Colby XC defends Cloverbelt crown
Last year the Colby girls cross-country program won a third straight Cloverbelt title. The feat had never been done before in the history of the Cloverbelt. So, what do you call it when a team wins a fourth straight title?
You call it a dynasty.
The Colby Hornets won in emphatic and convincing fashion on Saturday, topping the field at Fall Creek to clinch their fourth straight conference crown. This title may be their most impressive yet as all seven varsity runners earned all-conference honors, with senior Daisy Feiten the individual champion.
“As a senior, especially, just to be able to finish it off all four years, it felt amazing,” Feiten said.
With high winds whipping across the course, and cool temperatures finally arriving in Wisconsin, the Hornets rolled the competition, scoring 30 points, to best Eau Claire Regis’ 57 points.
It was a difficult course, with a high bluff and four hills dominating the middle portion of the 3.1 mile race.
“At the halfway point there’s an opening, and you can look down and see how far up you are,” Feiten said.
Feiten and Jenna Anders of Fall Creek dueled for top honors, and Feiten was quick to put ground between her and the junior Cricket.
“I knew she was right behind me, and she has an amazing finish,” Feiten said, revealing her strategy. “So the last mile I was just being chased by her. I told myself I just have to make this gap a little bit bigger because she’s got such a great finish. I started to pull away a bit, and maybe that got in her head a little, and so I was able to pull it off.”
Feiten won the race with yet another PR, chipping off seven seconds to cross the finish line in 20:42, ten seconds ahead of Anders of Fall Creek.
It did not take very long for Feiten to be joined by her fellow senior Hornets. Trinity Severson, Willow Oehmichen and Mercedes Sarkkinen all earned first team all-conference as they finished fifth, sixth and seventh.
Severson competed the race in 21:53, Oehmichen ran the meet in a time of 22:09, and Sarkkinen completed the arduous course in 22:13.
Oehmichen, a junior, said she could not have asked for a better year in 2021, and said winning the title was great, but also somewhat bittersweet.
“It’s so bittersweet to know that this is my last time ever running with these girls, but I’m so thankful that it happened and that I got to have one last really good year with them,” Oehmichen said as she reflected on the season. “It’s definitely going to be a lot harder to do it without them, but I’m definitely thankful we got to do it this year.”
The task of repeating for a fifth straight year might not be as hard as Oehmichen thinks. A pair of underclassmen came next for Colby, with freshman Pearl Feiten winning all-conference in her debut at the Cloverbelt Championships.
The younger Feiten finished the meet in a time of 23:41 for 16th overall, and sophomore Reagan Schraufnagel was just seconds behind, placing 17th in 23:44.
Colby’s junior varsity was equally impressive, and the Hornets swept the top four spots in the JV race.
Sophomore Casey Reynolds was first in 24:04, a time that would have placed her in the top 25 in the girls varsity race. Junior Payton Roth was second in 24:13 and freshman Veronica Mateer showed she’s one to watch for next season, placing third in 24:20.
Senior Ella Halopka ran the final race of her prep career for the Hornets. Halopka placed fourth in 26:04. Freshman Jenelle Ertl went sixth in the JV race in 27:06. Elizabeth Winters is another senior who closed the chapter on her cross-country last weekend. Winters placed seventh in the JV race in 27:09.
Allie Robida was tenth in 30:18, and Gianna Mundt was eleventh in 31:06. Brittany Meyer was 13th in 46:05.
The girls team is hoping to use this race as motivation for the WIAA D-3 sectional meet in Erbach Park, Athens, this Saturday. The Hornets reached state last year, and are keen to do it again. “Going into sectionals now, this gives us so much confidence,” Feiten said.
And, when asked if she feels her team is peaking and reaching their full potential, Feiten did not hold back.
“Yes!” Feiten said excitedly. “That’s how we usually do it, we always run our fastest times when it gets cold. I think we all love running in the cold the best, right at the end of the year.”
The boys team also saw several excellent performances, with multiple runners finishing at the top of the Cloverbelt. The Colby/Abbotsford co-op was third with 72 points. McDonell was first with 55 and Bloomer was second with 64.
Senior Talon Severson continued to lead the boys, just as he has all season. Severson picked up all-conference after he took twelfth overall in 18:53. Abbotsford High senior Matt Mateer finally earned his all-conference certificate and medal, placing 17th in 19:29. Colby High senior Sergio Camargo also won his first all-conference honors, and was just two tenths of a second behind Mateer, placing 18th in 19:29.
Sophomore Max Adams was all-conference, placing 21st in 19:31. Senior Rich- ard Streveler was 29th in 20:04. Freshman Braylon Schoelzel set another PR, to place 34th in 20:33. Freshman Bryan Camargo was 41st in 20:56.
Carter Roth was fifth in the JV race with a time of 21:22, a new season best. Freshman Xander Roesler was seventh in 22:01. Parker Johnson was 13th in 23:22 and Braxton Smith was 14th in 23:25.
Noah Kulas and Josiah Bridger rounded things out. Kulas, a junior, finished his last race of 2021 in 16th place in 23:38.
Bridger ran the last race of his prep career at Fall Creek, and was 18th overall in the JV meet in a time of 23:47.
The Colby/Abby boys will attempt to send someone to state for the first time since Matt Roth in 2017, with the WIAA D-2 meet in Colby this Saturday.
THRICE AS NICE -Colby High senior Talon Severson leads Matt Mateer, Sergio Camargo and Max Adams during the Cloverbelt Championships. All four finished in the top 21, earning all-conference honors.
