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MCDONALD'S GAME OF THE WEEK (Prep Track & Field): SWC Conference Meet
Lancaster girls win 1st conference title since 2004; Platteville boys win 73rd title since 1907
Lancaster girls team
The Lancaster girls track and field team scored 166 teams points and finished 25 points ahead of the much larger squad from Platteville, and 61 points ahead of the co-op team from Dodgeville/Mineral Point at last Tuesday's SWC Conference Meet to win their first conference title since 2004.
Platteville boys SWC champs
The Platteville boys track and field team scored 163 teams points and finished 11.5 points ahead of runner-up Richland Center (151.5) at the 2021 SWC Conference Meet to win its fifth straight conference title, 20th in the last 21 years, and 73rd overall.
MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U.COM GAME OF THE WEEK (June 8–15)

PREP TRACK & FIELD: SWC Conference Meet; Lancaster girls, Platteville boys win titles

By A.J. Gates and Jason Nihles

PLATTEVILLE – With six individual first-place finishes, five seconds and six thirds, the Lancaster girls’ track and field team scored 166 total team points at last Tuesday’s Southwest Wisconsin Conference Meet to capture the program’s first conference title since 2004.

The Lancaster ladies finished 25 points ahead of the much larger squad from Platteville, and 61 points ahead of the co-op team from Dodgeville/Mineral Point.

“We talked with the team last week about their chance to be conference champions,” explained Lancaster track and field coach Kyle Stiklestad. “We had a good talk about goals, focus, mindset, and what it takes to be a champion.  The girls were receptive to the message and out-performed my goals for them.” 

“It was going to have to be an almost perfect meet for us to win,” coach Stiklestad added. “Platteville is a very good team and scores in all 18 events.  We ended up with 166 points and I thought on a perfect day we would score 154.  Every event we entered a girl into resulted in points and all but one event resulted in a top three finish.”

Earning first-place finishes for Lancaster and capturing individual conference titles were Lainee Burks in the 100 (:27.07) and the long jump (16’4.5”), Bridee Burks in the triple jump (32’2”), Mallory Olmstead in the 800 (2:25.58) and Kristin Muench in the 3200 (13:36.35). Lainee Burks also finished second in the 100 (:12.97), while Muench was second in the 1600 (5:48.10).

The Lancaster ladies also had top-three finishes in all four relays, winning the 4x400 (4:19.07) with Lainee and Bridee Burks, Kiley Kelly and Olmstead.

Other second-place finishes were won by Alaina Stader in the pole vault (8’0”) and Caitlyin Hahn in the shot put (30’7.75”), as well as the 4x100 relay team of Mikayla Smith, Abby Burr, Tatiana Place and Sadie Hollander (:53.94).

On the boys side, Platteville won its fifth straight, 20th in the last 21 years and 73rd conference title since 1907. On the strength of six event conference championships and five runners-up finishes, the Hillmen outscored runner-up Richland Center 163–151.5 to their 20th conference title in the past 21 seasons. Lancaster finished a distant third with 86 team points.

Junior Devin Digman was a double champion for the Hillmen, sweeping the boys shot put (46’6.5”) and the discus (139’8”). Other individual conference champions for Platteville were senior Caycey Gillen in the 300 hurdles (43.54) and senior Noah Rhoden in the pole vault (12’0”).

Gillen and Rhoden also teamed with sophomores Casen Udelhofen and Quinn Wright to win the 4x400 relay (3:32.27). Udelhofen and Wright teamed with freshman Zade Plumb and senior John Wells to win the 4x800 relay (9:13.42).

Conference runner-ups for Platteville were Wells in the 1600 (4:50.53) and the 3,200 11:02.83), Udelhofen in the 800 (2:12.67), Gillen in the 110  hurdles (16.72) and senior Caleb Wright in the pole vault (11’6”).


SWC Conference Meet
(from Tuesday, June 8 @ Platteville)
(Boys)
Team scores — 1.Platteville 163, 2.Richland Center 151.5, 3.Lancaster 86, 4.Dodgeville/Mineral Point 74, 5.River Valley 53, 6.Prairie du Chien 24.5.
Platteville boys individual results
100 — 11.Eli Cline 12.17. 200 — 3.Brandon Wu 24.10, 6.Terrell Halverson 25.11. 400 — 3.Noah Rhoden 57.09, 4.Nick Burkhard 57.3, 5.Michael Loeffelholz 57.38.800 — 2.Casen Udelhofen 2:12.67, 3.Quinn Wright 2:13.74, 5.Zade Plumb 2:19.31. 1,600 — 2.John Wells 4:50.53. 3,200 — 2.Wells 11:02.83, 7.Erik Grabandt 12:15.96.110 hurdles — 2.Caycey Gillen 16.72, 5.Marcus Sponsler 17.40, 6.Cody Cushman 18.96. 300 hurdles — 1.Gillen 43.54, 4.Cushman 45.53, 6.Sponsler 46.66. 4x100 relay — 3.Platteville (Halverson, Cline, Ethan Boigenzahn, Wu) 47.12. 4x200 relay — 3.Platteville (Cline, Halverson, Boigenzahn, Wu) 1:35.20. 4x400 relay — 1.Platteville (Udelhofen, Quinn Wright, Gillen, Rhoden) 3:32.27. 4x800 relay — 1.Platteville (Udelhofen, Wirght, Plumb, Wells) 9:13.42. High jump — 3.Cline 6’0”. Pole vault — 1.Rhoden 12’0”, 2.Caleb Wright 11’6”, 8.Loeffelholz J9’0”. Long jump — 3.Halverson 19’1.5”. Triple jump — 7.Garrison Tashner 37’0”. Shot put — 1.Devin Digman 46’6.5”, 11.Conner Day 33’10.25”. Discus — 1.Digman 139’8”, 4.Day 123’0”.
(Girls)
Team scores 1.Lancaster 166, 2.Platteville 141, 3.Dodgeville/Mineral Point 105, 4.Prairie du Chien 54.5 5.River Valley 49, 6.Richland Center 36.5.
Lancaster girls top individual results
100 — 2. Lainee Burks :12.97; 3. Caitlyn Hahn :13.32. 200 — 1. Lainee Burks :27.07; 4. Caitlyn Hahn :27.65; 5. Eden Bowen :28.78. 400 — 4. Kiley Kelly 1:04.77. 800 — 1. Mallory Olmstead 2:25.58; 4. Bridee Burks 2:34.89. 1,600 — 2. Kristin Muench 5:48.10; 3. Mallory Olmstead 5:52.72. 3,200 — 1. Kristin Muench 13:36.35; 5. Kylee Sitts 14:09.46. 4x100 — 2. (Mikayla Smith, Abby Burr, Tatiana Place, Sadie Hollander) :53.94. 4x200 — 3. (Mikayla Smith, Sadie Hollander, Eden Bowen, Madison Clauer) 1:58.57. 4x400 — 1. (Lainee Burks, Kiley Kelly, Bridee Burks, Mallory Olmstead) 4:19.07. 4x800 — 3. (Mikayla Smith, Finley Knapp, Madison Clauer, Anna Murphy) 11:10.33. High jump — 3. Abby Burr 5’0”; 4. Ava Hermsen 4’10”. Pole vault — 2. Alaina Stader 8’0”; 4. Madi Reukauf 7’6”. Long jump — 1. Lainee Burks 16’4.5”; 4. Bridee Burks 14’11”. Triple jump — 1. Bridee Burks 32’2”; 5. Sadie Hollander 30’3”. Shot put — 2. Caitlyn Hahn 30’7.75”. Discus — 3. Caitlyn Hahn 99’4”.