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MarshfieldAreaSports.com
LA CROSSE – The local entries at the 2015 WIAA State Track & Field Championships were busy on Friday at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with one setting a new state record and another earning a medal for the second year in a row.
Marshfield Columbus Catholic junior Alexandra Hutchison set a new Division 3 state record in the 200 meters as she qualified first for Saturday’s finals with a time of 24.91 seconds. Her time breaks the previous record of 25.14 set in 2004 by Kristen Barr of Wausau Newman Catholic.
Hutchison, the defending state champion in the 200, also moved on to the finals at the No. 1 qualifier in the 100, running in a time of 12.45 seconds.
Spencer sophomore Noah Zastrow earned the first medal among the area athletes, taking third in the Division 3 boys pole vault with a vault of 13 feet, 6 inches. He also took third in the event last year as a freshman.
Four of the five Marshfield athletes were in action at the state meet on Friday.
Senior Ashley Holubets broke her own school record in the Division 1 girls 300-meter hurdles, finishing in a time of 45.57 to qualify eighth for Saturday’s finals. She had set the school record at last week’s Stevens Point sectional in a time of 46.23.
“Ashley ran another brilliant race today and got herself into the 300 hurdle finals,” Marshfield girls coach Dan Akin said. “I’m not surprised, I’m just so impressed with how she wants to finish her career.”
Fellow senior, Martha Kupfer, competed in the triple jump and finished 15th with a leap of 35 feet, 8½ inches. She will compete in the long jump on Saturday.
Junior Amy Martorano took 17th in the discus with a throw of 109-11, which was 7 feet, 5 inches, further than her best throw at sectionals.
Calden Wojt, the lone boy competitor for Marshfield, was 19th in the boys 400 preliminaries with a time of 50.87 seconds.
Sophomore Stephanie Rhodes will compete in the high jump on Saturday.
Auburndale’s state contingent was all in action on Friday.
Lee Jepsen qualified for the finals in the boys 200, finishing seventh with a time of 22.91 in the preliminaries.
Slyviann Momont was 16th in the long jump (14-8¼) and will compete in the triple jump on Saturday.
Kali Karl was 10th in the 800 (2:24.20) and the 1,600 relay team of Ashley Breu, Rachel Gronemeyer, Karl and Momont was 12th in preliminaries with a time of 4:14.38, missing out on a top-10 qualifying spot for the finals by less than 2 seconds.
Spencer’s 1,600 relay team of Liz Endreas, Nadia King, Paige Lawrence and Rachel Zastrow, qualified for the finals with a time of 4:11.30.
Zastrow qualified for the finals in two events. She was eighth in the 300 hurdles (47.34) and ninth in the 110 hurdles (16.28), and will run in finals in both races on Saturday, along with competing in the relay and in the pole vault. She is the defending D-3 champion in the pole vault.
King failed to earn a medal in her two individual events. She missed out on the finals in the 400, finishing 15th in 1:03.72, and was 14th in the 1,600 finals in 5:40.95.
Johanna Ellefson will also compete in the pole vault for the Rockets on Saturday.
Columbus Catholic’s 400 girls relay team of Phoebe Atkinson, Hutchison, Rachel Roehl and Hannah Stratman missed out on a finals berth, taking 11th in 52.02 seconds. The team missed a top-10 finals qualifying spot by just 0.16 seconds.
The Columbus Catholic boys 800 relay team also barely missed a shot at the finals, taking 11th in 1:33.92. The team of David Nielsen, Christian Payant, Leo Pittsley and Farid Torbey missed out on the finals by just 0.8 seconds.
The 3,200 relay team of Ben Behling, Peyton Nystrom, Payant and Leonard Steinert was 15th in 8:39.13.
Payant did qualify for the finals in his individual event. He was fourth in the 300 hurdles qualifying with a time of 40.93 seconds and will run in the finals on Saturday.
Stratford’s lone state qualifier, Jacob Zuelke, will compete in the Division 2 boys 800 on Saturday.