By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
Strong showings by the Big Foot boys and girls track teams at Monday’s WIAA Division 2 Whitewater Regional extended the spring season for a slew of Chiefs.
And that contingent, which advanced to Thursday’s East Troy Sectional, now is one step closer to advancing to next weekend’s state meet in La Crosse.
The Big Foot girls finished fourth in the team standings with 74 points, while the boys were fifth with 67.5.
Lakeside Lutheran won the girls’ title with 173 points, followed by East Troy with 143.5, Whitewater with 75, Big Foot and Racine Prairie with 60.
Rounding out the team scores were Shoreland Lutheran with 47 points, Racine St. Catherine’s with 46, Kenosha St. Joseph with 45.5 and Palmyra-Eagle with 28.
Big Foot left the regional with four titles to its credit.
Finishing first for the Chiefs were Brooke Wellhausen in the 400 (59.81); Gloria Escarco in the 800 (2:24.18); the 1,600-meter relay team of Esarco, Alexandria Demco, Grace Gillingham and Wellhausen (4:04.47); and the 3,200-team of Esarco, Demco, Gillingham and Wellhausen (9:53.07).
Also placing in the top four to advance to the sectional were Abbi Asta, third in the 100 (13.84); and the 800-meter relay team of Dana Sorensen, Asta, Demco and Gillingham (1:49.53).
Picking up points with top-eight efforts were Claire Beyers, fifth in the 200 (28.77); Asta, fifth in the long jump (16-3); Wellhausen, fifth in the triple jump (34-4 ¼); Ryan Tisdale, sixth in the 300-hurdles (55.76); Gillingham, sixth in the triple jump (34-2); Makenzie Lueck, sixth in the shot put (31-7); and Kat Ahrens, eighth in the 300-hurdles (1:03.6).
On the boys’ side, East Troy captured the regional title with 161 points, followed by Lakeside Lutheran with 117, Shoreland Lutheran with 75, Whitewater with 74 and the Chiefs.
Finishing outside the top five wee Kenosha St. Joseph with 62 points, Racine Prairie with 56, Racine St. Catherine’s with 41, Kenosha Christian Life with 34.5 and Palmyra-Eagle with eight.
Advancing to Thursday were Jackson Enz, second in the 110-meter hurdles (15.54) and the 300-hurdles (40.42); Mike Petkoff, third in the high jump (5-6); David Martin, fourth in the 110-hurdles (16.13) and the 300-hurdles (43.05); and the 1,600-meter relay team of Enz, Dimitri Demco, Martin and Connor Kirk, fourth (3:37.39).
Others who picked up team points were the 3,200-meter relay team of David Dolente, Jalin DeLeon, Demco and Manuel Bernal, fifth (9:03.19); Jacque Christman, fifth in the pole vault (9-6); Charlie Chalcoff, fifth in the shot put (38-8); Connor Kirk, sixth in the 100 (11.95); the 400-meter relay team of Hunter Sharpe, Christman, Trevor Rambatt and Olinh Craig, sixth (47.94); the 800-relay team of Christman, Sharpe, Petkoff and Kirk, sixth (1:38.19); Petkoff, sixth in the triple jump (40-5); Bernal, seventh in the 3,200 (11:04.99); Martin, seventh in the triple jump (40-2 ½); Chalcoff, seventh in the discus (104-7 ½); and Nathan Mack, eighth in the 800 (2:11.04).
