By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
The Big Foot boys and girls track teams will be well represented at Friday’s Division 2 sectional meet.
Both teams combined to fill nine events after strong efforts at Tuesday night’s Clinton Regional Meet.
Jefferson won the girls’ regional title, followed by Lakeside Lutheran with 164, East Troy with 118, Whitewater with 68, Clinton with 66.5, Big Foot with 46, Lake Mills with 39 and Palmyra-Eagle with 12.
On the boys’ side, East Troy was first with 146 points, followed by Lakeside Lutheran with 126, Whitewater with 111, Lake Mills with 85, Jefferson with 80, St. Johns Northwestern Military Academy with 46, Big Foot and Clinton with 43 and Palmyra-Eagle with 13.
Big Foot came home with three regional titles, two from the girls and one from the boys.
Finishing first for the Big Foot girls were Brooke Wellhausen in the 400 (1:00.01) and the 1,600-meter relay team of Alexandria Demco, Gloria Esarco, Grace Gillingham and Wellhausen (4:08.36).
Other sectional qualifiers were Wellhausen, second in the triple jump (34-4 3/4); Esarco, second in the 800 (2:25.81); and the 800-meter relay team of Demco, Gillingham, Mari Hubanks and Dana Sorensen, third (1:51.55).
The Big Foot boys will compete in five sectional events Friday afternoon.
Leading the way was Jackson Enz, who won the 300-hurdles (42.52). Enz also qualified in the 110-hurdles (16.95).
Joining Enz at the sectional from the Big Foot boys are the 1,600-meter relay team of Connor Kirk, David Martin, Bernie Lerchegger and Demitri Demco, fourth (3:45), and Fletcher Strahan, fourth in the 3,200 (10:50.58).
Others who finished in the top eight at the regional meet for the girls were the 400-meter relay team of Demco, Gillingham, Hubanks and Sorensen, sixth (53.91) and Hubanks, eighth in the long jump (14-10 1/4).
Top-eight finishes among the boys included Strahan, fifth in the 1,600 (4:58.46); Kirk, sixth in the 200 (24.51); the 400-meter relay team of Olinh Craig, Jose Mercado, Charlie Peterson and Tyler Wicks, sixth (49.69); Lerchegger, seventh in the 400 (56.22); the 800-meter relay team of Craig, Peterson, Mercado and Wicks, eighth (1:45.67); and Martin, eighth in the 300-hurdles (45.91).
Sectional at East Troy
Next up for the sectional qualifiers is a trip to East Troy, beginning with field events at 3:30 p.m. on Friday The top four finishers in each event will earn a trip to the state meet next weekend on the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse campus.
Seeds for the sectional meet, according to the WIAA Web site are:
- Big Foot’s girls 1,600-meter relay team is seeded second overall behind Catholic Memorial, which posted a regional time of 4:06.78;
- Wellhausen is in the fifth lane of the second 400 heat, and seeded second behind top-seeded Kate Del Fava, Kenosha St. Joseph’s. Wellhausen also is seeded 12th in the triple jump (top seed, Brooke Blazei, Martin Luther).
- Big Foot’s girls 800-relay is in the fifth lane of the first heat. The top regional time in that event belongs to Lakeside Lutheran in 1:45.36;
- Esarco is in the second lane of the second heat in the 800. The top seed in that event is Jefferson’s Calli Linse of 2:22.52.
- Enz is in the third lane of the second heat in the 300-hurdles. The top seed is Milwaukee Lutheran’s Aaron Dorley of 40.59.
In the 110-hurdles, Enz is in the second lane of the second heat. The top regional time heading into the sectional was posted by Martin Luther’s Aaron Huber of 14.92.
- Big Foot’s 1,600-relay team is in the seventh lane of the first heat. The top seed is Milwaukee Lutheran with a time of 3:26.33.
- Strahan is seeded 12th in the 3,200. The top seed is Waupun’s Matt Kuik of 9:51.75.
