7 memorable moments for area athletes at the state track meet (2024)

The WIAA state track and field championships wrapped up Saturday at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Veterans Memorial Stadium Complex and there was no shortage of standout performances by athletes from the WiscNews coverage area.

With the 128th state boys meet and the 53rd state girls meet in the books, here's a closer look at seven memorable moments for area competitors.

1. Baraboo'sLily Rogers takes third in shot put during first state trip

Baraboo freshman Lily Rogers entered her first state tournament with advice from an NCAA Division I national runner-up fresh in her mind.The Thunderbirds’ lone girls qualifier, Rogers made a strong state debut Friday by placingthird in the Division 1 girls shot put with a throw of 42 feet, 5 inches.

Rogers applied what she's learned fromJosie Schaefer, a 2017 Baraboo grad who went on to be an All-American at the University of Wisconsin and the 2021 national runner-up.

“Just keep your head up and never doubt yourself on what you can and cannot do,” Rogers said of Schaefer's message ahead of her first trip to state.

Even in her first meet, and as the lone freshman in the entire 24-person event, Rogers was unfazed by the enormity of state.

“It just felt like a normal meet and you have to think that it’s just a normal meet most of the time,” she said.

2. Lodi's Gavin Sargeant shatters state triple jump record

Lodi seniorGavin Sargeant didn't waste any time making historyat his future college home on the opening day of the tournament. AUW-La Crosse track recruit, Sargeant finished strong in theDivision 2 boys triple jump to shatter the previous state record and repeat as champion.

Sargeantrecorded a jump of 47 feet, 9½ inches to win a second straight title while breakingthe record jump of 47-0 set by Lake Mills’ Ben Dunkleberger in 2017.

“Back-to-back feels great. It’s well deserved,” Sargeant said. “I worked my (butt) off for it, and a new state record, my goal for the season was 48 (feet) but 47-9 will do, I guess. It got me the gold.”

Sargeant credits his success to Lodi jumps coach Nancy Rabensdorf and the change the pair made to move back his mark. Previously starting around 80 feet away from the pit, Sargeant moved his starting mark back roughly 10 feet.

“It’s more speed, and that means more distance,” he said. “She knows what she’s talking about, that’s all I know.”

3. Dodgeland'sMallory Kohn achieves individual success in 1,600

Dodgeland junior Mallory Kohn is a relay fixture for the Trojans, but until Friday she had never found success in an individual event at state. That all changed when she reached the podium in the Division 3 1,600-meter run with a fourth-place finish in 5:03.64.

After securing her first individual state podium finish, Kohn credited her breakthrough to asuccessful cross country season last fall, when she finished sixth at the WIAA Division 3 girls cross country state championships.

“I would do distance any day, every day. I think that contributed to starting the mile and two-mile,” she said. “I just like endurance and being on my own. Cruising through the miles and hills, I guess I’m just different in that part.”

Kohn followed up her podium finish with another on Saturday in the 3,200-meter race. She finished that event in fourth as well, recording a time of 10:47.56, after saying ahead of the event that running in the mile allowed her to “get a good feel of the track.”

“Then, for your 2-mile you kind of have that momentum going forward. Ending on a positive note for the mile brings it into tomorrow, too,” Kohn said before the 3,200. “Maybe a little more self-confidence and not to get in my head so much. I think that’ll help.”

4. Waupun'sLydia Aalsma 'at peace' after finding redemption in 400

Waupun juniorLydia Aalsma almost didn't go out for the track team this spring after afalse start in the prelims of the Division 2 400-meter run at state last year sapped her confidence. But, following a midseason chat withWarriors coach Matt Dickhut, she not only went out for the team— she went on to find redemption at state by taking second in that same event Saturday.

“It just feels like I’m moving on, like I can forget it; I can forgive myself,” she said of last year’s false start in the preliminaries. “It feels really cool and it’s special to be back. I’m just happy I got through prelims this year.”

Aalsma’s time of 57.49 seconds was good enough for silver as she placed behind reigning four-time champion Eliana Sheplee of Rice Lake. The University of St. Thomas women’s basketball commit said she realized the mountain she faced in trying to dethrone Sheplee, but wasn’t deterred by finishing second on the podium.

“I totally accepted the fact my best was second, so I kind of went in knowing that; just run my race like how I’ve done all year,” she said.

That nearly wasn’t the case had it not been for Dickhut reaching out. Aalsma said the missed chance last season affected her confidence “quite a bit,” even stretching into the girls basketball season this past winter.

5.Columbus’ Wyatt Graffin wins shot put silver after tweaking approach

Columbus sophom*ore Wyatt Graffin made the risky decision to make some late season alterations, and the gamble paid off Saturday as heearned silver in the Division 2 shot put.

“I was just happy to come here, honestly,” Graffin said. “Practice this week felt good so I was expecting something big to happen. I'm happy with the second-place finish.”

Graffin delivered a throw of 59 feet, 1¼ inches, with the mark only surpassed by Green Bay Notre Dame junior James Flanigan’s winning throw of 59-2¾.

Graffin's improvement from his first postseason last year excited him the most. He finished ninth at sectionals last season with a top throw of 47-¼. Flanigan was last year’s state runner-up with a throw of 52-7½, giving Graffin plenty of confidence looking ahead to next season.

“I caught all those guys, and now next year I’m going to blow them out of the water,” he said.

6. Portage'sEstella Brees delivers under pressure to earn first state medal

Portage seniorEstella Brees faced some challenges in the lead up to her second trip to the state tournament, but those obstacles didn't prevent her from earning her first state medal.Brees finished fourth in the Division 2 girls triple jump Saturday, leaping 35 feet, 3¼ inches on her final jump to improve on her performance last year, when she finished seventh in the event as a junior.

“It’s nice that I get to go out with a medal, and that my progression showed, especially starting just last year with triple jump, that I was able to like set my mind to it and get it done,” Brees said.

It looked like Brees was going to be iced out of the podium spots for a second straight year, as the Warriors lone qualifier sat in seventh place heading into the final round of jumps in the finals. It was the opposite position Brees was in last season as she was bumped off the medal stand in the final round.

“I was just praying, ‘Please, please, please. Let me stay in so I can finally get on the podium,’” she said.

Those prayers were answered as Brees delivered in her make-or-break moment, denying Madison Edgewood’s Cate Lockton a medal in her state debut.

7. Beaver Dam Wayland'sOsaya Sule earns pair of podium finishes

Beaver Dam Wayland senior Osaya Sule didn't meet the high expectations he set for himself at the state tournament, but he still managed to impress himself with a pair of podium finishes on Saturday.

Sule finished fourth in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.25 seconds after earlier finishing sixth in the 100 with a time of 11.32 to finish a dual trip to the podium in the Division 3 boys sprint events.

After lamenting a lack of personal bests at this year's competition, Sule said coming up short of his goals doesn't diminish his passion for running.

“Even if I underperformed, I’m still going to do it anyway,” he said. “I could run a second slower, and I’m still going to do it just because I love the sport.”

As much as it reinforced Sule’s love for track and field, it also affirmed his hopes for the future. Sule plans to attend the University of Pennsylvania to study business and AI technology, with the aspiration to earn a walk-on spot with the Quakers track and field team.