MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U.COM GAME OF THE WEEK (Sept. 27–Oct. 3)
PREP CROSS COUNTRY: Platteville Dick McKichan Invitational

By Jason Nihles, Platteville Journal

Dodge–Point sweeps large school division titles

PLATTEVILLE — There were a number of local story lines at Saturday’s 35-team Dick McKichan Platteville Cross Country Invitational at UW–Platteville’s Veterans Memorial Park.

Dodgeville–Mineral Point swept both titles in the large schools division.

Both Platteville teams continued their mid-season improvement under first-year head coach Jake Pinion. 

Iowa–Grant junior Bret Connolly ran to a sixth-place overall finish (out of 200 runners) in the boys varsity race to led the Panthers to a second-place team finish in the boys small schools division.  

And Tri-State Homeschool freshman Ruah Franzmann-Simmert finished third out of 160 runners in the girls varsity race to lead the Lady Falcons to a fourth-place team finish in the girls small schools division.

“The meet went great, mainly due to the support of the community,” said Pinion. “Parents, relatives, and teachers really stepped up to make it another great invite.”

LARGE SCHOOLS DIVISION

Junior Ellie Robinson was the overall girls winner out of 160 runners with a winning time of 18:333.7 to lead the shorthanded Dodge–Point (47) girls (who were without Annie Robinson) to the large school team title over Union Grove (67).  Freshman Payton Christopher (11th, 20:47.3), and seniors Grace Wersal (13th, 20:53.6) and Regan Schuette (21:21.6), freshman Lilly Houtakker (21:27.0) and junior Abbey Ludwig (21:39.0) also medaled for the Dodgers.

Junior Layne Aurit (16:24.7) finished third out of 200 runners in the boys varsity race to lead the Dodge–Point boys (74) past Monroe (93) and McFarland (114) for the boys' large schools title. Junior Cody Yoder (9th, 17:10.8) and sophomore Gabe Engel (10th, 17:13.6) also finished in the top-10 in the large schools division for the Dodgers.

Junior Dallas Tatar — Pinion’s step-son — crossed the finish line at 17.46.1 to pace the Platteville boys, with senior Zade Plumb close behind at 17:57.6 to both earn medals. Tatar placeed 21st overall and 15th in the boys large schools, while Plumb finished 28th overall and 21st in the large schools division. 

Sophomore Guthrie Cline had Platteville’s biggest PR of the day, dropping several seconds on the traditionally tough Veterans Memorial Park course to finish 51st overall (and 38th in large schools) at 18:36.7.

Sophomore Cash Peterson (58th, 18:51.1), junior Andrew Donner (103rd, 19:39.3), and seniors Sawyer Roth (142nd, 20:31.3) and Dominic Fansler (147th, 20:41.6) rounded out the lineup for the Platteville’s varsity boys, who finished seventh out of 16 teams with 186 points.

Dodgeville/Mineral Point (74) beat Monroe (93) to win the boys’ large schools team title.

Junior Allison DeBuhr finished 45th overall and 26th in the large schools division at 22:10.9 to medal and lead the Platteville girls, who finished eighth out of 13 teams with 210 points.

Seniors Josie Yurs (37th in large schools, 22:47.6) and Isabelle Rooney (46th, 23:13.7) finished 60th and 73rd overall.

Junior Margreta Dirks (89th, 23:44.8) and freshman Ellie Brunton (103rd, 24:38.4), sophomore Leanna Borkovec (104th, 24:42.9) and sophomore Maddy  Jacquinot (107th, 24:52.4) rounded out the Platteville varsity lineup.

“All of our athletes ran well, but I am especially proud of the ones that toughed it out through the heat as the morning warmed up for the later races,” said Pinion. “The girls teams have been putting in the work led by seniors Josie Yurs and Isabelle Rooney, with Emma Brunton pushing the JV girls to make it through the finish with a smile on her face.

“Our boys and girls teams are both getting comfortable as we come up on conference. It’s amazing watching what these kids can do.”

SMALL SCHOOLS DIVISION

Connolly ran the third-fastest time in Iowa–Grant history at 16:35.2 to finish sixth overall and second in the boys small schools division. Connolly’s performance helped the IG boys team (107) finish second out of 14 complete teams, behind Albany (85).  

Sophomore Noah Lange (10th small schools, 18:19.3) and junior C.J. Straka (24th, 19:08.7) both earned medals with their finishes in the small school division. IG freshman Ubaldo Bartol-Marin also medaled in the JV race.  

“Going into the meet I knew we’d have an opportunity to compete for the team title, but ultimately we came up a little short,” said IG head coach Jake Winkler. “We’re built similarly to Albany, but they were just a little quicker with their two through seven than us. We had a tough turnaround with racing at Kickapoo on Thursday, and the boys looked a little flat.  I’m hoping with our schedule getting a little less intense the next few weeks we can get our legs back under us a little bit.”

The entire Tri-State Homeschool boys varsity team ran new PR’s as the Falcons (158) finished fifth in the small schools division behind Albany, Iowa–Grant, Brodhead/Juda (142) and Belleville (147).

Seniors Titus Wunderlin (50th overall, 13th in small schools, 18:34.3) and Zeme Franzmann-Simmert (21th small schools, 19:01.6) continue to lead the Falcons, racing to top-25 finishes in the small schools division.

Fellow seniors Michael-Rhett Gilbertson (30th, 19:26.3), Ben Pratt (47th, 20:24.8) and Vince Langston (50th, 20:40.1), as well as freshman Dominik Langston (68th, 21:21.9) was the rest of the TSHS boys’ varsity team.

“Our five seniors worked very well together and this time freshman Dominik Langston joined them and ran his very best race,” said TSHS coach Reka Wunderlin. “They placed fifth as a team for small school, which I was very proud of. I am very excited to see where our last two meets will take them.”

The Shullsburg/Belmont boys had a complete team for one of the few times this year, placing 12th out of 14 teams with 248 points.

Junior Tucker Kettler (17th small schools, 18:53.2) and senior Carter Kettler (18th, 18:53.4) led the way, with sophomore Liam McGovern (64th, 21:10.3), freshman Gabe Weidg (78th, 22:01.3) and sophomore Ian Austin (80th, 22:04.6) rounding out the rest of the S/B co-op team.

On the girls’ side, Ruah Franzmann-Simmert (3rd overall, 19:28.2) and Kate Pronschinske (6th, 20:54.7) continued their amazing freshman season, finishing third overall to lead the Tri-State Homeschool girls (108) to a fourth-place team finish behind New Glarus/Monticello (47), Darlington (56) and Lancaster (75).

Senior Audrey North (27th, 23:09.3), freshman Katie McGuire (44th, 25:04.6) and sophomore Katie Snyder (46th, 25:12.2) all finished in the top 50 of the 75 small schools division runners for the Falcons.

“The girls team is continuing to hold steady with a very solid meet on Saturday,” added coach Wunderlin. “They all had very good races and were able to place fourth as a team. Ruah and Kate lead off well again followed by Audrey in the middle and the two Katies as our fourth and fifth runners, who work so well together. I am just amazed at how well they have all performed this season.”

Darlington sophomore Adalee Berget (2nd overall, 18:58.4) won the girls small division title and senior Raquel Reuter (20:32.3) finished 9th overall to lead the Lady Redbirds (56) to a second-place finish behind New Glarus/Monticello (47). Lancaster (75) and freshman Katie Murphy (20th overall, 21:10.6) finished third.

Senior Makaya McCarthy (23:14.1) finished 28th in the small schools race and earned a medal to lead the IG girls.  

The Lady Panthers were without one of their top five runners for this meet, but still managed to finish seventh out of nine complete teams with 178 points. 

Juniors Maggie Wedig (51st, 25:58.9) and Allie Walker (74th, 35:33.7) were Shullsburg/Belmont’s only two girls Saturday.

“As I say every year, this meet is super special for me and is like a homecoming for me, being a PHS graduate.  I love getting to see former coaches, teammates and their parents, and teachers. It’s humbling to be around legendary coaches like Dick McKichan, Rob Serres, and Spider Fromader.  Their dedication to the sport is a huge part of why I’m where I am today. The meet was noticeably different without Coach Serres, most notably with the awards portion, but there’s still something special about having 30+ teams competing on an excellent course.  

“I hope the Platteville community realizes what a great meet is; not only is the meet one of the largest in Southwest Wisconsin, it is also a great way to honor Platteville High School’s tradition of excellence and the people who made that possible.”

Iowa–Grant also race at last Thursday’s Kickapoo/La Farge Invitational. The boys finished third out of nine teams, while the girls placed fourth out of eight teams.

Platteville Dick McKichan Cross Country Invitational
(from Saturday, Sept. 30 @ Veterans Memorial Park, UW–Platteville)
(Girls, 5,000 meters)
Large schools team standings: 1.Dodgeville/Mineral Point 47, 2.Union Grove 67, 3.Sauk Prairie 94, 4.Monroe 145, 5.Whitewater 168, 6.Mount Horeb 179, 7.McFarland 200, 8.Platteville 210, 9.Evansville 218, 10.Southwestern/Cuba City/Benton 223, 11.Lodi 230, 12.Wisconsin Dells 277, 13.Richland Center/Ithaca 304.
Large schools top individuals: 1.Ellie Robinson (Dodge–Point) 18:33.7, 2.Willa Vigliotta (MH) 19:37.5, 3.Hanna Martensen (SW/CC/B) 19:37.9, 4.Mary McKenzie (Monroe) 20:26.0, 5.Charlotte Gregg (Sauk Prairie) 20:30.5. 
Platteville (210): 45.(26).Ally deBuhr 22:10.9, 60.(37).Josie Yurs 22:47.6, 73.(46).Isabelle Rooney 23:13.7, 89.(52).Margreta Dirks 23:44.8, 103.(61).Ellie Brunton 24:38.4, 104.(62).Leanna Borkovec 24:42.9, 107.(65).Maddy Jacquinot 24:52.4.
Small schools team standings: 1.New Glarus/Monticello 47, 2.Darlington 56, 3.Lancaster 75, 4.Tri State Homeschool 108, 5.Brodhead/Juda 156, 6.Albany 172, 7.Iowa–Grant 178, 8.Prairie du Chien 181, 192.Belleville 192, Shullsburg/Belmont inc.
Small schools top individuals: 1.Adalee Berget (Darlington) 18:58.4, 2.Ruah Franzmann-Simmert 18:28.2, 3.Hannah Hallick (Madison Country Day) 20:24.5, 4.Raquel Reuter (Darlington) 20:32.3, 5.Molly Olson (New Glarus/Monticello) 20:32.4.
Tri-State Homeschool (108): 3.(2).Ruah Franzmann-Simmert 19:28.2, 14.(6).Kate Pronschinske 20:54.7, 69.(25).Audrey North 23:09.2, 111.(37).Katie McGuire 25:04.6, 113.(39).Katie Snyder 25:12.5, .
Iowa–Grant (178): 74.(28).Makaya McCarthy 23:14.7, 80.(30).Meagan Cullen 23:20.3, 100.(41).Amiah Fisher 24:27.2, 124.(50).Adrianna Jelle 25:57.2, 127.(53).Angelina Peat 26:15.6, 128.Lilliana Vivian 26:20.8, 137.(54).Rylee Stecklein 27:08.3.
Shullsburg/Belmont (inc.): 125.(51).Maddie Wedig 25:58.9, 159.(74).Allie Walker 35:33.7.
(Boys, 5,000 meters)
Large schools team standings: 1.Dodgeville/Mineral Point 74, 2.Monroe 93, 3.McFarland 114, 4.Whitewater 149, 5.Richland Center/Ithaca 151, 6.Lodi 166, 7.Platteville 187, 8.Oregon 205, 9.Reedsburg 241, 10.Evansville 244, 11.Wisconsin Dells 261, 12.Southwestern/Cuba City/Benton 276, 13.Delavan–Darien 323, 14.Sauk Prairie 331, 15.Mount Horeb 350, 16.Union Grove 361.
Top individuals: 1.Spencer Alf (McFarland) 16:15.5, 2.Layne Aurit (Dodge–Point) 16:24.7, 3.Isaac Ewing (McFarland) 16:27.2, 4.Jack Hefty (Whitewater) 16:28.1, 5.Tre Dammen (Monroe) 16:42.2.
Platteville (187): 21.(15).Dallas Tatar 17:46.1, 28.(21).Zade Plumb 17:57.6, 51.(38).Guthrie Cline 18:36.7, 58.(42).Cash Peterson 18:51.1, 103.(71).Andrew Donner 19:39.3, 142.(94).Sawyer Roth 20:31.3, 147.(96).Dominic Fansler 20:41.6.
Small schools team standings: 1.Albany 85, 2.Iowa–Grant 107, 3.Brodhead/Juda 142, 4.Belleville 147, 5.Tri-State Homeschool 158, 6.St. Ambrose Academy 188, 7.Riverdale 194, 8.Lancaster 195, 9.Wisconsin Heights/Barneveld 200, 10.De Soto 211, 11.New Glarus/Monticello 237, 12.Shullsburg/Belmont 248, 13.Prairie du Chien 259, 14.Darlington 275, 
Top individuals: 1.Carter Scholey (Belleville) 16:06.1, 2.Bret Connolly (Iowa–Grant) 16:35.2, 3.Jacob Sturm (St. Ambrose) 16:47.9, 4.Kirk Caminiti (Wisc. Heights/Barneveld) 16:51.5, 5.Brayden Bakken (Albany) 18:17.8.
Iowa–Grant (107): 6.(2).Connolly 16:35.2, 43.(10).Noah Lange 18:19.3, 84.(24).C.J. Straka 19:08.7, 96.(30).Jason Bartolo-Garcia 19:26.7, 130.(41).Everett Zimmer 20:11.2, 151.(54).Myles Pettit 20:48.7, 156.(58).Beckem Stecklein 20:59.9, 
Tri-State Homeschool (158): 50.(13).Titus Wunderlin 18:34.3, 70.(20).Zeme Franzmann-Simmert 19:01.6, 95.(30).Michael-Rhett Gilbertson 19:26.3, 138.(47).Ben Pratt 20:24.8, 146.(51).Vince Langston 20:40.1, 169.(68).Dominik Langston 21:21.9.
Shullsburg/Belmont (248): 61.(17).Tucker Kettler 18:53.2, 62.(18).Carter Kettler 18:53.4, 165.(64).Liam McGovern 21:10.3, 180.(78).Gabe Wedig 22:01.3, 182.(80).Ian Austin 22:04.6.