Adviser’s Note: Words of gratitude to Mr. Cassidy McGowan for this enlightening summary of the state track meet weekend at UW-Lacrosse.
What a weekend for Notre Dame Academy’s track team! The boys placed sixth at state, and the girls earned a third-place finish.
Both the girls’ and boys’ teams battled hard all season long, and all the work put in throughout the season, which started on March 18, the official start of the season, was on full display in Lacrosse on Friday, May 31, and Saturday, June 1.
Here are the events that occurred at the state meet beginning on Thursday, May 30, and culminating on Saturday, June 1.
Thursday
On Thursday afternoon, the track team, parents and other members of the Notre Dame Community met early afternoon for mass, led by one of the team’s biggest supporters, Father Jordan Neeck.
After mass, pictures were taken, the bus was loaded, and we were off for Lacrosse. The bus ride had lots of positive energy, as we made our way across the great state of Wisconsin. Our first stop was for dinner a few miles outside of Lacrosse around 5 p.m.
After the meal, the team made its way to Hutchinson Hall on the beautiful campus of the UW-Lacrosse. Once there, keys were gathered, and room check-in began. Hutchinson Hall was where the team spent the next 48 hours.
With two beds, two desks, a small refrigerator and two chairs in each room, all the rooms felt tight, but no one complained. With the sun still shining for a couple more hours until sundown, competitors and non-competitors enjoyed the evening with walks and other outside activities. At 10:30, all student-athletes were in their rooms for the night.
Friday
Everyone who made the trip to Lacrosse met in the lobby at 8:30 a.m. Once everyone was accounted for, we all walked to the Union for a breakfast of eggs, pancakes, bacon, yogurt, fresh fruit and drinks. After breakfast, everyone walked back to the dorm, a quick five-minute walk to get ready for the day’s competition.
Wisconsin has 516 high schools, and the size of the student body at these schools determines what division teams compete in. There are three track divisions in Wisconsin, and the most populous high schools compete in Division 1 and the smallest in Division 3. Notre Dame with close to 800 students competes in Division 2 and because of this, events for the day didn’t start until 3 p.m., so coaches and athletes had some time to get over to the track to watch the events of Division 1 schools, which started at 9:30 a.m.
Most athletes after breakfast decided to head back to their room to nap or just get off their feet as competition neared. Most coaches headed to the track to watch the events of Division 1.
Division 1 events ended around 12:30 p.m., and the track was opened for Division 2 and 3 athletes at 1 p.m. With over 8,000 spectators, the atmosphere was loud. Most events on Friday were preliminary events, in which athletes needed to place in the top 10 to move to the finals on Saturday.
The first event on Friday was a final, the boys 4 x 800 relay consisting of Marshall Pahl, Nick Fogarty, Bryce Hawley and Joe Hunt. These boys placed 7th overall, which was good for two points towards the team’s total.
After a long afternoon/evening at the track, the team hustled back to the dorm, loaded the bus and went to dinner. Upon returning, the athletes settled in, got to bed and anxiously awaited the best day all year for track, the last day of the state meet.
Saturday
The team went to breakfast at 8 a.m., but first several members and multiple coaches did a sun-rise run, including some boys who are considered “sprinters.”
The events on Saturday started with Sydney Whitehouse in the discus throw at 9:30 a.m. Running events started at 10:00 a.m. The crowd on Saturday with all three divisions competing and only final events surged past the 8,000 mark and was louder than the day before. It was electric in the stadium.
Throughout the day, athletes from all over the state, but especially Notre Dame Academy, showed grit and determination to do as well as they could. It was a special day for many, including coaches, parents, athletes and fans of the sport.
After a long day and after the points were tallied, Notre Dame girls finished a strong third place, only seven points shy of the first-place teams. Our boys finished in the top several places at 6th out of 53 teams receiving points.
We had three state champions: Sydney Whitehouse in the discus, James Flanigan in the shot put and the 4 x 100 meter girls’ relay team , who successfully defended their ‘23 state title. The team consists of Julia Nolle, Maddy Rose, Sydney Whitehouse and Danika Apple.
Finally, we had three new school records: Sydney Whitehouse in the 300 hurdles (46.26), Joe Hunt in the mile (4:16) and James Flanigan in the shot put (59 feet, 2.75 inches).
A special shout out goes to all the parents, athletes and coaches. Anyone reading this looking to join in on the fun, the season starts next year the Monday after spring break.
Finally, the motto of the year was “Do Hard Things,” and that mission was clearly accomplished.
Athletes at State:
Bryce Hawley – 4×800
Cooper Aitkin – High Jump
Eli Weiss – 4×800
James Flanigan – Discus Shot Put
Joe Hunt – 800, 1600, 4×800
Marshall Paul – 4×800
Nick Fogarty – 4×800
Ryan Curtin – 4×800
Adam Danen – High Jump
Anna Miller – 1600 4×400
Danika Apple – 100, 200, 4×400
Eva Dosh – 4×400
Francine Boateng – 400, 4×400
Haley Blevins – 4×400
Julia Nolle – 4×400
Maddy Rose – 4×100, 4×400
Reagan Gosa – 4×400
Sydney WhiteHouse – 300, 4×100, 4×400, Discus
Vivi Bigari – 4×100
Coaches:
Coach Bush
Coach Flanigan
Coach McGowan
Coach Gard
Coach Smith
Coach Auricchio
Coach Peirce
Coach Holdredge
Coach Stumpf
Coach Barrette
