Highlights from 2025 state track and field meet in La Crosse
Track and field athletes from across Wisconsin gather in La Crosse to compete at the 2025 WIAA state meet.
Michael Whitlow, Zac Bellman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Arrowhead Warhawks girls track and field team won their second consecutive Division 1 state title.
Junior Avery Bott led the Warhawks with top-three finishes in the 100m, 200m, and 400m races.
Elise Schroeder, the defending pole vault champion, won her second straight state title.
LA CROSSE — For Arrowhead girls track and field coach Bradley Clark, it’s simple.
Put the names on the sheet. The girls will take care of the rest.
“It’s just nice to watch them work,” Clark said. “I mean, people asked me, they’ve told me congratulations and I’m like, ‘They do all the work.’ I just write their names down and helped them with workouts. They put in all the work they all had the competitive drive to do what they did.”
For the second straight season, the Warhawks won the Division 1 state team track title with 51 total points to fend off a pesky Neenah bunch in search of its first team title in program history.
Arrowhead’s second straight title marked the first time since 2017 (Milwaukee King) that a D1 girls program won back-to-back titles. Fellow Classic 8 Conference member Muskego also won titles in 2019 and 2021, but the 2020 meet was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s the best,” Clark said on the back-to-back team title run. “That’s why you get into coaching. Seeing them be happy is all I need.”
The Warhawks scored points in seven total events over the weekend with 34 of their team points coming from stars Avery Bott in her triple sprint title quest and defending pole vault state champion and current statewide record holder Elise Schroeder, who won the state title for the second straight season.
“It’s amazing,” Bott said on being a part of the Warhawks program. “The team is great. The environment around everyone is just amazing. Everyone’s really supportive. I have some really great friends on the team that I did relays with in the past and some individual events, but it’s amazing to be a part of.”
Bott worked her way up the podium with a third-place finish in the 100, a runner-up finish in the 400 and then finally stood on the top step after winning the 200 that clinched the team crown for the Warhawks with one running event to go.
Along with Bott’s three top-three finishes, junior Emily Corteen picked up a pair of key points with a seventh-place finish in the pole vault with Schroeder in a meet where the point differential between champion and runner-up was just five points.
“The depth,” Clark said on what made the 2025 version of the Warhawks stand out. “A lot of our coaches pointed out that we were the only team across the state that scored in every event at sectionals. I think the depth is just there and we got people that are good at everything. It makes coaching easy sometimes.”
Schroeder, Josie Bularz, Giselle Huggett and Payton Eicher stood second on the podium in the 4×100-meter relay final, coming just .19 seconds short of dethroning conference rival Mukwonago as state champion. Eicher also contributed early on Day 2 with five key points of her own thanks to a fourth-place finish in the long jump finals that was won by Neenah’s Celia Gentile.
“We have so many juniors, which, I mean, helps a lot,” Schroeder said with a laugh. “We’re all in classes together, supporting each other. The seniors are so supportive of us as well. We always help the younger classmen and I think every single person helps them, showing them around and they even know stuff that we just don’t even need to tell them. They know what to do.”
The Arrowhead boys fell two points short of a fifth straight team title, but it’s clear Arrowhead’s dominance is stretching beyond boys coach Chris Herriot’s program. Each of the individual scorers for the Warhawks in their team title triumph are juniors, including the 4×100-meter relay quartet that won runner-up medals on Day 2.
“It’s unreal,” Schroeder said. “It’s like almost bittersweet because it’s junior year, you know, only one more year, hoping to maybe end it with another.”
When asked about a potential three-peat in 2026, Schroeder shot a smile, a laugh and simply said, “Maybe.”
The Tully girls volleyball team enters the rankings after defeating Christian Brothers Academy and Fabius-Pompey over the last week. (Anthony Caimano | Contributing photographer)(Anthony Caimano | Contributing photographer)
Syracuse, N.Y. — As we approach the midway point of the winter girls volleyball regular season, two new teams climbed into the latest syracuse.com rankings.
Tully enters the rankings after defeating Christian Brothers Academy and Fabius-Pompey since last week’s rankings and Cooperstown rounds out the top 10 after defeating Sauquoit Valley last week.
The top eight spots of the rankings remained unchanged. There is, however, an upcoming matchup between Little Falls and Canastota that could mix things up.
Syracuse.com’s girls winter volleyball rankings will run every Thursday through the end of sectionals.
Here’s how the teams land this week.
I’m the managing producer for high school sports coverage at syracuse.com. I’ve been covering Section III athletics for nearly a decade. I graduated from Utica University in 2017 and bring a unique perspective…
The college volleyball offseason has only just officially begun, but moves are already being made.
Kentucky head coach Craig Skinner kicked things off by signing an All-American honorable mention for next season’s group. UK announced the addition of Notre Dame outside hitter Morgan Gaerte through the transfer portal on Wednesday morning. A 6-foot-5 native of Indiana, Gaerte was named a 2025 AVCA All-American Honorable Mention and a First Team All-ACC performer. She’ll help ease the loss of Eva Hudson — the lone senior on Kentucky’s national runner-up team this past season — on the outside.
Gaerte, who will have two years of eligibility remaining with the Wildcats, set a Notre Dame record last season with 4.64 kills per set (13th nationally). She’ll be expected to play on the opposite side of All-American outside hitter Brooklyn DeLeye for the ‘Cats in 2026. Skinner is already reloading.
Gaerte was a rare star for Notre Dame volleyball. A team captain, she started all 28 matches in 2025 as a sophomore for the Fighting Irish, finishing the year with 497 kills, the third-most ever in a season in Notre Dame history and the most since Christy Peters in 1997. Her First Team All-ACC nod was the first by a Notre Dame player since 2020. She reached 20 or more kills in 11 matches, also a program record for one season.
But where the transfer portal can give, it can also take. Kentucky lost a piece of this past season’s roster when redshirt sophomore middle blocker Brooke Bultema announced on Wednesday her intentions to transfer out of Lexington. After a redshirt freshman campaign in 2024 that saw her named to the SEC All-Freshman Team, Bultema did not see as much playing time in 2025 as she would have hoped for.
She likely won’t be the last outgoing transfer for Kentucky, either. Skinner is expected to return eight of his top nine rotation players from last season (barring an unexpected transfer), with the only departure being Hudson to graduation. And now that Gaerte is in the fold, the top half of the roster is in good shape once again. Don’t be shocked if other current Wildcats deeper on the bench elect to look elsewhere in the coming days/weeks.
Skinner shows love to the BBN
Coming off a disappointing loss in the national championship match to Texas A&M, Craig Skinner reminded us all how truly magical the 2025 campaign still was. Kentucky won its ninth straight SEC Championship, won the SEC Tournament, finished with 30 wins on the season, and went perfect (15-0) during conference play. UK made just the program’s second-ever national title match and first since winning it all in 2020 along the way.
Skinner sent out a few social media posts on Wednesday morning, thanking the Big Blue Nation for all their support throughout the season. He says over 38,000 total fans showed up to home matches inside Memorial Coliseum in 2025, where the ‘Cats did not drop a single match.
Man. What a ride! This team rejuvenated my fire for coaching and my love for this incredible fan base. Over 38,000 of you came through the turnstiles at HMC and led us to an undefeated home record and a Lexington Regional Championship! pic.twitter.com/Xw7aBDBN4E
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ST. MARY’S CITY, Md. – Four members of the St. Mary’s College of Maryland volleyball team were honored by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) as members of the CSC Academic All-District® Team, the organization announced in a release Tuesday (Dec. 16).
Senior Julia Bobrowski (California, Md./Leonardtown), juniors Camilla Galeano (Germantown, Md./Damascus) and Lauren Panageotou (Baltimore, Md./Mercy), and sophomore Stella Marrero (Pleasant Prairie, Wis./Christian Life) all earned the award for the 2025 season.
Bobrowski is the lone repeat selection.
The 2025 Academic All-District® Volleyball Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom.
The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes volleyball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and NAIA.
Outstanding student-athletes are nominated for Academic All-District® recognition by communications directors and must have a minimum 3.50 GPA plus meet high athletic standards.
Bobrowski owns a 3.74 GPA as a sociology major and business administration minor for her second straight Academic All-District award. The 5-6 outside hitter ranked sixth in the United East Conference with 55 service aces and 14th with 0.52 aces per set. She was named to the United East All-Sportsmanship Team (Nov. 24).
Galeano, a computer science major with a 3.87 GPA, tied for 14th in the conference with 42 service aces while tying for 17th with 0.49 aces per set. The 5-4 setter led the Seahawks with 402 assists while registering 20-plus assists five times this season.
A psychology major and educational studies minor, Panageotou boasts a 3.7 GPA. The 5-10 setter was second on the team with 291 assists while adding 101 digs, 12 service aces, and six kills in 30 matches.
Marrero picked up her first Academic All-District award with 3.96 GPA as a neuroscience and psychology double major and biology minor. The 5-7 defensive specialist ranked 10th in the United East with 303 digs while sitting 20th with 2.78 digs per set. She was also second on the team with 45 service aces.
St. Mary’s College (17-15, 8-2 UEC) captured the program’s first-ever conference tournament championship title by taking the 2025 United East tournament crown with a 3-2 road win over top-seeded Penn State Harrisburg. The Seahawks also gained the program’s first-ever berth in the NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Tournament.
Wellsboro junior Madison Cruttenden was recently named to the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association’s, PVCA, Class 2A All-State team.
Cruttenden was one of three NTL and District IV volleyballers (Aryana Andrus and Alli Bailey from Troy) to make the team.
Cruttenden received 536 serves, made 37 assists and had 341 digs this season. She also scored 163 points to go along with 54 aces.
Over the course of her career she has made 1,197 receptions, 56 assists, 784 digs, 407 points (112 aces) and 6 kills.
“This is a well-deserved honor for Maddy,” head coach Darci Pollock said. “She has been a consistent back row player for us the past two seasons. She continues to work hard in the off season. I’m very proud of her work ethic and dedication to the team!”
Cruttenden is the ninth Wellsboro player to earn a spot on the PCVA All-State team. Cruttenden joins Carrie Gorda, Rachel Patt, Hannah Zuchowski, Kirsten Florio, Caitlyn Callahan, Megan Starkweather, Paige Logsdon and Lexi Urena.
All-RRV Volleyball 2025: A golden finish: Trinity Christian Academy’s Pyeatt walks off as state champion and All-RRV Volleyball Co-Offensive Player of the Year | Free
The 118th Millrose Games women’s 3000 meters on Feb. 1, 2026, at the Nike Track & Field Center at The Armory will feature a showdown between NCAA distance running’s top stars Doris Lemngole and Jane Hedengren, along with 2025 runner-up Josette Andrews.
Lemngole, competing for Alabama, holds the NCAA championship and record in the 3000m steeplechase. The Kenya native won the steeplechase at the Lausanne Diamond League and finished fourth at the World Championships before claiming her second straight NCAA cross country title — her fifth NCAA championship overall. The junior received the 2025 Bowerman Award last week, recognizing her as collegiate track and field’s top athlete.
“I am excited and looking forward to competing at the Millrose Games, especially given its prestige and historic significance,” said Lemngole in a release by the meeting this week.. “It is a great opportunity!”
Read More: Julien Alfred Among Sprinters Confirmed For 2025 Millrose Games
Hedengren broke every American high school distance record from 1500m through 5000m before enrolling at BYU. The freshman went unbeaten in cross country until finishing second to Lemngole at nationals, then shattered the NCAA 5000m record with a 14:44.79 clocking in her indoor debut.
Both runners will chase Katelyn Tuohy’s NCAA 3000m record of 8:35.20, established at the 2023 Millrose Games.
Andrews, from Tenafly, N.J., finished sixth in the 5000m at the 2025 World Championships and has top-five showings at World Indoor Championships and the Diamond League Final.
Several Other 118th Millrose Games Confirmations
The World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meet will also feature Grant Fisher, Cole Hocker, Elle St. Pierre, Jess Hull, Nikki Hiltz, Joe Kovacs, Yared Nuguse, Hobbs Kessler, Cameron Myers, Julien Alfred, Devynne Charlton and Danielle Williams.
Tickets are available at millrosegames.org. More than 85 percent of seats have sold.
