DeForest boys' win regionals, Norskies send plentiful list to sectionals

While the stakes get higher week by week, the DeForest Norskies boys’ and girls’ track and field teams continue to thrive.

This can best be evidenced by the Norskies’ performance at the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) Division 1 regional on Tuesday, May 26, at Vel Phillips Memorial High School.

For the second consecutive season, the DeForest Norskies boys’ track and field team claimed a regional title. The boys finished with 153 team points, finishing 29 points ahead of regional runner-up Verona.

Meanwhile, the girls’ team finished in sixth place, totaling a team score of 61 points.

As a coaching staff, DeForest boys’ head coach Joe Parker said that they spend the majority of the spring season ramping up their workload at meets so the team can hit their stride in late May/early June.

This is done to provide opportunities for all the kids to help build their confidence and knowledge on where they stand and where they can help the team once postseason play rolls around.

“The boys have bought into what roles they can help the team in and really are doing it for each other,” Coach Parker said. “They have really maintained a positive, fun environment that has allowed them to perform at their best. Now if we can stay healthy and rest up, it should be a fun last few weeks.”

In light of the success, both the boys’ and the girls’ teams qualified a plentiful list of athletes who will now compete in sectionals. According to the WIAA, the top four finishers in each event qualify for sectionals.

Fittingly, DeForest has quite the list.

Starting in the 100 meters, Norski senior CJ Galloway placed third, clocking a time of 11.33 seconds.

In the 200 meters, sophomore Logan Swoboda placed second with a time of 22.91 seconds, while senior Shane Schroeder placed fourth with a time of 23.18 seconds. Keira Rausch, a junior, will represent the Lady Norskies in the 200 meters at sectionals thanks to a qualifying time of 27.87 seconds, where she placed fourth.

Success continued in the 400 meters, when junior Noah Manthe placed third with a time of 51.72 seconds, before senior Lucas Tanner delivered back-to-back individual regional titles in the 800 and 1600 meters.

In the 800 meters, Tanner won the race with a time of 2:01.13. In the 1600 meters, Tanner won that race with a time of 4:25.97.

Mason Dobbs, a senior, will also represent DeForest in the 800 meters thanks to a qualifying time of 2:03.42, while junior Jacob LaFever qualified for sectionals in the 3200 meters with a time of 9:57.02. Both Dobbs and Lafever placed fourth.

In the hurdles, the Norskies will send two athletes to sectionals in the 110-meter hurdles: DJ Kronberger and Jaxon Potter. Kronberger, a senior, placed second with a time of 16.03 seconds, while Potter, a junior, placed fourth with a time of 16.16 seconds.

In the 300-meter hurdles, senior Kayden Meyer will head to sectionals, thanks to a time of 44.04 seconds, placing fourth.

In the relay events, the boys qualified for sectionals in all distances: the 4x100, the 4x200, the 4x400, and the 4x800. Meanwhile, the girls qualified in the 4x100 relays.

As for the girls, sophomore Penelope Loeffelholz, junior MacKenzie Botham, sophomore Morgan Sadeghpour and senior Jenna Graske teamed up for a third-place finish with a time of 50.19 seconds to qualify for sectionals.

As for the boys, the Norskies won the 4x200 relay (1:28.87) and the 4x800 relay (8:16.97). They placed second in the 4x100 relay (42.78 seconds) and fourth in the 4x400 relay (3:31.39).

The list of Norskies heading to sectionals in relays includes: CJ Galloway, junior Aidan Nolan, Shane Schroeder, senior Kyle Skoug, Logan Swoboda, Noah Manthe, senior Henry Meisenbach, senior Blake Rauber, senior Brooks Ohmen, Mason Dobbs, senior Wyatt Parker, Jacob LaFever and Lucas Tanner.

More success continued in the field when senior Isaac Ziegler — an NCAA Division I FCS St. Thomas football commit — claimed a regional title in the high jump with a jump of six feet and two inches.

In the long jump, Penelope Loeffelholz will represent the Lady Norskies at sectionals, thanks to a qualifying distance of 15-11.25, where she placed fourth. It was also marked as a personal best for the sophomore.

Meanwhile, NCAA Division III UW-Oshkosh commit Brooks Ohmen placed second in the triple jump with a distance of 41-4.5, while senior Emmitt Stegmann placed third in the discus with a distance of 143-2.

DeForest will now head to sectionals on Friday, May 29, at Verona High School. Per the WIAA, the top three finishers in each event will advance to the WIAA State track meet the following week on Friday, June 5 and Saturday, June 6 at Veterans Memorial Stadium at UW-La Crosse.

Team Scores from Regionals

Boys: DeForest (153), Verona (124), Sun Prairie East (102.5), Sun Prairie West (98), Monona Grove (95), Madison Memorial (60), Madison West (39), Madison East (21.5).

Girls: Verona (153), Sun Prairie East (150), Madison Memorial (101), Monona Grove (77), Madison West (71), DeForest (61), Sun Prairie West (47), Madison East (38).