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Fennimore runners compete at 23-team Darlington Invite
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Jason Nihles
Updated: Sep 5, 2017, 9:09 PM
Published: Sep 6, 2017, 9:10 PM

DARLINGTON — The Fennimore cross country team traveled to Darlington over Memorial Day weekend.

The Golden Eagle boys placed eighth at the eighth out of 23 teams at the Darlington Invitational with 231 points.

Dodgeville/Mineral Point won the boys’ team title with 35 points, while the host Redbirds placed second with 67.

Sophomore Ian Barry and freshman Kyle Mudler once again led the Fennimore pack.

Barry, who narrowly missed qualifying for state a year ago, finished an exceptional fifth out of 119 runners with a time of 17:33.4, while Mudler placed 30th at 19:06 in just his second high school meet.

Junior Josh Gao placed 68th (20:30.5), followed by senior Garrett Cornell (73rd, 20:48), sophomore Trenton Klais (80th, 21:03), freshman Adam Larson (85th, 21:43) and sophomore Devin Cole (114th, 24:33) to round out Fennimore’s seven-man varsity lineup.

Beaver Dam junior Cade Ferron won the boys' varsity race with a time of 17:03.8.

In the girls’ competition, Fennimore placed 10th out with 271 points.

Led by third-place finisher Amber Huser, Prairie du Chien edged the host Redbirds 76–88 for the girls’ title crown.

Freshman Lauryn Bunn led the Fennimore girls’ five-person lineup with a 20th-place finish in a time of 22:06. 

Junior Renee Schlaugat was 40th (23:19), junior Brooklan Scheopp 50th (23:38), sophomore Victoria Bonilla 89th (26:25) and sophomore Mariah Kopp 93rd (26:50).

Coach Ryanne Bell’s Golden Eagles took part in the Westby Invitational on Tuesday and will next compete in the 40-team River Valley Invitational Saturday morning at the Spring Green Municipal Golf Course.

 

Darlington Invitational

(from Saturday, Sept. 1 @ Darlington)

(Girls, 5,000 meters)

Team scores: 1.Prairie du Chien 76, 2.Darlington 88, 3.Beaver Dam 96, 4.Wisconsin Heights/Barneveld 104, 5.Dodgeville/Mineral Point 108, 6.Lancaster 108, 7.Albany 154, 8.Cashton 193, 9.Cashton 193, 9.Mount Horeb 214, 10.Fennimore 271, 11.Richland Center/Ithca 34, 12.River Valley 348, 13.Belleville 391, 14.Shullsburg 396, 15.Saint Ambrose Academy 401, 16.Iowa–Grant inc., North Crawford inc., Holy Family inc., Stockton/Warren (Ill.) inc., River Ridge inc., Pecatonica/Argyle inc., Riverdale inc.

Top finishers: 1.Jada Donaldson (Beaver Dam) 20:23.3, 2.Lydia Murphy (Lan) 20:32, 3.Amber Huser (PdC) 20:41, 4.Reghan Komprood (Dar) 20:41, 5.Helen Carstens (NC) 20:45.7.

Fennimore: 20.Lauryn Bunn 22:06.6, 40.Renee Schlaugat 23:19.5, 50.Brooklan Schoepp 23:38.7, 89.VIctoria Bonilla 26:25.1, 93.Mariah Kopp 26:50.0.

(Boys, 5,000 meters)

Team scores: 1.Dodgeville/Mineral Point 35, 2.Darlington 67, 3.Beaver Dam 131, 4.Mount Horeb 144, 5.Wisconsin Heights/Barneveld 151, 6.River Valley 183, 7.Southwestern/Cuba City/Benton 187, 8.Fennimore 231, 9.Lancaster 269, 10.Albany 288, 11.Belleville 293, 12.Pecatoinca/Argyle 301, 13.Cashton 313, 14.Holy Family 320, 15.North Crawford 397, 16.Riverdale 434, 17.Iowa–Grant inc., Tri-State Home School inc., River Ridge inc., Stockton/Warren inc., Prairie du Chien inc., Richland Center/Ithaca inc. Shullsburg inc..

Top finishers: 1.Cade Ferron (Beaver Dam) 17:03.8, 2.Henry Keith (Dodge/Point) 17:08.7, 3.Juan Navarro (Dodge/Point) 17:25.8, 4.Payton Heinberg (Darlington) 17:32.0, 5.Ian Barry (Fennimore) 17:33.4.

Fennimore: 5.Ian Barry 17:33.4, 30.Kyle Mudler 19:06.0, 68.Josh Gao 20:30.5, 73.Garrett Cornell 20:48.2, 80.Trenten Klais 21:03.3, 85.Adam Larson 21:43.3, 114.Devin Cole 24:33.6.
Darlington honors long-time coach Arnie Miehe
School renames cross country course after legendary coach
Arnie Miehe
Former Darlington cross country coach Arnie Miehe (left) stands as it is announced that the DHS cross country course will be renamed after him at the Darlington Invitational on Sept. 7. The years of accomplishments are displayed on the banner behind Miehe. - photo by Casey Lindecrantz
Natalie Dillon, Fox Tales
Updated: Sep 13, 2024, 4:03 PM
Published: Sep 13, 2024, 4:04 PM

DARLINGTON — At its 41st annual Darlington Invite, the cross country team honored long-time head coach Arnie Miehe by renaming the course after him.

“It’s an incredible honor,” Arnie said. “It’s very humbling. It makes me think of all the hours, days, weeks and years that went into it — all the events and kids I’ve come in contact with.”

Since taking over  the program in 1982, Arnie has had nine state championship teams — eight for the boys and one for the girls — including six consecutive boys’ titles from 2011-2016. Another 39 teams went to state — 23 for the boys and 16 for the girls. For four straight years from 1993-1996, Darlington boys were state runners-up to Cochrane-Fountain City. In this 41-year span, he’s also had numerous individual state runners.

Two of those runners were his sons, Kent and Tyson. Tyson has run in the Olympic trials, and Kent currently coaches the Redbirds cross country teams.

“The recognition needs to be spread out,” Arnie said. “It should really be named the Miehe course. My wife and kids had as much to do with the success as I did. It was an entire family effort.”

But Kent was quick to turn the recognition back to his father.

“All the success we had started here, with him,” Kent said of Darlington’s home course and the annual Invite, which Arnie had begun years ago.

Darlington kept its successful streak at home with the girls finishing runners-up to Lancaster. Adalee Berget led the squad with her third-place finish. As a team, the Lady Redbirds, ranked No. 9 in Division 3 per Week 1 of the Wisconsin Cross Country Coaches Association Poll, ran faster than the 2023 squad that finished third at state.

“We are learning what good is,” Kent said. “The returners know what it takes to be good. We have a perspective of what we are working toward. The season is far from over.”