Calvin headed to state in three events
MADISON — Quinn Calvin was exhausted at the end of his final sectional track and field meet.
The Middleton senior sprinter and jumper was wearing a wide smile, though, as he exchanged congratulations with his Cardinals’ teammates.
Calvin qualified for the WIAA Division 1 state track and field meet in the 200-meter dash, long jump and 1,600-meter relay at the Madison Memorial Sectional at Mansfield Stadium last Thursday.
“He made it to state in the long jump as a sophomore and really wanted to get back there in that event,” Middleton boys track and field coach Joe Line said of Calvin, who was 13th in the long jump at the 2019 state meet.
“He just missed qualifying in the 4x200 relay. He was pretty upset in that. So he really brought it in the 200 and the long jump. He was pretty determined the rest of the meet.”
Calvin wasn’t finished just yet despite completing his three-event assignment.
“I asked him to run in the 4x400. I told him we really needed him,” Line said of Calvin, who plans to compete at UW-Stevens Point next year. “We put him in, and he shaved off some time there. He competed in four events and was just exhausted at the end of the meet.”
Calvin caught his breath and celebrated with senior Max Foland, who anchored the 1,600 relay to qualify for the state for the first time in his prep career in the final race of the meet.
“It was my last chance because I was fourth in the open 200 and the 4-by-200 relay,” Foland said. “I was nervous because we just put this 4-by-4 together a couple of weeks ago. It was Quinn’s second time running it. We ran faster at regionals but we did what we had to do.”
Line was pleased that Foland will be able to make his state meet debut.
“We were fourth in the 4x200 and he was fourth and just edged out in the open 200,” Line said of Foland. “He’s worked really hard. We were really happy he could make it and anchor the 4x400. It was the last event, he was the last runner and it was his last chance to go to state.
“We were both pretty emotional at the end. He’s worked super hard for it, and he’s all track all year. I can’t explain how happy I am he’s moving on.”
Joining Calvin and Foland on the 1,600 relay that took third in 3 minutes, 30.43 seconds were sophomores Cameron Swapsy and Alexander Gunay. Onalaska won the event in 3:27.87 with DeForest taking second in 3:29.60.
“It took a lot of hard work and determination, but I can do better at state,” said Calvin, who won the 200 in 23.14 seconds, and placed third in the long jump with a mark of 21-9.5. “It’s another stepping stone before next year. I’ve still got a lot to prove to everybody, everybody in my hometown and everybody in the conference. I’m not done yet.”
Middleton, which qualified seven individuals and one relay for the state meet, finished third in the team standings with 82 points. Onalaska won the meet with 91.5 points, while host Madison Memorial was second with 86.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was senior Jackson Meyer, who remained in contention for the triple crown of jumps. He won the triple jump (44-8.5), tied for first in the high jump (6-1) and was second in the long jump (22-10.75).
Meyer tied with La Crosse Central’s Jackson Warren for first place in the high jump, but meet rules stated there had to be a winner. However, both competitors opted to pass leaving it up to a coin flip.
“Neither athlete wanted to jump anymore,” Line said. “They were competing in multiple events and were glad they made it and wanted to save it for state. Jackson wanted to jump, but we wanted to save his legs, so we went for the coin flip.”
Observers noted that was a first but a logical means to an end.
“I got to call it,” said Meyer who called ‘tails’. “I’m disappointed it came up heads. Tails never fails, but I guess not today. That’s okay, first or second won’t matter until next week.”
Meyer was halfway through his attempts in the high jump competition and waiting for the long jump to start when inclement weather forced a nearly two-hour dely.
But Meyer, who placed 15th at the 2019 WIAA state meet in the triple jump, wasn’t fazed by the delay.
“He didn’t love his triple jump, but it was a (personal record) for the long jump,” Line said of Meyer. “He was about four inches off the school record in the triple jump. He really wanted to jump in the finals, but I wanted to play it smart with him. It took everything to get him not to jump. He just competed in the prelims in the both the triple and long jumps to save his legs for state.”
Meyer said he was pleased to make it to state with his dream of competing in all three events still intact. He is seeded second in the long jump, fifth in the triple jump and tied for 11th in the high jump.
“It feels good making it to state, for sure,” said Meyer, who plans to attend the University of Colorado in Boulder to study business and possibly compete in track and field next year. “I’ve gone much further than my expectations were. It’s going to be fun competing at state with Quinn. He had a great night.
“The plan tonight was just to get to state. It wasn’t about winning. This changes my mindset. All season it was I want to do all three. Let me go. My coaches do know best so they limited my jumps tonight. But I will go all out at state.”
Junior Griffin Ward was also a multiple state qualifier for Middleton, finishing second in both the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs. Verona’s Aidan Manning (4:21.00) edged out Ward (4:24.83) in the 1,600.
Manning later pulled out a win in a hotly contested 3,200 in 9:35.54, just ahead of state qualifiers Ward (9:35.77) and Sauk Prairie’s Jack Boerger (9:35.82). Monona Grove’s Eli Traeder was fourth (9:35.95), just missing out on a state berth by 3/100ths of a second.
“That’s quite a double, and he wasn’t feeling great after the mile,” Line said of Ward, who finished second at the WIAA alternate fall season state cross country meet this spring. “But he pulled it off.
“I don’t think I’ve seen a two-mile where four competitors are that close together in a race like that. It was an exciting moment when we saw on the (video) screen that he’d made it. From where we were standing, it was hard to tell. I’m sure they had to take an extra look at it at the end. Those times were really close. We made it, though. That was a nail biter.”
Others competing for Middleton included: junior Ethan Mladucky, who was fourth in the 800 (2:02.17); and the Cardinals’ 800 relay of juniors Elijah Gray and Colin Krueger, and Foland and Calvin (1:31.56) that was fourth; and the 3,200 relay of seniors Blake Thor and Ian Bohachek, sophomore Harper Fahey and Mladucky, that was sixth (8:29.09).
Despite the lengthy weather delay, Line said the Cardinals had a successful meet.
“It was hard to have the guys relax and have to wait that long to get back out there on the track,” Line said. “A lot of them have been through that, I know I have through the years. I think they survived that pretty well.
“We didn’t bring a ton of guys, but we got third in the meet, and everyone did very well. We had some heartbreakers with fourth-place finishes. But I was real happy that we got that relay and the individuals we did. I thought it was a big success.”
WIAA DIVISION 1
Madison Memorial Sectional
Note: In Division 1, the top three finishers in each event automatically advance to state. Also, individuals and relay teams who are not automatic qualifiers, but whose performances rank among the eight best in all sectionals in their division, advance.
BOYS
Team scores: Onalaska 91.5; Madison Memorial 86; Middleton 82; DeForest 64.5; Verona 61; Holmen 51; La Crosse Central 50; Waunakee 46; Monona Grove 34; Baraboo 30; Madison East 29; Madison West 19; Reedsburg 19; Sauk Prairie 19; Tomah 8; Sparta 2.
Automatic qualifiers
100 meters: 1, Warren, LCC, :11.50; 2, Ketarkus, MM, :11.56; Magli, D, :11.56.
200: 1, Quinn Calvin, Mid, :23.14; 2, Regnier, W, :23.17; 3, Dauffenbach, LCC, :23.27.
400: 1, Regnier, W, :49.89; 2, Ekezie, D, :50.86; 3, Voss, MG, :51.10.
800: 1, Hanson, ME, 2:01.78; 2, Grabowski, D, 2:01.89; 3, Groshek, Holmen, 2;02.13.
1,600: 1, Manning, V, 4:21.00; 2, Griffin Ward, Mid, 4:24.83; 3, Anthony, MM, 4:34.61.
3,200: 1, Manning, V, 9:35.54; 2, Griffin Ward, Mid, 9:35.77; 3, Boerger, SP, 9:35.82.
110 hurdles: 1, Peterson, Ona., :15.05; 2, Yanke, R, :16.26; 3, Wolf, D, :16.40.
300 hurdles: 1, Peterson, Ona., :39.74; 2, Weber, Ona., :41.02; 3, Yanke, R, :41.07.
400 relay: 1, Verona, :43.69; 2, Madison Memorial, :44.03; 3, Waunakee, :44.67.
800 relay: 1, La Crosse Central, 1:30.48; 2, Madison Memorial, 1:31.08; 3, Waunakee, 1:31.43.
1,600 relay: 1, Onalaska, 3:27.87; 2, DeForest, 3:29.60; 3, Middleton (Cameron Swapsy, Alexander Gunay, Quinn Calvin, Max Foland), 3:30.43.
3,200 relay: 1, Madison Memorial, 8:10.27; 2, DeForest, 8:12.48; 3, Madison East, 8:12.69.
High jump: 1, Warren, La Crosse Central, 6-1; 2, Jackson Meyer, Mid, 6-1; 3, Patterson, MM, 6-0.
Pole vault: 1, Klinkner, MG, 13-0; 2, Simmons, MG, 13-0; 3, Lomas, Holmen, 13-0.
Long jump: 1, Peterson, Onalaska, 23-2¼; 2, Jackson Meyer, Mid, 22-10¾; 3, Quinn Calvin, Mid, 21-9½.
Triple jump: 1, Jackson Meyer, Mid, 44-8½; Regnier, W, 43-11; 3, Ward, MM, 43-0½.
Shot put: 1, Acker, V, 55-7½; 2, Schaefer, B, 51-11; 3, Banks, Holmen, 50-8.
Discus: 1, Acker, V, 196-0; 2, Banks, Holmen, 192-5; 3, Schaefer, B, 186-10.
