Sports

The boys volleyball boom in NC is here, and NCHSAA sanctioning could be sooner than you think

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The sounds at Queens University of Charlotte’s Curry Arena were familiar enough, even if the sight was not. Who in North Carolina can’t immediately hear the sneakers squeaking and the bellows from the stands and not think of basketball? Sure, the players jumped high, celebrated big moments, huddled for timeouts — but […]

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2 weeks ago

May 25, 2025

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The sounds at Queens University of Charlotte’s Curry Arena were familiar enough, even if the sight was not.

Who in North Carolina can’t immediately hear the sneakers squeaking and the bellows from the stands and not think of basketball? Sure, the players jumped high, celebrated big moments, huddled for timeouts — but there were no hoops in store on this day.

This was boys volleyall, a sport that isn’t yet sanctioned by the N.C. High School Athletic Association but is in its ninth year of holding its own state championships.

It has experienced exponential growth and now boasts 135 teams across the state, public and private, with more lined up to join next year.

For the first time in its nine-year march towards sanctioning, the finals and semifinals were hosted on a college campus — fittingly at Queens, the only Division I athletics program in the state with a boys volleyball program.

There was enough interest in 4A to have its own bracket, where West Forsyth defeated Hough 3-1 (21-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-18). All 3A, 2A, and 1A schools had their separate bracket, where Triangle Math & Science defeated Mount Pleasant in an epic 3-1 match (25-19, 34-36, 25-13, 25-10).

Previous iterations of the final bracket have split teams up in other ways, but this year’s was streamlined to fit what the NCHSAA does — separating them by size of school.

The changing of the playoff format is intentional, hoping to make it as easy as possible for the NCHSAA to adopt boys volleyball as the newest sport in the near future.

“It just reflected the growth of the game. We saw about a 50 percent split from 1A to 3A and 4A. We modeled that after lacrosse. I think anytime you can mimic something they’re already doing, it makes it easier for them to say yes,” Sarah Conklin, Director of the N.C. Boys Volleyball Association.

A humble beginning

West Forsyth and Hough in the NC Boys Volleyball Association final. Queens University of Charlotte hosted the 4A boys volleyball championship on May 18, 2025.

Conklin played volleyball in college, representing the Charlotte 49ers. When her oldest son, Garrett Garcia, was in middle school, he asked if he could play too.

The natural answer was no. There was no boys volleyball team.

“Well, can’t we just start it?” he said.

That was the humble beginning of a nine-year passion project for Conklin, as she went to bat for a sport that didn’t exist. She found cooperation in Union County — at the middle school, high school, and even club levels — and the journey began in 2016-17 with four middle schools: Marvin Ridge, Weddington, Piedmont, and Parkwood.

Growth was slow for the first years — the pandemic stifled any early momentum — but the last four have seen exponential growth.

In 2022, only seven schools participated.

It more than tripled to 25 in 2023.

In 2024, it was up to 68.

This year, it was at 135 — more than 2,000 percent growth in four years.

Conklin has heard from dozens of athletic directors who don’t want to add another sport until it gets official sanctioning. She notes that while some schools have been enthusiastic in embracing the sport, others are far from it. Some teams did not practice or play on campus as a result.

“Our ADs, our wonderful teachers, are spread incredibly thin,” said Conklin, who now coaches her youngest son at Weddington. “I don’t begrudge an AD (for saying) ‘I don’t want one more thing to do in the spring.’ That’s why we try to make it as easy as possible.”

“We’re limiting the opportunity for so many young athletes to not only to get a college scholarship but to just be part of a team and find a place to belong,” she added. “The camraderie that boys volleyball brings is unlike any other because you have to work so closely.”

Falling in love with the game

West Forsyth defeated Hough in the NC Boys Volleyball Association's 4A state championship on Saturday, May 17, 2025 at Queens University of Charlotte. (Photo by Ashley Blake/HighSchoolOT) — West Forsyth defeated Hough in the NC Boys Volleyball Association’s 4A state championship on Saturday, May 17, 2025 at Queens University of Charlotte. (Photo by Ashley Blake/HighSchoolOT)

The game has the same rules as the girls, but there are some noticeable differences.

There are those moments of togetherness after a big point, just like the girls game, but also a few stare-downs and mean-mugs on faces of players after a big point that are more remniscent of a basketball player getting an “and-one.”

The jump serves also stand out. While rare in the high school girls game, most of the Hough and West Forsyth players tossed the ball 20 feet into the air before timing their leap.

North Carolina has had club teams for awhile, and is home to some pretty good talent.

There are currently two North Carolina players on the U.S. National U19 team — Thomas Demps IV of Broughton (whose older sister Jade was N.C. Gatorade Player of the Year) and 6-foot-10 Grant Lamoureux of West Forsyth, who graduated in the fall semester to enroll at national power Pepperdine.

Conklin said that club interest hasn’t sparked high school interest (there isn’t yet a team at Broughton for Demps, for instance) but the reverse. Once players encounter the sport at a high school setting, they then seek out club options.

Not every team has a club player, but they also don’t need one.

Other sports backgrounds have made the transition to the game easier than it appears.

A wrestler might make a great libero, or a goalkeeper a great middle blocker.

But over everything else, a willingness to learn and improve is all that’s needed.

“There’s a lot of courage involved and vulnerability to learn a sport as a high school guy. A lot of guys have only been playing a few years — even if they play club — (so) they still remember what it was like to not be able to pass the ball with your forearm, because you don’t grow up doing that.,” Conklin said. “But they learn so quickly so as a coach it’s so rewarding because you have win after win almost every practice and they learn so quickly.”

Path to sanctioning

Conklin is on the board of directors of First Point Volleyball Foundation, which works to grow the boys’ game in a number of states. When a North Carolina school adopts the sport, she and her team offer to handle scheduling. There are also grants for first-year and second-year teams to help ease the transition.

This year, her team even calculated teams’ RPI to mimic how the NCHSAA seeds its brackets.

Everything is done to make a seamless transition into NCHSAA sanctioning, but it’s not as simple as just gaining popularity.

For a sport to be officially adopted by the NCHSAA, it must meet at least one of two participation thresholds for two consecutive years.

One of the two thresholds is if at least 50 percent of schools within a single classification offers sport. They hit that benchmark this year. Fifty-four of the 103 schools in 4A fielded teams.

One down, one to go.

However, the “50 percent of a classification” rule is getting phased out and, starting next year as the NCHSAA expands from four to eight classifications, the bylaws will have just the one remaining threshold: a sport must be played by at least 25 percent of all NCHSAA member schools to be sanctioned.

But good news: that should be met as well.

With 446 total NCHSAA members, the 25 percent threshold comes out to 111.5 schools. Already, eight schools have told Conklin they plan on having teams next year, which would bring the total to 113 — enough to meet a required standard for a second straight year.

Girls flag football, another sport on the cusp of sanctioning, has hit thresholds in back-to-back years but has other hurdles, like differences on field size and preferred season (spring or fall) among schools.

Volleyball has no such incongruity among its participants, which could make for quicker sanctioning.

Conklin hopes that both sports can make it across the sanctioning finish line.

She knows what volleyball has meant for her sons and her players.

“What I love is I’ve never had a guy step in my gym who doesn’t fall in love with the game,” Conklin said. “You almost have to keep them from playing so much.”

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CVU girls, Essex boys claim D1 track and field titles

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – On the last day of track and field state championships at Burlington High School, the CVU girls and Essex boys claimed the D1 crowns. The Redhawks earned their second in a row after capturing the program’s first-ever title last year. The Hornets are on top for the first time since 2019. […]

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11 minutes ago

June 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – On the last day of track and field state championships at Burlington High School, the CVU girls and Essex boys claimed the D1 crowns.

The Redhawks earned their second in a row after capturing the program’s first-ever title last year. The Hornets are on top for the first time since 2019.

On the girls side, Burr & Burton and South Burlington tied for second, while on the boys side, St. Johnsbury finished in second, with CVU in third.

Check out the full recap in the video above.

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WIAA state championships Day 2 highlights

Gentile, Sprangers, Van Rossum and Waddell shine at WIAA state track Kimberly’s Sprangers, Neenah’s Gentile, Little Chute’s Van Rossum and Appleton North’s Waddell lead area athletes on the first day of WIAA state track. Kimberly’s Hunter Sprangers won the D1 boys discus and shot put, while Neenah’s Celia Gentile won the D1 girls long jump […]

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22 minutes ago

June 8, 2025

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Kimberly’s Hunter Sprangers won the D1 boys discus and shot put, while Neenah’s Celia Gentile won the D1 girls long jump and triple jump.
Freedom’s Claire Helmila won the D2 girls 800-meter run and Lydia Merrick won the D2 girls high jump, helping Freedom win the D2 girls team title.
Shiocton’s Paxton Kuehn won the D3 boys 100 dash and Lydia Hofacker won the D3 girls 300 low hurdles.

LA CROSSE − The Post-Crescent coverage area had no shortage of champions at the WIAA state track and field championships this year.

Eight titles overall were earned by area athletes, including six June 7 at Veterans Memorial Stadium Sports Complex.

Mix in a championship relay team and a second consecutive state title for the Freedom girls track team, and it adds up to a banner day for the area.

Earning individual championships June 7 were Kimberly’s Hunter Sprangers in the Division 1 boys discus, Neenah’s Celia Gentile in the D1 girls long jump, Freedom’s Claire Helmila in the D2 girls 800-meter run, Freedom’s Lydia Merrick in the girls high jump, Shiocton’s Paxton Kuehn in the D3 boys 100 dash and Shiocton’s Lydia Hofacker in the D3 girls 300 low hurdles.

Winneconne’s D2 boys 1,600 relay team also captured gold to help the Wolves secure a second-place finish in the team competition. The Wolves finished with 42.5 points, just behind state champ Notre Dame (44).

The Neenah girls also finished as D1 state runner-up with 46 points. Arrowhead won the D1 girls title with 51.

Sprangers, Gentile headline area individual champs

Sprangers and Gentile also won titles on the first day, with Sprangers winning the shot put and Gentile the triple jump.

They were at it again on the second day, with Gentile recording a leap of 19 feet, 6.5 inches in winning the long jump and Sprangers capturing the discus title with a throw of 196-2.

Gentile, a sophomore, placed second last season in the long jump and this season was determined to do better. She recorded her winning jump on her fifth attempt, which put her far ahead of second-place finisher Makena McGarry of Onalaska (18-11).

“It’s a lot more rewarding to get first place this year,” she said. “That’s what I was coming here to do, so getting the gold is great.”

Gentile was on point in both of her championships, as she didn’t scratch on any of her 12 jumps.

“My coaches always like pounding on consistency,” she said. “So knowing that this is the biggest meet of the year, I want to get all my jumps in and all the possibilities to win.”

Sprangers trailed De Pere’s Connor Fontaine from the start in the D1 discus, with Fontaine recording a 193-0 throw on his first attempt with Sprangers following with a 192-11.

The Kimberly senior then found the right mix on his fifth attempt, recording a heave of 196-2 that netted the title.

“Going in to it I felt real good,” he said. “Mental clarity, it was unbelievable. I felt amazing. I never felt that good. I just knew it was going to take one good throw and it was going to take a throw that was just gonna click.

“After the throw I just knew. Mid-air, ‘Oh yeah.’ And it came down 196 and I lost my mind. It was awesome.”

Sprangers, who will compete at Penn State next season, said he and Fontaine may look like rivals during competition, but the two are actually good friends.

“It might look like we hate each other, but at the end of the day we’re best friends,” Sprangers said. “We’re just competing and at the end, we’re congratulating each other and it’s just a good time all around.”

Merrick, Helmila spark Freedom girls

Helmila’s state title in the D2 800 run was something she has dreamt of for quite some time.

The Freedom senior won the event with a time of 2:12.76 and led for nearly the entire race. She finished a little over two seconds ahead of Lancaster’s Maddie Driscoll (2:14.98).

“It’s been my dream to be a state champion individually and it just means the world to me,” she said. “It shows the work that I put in, but also the work that the people put into myself. And to be able to reward those people with something like this, it means the world to me.

“The coaches, my parents and my teammates that have all brought me to this moment and most importantly, to show how God has worked in my life through all the highs and lows and to be able to overcome those and get a state championship.”

Helmila’s title, along with Merrick’s championship in the high jump, was a big reason why Freedom was in contention for the state team title. The Irish would repeat as D2 state champs by finishing with 40 points, just getting past second-place University School of Milwaukee (37).

Merrick secured the high jump title — an event she also won as a sophomore — with a leap of 5-6. It was a big moment for the Freedom senior, who placed sixth in the event last year.

“It was just so fulfilling,” Merrick said. “Winning my sophomore year and taking sixth last year, getting back to the podium is a dream and I did it. I’m so proud of myself.”

Merrick fended off Hayward’s Helen Thompson, who took second with a 5-6 but lost out to Merrick, who accomplished the feat in fewer attempts.

“I’ve been jumping with her since sophomore year,” Merrick said. “We’re friends. All of the girls over there are friends. It was amazing competition and amazing sportsmanship.”

Hofacker, Kuehn lead Shiocton in Division 3

Lydia Hofacker let her hard work do the talking in winning the D3 girls 300 hurdles.

The senior had the top time heading into the state meet and put together a fine showing in the finals, finishing with a time of :44.35. That allowed her to eke out the championship over McDonell Central’s Elyse Bushman (:44.56).

“I was really, really nervous but worked really hard to get here,” Hofacker said. “And I walked into finals ranked No. 1 and knew that I couldn’t give up that ranking. I went into that race with running as hard as I could.

“(Bushman) is super sweet and we push each other. It was really awesome. We talked after the race and we both really helped to push each other. Awesome to have such supportive people around you and everyone just runs their hardest.”

Hofacker, who will be competing at UW-Oshkosh in college, left it all out on the track.

“This was my last time running the 300 hurdles,” she said. “It was awesome, a really rewarding feeling that all the hard work I put into during the season really paid off.”

For Kuehn, winning the D3 boys 100 dash could be seen as a dose of redemption. The junior qualified for the 100 final last June, but said a pulled hamstring kept him from competing.

“That was not good,” he said. “But I kept working and getting in the weight room and followed the directions of the coach and staying positive and praying and getting strength from the Lord.”

Kuehn won the title with a time of :10.99 seconds. His personal-best time is :10.89. He was able to fend off Unity’s Payton Merrida (:11.12), who finished second.

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House is open in new era for CU Buffs athletics – Boulder Daily Camera

At long last, the House is open. On Friday night the inevitable finally became reality, as the settlement was finalized in the House vs. NCAA case that will usher in a new era in collegiate athletics. A consolidation of several antitrust suits filed against the NCAA, the House settlement opens the door for direct revenue […]

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53 minutes ago

June 8, 2025

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At long last, the House is open.

On Friday night the inevitable finally became reality, as the settlement was finalized in the House vs. NCAA case that will usher in a new era in collegiate athletics.

A consolidation of several antitrust suits filed against the NCAA, the House settlement opens the door for direct revenue sharing between universities and athletes, with former athletes dating back to 2016 eligible for back pay.

Roster limits also will be reset across all sports. For instance, in men’s basketball scholarships had been capped at 13, but coaches essentially could carry as many walk-ons as they wanted. The new roster limit will be 15, with all spots available for scholarships.

The settlement allows universities to compensate athletes up to $20.5 million, a sum total for the entire athletic department. It is up to each school to decide how that money gets dispersed, although revenue sports like football and men’s basketball will reap the biggest rewards at most schools.

Universities also don’t have to disperse the entire $20.5 million total, yet in a newsletter sent on Saturday morning CU athletic director Rick George wrote, “While athletic departments are not required to compensate student-athletes up to the cap, in order to remain competitive, it is our intention to fully meet the $20.5 million responsibility.”

The spin will be this will open more opportunities for student-athletes. In some cases, that will be true. But most of those cases will be from football and basketball. Non-revenue sports will be fighting for whatever scraps of revenue and resources trickle down their way. There will be changes, and at CU the blood-letting already began 24 hours before the settlement became official when longtime assistants Casey Malone and Lindsey Malone — two former CSU Rams who devoted the better part of two decades apiece to CU track and field — saw their positions eliminated.

Since the COVID pandemic George has been consistently adamant in his desire to not cut programs. And quite frankly, CU can’t really drop any programs without threatening either Title IX compliance or its status as an FBS-level Division I athletics program. Yet the elimination of the Malones’ jobs (Casey was CU’s throws coach; Lindsey will remain the combined events coach through next week’s NCAA outdoor championships) sent a clear signal across Buff Nation.

For distance runners, Colorado should remain a premier destination. But any sprinter, hurdler, jumper or thrower who wants to compete for championships won’t be doing so at CU. The fallout from the House settlement could have similar ramifications in other Olympic sports like tennis, golf and skiing.

The CU men finished last in the 13-team field at the Big 12 outdoor track and field championships last month by a wide margin (the Buffs posted 18 points; 12th-place Cincinnati had 34.33). The women finished 16th out of 16. Until the distance running rosters get back to a place where they can lift the entire program, the basement is going to become familiar territory. After this week’s news, help won’t be on the way.

The sad part is the Malones represent all that is supposed to be good about college athletics beyond the jam-packed football stadiums and March Madness. Whether it was in the Pac-12 or Big 12, the Buffs were always going to face an uphill battle competing nationally in field events. Yet one could argue Casey and Lindsey got as much, or more, out of their student-athletes with the resources available as any CU coach over the past two decades.

Their athletes competed. They graduated. If they didn’t go pro they nonetheless became consummate pros in their chosen profession. It’s easy to say Travis Hunter bleeds black and gold when we see him literally bleeding while dominating on the football field. Or when KJ Simpson hits the game-winner in the final seconds of an NCAA Tournament game. But behind the spotlights and the ridiculous economics of major college athletics, there are Casey and Lindsey Malones at every school whose blood, sweat and tears are equally passionate.

Just check out the buffalo mural Lindsey painted on the Events Center concourse. Or digest this quote from Casey only one year ago, as CU hosted the Pac-12 outdoor track and field finals at a newly-renovated Potts Field.

“I think we have a high expectation. We’ve seen meets on the biggest level, and we’ve seen what the Pac-12 championships can be,” Casey said. “It’s such an honor to get to host, especially since this is potentially the last Pac-12 championship. We’ve taken it really seriously. Our facility is not in Pac-12 championship form at all times. Maybe Oregon’s is. But now is the time when we get a chance to really let this whole place kind of blossom and put every little ounce of effort into making everything right. There’s all these little behind-the-scenes details that most people will never see when they come to a track meet. We feel very serious about making it as high-level as possible.”

The House is open, but the doors are closing for coaches like the Malones across the country.

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A $2.8 billion settlement will change college sports forever. Here’s how | News, Sports, Jobs

photo by: AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File FILE – The NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis is seen on March 12, 2020. A federal judge has approved terms of a sprawling $2.8 billion antitrust settlement that will upend the way college sports have been run for more than a century. In short, schools […]

Published

1 hour ago

June 8, 2025

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photo by: AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File

FILE – The NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis is seen on March 12, 2020.

A federal judge has approved terms of a sprawling $2.8 billion antitrust settlement that will upend the way college sports have been run for more than a century. In short, schools can now directly pay players through licensing deals — a concept that goes against the foundation of amateurism that college sports was built upon.

Some questions and answers about this monumental change for college athletics:

Q: What is the House settlement and why does it matter?

A: Grant House is a former Arizona State swimmer who sued the defendants (the NCAA and the five biggest athletic conferences in the nation). His lawsuit and two others were combined and over several years the dispute wound up with the settlement that ends a decades-old prohibition on schools cutting checks directly to athletes. Now, each school will be able to make payments to athletes for use of their name, image and likeness (NIL). For reference, there are nearly 200,000 athletes and 350 schools in Division I alone and 500,000 and 1,100 schools across the entire NCAA.

Q: How much will the schools pay the athletes and where will the money come from?

A: In Year 1, each school can share up to about $20.5 million with their athletes, a number that represents 22% of their revenue from things like media rights, ticket sales and sponsorships. Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne famously told Congress “those are resources and revenues that don’t exist.” Some of the money will come via ever-growing TV rights packages, especially for the College Football Playoff. But some schools are increasing costs to fans through “talent fees,” concession price hikes and “athletic fees” added to tuition costs.

Q: What about scholarships? Wasn’t that like paying the athletes?

A: Scholarships and “cost of attendance” have always been part of the deal for many Division I athletes and there is certainly value to that, especially if athletes get their degree. The NCAA says its member schools hand out nearly $4 billion in athletic scholarships every year. But athletes have long argued that it was hardly enough to compensate them for the millions in revenue they helped produce for the schools, which went to a lot of places, including multimillion-dollar coaches’ salaries. They took those arguments to court and won.

Q: Haven’t players been getting paid for a while now?

A: Yes, since 2021. Facing losses in court and a growing number of state laws targeting its amateurism policies, the NCAA cleared the way for athletes to receive NIL money from third parties, including so-called donor-backed collectives that support various schools. Under House, the school can pay that money directly to athletes and the collectives are still in the game.

Q: But will $20.5 million cover all the costs for the athletes?

A: Probably not. But under terms of the settlement, third parties are still allowed to cut deals with the players. Some call it a workaround, but most simply view this as the new reality in college sports as schools battle to land top talent and then keep them on campus. Top quarterbacks are reportedly getting paid around $2 million a year, which would eat up about 10% of a typical school’s NIL budget for all its athletes.

Q: Are there any rules or is it a free-for-all?

A: The defendant conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Pac-12) are creating an enforcement arm that is essentially taking over for the NCAA, which used to police recruiting violations and the like. Among this new entity’s biggest functions is to analyze third-party deals worth $600 or more to make sure they are paying players an appropriate “market value” for the services being provided. The so-called College Sports Commission promises to be quicker and more efficient than the NCAA. Schools are being asked to sign a contract saying they will abide by the rules of this new structure, even if it means going against laws passed in their individual states.

Q: What about players who played before NIL was allowed?

A: A key component of the settlement is the $2.7 billion in back pay going to athletes who competed between 2016-24 and were either fully or partially shut out from those payments under previous NCAA rules. That money will come from the NCAA and its conferences (but really from the schools, who will receive lower-than-normal payouts from things like March Madness).

Q: Who will get most of the money?

A: Since football and men’s basketball are the primary revenue drivers at most schools, and that money helps fund all the other sports, it stands to reason that the football and basketball players will get most of the money. But that is one of the most difficult calculations for the schools to make. There could be Title IX equity concerns as well.

Q: What about all the swimmers, gymnasts and other Olympic sports athletes?

A: The settlement calls for roster limits that will reduce the number of players on all teams while making all of those players – not just a portion – eligible for full scholarships. This figures to have an outsize impact on Olympic-sport athletes, whose scholarships cost as much as that of a football player but whose sports don’t produce revenue. There are concerns that the pipeline of college talent for Team USA will take a hit.

Q: So, once this is finished, all of college sports’ problems are solved, right?

A: The new enforcement arm seems ripe for litigation. There are also the issues of collective bargaining and whether athletes should flat-out be considered employees, a notion the NCAA and schools are generally not interested in, despite Tennessee athletic director Danny White’s suggestion that collective bargaining is a potential solution to a lot of headaches. NCAA President Charlie Baker has been pushing Congress for a limited antitrust exemption that would protect college sports from another series of lawsuits but so far nothing has emerged from Capitol Hill.

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Ohio high school state track and field results OHSAA state meet Day 2

Division I BOYS Discus—5, Mike Schaal (Green) 171-5; 15, K’Vuone McNeal (McKiney) 153-8. Long jump—1, Isaiah Barker (Hoover) 23-10; 2, Skylan King (GlenOak) 23-8.25. Pole vault—13, Joey Smart (Hoover) 13-6. 800 relay—7, Hoover (Steven Linn, Carson Morris, John Collins, Michael Grosse) 1:27.76. 1,600—9, Zavier Medina (Hoover) 4:15.42; 15, Andrew Vensel (Lake) 4:19.60. 400—5, Jayden Wilson […]

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1 hour ago

June 8, 2025

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Division I

BOYS

Discus—5, Mike Schaal (Green) 171-5; 15, K’Vuone McNeal (McKiney) 153-8. Long jump—1, Isaiah Barker (Hoover) 23-10; 2, Skylan King (GlenOak) 23-8.25. Pole vault—13, Joey Smart (Hoover) 13-6. 800 relay—7, Hoover (Steven Linn, Carson Morris, John Collins, Michael Grosse) 1:27.76. 1,600—9, Zavier Medina (Hoover) 4:15.42; 15, Andrew Vensel (Lake) 4:19.60. 400—5, Jayden Wilson (Perry) 47.76. 3,200—13, Zavier Medina (Hoover) 9:14.58.

GIRLS

Shot put—13, Isabelle Perry (Perry) 39-0. High jump—7, Taylor Brownsword (Jackson) 5-6. Long jump—5, Alexys Sterling (McKinley) 17-10.5. Pole vault—8, Emma Studer (GlenOak) 10-0; 10, Gabby Whalen (Jackson) 10-0; 15, Chloe Schans (Hoover) 11-0. 800 relay—6, Jackson (Morgan Giordano, Kaylee Lusk, Rory Parsons, Tayah Wilson) 1:40.10. 1,600—2, Daniela Scheffler (Lake) 4:47.08; 15, Kylah Meyer (Louisville) 5:05.45. 400 relay—8, Hoover.(Kenley Waldorff, Savannah Tindell, Peyton Waldorff, Lexi Wims). 47.86. 3,200—1, Daniela Scheffler (Lake) 10:21.82.

Division II

BOYS

High jump—18, Wyatt Gonzalez (Minerva) 6-0. 1,600—9, Andrew Hearn (Fairless) 4:19.30; 13, Rowen Hoffee (Minerva) 4:18.69; 14, Luke Ryan (Marlington) 4:19.88. 400—7, Abe McElwee (Tusky Valley) 48.87. 800—10, Bradlee Keehn (Fairless) 1:57.78. 3,200—2, Brice Fuller (Fairless) 9:16.78; 14, Ricky Sibila II (Carrollton) 9:43.57.

GIRLS

Long jump—12, Grace Kungl (Marlington) 16-3; 15, Quinn Cernansky (Marlington) 16-1. 1,600—10, Casey Russell (Sandy Valley) 5:06.88. 400 relay—5. Marlington (Emma Hone, Grace Kungl Quinn Cernansky Allie Gill) 48.86. 800—12, Tateum Richard (Minerva) 2:18.73; 15, Sami Ward (Tusky Valley) 2:21.02. 3,200—7, Irelyn Johnson (Marlington) 11:08.74.

Division III

BOYS

100—3, Sammy Tomlinson (Dalton) 10.89. 800—Dalton (Aaron Miller, Hayden Cecil, Ely Hutson, Sammy Tomlinson) 1:30.25.

GIRLS

800—1, Gianna Ritchie (Lake Center Christian) 2:12.79.

Seated

BOYS

100—2, Christopher Good (Perry) 18.72; 4, Haiden Williams (Louisville) 19.96. 400—2, Christopher Good (Perry) 1:03.17; 4, Haiden Williams (Louisville) 1:13.58. 800—2, Christopher Good (Perry) 2:16.87.

GIRLS

100—7, Alayna Mendenhall (Massillon) 32.73. 400—5. Alayna Mendenhall (Massillon) 2:25.15.

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WIAA State Track and Field Championship Saturday results | Sports

Day 2 of the WIAA State Track and Field Championships was one that many area athletes won’t forget about anytime soon. The Cochrane-Fountain City girls are your Division 3 champions in the team standings after squeaking out a one point win over Lourdes Academy. On Saturday the Pirates got a second place finish from Addy […]

Published

2 hours ago

June 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Day 2 of the WIAA State Track and Field Championships was one that many area athletes won’t forget about anytime soon.

The Cochrane-Fountain City girls are your Division 3 champions in the team standings after squeaking out a one point win over Lourdes Academy.

On Saturday the Pirates got a second place finish from Addy Duellman in the one mile with a time of 4:55.19 while her sister Paxtyn took eighth with a time of 5:07.05, a second place finish from Paxtyn in the 800m with a time of 2:11.57, a fourth place finish by Cecelia Dittrich in the long jump with a leap of 17-8.75. They won the Division 3 title by one point.

It was a special day for Prairie du Chien’s Blake Thiry as he was crowned champion in the 100m hurdles as well as the triple jump. He took second place in the 300m hurdles to prevent him from four golds in the weekend but he still set a new school record with a mark of 38.00.

Manny Putz’s illustrious high school running career has come to a close as he was edged out by Grady Lenn of De Pere in the two mile, similar to yesterday when the De Pere runner defeated Putz in the mile. The Hilltopper ran a mark of 8:53.79 which is a new state record, but Lenn finished one second faster.

In the Division 2 two mile race it was a comeback for the ages by Aquinas senior Declan Gregg after he found a new gear down the final stretch defeating Isaac Ewing of McFarland by .24 seconds. Gregg finished with a time of 9:09.25.

The Kickapoo/La Farge sprinters had a massive day in relays winning the 4×200 race in 1:44.44 and the 4×100 in a time of 48.90. Those teams consisting of Katie Randow, Ayvah Young, Chloe Walter and Jewel Kleinsasser.

Holmen speedster Lydia Lazarescu had a big day as well taking home silver in the 100m dash by 0.01 seconds with a time of 11.89. She finished second in the 200m with a time of 24.29 seconds. Her teammate Brenna Schmidt with a runner-up finish in the Division 1 shot put with a throw of 41-4.00.

In the Division 3 100m hurdles Cashton’s Makayla Gooselaw took fifth with a time of 15.37 and De Soto’s Paisley Egge logged a mark of15.52.

In Division 1, Onalaska’s Ella Stevens finished fifth with a time of 15.12.

In 110m hurdles Kaden Sullivan of Viroqua finished sixth with a time of 15.09.

Holmen’s Jakai Ayed took home fifth place in the same event in Division 1 with a time of 14.62 and then also took fifth place in the 300m hurdles with a time of 39.67.

Abigail Lendosky of Viroqua had a busy weekend and her best finish was in the 100m wheelchair race where she took second with a time of 22.72.

Westby’s Elizabeth Curtis found her way to the podium in the one mile with a run of 5:00.65.

Bangor girls consisting of Grace Wenthold, Marin Gasper, Aubrey Langrehr, Jaycee Michek in the 4×200 took home third place with a time of 1:45.31.

Onalaska’s girls 4×200 relay team took home sixth place with a mark of 1:43.09. That team made up of Ella Stevens, Eliana Mascotti, Makena McGarry, Elin Gilles.

In the boys event in Division 2 Aquinas took home fifth with a time of 1:29:58.

In the D3 boys 400m dash Kickapoo/La Farge’s Aidric Egge made the podium with a mark of 49-58.

In Division 2, Viroqua’s Isaac Pratt finished fourth with a time of 49.44 turned in.

Katelyn Benish, Ali Fortun, Madelyn Vonfeldt, Erin Gluch turned in a time of 49.89 in the 4×100 good enough for third place.

Holmen’s 4×100 team of also taking bronze thanks to a time of 48.21.

Aquinas’ 4×100 boys team found their way to the podium thanks to a fifth place finish and a time of 43.04.

Bangor’s 4×400 team took fourth in the event with a time of 4:04.05.

Kickapoo/La Farge’s team of Aidric Egge, Jeff Olsen, Theo Parr, Arlon Walter finished in third place with a time of 3:26.28.

Gavin Tamling of North Crawford had the fourth-best throw in boys discus with a mark of 158-10 and Luther’s Jack Schmeling took sixth with a throw of 156-11.

In Division 2 Trey Lyga of Arcadia took home fourth with a throw of 171-2, while Jacob Hackbarth of Logan finished sixth with a throw of 164-10.

Atlin Steinhoff of Tomah had a good showing in Division 1 with a hoist of 176-9.

Luther’s Lauren Wickus had a fifth place finish thanks to her leap of 5-3 in the Division 3 high jump and she also made the podium on long jump taking sixth with a mark of 17-4.25.

Holmen’s Alexa Szak and Onalaska’s Isabella Malacek tied for sixth in the D1 high jump with marks of 5-2.

Onalaska’s Makena McGarry with a fantastic showing in Division 1 long jump with a mark of 18-11 on her fourth attempt which got her a runner-up finish.

In Division 2 Logan’s Lillian Dettwiler with a nice performance as she jumped 17-8.50, good enough for fourth place.

In boys pole vault G-E-T’s Sawyer Smock finished third with a mark of 14-0.

Onalaska’s Gabe Mauss finished off his solid weekend with a third place finish in the triple jump with a leap of 47-0.75

In addition to Thiry finishing first in Division 2, Tanner Winker of Mauston finished second, Luke Baginski of West Salem took third and David Onyeabor was fourth.

For a full list of results from the two day event click here.

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