Girls seek sixth straight regional title

By Casey Krautkramer

Marathon’s varsity girls track and field team will attempt to win its sixth consecutive WIAA Division 3 regional championship this spring. The Red Raider girls won regional titles in 2018 and 2019 before the 2020 track season was cancelled because of COVID-19. The Marathon girls then won regional championships in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Curt Miller is in his sixth season as Marathon’s head girls track and field coach. Prior to arriving in Marathon, he coached track and field in Monroe where he was the girls coach for seven years and the boys coach for five years. He detailed how Marathon’s girls track and field squad has been able to capture five straight regional titles.

“Regional championships in track and field are usually a reflection of overall team depth, which we strive for every year,” Miller said. “There are over 50 girls participating in track and field which helps. We also have a very large coaching staff which also helps to make sure everyone is getting an opportunity to develop and improve. Hopefully we can put ourselves in a position to be the best we can be when it matters most and contend for another regional title.”

Marathon’s girls track and field squad won the Marawood Conference championship in 2001 and 2002 before taking second place to Newman Catholic last season.

“Our conference has some exceptional individual performers from a wide variety of teams,” Miller said. “With that being said, there is no one team that is the hands down favorite to win the conference meet. There are probably six teams that could have a chance at winning the conference and I think we can be one of them. We will have to work to be strong in every event and hopefully be in a position at the end of the year to be performing at our best.”

Marathon’s returning girl state qualifier from last season is senior Alisha Blenker who was part of the 4x100-meter relay that placed sixth at state. Red Raider girls who placed at conference last season are senior Ava Krueger who was sixth in the 400-meter run and fourth in the discus and sixth in the shot put; junior Shilo Blake who was fifth in the 1,600 and eighth in the 3,200-meter runs; Blenker who was fourth in the 100-meter hurdles and second in the pole vault; Jayden Henrichs who was eighth in both the 100 and 300-meter hurdles; Madelyn Volkman who was sixth in the pole vault and Ashley Gertschen who was fifth in the discus and seventh in the shot put.

Other returning letter winners from last season are thrower Madison Heise, sprinter Lena Putnam, pole vaulter Addison Baeseman, distance runner Caly Fieri, middle distance runner Addie Molepske, sprinter Alyssa Sessions, high jumper Izzy Vardon, jumper Leah Dodson, sprinter Lindsay Putnam and distance runner Mya Yah.

Marathon girls who are already making contributions to this spring’s track and field squad are senior sprinter and high jumper Giulia Gandolfi; senior thrower Meadow Lambert; sophomore pole vaulter Celia Ferreira, sophomore thrower Emma Love; freshman sprinter and jumper Kayla Cihlar; freshman pole vaulter and high jumper Natilee Hummer; freshman sprinter and jumper Addison Knoeck; freshman sprinter and pole vaulter Brooke Lang; freshman sprinter and jumper Maycie Myszka and freshman distance runner Greenly Treankler.

This is Miller’s first season as Marathon’s head boys track and field coach, taking over for longtime boys coach EJ Otto who is an assistant coaching the Red Raider boys and girls distance runners and hurdlers.

“I’m excited to take over a program that coach Otto has done such a great job with,” Miller said. “I’m also equally excited that we can retain the coaching expertise that he provides. The boys program has been

See MARATHON TRACK/ page 22

MARATHON GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD- Introducing the 2024 Red Raider girls varsity track and field team. Pictured, from left to right, front row: Gabriella Baumann, Lindsay Putnam, Ashley Gertschen, Lena Putnam, Katie Annis, Bella Bowe, Jasmin Gonzalez and Abby Knoeck; second row: Madison Passehl, Caly Fieri, Brooke Lang, Lacey Cihlar, Kayla Cihlar, Halle Laabs, Natalia Ortega, Alicia Schumacher, Mya Yach, Shilo Blake and Kennedy Blake; third row: Head coach Curt Miller, Leah Dodson, Anna Chesak, Katie Cliver, Celia Ferreira, Jayden Henrichs, Addison Baeseman, Alexandria Matthiae, Annie Lagan, Addie Molepske, Alisha Blenker and assistant coach Jeff Schneider; fourth row: Assistant coaches Jon Kleinschmidt and Rhiana Seubert, Aubrey Fieri, Ava Krueger, Giulia Gandolfi, Lizzy Clawson, Claire Riesgraf, Jada Linder, Natilee Hummer and assistant coaches Bryce Seubert and Preston Wirkus; back row: Assistant coach Ted Knoeck, Abby Falkowski, Skyler Lambert, Greenly Treankler, Emma Love, Madison Heise, Meadow Lambert and assistant coaches Gary Raether and EJ Otto. Not pictured are Katie LeBlanc, Alyssa Sessions, Izzy Vardon, Kyana Wise, Alina Zavaleta, Maddie Volkman, Kaya Huggan-Harris and Maycie Myszka.

PHOTO BY STACY STUBBE

RED RAIDER BOYS TRACK AND FIELD- Introducing the 2024 Marathon boys varsity track and field team. Pictured, from left to right, front row: Micah Mueller, Carter Stieber, Michael Harris, Leo Narlock, Andrew Smetak and Alex Kaiser; second row: Brayden Pinter, Aiden Lang, Jose Garcia, Matthew Kindlarski, Ethan Huebsch, Gavin Matthiae, John Kahon, Wilson Marks and Levi Krautkramer; third row: Jacob Smith, Javier Pintor, Brady Annis, Nathan Hoenisch, Luke Hoenisch, Fred Tylinski, Dominick Luebbe and Mitchell Zemke; fourth row: Andy Glennon, Garrett Bracewell, Logan Rohland, Brandon Gitzlaff, Logan Peters, Logan Witberler, Chris Marcell, River Stanecki and Nick Falkowski; back row: Assistant coaches Rhiana Seubert and Ted Knoeck, head coach Curt Miller and assistant coaches Jon Kleinschmidt, EJ Otto, Gary Raether and Jeff Schneider. Not pictured are Landon Sneider and Martin Gruetzmacher.

PHOTO BY STACY STUBBE Marathon track

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a competitive conference contender every year with many quality state finishes in the last decade. I see strong potential for that trend to continue and am very encouraged by our team so far this year. We have a solid foundation of upperclassmen and very promising young potential in a variety of events.”

Preston Wirkus coaches the boys and girls pole vaulters; Ted Knoeck coaches the boys and girls long and triple jumpers; Nicole Myszka coaches the boys and girls high jumpers; Jeff Schneider, Gary Raether and Bryce Seubert coach the boys and girls shot put and discus throwers; Jon Kleinschmidt coaches the boys and girls sprinters and throwers; Rhianna Seubert coaches the boys and girls sprinters and is a middle school coach; Doug Miller coaches the boys and girls pole vaulters and is a middle coach and Curt Miller coaches the boys and girls sprinters and relay teams.

Marathon’s returning boys state qualifiers from last season are junior Levi Krautkramer who was a member of the 4x4 relay team that took sixth place at state and sophomore Chris Marcell who placed eighth in the discus at state. Red Raider boys who placed at conference last season are senior Jacob Smith who took second place in the pole vault and seventh in the 3,200-meter run, junior Logan Witberler who placed fourth in the 110-meter hurdles and seventh in the 300-meter hurdles, junior Logan Rowland who placed sixth in the high jump, junior River Stanecki who placed seventh in the pole vault, Marcell who placed fourth in the discus and sophomore Mitchell Zemko who placed seventh in the shot put. Other returning letter winners from last season are distance runner Brandon Gitzlaff, middle distance runner Andy Glenn and sprinters Wilson Marks, Nathan Hoenisch and Javier Pintor.

Red Raider boys who are already making contributions to this spring’s track and field team are freshman Brady Annie in the 400 and 800-meter runs; freshman Garrett Bracewell in the hurdles, sprints and jumps; freshmen Matthew Kindlarski and Logan Peters as distance runners; freshman Fred Tylinski as a hurdler and sprinter and sophomore Landon Sneider as a sprinter and jumper.