Meyer second at state in triple jump
LA CROSSE — Jackson Meyer was in search of the triple crown of jumps.
The Middleton senior qualified for the WIAA Division 1 state track and field meet in the high jump, long jump and triple jump with his sights set on individual titles in each event.
Although Meyer wasn’t able to pull off that stellar feat — while competing in all three events in one day instead of over the traditional two-day event — it was still a memorable day.
Meyer capped a shining prep career for the Cardinals with a runner-up finish in the triple jump, recording a mark of 45 feet, 1.5 inches on his last attempt in the finals at the Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex last Saturday.
“It was crazy,” Middleton head coach Joe Line said of the rainy conditions that lasted throughout the meet. “He was close to not making finals, but he pulled off a (44-8.25) on his third jump.
“It really started raining then, but he pulled off an even better jump with a (45-1.5) in his final triple jump. He was really happy with that.”
Meyer, who set the school record in the triple jump with leap of 46-8 this spring, was seeded fifth. He placed 15th at the 2019 WIAA state meet in the event.
“It was weird for sure,” he said of the conditions. “There was a puddle where my second phase was for triple jump. It was strange for sure. But I got acclimated eventually so it was fine. It felt good to end the season and senior year with my best jump at state.”
Meyer, though, wasn’t pleased with his results in the high jump and long jump, which were held simultaneously and battled delays due to the elements.
“It was a crazy day all around,” said Meyer, who will be attending the University of Colorado in Boulder this fall to study business and possibly compete in track and field. “There were a lot of rumors if it was going to be cancelled or not. It was just a really unsure day.”
Meyer placed seventh in the high jump with a mark of 6-0, missing all three attempts at 6-2, and was 11th in the long jump with a leap of 20-9.25 in his final attempt in prelims.
“In the high jump, everyone was a little nervous to do the lean after seeing one guy take a fall on his takeoff and take a slip and hit the pit,” Meyer said. “Everybody took high jump a little slow. That was unfortunate.”
The long day simply caught up with Meyer, who was unable to make the finals in the long jump after entering the meet seeded second.
“It was unfortunate mostly due to the fact that it was real long day that started at 11:30 and I ended up jumping around 4 p.m.,” he said “I think I was just tired. It was unfortunate the way it ended.”
Meyer, though, said he had a lot to be thankful for.
“It was a dream for sure. I did a lot more than I thought I would. That’s thanks to my coaches, for sure, that I was able to compete in all those events,” Meyer said. “It was a great journey with my teammates, too, after missing a year.”
Senior Quinn Calvin was able to compete in two of the three events he qualified for state in, finishing 16th overall in the prelims in the 200 in 22.79 seconds and taking ninth place in the long jump with a leap of 21-9.
“I was happy that Quinn made the finals in the long jump and kept improving,” Line said of Calvin, who plans to compete in football and track and field at UW-Stevens Point this fall.
“He made 21-9 on his last jump. It wasn’t good enough to score. But Jackson (Meyer) has been beating him all season so he was happy to be ‘the guy’ in long jump for once.”
Calvin said it was a great way to end his senior year.
“I’m super happy. I made a lot people proud and my coaches proud along the way. I had a great season,” Calvin said. “It was a good feeling to end the year at the state meet.”
Calvin, who finished 13th in the long jump at the 2019 state meet, said competing in the jumps in the rain was a lot tougher than most people think.
“With the rain, you feel so weighted down,” he said. “You’re feet are soaking wet. Everything is soaking wet, and you’re running down the runway and the rain is in your eyes. It was quite an experience but it was challenging. I liked it.”
However, delays in the long jump forced Line to pull Calvin out of the 1,600-meter relay.
“He couldn’t run the 1,600 because he was in the middle of long jump finals when they were getting ready,” Line said. “So we ran Blake Thor in his place.”
The 1,600-meter relay of sophomores Cameron Swapsy and Alexander Gunay, and seniors Thor and Max Foland was seeded 20th and placed 20th in 3:33.04.
“We had two injuries (in season), and we were pretty pumped to still get there and run the race,” Line said. “That was fine. We were happy to be there.”
Middleton junior Griffin Ward, an accomplished alpine skier, has made an annual trip to La Crosse each winter to compete in the skiing state tournament, qualifying for nationals in the giant slalom as a sophomore.
But this was the first time Ward was able to compete in La Crosse at state in track and field, and it was business as usual.
Ward made his first trip to the podium, placing sixth in the 1,600-meter run in 4 minutes, 20.41 seconds in the pouring rain.
“My first cross country meet of the year was at Verona this year, it was a downpour,” Ward said. “But I’ve never run in anything like that in track. I wanted a little better time, but considering the inclement weather, it was good.”
Following a short break, Ward then completed his first state track and field appearance with a 16th-place finish in the 3,200 in 9:47.78.
“I was leading the pack behind the leaders for about the first mile,” he said. “I got a churning in my stomach. I wanted to stop and let it all out. But I wasn’t going to do that.”
When Middleton participated in the alternate fall season in cross country this spring, Ward finished second in 15:43.2 at the WIAA state meet to earn all-state honors. He also led Middleton to a third-place team finish at the meet.
Middleton distance coach Brian Finnel said the best is yet to come for Ward.
“I’m super proud of Griffin for handling both seasons very well,” said Finnel, who is also the Cardinals boys’ cross country coach. “It had never been done before where people had to basically compete in back-to-back seasons.
“He handled it maturely, just knowing the process and understanding what we were trying to do. It was pretty neat for him to be on the podium and have a four and a half second (personal best) in a downpour nonetheless. This was a great experience for him to build to his senior year.”
Middleton finished with 13 points to tie for 19th place in the team standings.
“Overall, we’re pretty happy with the performances,” Line said. “That was the most rain I’ve ever been in, in my life. There’s no way to get around it. The kids weathered through it really well. There weren’t a lot of complaints and our mind-set was right for the weather. So we were pretty happy overall.
“After not having a season, then having a late start and going into June, everyone was like, ‘Whatever, let’s get going and get it done.’ ”
WIAA Division 1 State Meet
BOYS
Team scores: Hartland Arrowhead 66 ;Oshkosh West 38; Kimberly 30; Slinger 28; Verona 28; Stevens Point 26; Muskego 25; Oconomowoc 25; Wisconsin Lutheran 23; New Richmond 21; West Allis Hale 21; Wauwatosa East 20; Onalaska 18; Franklin 17; Hartford 17; Ashwaubenon 16; Mequon Homestead 16; Neenah 15; Racine Park 14; River Falls 13; Middleton 13; De Pere 12; Waukesha West 12; Mukwonago 11; Waunakee 11; Germantown 10; West De Pere 10; Milwaukee Marquette 10; Brookfield East 9; Kaukauna 9; Baraboo 9; Westosha Central 8; Oregon 8; Glendale Nicolet 8; Kenosha Bradford 7; Eau Claire North 7; Schofield D.C. Everest 5; Oshkosh North 5; Manitowoc 5; Holmen 5; Greendale 5; Cedarburg 4; Brookfield Central 4; Hortonville 4; Sussex Hamilton 4; La Crosse Central 4; Milwaukee King 4; Sheboygan North 4; Waukesha North 3; Waukesha South 3; Fond du Lac 3; Marshfield 2; Menomonee Falls 2; Appleton North 2; Madison Memorial 1; Menomonie 1; Bay Port 1.
100 meters: 1, Blaskowski, Oshkosh West, :10.83; 2, Turbeville, New Richmond, :11.05; 3, Nichols, Wauwatosa East, :11.05; 4, Cefalu, Hartland Arrowhead, :11.06; 5, Harris, Franklin, :11.10; 6, May, De Pere, :11.12; 7, Smith, Oconomowoc, :11.21; 8, Ketarkus, Madison Memorial, :11.28.
200: 1, Blaskowski, Oshkosh West, :22.22; 2, Sippel, Kaukauna, :22.43; 3, Hart, Homestead, :22.59; 4, M. Smith, Greendale, :22.67; 5, Harris, Franklin, :22.75; 6, Rusch, Sheboygan North, :22.79; 7, Gannon, Mukwonago, :23.02; 8, R. Smith, Oconomowoc, :23.04.
400: 1, Zenner, Oconomowoc, :48.88; 2, Topercer, Westosha Central, :49.22; 3, Regnier, Waunakee, :49.90; 4, Brown, Mequon Homestead, :49.91; 5, Williams, Oshkosh North, :50.02; 6, Pagan Vega, Kimberly, :50.31; 7, Hug, Waukesha West, :50.58; 8, Rusch, Sheboygan North, :50.63.
800: 1, Schoemann, Hartford Union, 1:53.85; 2, Magnuson, River Falls, 1:55.5; 3, Henderson, Neenah, 1:55.97; 4, Zenner, Oconomowoc, 1:56.02; 5, Hirsch, Brookfield Central, 1:56.03; 6, Wesley, Arrowhead, 1:56.53; 7, Zelinski, Oregon, 1:57.11; 8, Schwartz, Menomonie, 1:57.13.
1,600: 1, Grotenhuis, Slinger, 4:08.56; 2, Truchon, West Allis Hale, 4:09.50; 3, Henderson, Neenah, 4:15.38; 4, Manning, Verona, 4:15.86; 5, Wirth, Hortonville, 4:18.73; 6, Ward, Middleton, 4:20.41; 7, Deguire, Milwaukee Marquette, 4:20.96; 8, Blader, New Richmond, 4:24.06.
3,200: 1, Truchon, West Allis Hale, 8:53.87; 2, Grotenhuis, Slinger, 9:10.44; 3, Bourget, Stevens Point, 9:20.74; 4, Bosley, Homestead, 9:21.81; 5, Erickson, Stevens Point, 9:22.12; 6, Wills, Waukesha North, 9:22.63; 7, Bishop, New Richmond, 9:24.01; 8, Richey, Kimberly, 9:24.75.
110-meter hurdles: 1, Peterson, Onalaska, :14.43; 2, Rosner, De Pere, :14.47; 3, Martin, Slinger, :14.61; 4, Schroeder, Ashwaubenon, :14.92; 5, Wiegel, Kimberly, :14.99; 6, Johnson, Oregon, :15.45; 7, Engle, Stevens Point, :15.55; 8, Mueller, Brookfield East, :15.60.
300 hurdles: 1, Schroeder, Ashwaubenon, :38.07; 2, Schmitt, Muskego, :39.41; 3, Wnek, Kimberly, :39.58; 4, Hicks, Hartland Arrowhead, :39.85; 5, Martin, Slinger, :40.25; 6, McArthur, Fond du Lac, :40.47; 7, Weber, Onalaska, :40.63; 8, Rosner, De Pere, :41.08.
400-meter relay: 1, Arrowhead (Maher-Parr, Graham, Russ, Cefalu), :43.11; 2, Oshkosh West, :43.28; 3, Muskego, :43.54; 4, Kenosha Bradford, :43.84; 5, New Richmond, :43.85; 6, Verona, :43.96; 7, West De Pere, :43.98; 8, Franklin, :44.04.
800 relay: 1, Muskego (Ploeckelman, Current, Buehler, Wohler), 1:30.76; 2, Hartland Arrowhead, 1:30.93; 3, New Richmond, 1:31.24; 4, Wisconsin Lutheran, 1:31.99; 5, Sussex Hamilton, 1:32.13; 6, Stevens Point, 1:32.22; 7, Wauwatosa East, 1:32.26; 8, Mukwonago, 1:32.34.
1,600 relay: 1, Hartland Arrowhead (Russ, Ray, Graham, Wesley), 3:22.65; 2, West De Pere, 3:23.88; 3, Oconomowoc, 3:24.87; 4, River Falls, 3:25.36; 5, Kimberly, 3:25.93; 6, Neenah, 3:27.51; 7, Menomonee Falls, 3:27.78; 8, Ashwaubenon, 3:28.8.
3,200 relay: 1, Hartland Arrowhead (Pardun, Natalizio, Ray, Wesley), 7:52.14; 2, Mukwonago, 7:57.37; 2, Stevens Point, 7:57.61; 4, Brookfield East, 7:58.86; 5, Wauwatosa East, 8:00.77; 6, Oregon, 8:02.72; 7, Appleton North, 8:04.87; 8, Hartford, 8:08.57.
High jump: 1, Andringa, Waukesha West, 6-6; 2, Johnson, Racine Park, 6-6; 3, Franklin, Racine Park, 6-4; 4, Stewart, Manitowoc Lincoln, 6-2; 5, Warren, La Crosse Central, 6-2; 6, McLaughlin, Brookfield East, 6-2; 7, Meyer, Middleton, 6-0; 8, Spanbauer, Oshkosh North, 6-0.
Pole vault: 1, Bartelsen, Arrowhead, 15-6; 2, Silverman, Glendale Nicolet, 14-9; 3, Cummings, Hartford, 14-9; 4, Zirgibel, Arrowhead, 14-6; 5, Anderson, Germantown, 14-6; 6, Sino, West Allis Hale, 14-0; 7, Wodushek, Wauwatosa East, 13-6; 8, Thibert, Bay Port, 13-6.
Long jump: 1, Blaskowski, Oshkosh West, 23-5¾; 2, McQuide, Milwaukee Marquette, 23-4¾; 3, Peterson, Onalaska, 22-10¾; 4, Hopf, Wisconsin Lutheran, 22-5¼; 5, White, Milwaukee King, 22-3½; 6, Jefferson, Waukesha South, 21-11; 7, Parks, Kenosha Bradford, 21-10½; 8, Wohler, Muskego, 21-9¾.
Triple jump: 1, Hopf, Wisconsin Lutheran, 46-7; 2, Meyer, Middleton, 45-1½; 3, Myles, Germantown, 44-7½; 4, Regnier, Waunakee, 44-5; 5, Olsen, Cedarburg, 44-2½; 6, Allen, Wisconsin Lutheran, 44-2; 7, LeMoine, Marshfield, 43-4½; 8, Huurman, Oconomowoc, 43-1¼.
Shot put: 1, Acker, Verona, 57-2¾; 2, Wynn, Kimberly, 56-9¾; 3, Mbow, Wauwatosa East, 55-11¾; 4, Rashke, Stevens Point, 54-0¼; 5, Otto, Eau Claire North, 53-0¾; 6, Schaefer, Baraboo, 53-0½; 7, Johnson, Kimberly, 51-5; 8, Banks, Holmen, 51-3¼.
Discus: 1, Acker, Verona, 183-9; 2, Jessup, Franklin, 170-0; 3, Schaefer, Baraboo, 159-0; 4, Neitzel, Schofield D.C. Everest, 157-2; 5, Banks, Holmen, 154-5; 6, Otto, Eau Claire North, 148-5; 7, Burant, Kimberly, 143-6; 8, Campbell, Kaukauna, 141-8.
