Relays gather in many Pierce County state track qualifiers

• Ellsworth's 1600-meter relay team

The team of Macy Olson, Lydia Kuhl, Carlie Melstrom and Shannon Campbell pose togtether after winning the sectional title.
• Prescott girls' 800-meter relay team

Kaycee Charette gets ready to hand off the baton to the anchor runner Amy Carroll.
• Ellsworth's Nate Pazdernik

Nate Pazdernik tries to clear the high jump bar at 6-0.
• Prescott's Cole Geiger

Cole Geiger runs in the prelimes of the 200-meter dash.

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• WIAA Division 3 Colfax Sectional Results
• WIAA Division 2 Medford Sectional results

All four Pierce County prep track and field teams will have relay teams of various distances and genders at next weekend's state meet.

At the WIAA Division 2 Medford Sectional, the Ellsworth girls' 1600-meter relay team captured first place in 4:18 thanks to a late surge by Carlie Melstrom in the final 50 meters. Other team members who helped to put the Panthers in position to win are Macy Olson, Shannon Campbell and Lydia Kuhl.

Prescott qualified two girls relays, the 800 and 1600. The 800 relay team of Breanna Swan, Kaycee Charette, Demi Augustine and Amy Carroll, broke the school record in a time of 1:47 to place second while the 1600-meter relay team of Swan, Charette, Mindy Mutschler and Autumn Stees placed fourth.

The Cardinals also qualified two boys relays, the 800 and 1600 as well. The 800 team of David Oney, Dan Plante, Joe Smith and Cole Geiger placed second in 1:35 as did the 1600 team of Plante, Smith and Matt and Mike Pechacek. They were edged out at the finish line by a shoe length to Spooner, the times 3:40.43 to 3:40.44.

The win in the final race of the meeet helped to secure the team title for Spooner while Somerset won the girls team title. Ellsworth's girls finished third and the boys 18th. Prescott's boys placed ninth while the gilrs team was 16th overall.

Individual qualifiers include Ellsworth Carlie Melstrom, who won the sectional title in the 200-meter dash and finished second in the 400; Lydia Kuhl, who placed third in the 300-meter low hurdles and Macy Olson, who placed third in the 800.

Prescott's Jessop Keene will also head to state as he won the sectional title in the 3200-meter run in 9:57. Ellsworth's lone individual qualifier from the boys' meet was Nick Niedfeldt who placed third in the 400-meter dash.

Over at the Division 3 Colfax Sectional, the Spring Valley boys' team will be taking their 400-meter relay team of Tyler and Kyle Bosshart, Mitch Samuel and Brian Colbenson. The Cardinals placed third in :45.37.

Elmwood-Plum City will send to La Crosse next weekend their 400 and 800-meter relays teams for the girls and the 1600-meter relay team for the boys. E-PC's girls relays were both made up of Breanna Geraets, Amanda Daleiden, Katelyn Hartung and Jenna Reitz. Both teams finished third with times of :53.22 seconds and 1:53. The Red Devils' 1600-meter boys team of Alex Gilles, Tim Talford, Jaylen Case and Gabe Rodriguez finished third with a time of 3:33.49.

Individual qualifiers at the Colfax Sectional from Pierce County are Spring Valley's Katelyn Neck in the high jump after finishing third at 4-9; SV's Tyler Bosshart after winning the sectional title in the 100-meter dash in :11.14 and placing fourth in the 200-meter dash in :22.96; E-PC's Nick Kernstock in the 110-meter high hurdles after finishing fourth in :16.74; E-PC's Jordyn Mark after finishing fourth in the triple jump with a leap of 31-16 and Elmwood-PC's Becky Hartung after placing fourth in the 800-meter run in 2:26.59.

Eau Claire Regis won the girls' team title while Webster won the boys' sectional crown. E-PC's girls team placed sixth while the boys were 16th. Spring Valley's boys finished 10th and the girls were 17th.

Tags: sports, wiaa, track, and, field, prescott, ellsworth, spring, valley, elmwood, plum, city