Boys runners show they’re No. 1
TOWN OF MERTON — The season is young.
The postseason remains six weeks away.
So Middleton boys cross country coach Brian Finnel didn’t get too excited when he learned his Cardinals had jumped to No. 1 in the latest Wisconsin Cross Country Coaches Association poll.
What did excite Finnel, though, is how Middleton backed up that lofty ranking at the Arrowhead Invitational on Sept. 8.
The Cardinals ran a tremendous race and finished first with just 63 points as a team. No. 2 Mukwonago was second with 76. Brookfield East (161), Pewaukee (167) and host Arrowhead (183) — who are all ranked in the top-20 — rounded out the top five at the 18-team event.
“We came out ready to race, both mentally and physically,” Finnel said. “This was a great team accomplishment and edging out No. 2 Mukwonago is a good confidence builder, too.”
Middleton’s girls, who are also ranked No. 1, finished third at this star-studded event.
No. 4 ranked Whitefish Bay won the event with 97 points, while 10th-ranked Brookfield East was second (110) and Middleton (120) rounded out the top-three at the 20-team event.
“Our team finished third, which I think is an accurate representation of where we are at this time,” Middleton girls coach Alexa Richardson said. “There is still work to be done by all of the girls … but there is plenty of time to tweak things as long as everyone stays healthy.”
Middleton’s boys ran a terrific race, with three runners finishing in the top-10 and all five in the top-22.
Junior Will Whiteis broke his previous personal-best time by 22 seconds and finished the 5,000-meter race in 16 minutes, 12 seconds.
“In what I think will be a rotation of number one runners, Will Whiteis had his turn (at Arrowhead),” Finnel said. “Overall, he looked so smooth out there. Will's summer training was very impressive and it'll continue to pay dividends in the future.”
Senior Joe Schwartz was seventh individually (16:18.0) and senior Dean Montour was ninth (16:28.6).
“Joe Schwartz had a strong race and cut more time off his prior PR,” Finnel said. “Dean finished third … just a few seconds slower than the last time we were here.”
Senior Harper Fahey was 20th (16:55.9) and senior Nathan Kurtz was 23rd (16:57.7).
“Nathan Kurtz had a fantastic race and got under the 17-minute barrier for the first time,” Finnel said. “He and Harper responded quite well the final 600 (meters) which really solidified a win with Mukwonago's close.
“Harper ran the exact same time as a few weeks back at Arrowhead. And Nathan was a pivotal reason why we walked away as Invite champs.”
Overall, Finnel was thrilled how his entire team performed.
“We ran a really smart and fast race overall,” he said. “I didn't think anyone got in hot water too quickly, rather, we were quite controlled.
“I have to give Mukwonago props as well. They closed extremely well and trimmed our lead the last 1.1 miles. Both groups ran similarly, passing several runners in that stretch. We lowered our score by 21 (points), but they cut 35. Our number 2, 3, 4, and 5 runners were all just slightly ahead of theirs.”
Finnel, who has led Middleton to nine straight WIAA Division 1 state tournament appearances and two state titles in that time, admitted being ranked No. 1 is still a kick. But he also knows all that matters is how the Cardinals perform when the postseason arrives.
“It's nice to have that accolade, but the season is young,” he said. “We know there's not much head-to-head data, especially with the Verona (Invite) getting canceled last week.
“There will be a lot of shifting in the next three to four weeks. We are running well and building confidence. We are just trying to control what we can at this time. I think the team is set up to have a fun, successful season.”
Middleton’s girls are set up the same way — especially senior Zaira Malloy-Salgado.
Malloy Salgado won her race at Arrowhead in 18:23.5, more than 14 seconds faster than runner-up Lily Kriegel of Whitefish Bay (18:37.8).
Middleton freshman Olivia Chellevold was third (18:43.6), senior Elizabeth Schwartz was 31st (20:47.7), senior Lila Glinberg was 35th (20:48.2) and senior Annie Sonju was 50th (21:19.0).
“Zaira was happy with her race at the Arrowhead invite,” Richardson said. “She was even happier that her teammate, Olivia Chellevold, was able to run by her side for most of the race. Zaira made the decision right when the gun went off to take the race out and to be in control for the duration.”
• On deck: Middleton competed at the Grade Level Challenge Invite Tuesday.
The Cardinals then head to the Roy Griak Invite in Minneapolis on Sept. 23.
