Middleton girls run to conference title
Maggie Bollig was so excited at the thought of what she had just accomplished that she couldn't keep from smiling or giggling with her friends.
The Middleton junior had moments earlier finished competing in three distance events in the same meet for the first time in her budding running career.
But Bollig didn't just compete in the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter races at the Big Eight Conference track and field meet Tuesday night at Lussier Stadium. She won them all.
"(Coach Isaac Mezera) came up to me at practice last week and told me that he wanted me to try to triple today to score as many points as I could to help the team," said Bollig, who is also one of the leading runners in the Cardinals' cross country program that won the 2006 state title. "I tried my best, and it worked out."
Bollig earned the distance running equivalent of the "Triple Crown" when she garnered 30 points for Middleton, which outdistanced runner-up Sun Prairie 156.5 to 118 in the girls team standings to repeat as conference champion.
Middleton also received solid performances from Laura McGinnis, who won the triple jump; Emily Larson, who set a school record in winning the discus; and the Cardinals 400 relay of Katie Gaab, Sam Farrell, Cyndi Hovey and Melissa Landsee and 800 relay of Eileen Walz, Laura McGinnis, Hovey and Landsee, which both claimed titles.
"We had so many people who compete in so many events that it was so much fun," Bollig said after the Cardinals recorded 11 top-three finishes and scored points in 17 of the 18 events. "It was great to repeat."
Bollig began her day by winning the 1,600 in 5 minutes, 14.09 seconds. Over an hour later, she won the 800 in 2:24.67 before wrapping up her day 45 minutes later with a victory in the 3,200 in 11:48.88.
"I don't usually run the 3,200 so that was exciting to run and win that," she said. "The 800 and the mile I really wanted to work on even though coach told us today to go for place and not time. I just came out and tried to place in the top three and do my best."
Bollig said the strong winds that hampered the sprint and field events also played havoc with her finish in the 800.
"I slowed down the back stretch because the wind was at my back, but when I got to the corner on the final stretch, it was like running into a brick wall," she said. "I just worked my way through it."
Madison Memorial senior Tiffany Jones made her final Big Eight Conference appearance a memorable one when she easily won both the 100 and 200 dashes and also claimed the long jump title with a personal-best performance to help Memorial finish fifth.
Jones dominated the 100 field, finishing in 13.25 seconds with Middleton's Landsee coming in second in 13:61. Jones then eclipsed the field in winning the long jump title with a PR of 18 feet, 4 inches, nearly three feet ahead of runner-up JoLyn Owen of Middleton (15-6 ).
Jones capped her perfect day with an impressive victory in the 200, finishing in 26:48, more than a second faster than runner-up and teammate Lauren Rock (27.51).
"It's bittersweet because it's my last conference meet," said Jones, who won her third straight Big Eight 200 title. "The wind was hard, especially at the very end of the 200. But I just kicked it in and didn't let it bother me. You just had to work harder but it was like resistance training."
Although Janesville Parker's Shelby Demos was nursing a sore foot, she didn't let it prevent her from sweeping three titles in impressive fashion in the 100-meter high hurdles, 300 low hurdles and high jump to help the Vikings finish third with 107 points.
But Middleton coach Tara Franklin was equally as impressed by Bollig's three victories that allowed the Cardinals to cruise to the team title.
"Leah did it last year, and Maggie is just as capable," Franklin said of former Middleton star and University of Wisconsin distance runner Leah Coyle, who won all three distance events at last year's Big Eight Conference meet. "Maggie proved that today."
Franklin said the team title sets a positive tone for the Cardinals heading into the upcoming WIAA Division 1 regional meet at Mansfield Stadium on Monday.
"Tonight was more about places and points than getting the best time possible. The wind never slowed down but we adjusted and didn't let it bother us," she said. "But now it's time to move on and see what we can do at the next level. It's a whole new game."
Team scores
Middleton 156.5, Sun Prairie 118, Janesville Parker 107, Madison La Follette 97.5, Madison Memorial 84.5, Beloit Memorial 37, Madison East 37, Janesville Craig 35.5, Madison West 29.
Individual results
100 meters: 1, Jones, Madison Memorial, :13.25; 2, Landsee, Middleton, :13.61; 3, Carlson, Beloit Memorial, :13.64; 4, Kepney, Sun Prairie, :13.72; 5, Gaab, Middleton, :13.73; 6, Mauermann, Janesville Parker, :13.78. 200: 1, Jones, Madison Memorial, :26.48; 2, Rock, Madison Memorial, :27.51; 3, Taylor, Madison La Follette, :27.86; 4, Jones, Janesville Parker, :28.16; 5, Pritchard, Beloit Memorial, :28.16; 6, McGinnis, Middleton, :28.23. 400: 1, Rock, Madison Memorial, :59.33; 2, Taylor, Madison La Follette, 1:00.98; 3, Pritchard, Beloit Memorial, 1:01.83; 4, Scieszinski, Janesville Craig, 1:01.91; 5, Beckwith, Middleton, 1:03.54; 6, Brooks, Middleton, 1:03.65. 800: 1, Bolllig, Middleton, 2:24.67; 2, Ives, Sun Prairie, 2:33.07; 3, Baltisberger, Madison La Follette, 2:34.46; 4, Kong, Sun Prairie, 2:34.64; 5, Capacio, Madison La Follette, 2:35.18; 6, Schaefer, Madison East, 2:35.51. 1,600: 1, Bollig, Middleton, 5:14.09; 2, Berkholtz, Sun Prairie, 5:24.53; 3, Baltisberger, Madison La Follette, 5:25.80; 4, Fowler, Middleton, 5:31.85; 5, Brickson, Madison East, 5:34.94; 6, Hartig, Middleton, 5:45.82. 3,200: 1, Bollig, Middleton, :11:48.88; 2, King, Janesville Parker, 11:56.10; 3, Berkholtz, Sun Prairie, :11.58.58; 4, Ohm, Madison West, 12:00.07; 5, Fowler, Middleton, 12:03.55; 6, Monson, Madison La Follette, 12:11.54.
110 high hurdles: 1, S. Demos, Janesville Parker, :15.97; 2, Niles, Janesville Parker, 16:67; 3, Troia, Madison La Follette, :17.02; 4, Buchanan, Middleton, :17.06; 5, Prange, Sun Prairie, :17.59; 6, Belden, Janesville Parker, :17.88. 300 low hurdles: 1,S. Demos, Janesville Parker, :48.34; 2, Berkholtz, Sun Prairie, :49.33; 3, Doyle, Madison West, :50.26; 4, McCauley, Middleton, :50.38; 5, Niles, Janesville Parker, :50.99; 6, Assalong, Sun Prairie, :51.09.
400 relay: 1, tie, Beloit Memorial (Tripplet, Bittorf, Rosario, Carlson), and Middleton (Gaab, Hovey, Farrell, Landsee), :50.77; 3, Janesville Parker, :52.75; 4, Madison La Follette, :53.14; 5, Janesville Craig, :54.35; 6, Madison Memorial, :54.86. 800 relay: 1, Middleton (Walz, McGinnis, Hovey, Landsee), 1:46.12; 2, Sun Prairie, 1:46.96; 3, Janesville Parker, 1:48.91; 4, Madison La Follette, 1:50.25; 5, Beloit Memorial, 1:52.20; 6, Janesville Craig, 1:53.61. 1,600 relay: 1, Sun Prairie (Assalong, Bryant, Kepney, Bartow), 4:15.00; 2, Middleton, 4:20.70; 3, Madison La Follette, 4:23.56; 4, Janesville Craig, 4:26.54; 5, Beloit Memorial, 4:27.13; 6, Janesville Parker, 4:27.61. 3,200 relay: 1, Sun Prairie (Ives, Kens, McManus, Walker), 10:00.18; 2, Madison West, 10:04.34; 3, Madison East, 10:04.87; 4, Middleton, 10:20.23; 5, Madison La Follette, 10:30.70; 6, Janesville Parker, 10:31.73.
Pole vault: 1, Parker, Madison East 10-6; 2, Heller, Madison Memorial, 10-0; 3, Imse, Madison La Follette, and Mayer, Janesville Craig 9-9; 5, Berkholtz, Sun Prairie, 9-0; 6, Presti, Janesville Parker, 9-0. Shot put: 1, Jones, Sun Prairie, 37-6.25; 2, Tamara Wade, Madison La Follette, 34-6.25; 3, Tiffany Wade, Madison La Follette, 32-10.75; 4, Procak, Sun Prairie, 32-2.25; 5, Larson, Middleton, 32-1.5; 6, Chase, Sun Prairie, 32-1. Discus: 1, Larson, Middleton, 124-8; 2, Brown, Madison Memorial, 122-8; 3, Raab, Madison Memorial, 122-4; 4, Metcalf, Janesville Craig, 120-7; 5, Chase, Sun Prairie, 116-1; 6, Tiffany Wade, Madison La Follette, 115-10. High jump: 1, S. Demos, Janesville Parker, 5-2; 2, P. Demos, Janesville Parker, 5-0; 3, Olson, Madison Memorial, 5-0; 4, Owen Middleton, 5-0; 5, Gibbs, Sun Prairie, 4-10; 6, Keepman, Madison West, 4-8. Long jump: 1, Jones, Madison Memorial, 18-4.25; 2, Owen, Middleton, 16-6.5; 3, McGinnis, Middleton, 15-6; 4, Whalen, Madison East, 15-6; 5, Taylor, Madison La Follette, 15-2; 6, Whitson, Janesville Parker, 15-0.75. Triple jump: 1, McGinnis, Middleton, 34-7.5; 2, Taylor, Madison La Follette, 34-6.5; 3, Gibbs, Sun Prairie, 33-6.5; 4, Whitson, Janesville Parker, 33-2.5; 5, Douglas, Madison East, 32-8.5; 6, Owen, Middleton, 32-3.
