PRAIRIE DU CHIEN — On a challenging old-school course on a beautiful fall day, the Platteville boys’ cross country team laid it all on the line at last Thursday’s SWC Championships at Prairie du Chien.
The result was an incredible, gritty championship performance led by individual champion Vince Momot.
Momot led throughout most of the 5,000-meter race and poured it on down the stretch to pull away from River Valley’s Dustin Hatfield, who finished a distant second at 17:05.1, winning by nearly 18 seconds at 16:47.4.
Sophomore Dan Iselin, who won the large schools division at the Albany Invitational a week ago, finished fourth at 17:44.6, and seniors Colton Henry (sixth, 18:23.8) and Max Frommelt (seventh, 18:32.5) also finished among the top seven to earn first-team All-SWC honors.
Junior Blake Julius finished 14th at 18:53.7 to earn second-team All-SWC honors and round out the Hillmen scoring lineup as the Platteville won the conference title with 32 points, holding off Lancaster (57) and River Valley (58).
Junior Tom Lambert placed 16th overall (18:57.9) and senior Mike Donovan was 20th at 19:13.8.
“That was a tough, old school cross country course,” said Platteville head coach Rob Serres. “I wasn’t sure if we were that tough, but I am certainly sure now. We got out and raced. Every runner I saw was focused, ready to fight, and giving their all. We had tears of pain and tears of joy.”
The Platteville girls, who were without number four runner Julia Evans (illness), edged Lancaster for second-place, 63–68.
Dodgeville/Mineral Point, which had individual champion Hannah Owens (19:36.8) and five of the top six finishers, easily won the girls’ team title with 18 points.
Senior Allie Serres earned first-team All-SWC honors, leading Platteville with a seventh-place finish in 21:42.9.
Fellow senior Holly Kasper finished ninth at 22:03.8 to earn second-team all-conference honors.
Sophomore Sami Brookens finished 15th (22:41.9), freshman Morgan Wehnke was 16th (22:47.4) and junior Maggie Durni was 24th (23:27.5).
“The girls had to really go out and race because we were missing Julia,” said Serres. “But they battled and they ran great.”
SWC Championships
(from Thursday, Oct. 16 @ Prairie du Chien)
(Girls, 5,000 meters)
Team scores: 1.Dodgeville/Mineral Point 18, 2.Platteville 63, 3.Lancaster 67, 4.River Valley 116, 5.Richland Center/Ithaca 137, 6.Prairie du Chien 151.
Top individuals: 1.Hannah Owens (D/MP) 19:36.8, 2.Mary Hanson (D/MP) 20:23.4, 3.Brooke Elliott (Lancaster) 20:55.7, 4.Mikaela Bakker (D/MP) 21:16.6, 5.Brittany Rhyner (D/MP) 21:28.1.
Platteville: 7.Allie Serres 21:42.7, 9.Holly Kasper 22:03.8, 15.Sami Brookens 22:41.9, 16.Morgan Wehnke 22:47.4, 24.Maggie Durni 23:27.5, 28.Abby Wein 23:53.7, 29.Grace Hammermeister 23:55.8.
(Boys, 5,000 meters)
Team scores: 1.Platteville 32, 2.Lancaster 57, 3.Dodgeville/Mineral Point 58, 4.Prairie du Chien 101, 5.River Valley 106, 6.Richland Center/Ithaca inc.
Top individuals: 1.Vince Momot (Platteville) 16:47.4, 2.Dustin Hatfield (River Valley) 17:05.1, 3.Tyler Wunnicke (D/MP) 17:20.4, 4.Dan Iselin (Platteville) 17:44.6, 5.Juan Navarro (D/MP) 17:45.1.
Platteville: 1.Vince Momot 16:47.4, 4.Dan Iselin 17:44.6, 6.Colton Henry 18:23.8, 7.Max Frommelt 18:32.5, 14.Blake Julius 18:53.7, 16.Mike Donovan 18:57.9, 16.Tom Lambert 18:57.9, 20.Mike Donovan 19:13.8.
