Sprinters seek to make marks at state
When the comes to sprinters, a triple crown is rare.
Winning state titles in the 100, 200 and 400 meters in the same season hasn't happened for a Milwaukee-area athlete, boy or girl, since Waukesha West's Hannah Rohde claimed the three events at the 2013 Division 1 meet.
Could someone match her performance this year?
Milwaukee Lutheran senior Kevontae Walls-Burdine and Whitefish Bay junior Lola Kolawole will take on that challenge at the WIAA state track and field meet Friday and Saturday in La Crosse. Both are seeded high enough in each of the races to have a chance to accomplish the feat.
Walls-Burdine and Kolawale, however, aren't the only Milwaukee-area performers poised to leave their mark on the event.
Here is our list. Runners compete in Division 1 unless noted.
Boys
Nathan Cumberbatch, Shorewood: The junior is the defending Division 2 champion in the 400 as well as the owner of the state's top time in the race this year (47.58 seconds). He'll also anchor a 1,600 relay that ranks first on the D2 state honor roll.
Michael DeLuca, Kenosha Bradford: The senior heads to the state meet in the 100 and 200 fresh off his best day of the season in both events. His sectional runs of 10.93 and 22.11 give him seeds among the top eight in both races.
Stephen Esterle, Menomonee Falls: The senior's season-best of 49.74 in the 400 is tied for ninth-best on the Division 1 honor roll.
Daniel Fasasi, Wisconsin Lutheran: The junior hadn't run the 400 outdoors until three weeks ago, but look at him now. He has three straight meets with sub-50 times, including a season-best 48.60 at the sectional that netted him the No. 2 seed and the No. 5 time on the overall state honor roll.
Eddie Jones, Catholic Memorial: The sophomore owns the best times in Division 2 in the 100 (10.69) and 200 (22.02). He finished third in the 200 last season.
Jayson Koel, Germantown: The junior made the field in the 200 and 400 but his best chance for a medal lies in the 400 where his season-best time of 48.35 ranks seventh among Division 1 runners.
Isaiah Lubner, Kewaskum: The senior is attempting to medal in the 400 and 800. He finished fifth in D2 in the 800 last
Whitefish Bay's Lola Kolawole and Milwaukee Lutheran's Kevontae Walls-Burdine qualified in the 100, 200 and 400 meters for the state meet.
season but this will be his first state appearance in the 400. He is the No. 3 seed after running his fastest time of the season in the sectional final (50.23).
Javon Murry, Greendale: The junior is seeded in the bottom half of the field in the 200, but earlier in the week he ran his fastest time of the season (21.12), which puts him just a couple-hundredths of a second out of the top 10 for the state.
Will Smith, Whitefish Bay: The junior who played a key role in the Blue Dukes' soccer state tournament appearance in the fall, is the top seed in the 200 thanks to a season-best run in the sectional. He is just one of three runners in the state this season to go sub-22 seconds in the race.
Bryan Topercer, Westosha Central: The senior's seed time of 50.81 in the 400 doesn't do him justice. His best run of 48.59 is the fourth-best in the state this season regardless of division. He is the top returner in the event thanks to his second-place finish last season.
Keyontae Walls-Burdine, Milwaukee Lutheran: The senior dropped the hurdles this season in favor of the 100 and it has worked beautifully. He is the only athlete in the state to rank among the top three in the 100, 200 and 400, races he could bring home titles in this week.
Nate White, Milwaukee King: The junior, who recently committed to play football at the University of Wisconsin, made the field in the 100 and 200 and, assuming a sore heel responds well to a week of rest, should be in the hunt for a medal in both
races.
TJ Williams, Racine Horlick: The senior gave us a taste of his potential with a second-place finish in the 60 meters at the state indoor meet in April. Almost two months later, he has emerged as a frontrunner in the 100 and 200 thanks to season-best showings in the postseason that ranked among the top 10 statewide.
Girls
Kialis Anderson, Westosha Central: The Southern Lakes 100 and 200 champion isn't highly seeded in either race, but her big-meet experience could carry her far. The senior took seventh in the 100 last year and was nine-tenths of a second from reaching the 200 final.
Jamila Beard, Waukesha West: The junior has steadily improved in the 400. She has posted her fastest times of the season in her past four meets, getting down to 59.47 at the sectional. That gives her the No. 8 seed and the No. 11 spot on the Division 1 state honor roll
Rachel Blaskowski, Oak Creek: The senior qualified in the 100 and 200 last year but didn't reach the finals. That could change this season. Her season-bests of 12.51 and 25.41 rank 11th and sixth, respectively, on the Division 1 state honor roll.
Charley Brinks, Menomonee Falls: The sophomore is a first-time qualifier, but she rose to the challenge in the 100 at the sectional where she ran the ninthfastest time this season in Division 1 (12.47). That is more than a tenth of a second faster than her previous season best.
Annabelle Coudron, Wisconsin Lutheran: The freshman is hitting her stride in the 200 where she has shaved almost 1 second off her season-best time in the event, dropping to 25.69 to rank 10th in Division 1.
Stacey Howard, Milwaukee Academy of Science: The senior could take home one or two medals in her first state appearance. She is a top-six seed in the D2 100 and 200, but her best shot might be in the 100 where her season-best time of 12.36 ranks sixth on the Division 2 state honor roll.
Lola Kolawole, Whitefish Bay: The junior arguably is the most accomplished runner in Division 1. A North Shore champion in 100, 200 and 400, she was the state runner-up in the 100 and 200 last season and the fourth-place finisher in the 400. Her season-best of 12.01 in the 100 and 25.14 in the 200 rank second and third on the all-division state honor roll.
Destiny Mitchell, Milwaukee Riverside: The City Conference 100 champion's season-best time of 12.20 ranks fifth on the all-division honor roll. The senior could also do damage in the 200, an event she ran a season-best 25.77 at the sectional, which makes her the No. 6 seed in Division 1.
Korynne Moga, Homestead: The junior reached the 200 final last season and took 10th. She'll be in the hunt for a top-six finish and a medal in that event as well as the 800 relay where runs the anchor leg of the state's fifth-fastest team.
Le'Nehja Norwood, Pius XI: Medals in the 100 and 200 are a real possibility for the junior who ran her best times of the season in the 100 (12.33) and 200 (25.07) at the sectional.
Sarah Roemer, West Bend West: After failing to advance out of the regional last year in the 400, the senior made a big jump this season. She has three races below 58 seconds, including a personal-best 56.74 at the sectional that ranks fourth on the all-division state honor roll.
Fiona Skwierawski, Shorewood: The Minnesota soccer recruit finished seventh in D2 in the 400 last year, one spot from winning a medal. Her sectional run of 59.54 Friday was her best ever and gives her the No. 7 seed at state.
Taylor Thimmesch, Arrowhead: The sophomore has performed at a high level in the 400 all season. Five times she has cracked 60 seconds in the race, including a season-best 58.50 at the sectional meet.
Aniya Young, Brown Deer: The junior took eighth in the 100 last year and ranks among the top five on the Division 2 honor roll this season thanks to season-best time of 12.26 at the sectional.