|
News
|
|
Written by Mitch Maersch
|
|
Wednesday, 25 August 2010 17:23 |
Graduated standouts shouldn’t prevent Rockets from fighting for boys’ and girls’ championships again
Coming off their best seasons ever, the Cedar Grove-Belgium cross-country teams will need veterans and newcomers this fall to fill the voids created by graduation.
The boys are the defending WIAA Division 3 state champions, and the girls were the state runner-up by one point. Both teams won Central Lakeshore Conference titles in dominant fashion.
Senior Joel Merritt will lead the Rockets’ boys after finishing second in the CLC and eighth at state. He fills a gaping hole left by Josh Mulloy, a two-time state and conference champion.
Merritt, however, will miss several meets at the start of the season due to an injury.
Also gone is T.J. DuMez, who finished 27th at state and third in conference.
Cedar Grove-Belgium’s other letterwinners are seniors Richard Beabout (sixth in CLC) and Al Murphy and juniors Alex Holle (seventh in CLC) and Brandon Krauska.
Joe Schueller returns as a letterwinner, and Connor Novack, Zach Johnson and Dan Klingelhoets are also back. Newcomers include senior Zacke Lyons, who coach Ron Wood said “looks to be a potential major contributor,” and sophomores Josh Beaudry and Michael Merritt.
Wood said he has a “strong core to make a run at the CLC championship and get back to state.
“But we need big help from those who were not on varsity last year and from the newcomers to step up and fill in the holes left by Mulloy and DuMez.”
The Cedar Grove-Belgium girls lost five seniors but their top three and No. 7 runners are returning for “a solid nucleus,” Wood said.
Senior Marina Paul will shoot for her third conference title and to improve on a seventh-place finish at state. Among her teammates, junior Kiera Depies (CLC runner-up), senior Erika Meinen (eighth in CLC), and sophomore Tammi Del Ponte are all back.
Filling in the gaps are senior Mary Asma, sophomores Chloe Paul and Ashley Weavers, and three new arrivals — senior Carina Depies, sophomore Maria Schueller and freshman Kaitlyn McConnohie.
Wood knows the Rockets will be the bull’s-eye of their competition this season more than ever before. But he also realizes his team can succeed despite the pressure.
“Certainly, it will be challenging,” he said. “But you stress to the runners to utilize their experience to their advantage, be ready for surprise performances from individuals and teams we run against, rely on what worked well and drop habits that didn’t.”
Wood hopes to use the past success as an advantage.
“Our runners will use that to make them stronger while zeroing in on their own race and concentrating on doing the best that they can do regardless of others,” he said.
Both Cedar Grove-Belgium teams will open the season Thursday, Aug. 26, hosting a 4 p.m. triangular meet with Eastbrook Academy and Oostburg.
Young Warriors turn to new coach.
The Ozaukee High School cross-country teams will start the season with low numbers and a new leader.
Chris Raisbeck, who ran cross country at Cassville High School and has been an assistant Ozaukee track coach for three years, takes over the helm. He is also Ozaukee’s middle and high school choir director.
Raisbeck said coaching “gives me a chance to see the kids outside the school day. Everything’s a little different then.”
Six girls are on this year’s team, including four varsity veterans — senior Ali Hughes and Sarah Brown and juniors Sara Crynock and Carissa Conine.
Hughes finished 30th in the conference meet after battling a leg injury much of the season. She was 50th at state two years ago.
“We’re looking to see what she can do this year,” Raisbeck said. “Sarah Brown is another good runner.
“They’re going to be good, strong senior leaders for me.”
Brown placed 38th in the conference last season, when her team finished 10th.
The Ozaukee girls have split into three pairs running together — Hughes and Brown, Crynock and Conine and newcomers Marissa Thill and Amanda Lallensack, both juniors.
“We’re just going to kind of see where things fit in. As far as practice, so far I’ve seen they’re giving it everything they’ve got,” Raisbeck said.
He isn’t exactly sure where Ozaukee will fit into the conference race.
“Looking at the rest of the conference, I don’t know what to consider a good time for our girls,” Raisbeck said.
“We’re going to give it our best shot. I’ll know a little more after the first meet comes around.”
The first meet will be the Kettle Moraine Lutheran Invitational at 4 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 26.
The Ozaukee boys have two runners this season — junior Doug Grimm, who placed 39th in the conference last season, and senior Vince Cardarelle.
“Vince is going to be probably just behind Doug. They’re going to run together,” Raisbeck said.
|
|
|
News
|
|
Written by Steve Ostermann
|
|
Wednesday, 18 August 2010 16:54 |
 Port boy, 13, tops field at inaugural City of Seven Hills competition that attracts more than 70 die-hard athletes
A teenager emerged with top honors at the inaugural City of Seven Hills Triathlon in Port Washington last Saturday.
Eagan Norman, 13, of Port Washington swam, cycled and ran his way to first place in solo competition at the event, which attracted 66 individuals and two relay teams.
Modeled as a scaled-down version of Iron Man contests, the triathlon included a 2/10ths-of-a-mile swim in Pirates’ Hollow Waterpark, followed by a 12-mile bike ride and 3-mile run along city streets.
Norman completed the course in 1 hour, 3 minutes, 50 seconds, which included transition periods between events.
Taking runner-up honors was Chris Rose, 14, of Grafton, who finished in 1:05:37.
Norman and Rose were the top two finishers among male entrants.
The top female contestant was Rebecca Sasseville, 37, of Port Washington (1:08:29). She was eighth overall among individuals.
The winning team was the Blue Barracudas, consisting of Tyler Douglass, Ben Kultgen and Ethan Deutsch, all of Port Washington. Their collaborative time was 1:01:39.
Organizers were pleased with the turnout for the event, which was organized by the Port Washington Parks and Recreation Department.
“I think it went fantastic, especially for the first year,” said Charlie Imig, park and recreation director.
“We had a great turnout, and the weather cooperated. There were a lot of positive comments.”
The triathlon attracted athletes from throughout the area, including 42 from Port Washington.
The event, which is expected to return next year, could eventually become part of an Ozaukee County triathlon series, Imig said. Cedarburg has held a triathlon for several years, and Grafton
officials are being encouraged to offer one, he added.
A summary of top age-group finishers in the City of Seven Hills Triathlon follows.
Male
Age 18 and younger — 1, Eagan Norman, 1:03:50; 2, Chris Rose, 1:05:37; 3, Baxter Arndt, 1:07:40.
19 to 30 — 1, Cory Steinmetz, 1:09:09; 2, Andrew Collins, 1:10:07; 3, Marc Storma, 1:10.49.
31 to 40 — 1, Steven Schaefer, 1:07:59; 2, Adam Consiglio, 1:08:10; 3, Tim Bischof, 1:09:15.
41 to 50 — 1, Steve Jeske, 1:07:53; 2, George Roemer, 1:09:18; 3, Rick Frank, 1:18:31.
51 and older — 1, Mike Jajtner, 1:07:02; 2, Michael Schuck, 1:20:32; 3, Kevin Kotz, 1:22:46.
Female
14 to 18 — 1, Allison Klotz, 1:22:52.
19 to 30 — 1, Katie Jajtner, 1:09:08; 2, Heather Princeton, 1:12:15; 3, Anna Wendland, 1:24:43.
31 to 40 — 1, Rebecca Sasseville, 1:08:29; 2, Nikki Setzer, 1:09:15; 3, Danielle Peiffer, 1:09:17.
41 to 50 — 1, Tracy Frank, 1:25:24; 2, Brenda Fritsch, 1:26:35.
51 and older — 1, Maureen Jajtner, 1:20:43; 2, Jo Walker, 1:31:26.
DOZENS OF ATHLETES swam 2/10ths of a mile in the Pirates’ Hollow Waterpark during the first event of the inaugural City of Seven Hills Triathlon last Saturday. Photos by Sam Arendt
EAGAN NORMAN was the top individual finisher in Port Washington’s inaugural triathlon.
|
|
