Girls cross country team brings home the title
By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
Predicting a state championship is almost impossible to do – it takes a combination of skill, talent and maybe even a little bit of luck to pull that off.
But after two miles of Saturday’s Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 2 State Meet in Wisconsin Rapids, the East Troy girls cross country squad had things all but wrapped up.
They just had to bring it home – and they most certainly did.
East Troy captured the program’s first-ever state title with 88 points, well ahead of Luxemberg-Casco’s 108 and Freedom’s 113. Wisconsin Lutheran was fourth with 119 points, while Wisconsin Dells was fifth with 137.
All four of those schools finished higher in the last ranking than East Troy, which was sixth coming into the meet.
The victory set off an obvious celebration among the East Troy faithful, co-head coaches Michael Rajsich and Laurie Crandall said.
“(We) were so proud of the girls,” Rajsich said. “High-fives, hugs, tears and cheering were a few of the many emotions. We had a huge East Troy crowd to support the teams.
“All the hard work paid off for the girls, and were excited to see them succeed on the big stage.”
Crandall agreed.
“It truly was an amazing feeling,” she said. “The girls had great races and were feeling confident, but seeing the pure excitement on their faces when the team scores were finally posted was incredible. There were a lot of happy tears and hugs being shared by everyone involved.”
Freshmen lead the way
A trio of freshmen led the Trojans to the finish line, as Ella Rondeau (19:11.73) was sixth, Madison Desing (19:057.03) was 17th, and Christina Nolting (20:29.52) was 38th.
Rondeau earned a spot on the podium, the first East Troy runner to accomplish that since Melissa Manke won the state title in 2004. Rondeau’s time was the fourth-fastest finish among all freshmen who competed.
“It is extremely impressive to be on the podium as a freshman,” Rajsich said. “Ella worked hard this summer and during the season.
“She became more confident with her racing strategy and truly started to push herself to be the best she could be. She ran a fantastic race at state.”
The efforts of all three freshmen fueled the rest of the team, Crandall said.
“My favorite thing about these three is how humble they are,” she said. “They don’t just expect to win. Instead, they work really hard to make sure they are in a position to help their team win.
“I think Mike and I realized how talented they are long before they did. In the beginning, I remember them being excited because they made the varsity team.
“It honestly took a good part of the season for them to realize how very talented they are, and even then, they were genuinely excited when the team would win an invite. They never took on the attitude that winning was a given.”
Following those three to the finish line were senior Madison Rosin, 45th (20:36.35); sophomore Morgan Bartlett, 65th (20:55.87); senior Brianna Fridley, 124th (22:19.51); and sophomore Kaylee McFarland, 141st (22:59.07).
Both seniors provided leadership to the rest of the team, Rajsich said, which was invaluable and a huge part of the Trojans’ success.
“Maddie Rosin and Brianna Fridley were great leaders and mentors for the younger girls,” he said. “Both girls work hard and are extremely selfless. They wanted to win a state title, and they both ran great races to end their running careers. They both will be greatly missed next year.”
Crandall agreed.
“Our seniors were key to the success of this team,” she said. “They knew how to lead and support the younger runners. They also knew how to encourage them and push them in their training.
“It would be easy for a senior to have a negative attitude about three freshmen coming in and beating them during their senior year. That was never the case with these two. Instead, they embraced them and celebrated their success. That’s the kind of mature leaders Maddie and Brianna were all season.”
Gale-Ettrick-Trempeleau sophomore Dana Feyer won the individual title in 18:21.48.
Looking ahead
The next challenge for this group is to try and repeat – which always is difficult for sure.
But both coaches know their team will put in the work and try to get back to the top of the mountain again next year.
“One thing we said over and over to our kids was ‘trust your training,’” Crandall said. “We have a training system that worked really well to peak our athletes at the right moment.
“Next year, we will implement a similar training approach with minor changes as we’ve taken note this season. Our kids believe in the process, and we believe in them. Hopefully, things will come together for us as we prepare to defend our state title. This is a very determined group of young ladies, so I know that will be their goal.”
Rajsich added that the bar obviously has been raised for next year’s squad.
“Winning the state title will provide the next group of girls the honor of defending the state title,” he said. “This year’s group set high standards, and I would expect them to continue to work hard in the offseason.
“With five girls returning from the state title team, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them work even harder, along with the other returning girls, to be the best team they can be next year.”
