SPRING GREEN — The Dodgeville/Mineral Point girls track team has dominated the Southwest Wisconsin Conference the past three seasons.
A year ago, the Dodge–Point boys got in on the act, ending Platteville’s 15-year reign as SWC track and field champions.
A pair of new streaks began last week as Platteville toppled Dodge–Point’s brief dynasty by reclaiming both the boys’ and girls’ titles at last Tuesday’s SWC conference meet at River Valley High School.
Senior Maggie Durni won four gold medals, while sophomore Skye Digman each won a pair of individual conference titles to lead the Hillmen charge in the girls’ competition.
Platteville held outscored a still-talented Dodge–Point girls club 205.5–189.5 in a two-team title race.
The Platteville boys dominated the field outscoring runner-up River Valley 188–128 to complete the sweep.
“It was one of those storybook type of endings,” said Hillmen head coach Rob Serres. “Dodgeville/Mineral Point has an excellent squad. You will be reading about them in the upcoming tournament competition. Tuesday night at the conference, our goal was to work united as a team, and capitalize on every possible point. Our girls simply were spot on all night long. If we had a bit of a slip up, we would make up for it in the next event. We continually got one or two extra points in events where we were seeded lower, and by the end of the meet those one or two points added up to a team victory.”
Durni won the 100 (13.03), 200 (26.29) and long jump (17’0”) and anchored the winning 4x100 relay team of Emilie Busch, Katherine Kasper and Hannah Langmeier (52.64).
“Undeniably, Maggie Durni had an outstanding night,” said Serres. “She competed in four events and garnered four gold medals. Just a great night by a great competitor.”
Hammermeister won the 300 hurdles (50.07), finished second in the 100 hurdles (17.69) and ran a leg of Platteville’s third-place 4x400 relay (4:26.64). Digman won titles in the shot put (38’0”) and discus (110’1”) and place sixth in the high jump (4’8”).
Senior Faye Bailie won the girls’ high jump by clearing 5’2” and placed second in the triple jump (31’11½”) and sixth in the long jump (15’6½”). Senior Rachel Emendorfer won a pair of silver medals in the 400 (1:03.47) and 800 (2:26.82) and finished third in the 4x400 and seventh in the triple jump. Busch finished second in the pole vault (8’6”), second in the 4x200 relay and fifth in the 100 (13.90).
Junior Brelynn Updike also turned in a pair of second-place finishes in the 1,600 (5:27.30) and the 3,200 (12:18.35) and was on the third-place 4x400 relay. Freshman Rachel Burkhard’s third-place finish in the 200 (29.15) and freshman Emily Buchholtz’s third-place in the discus (87’11”) were a pair of surprising performances that helped clinched the title.
On the boys’ side, senior Cole Gore swept the hurdle events, winning the 110s in 16.09 and the 300s in 42.6, while placing third in the triple jump (38’5¼”) and fourth in the 4x400 to lead the Hillmen.
The Platteville 4x800 relay team of seniors Vince Momot and Blake Julius, junior Dan Iselin and freshman Jace Serres set a new conference record of 8:17.1.
Momot won the 3,200 (4:39.83), then added a second-place finish in the 1,600 (4:39.83) and third-place in the pole vault (11’0”). Iselin won the 1,600 (4:39.8) and placed second in the 3,200 (10:18.92).
Senior Kevin Donovan also had a great night placing second in the 300 hurdles (42.83) and the pole vault (11’6”) and fourth in the 110 hurdles (17.99) and the 4x400 relay.
The Platteville boys also got its fair share of pleasant surprises, like junior Logan Weaver placing third in the 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles, and sophomore Mike Musarra’s third-place finish in the 100 (11.95) and contributions to the second-place 4x100 and 4x200 relays.
“All the kids had a real hunger this year to bring home the trophies and that passion carried them through the workouts and the achievement of some outstanding performances,” added Serres.
SWC Conference Meet
(from Tuesday, May 17 @ Spring Green)
(Boys)
Teams scores — 1.Platteville 188, 2.River Valley 128, 3.Dodgeville/Mineral Point 121.5, 4.Prairie du Chien 94, 5.Lancaster 88, 6.Richland Center 65.5.
Platteville winners
100 — 3.Mike Musarra 11.95, 4.Nick Mewhirter 12.0. 200 — 5.Mewhirter 24.33, 8.Marvin Kaye 25.57. 800 — 4.Jace Serres 2:10.75, 6.Blake Julius 2:12.19. 1,600 — 1.Dan Iselin 4:39.8, 2.Vince Momot 4:39.83. 3,200 — 1.Momot 10:11.9, 2.Iselin 10:18.92., 6.Mike Taber 11:21.42. 110 hurdles — 1.Cole Gore 16.09, 3.Logan Weaver 17.71, 4.Kevin Donovan 17.99. 300 hurdles — 1.Gore 42.6, 2.Donovan 42.83, 3.Weaver 45.07. 4x100 relay — 2.Platteville (Colin Thiele, Weaver, Musarra, Kaye) 46.74. 4x200 relay — 2.Platteville (Thiele, Kaye, Grant Digman, Musarra) 1:27.24. 4x400 relay — 4.Platteville (Mewhirter, Gore, Thiele, Donovan) 3:40.37. 4x800 — 1.Platteville (Iselin, Julius, Serres, Momot) 8:17.14***. High jump — 6.Caleb Lueder 5’0”. Pole vault — 2.Donovan 11’6”, 3.Momot 11’0”, 4.Tom Lambert 10’0”. Triple jump — 3.Gore 38’5¼”, 5.Digman 37’1¾”, 6.Tyler Moss 37’1”. Discus — 3.Caleb Lueder 125’9”, 8.Ian Carter 108’8”.
*** = new conference meet record
(Girls)
Teams scores — 1.Platteville 205.5, 2.Dodgeville/Mineral Point 189.5, 3.Lancaster 99, 4.Prairie du Chien 72, 5.Richland Center 70, 6.River Valley 43.
Platteville winners
100 — 1.Maggie Durni 13.03, 5.Emilie Busch 13.90. 200 — 1.Durni 26.29, 3.Rachel Burkhard 29.15. 400 — 2.Rachel Emendorfer 1:03.47. 800 — 2.Emendorfer 2:26.82. 1,600 — 2.Brelynn Updike 5:27.30. 3,200 — 2.Updike 12:18.35, 8.Courtney Jentz 13:55.86. 100 hurdles — 2.Grace Hammermeister 17.69, 4.Hannah Langmeier 18.5, 5.Katherine Kasper 18.52. 300 — 1.Hammermeister 50.07. 4x100 relay — 1.Platteville (Busch, Katherine Kasper, Langmeier, Durni) 52.64. 4x200 relay — 2.Platteville (Burkhard, K. Kasper, Langmeier, Busch) 1:57.07. 4x400 relay — 3.Platteville (Updike, Burkhard, Emendorfer, Hammermeister) 4:26.64. 4x800 relay — 4.Platteville (Julia Kasper, Renee Momot, Jentz, Cori Kettler) 10:57.47. High jump — 1.Faye Bailie 5’2”, 6.Skye Digman 4’8”, 7.Makayla Loeffelholz J4’8”. Pole vault —2.Busch J8’6”, 4(tie).Hammermeister 7’0”. Long jump — 1.Durni 17’0”, 6.Bailie 15’6½”. Triple jump — 2.Bailie 31’11½”, 4.Langmeier 31’2½”, 7.Emendorfer 29’11½”. Shot put — 1.Digman 38’0, 6.Anna Skubal 26’8¾”. Discus — 1.Digman 110’1”, 3.Emily Buchholtz 87’11”.
