16:35.6. He helped the Evergreens to a sixth-place finish.

A senior, Taylor made sure she would get to race one more time in high school with a fourth-place overall showing in a time of 19:37.4 to earn her way to Rapids.

SPASH sophomore Roisin Willis cruised to the girls title with a time of 18:39.0 to finish nearly 51 seconds ahead of the next runner.

Wausau West grabbed the top finish among area teams with a fifth-place result led by Alex Galang, who placed 14th in 20:20.5.

Girls

5. Wausau West (150): 14. Alex Galang, 20:20.5; 32. Sidney Galang, 21.34.2; 33. Grace Albee, 21:34.4; 34. Alivia Rass, 21:35.2; 37. Ashley Danielson, 21:39.2; 61. Lizzy Mikulich, 22:34.3; 68. Kate Neumueller, 22:56.8.

8. Wausau East (183): 4. Mckenna Taylor, 19:37.4; 28. Kiki Liss, 21:19.7; 41. Lilly Sann, 21:46.7; 53. Hailey Valiska, 22:08.7; 57. Liz Lind, 22:23.9; 66. Ashley Bass, 22:50.7; 70. Ruby Fischer, 23:07.1.

9. D.C. Everest (224): 30. Kaylie Lyga, 21:28.5; 35. Hanna Stuedemann, 21:35.4; 44. Lily Kowal, 21:50.0; 52. Sara Niemuth, 22:08.6; 63. Emma Hessil, 22:40.2; 65. Sophie Bessette, 22:48.9; 72. Brooke Thompson, 23:27.0.

Boys

6. D.C. Everest (149): 9. Zach Brandenberg, 16:35.6; 21. Lucas Allen, 17:22.3; 23. Ethan Bohlman, 17:30.5; 32. AJ Appel, 17:53.5; 64. Nolan Hoppe, 19:02.0; 65. Alex Schultz, 19:02.1; 76. Thomas Benishek, 19:29.3.

7. Wausau West (152): 2. Ryan Hartman, 15:49.6; 30. Ben Stangel, 17:48.6; 36. Eric Ottosen, 18:00.1; 41. Nathan Hartman, 18:10.8; 43. Aidan Swanson, 18:18.5; 48. Derek Danielson, 18:25.3; 66. Jake Pease, 19:02.7.

11. Wausau East (317): 46. Jacob Olson, 18:25.8; 58. Kaleb Roth, 18:53.9; 60. Noah Harter, 18:56.8; 75. Ethan Bjerke, 19:26.6; 78. Henry Bennett, 19:35.0; 80. Parker Seils, 19:48.4; 82. Logan Fike, 20:37.7.

Volleyball

Eau Claire North 3, Wausau East 0

EAU CLAIRE– The Lumberjacks’ season came to an end at the hands of Eau Claire North on Saturday evening.

North swept the match, winning 25-15, 25-16, 25-15.

Newman 3, Prentice 0

WAUSAU– The Cardinals soared into the sectional with a 3-0 win over #3 seed Prentice.  Newman dominated, winning 25-13, 25-8, 25-11.

The Cardinals, seeded #2, will move on to face Columbus Catholic on October 31 at Columbus Catholic.

Boys Soccer

Hudson 8, Wausau West 0

EAU CLAIRE– The Warriors ran into a buzz saw as #2 seeded Hudson ended their season in the WIAA Division 1 regional final.

West may have been defeated in the tournament, but will take solace in the fact that they won the Wisconsin Valley Conference for the first time since 2005.