By Adam Knoll
Sports Correspondent
It was finally time for the state track meet and three members represented Whitewater High School at the big gig last weekend. Though no state records were broken, all had performances they should be proud of.
Keagen Stonewerth qualified on the height of his pole-vaulting skills and proved his mettle with a 13’9″ jump. At 14′, Stonewerth could not stop from just grazing the bar, unable to meet his own personal best. Stonewerth stood on the podium with a fourth place finish.
Sarah Ziolkowski was in Madison for the 1600-meter race, an event in which two runners finished in under five minutes though Ziolkowski was in the top six for most of the race. Near the end she faded slightly, finishing ninth with a time of 5:17.99. This was Ziolkowski’s third state appearance in three years with her senior year now on the horizon.
Kailey Reynolds was at state for three events: the 100- and 200-meter dashes, and the long jump.
In the 100-meter event, Reynolds got off the blocks late, recovering by the finish to take third in the preliminary round. The 200-meter dash proved tougher, with Reynolds finishing 13th.
In the long jump, Reynolds heaved herself 16’8.5″ advancing to the finals, where she would hit 16’11” to earn eighth place.
The next day, Reynolds competed in the 100-meter finals and finished fourth to bring Whitewater’s track season to a close.
“Keagen, Sarah, and Kailey all put in tremendous amount of time and effort to have the opportunity to compete in front of nearly 10,000 people,” head coach John Houwers said in a statement about the state meet. “Whether it was coming in at 6:30 in the morning to lift weights all year long or logging over 200 miles running in the summer and countless more in sub-zero temperatures during the winter, they all put in the time and effort to have their chance to be the best.”
