Sports

Their year was packed with memorable moments.

A Big Eight Conference championship. A sectional title. And a third place finish at the WIAA Division 1 state meet.

So it’s no surprise that Middleton’s boys golfers had three players earn first-team all-conference honors. That same trio received all-state honors, as well.

Senior Jacob Beckman was the Big Eight’s Player of the Year and was named first-team all-state by the Golf Coaches Association of Wisconsin. Junior Alec Sosnowski was named first-team all-league and third-team all-state. And freshman Dain Johnson was named first-team all-conference and honorable-mention all-state.

In addition, Tom Cabalka was named the Big Eight’s Coach of the Year.

“This year’s squad was young and talented,” Cabalka said.

The all-Big Eight team is determined by an individual’s top three conference matches, the Big Eight Conference Tournament and three at-large invitationals.

An early six-run explosion set the stage for a holiday celebration for the visiting Cross Plains Businessmen on Sunday.

It was Drew Meinholz’s only hit of the game, though, that capped a perfect weekend.

Meinholz lined a two-out single to left field to score Garret Pertzborn from third base as Cross Plains edged Middleton, 7-6, in 12 innings in a Northern Section East Division Home Talent League amateur baseball game.

“It’s huge in the standings,” Cross Plains manager Randy Meinholz said. “We had a helluva a game at Reedsburg (Saturday). It was a battle. I don’t know where these guys got the energy today. I could see it getting away from us, but they hung in there.”

Cross Plains, which edged host Reedsburg, 5-3, on Saturday, improved to 5-1 in the Northern Section’s East Division. Ashton is also 5-1, Middleton fell to 4-2.

A point here. A double fault there.

A winner here. An ace there.

The boys tennis teams from Middleton and Marquette split two matches this season that were Spandex-tight. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, Marquette’s win came in the WIAA Division 1 state semifinals held at the Menards Tennis Center in Eau Claire last Saturday.

The Hilltoppers won all three doubles matches and edged Middleton, 4-3. The Cardinals had snuck past Marquette, 4-3, back on May 26.

Middleton, which also defeated Eau Claire Memorial, 7-0, in the state quarterfinals last Friday, ended the year 23-2. Marquette, which lost in the state finals to Brookfield East, went 22-3 on the season.

“Overall I thought the team was well-prepared and we played our best tennis all year at team state,” Middleton coach Tony Mirasola said. “From top to bottom we did play very well.

LA CROSSE – In her previous appearance at the WIAA Division 1 state track and field meet as a freshman, Lauren Pansegrau had to settle for second-best, with a runner-up finish in the 3,200-meter run.

The Middleton junior distance star added to an already impressive résumé, though, by reaching the top of the podium in her return engagement at state.

Pansegrau, who had earlier placed second in the 1,600, left no doubt who was top dog in the 3,200, easily claiming her first state track and field title in a time of 10 minutes, 21.6 seconds at the Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex last Saturday.

Onalaska senior Kora Malecek was second in 10:29.33.

Cardinals’ sophomore Zaira Malloy-Salgado finished 11^th in 11:18.57.

“I’ve been working real hard this year,” Pansegrau said. “It’s been a long season, especially not getting to run track my sophomore season. It’s been really fun.

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.

Middleton’s Home Talent League has won the Northern Section’s East Division every year since 2016.

With the division as good as ever, the 29ers fully understood the importance of Sunday’s game against first place Ashton. And Middleton delivered arguably its finest performance of the year.

The 29ers got a pitching gem from Ross Hellenbrand, sensational defense and toppled the visiting A’s, 2-1.

Middleton also downed Wisconsin Dells, 11-1, last Friday and is now 4-1 in the division. Ashton and Cross Plains are 4-1, as well.

“Ashton’s a really good team,” Middleton manager Brandon Hellenbrand said. “This was a huge win for us.”

Ross Hellenbrand threw the first 6 1/3 innings, allowed seven hits, struck out two and walked two. Drew Farrell threw the final 2 2/3 allowing three hits, while striking out two and walking one.

Comebacks had become the norm.

Middleton’s baseball team rallied twice in the final days of the regular season and won games where it was down to its last strike.

The Cardinals surged past DeForest in the last two innings of their WIAA Division 1 regional final on June 17. And Middleton stunned Madison Memorial with a five-run seventh inning on their way to an 8-6 win in the sectional semifinals Tuesday.

But the ‘Comeback Kids’ came up one rally short in their bid to reach the state tournament.

A few hours after ousting Madison Memorial, Middleton fell to Onalaska, 2-1, in the sectional finals Tuesday in Baraboo. The Cardinals rallied for one run in the seventh, but left runners stranded on third and second to end the game.

Middleton, which was gunning for its first trip to state since 2016, won 14 of its final 18 games and finished the year 19-10. Onalaska improved to 16-9 and reached the state tournament for the first time since 1994.

Kobi Davis was the sole Middleton girls athlete to win an individual title at the Madison Memorial Sectional track and field meet at Mansfield Stadium on June 17.

The senior thrower will have plenty of company, though, when the Cardinals compete at the WIAA Division 1 state track and field championships this weekend.

That includes sophomore Madilyn Vander Sanden, who helped Middleton sweep the top two places in the shot put competition. The duo will be making their state meet debuts. Davis also qualified in the discus with a runner-up finish in the event at sectionals.

“I’m so happy,” said Davis, who remained unbeaten in the shot put this season with a winning mark of 39 feet, 10.25 inches that she recorded on her third throw in prelims. “I hoped throughout the entire season Maddie would make it, and she did. I’m so proud of her. I’m really glad she’s coming with me.”

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 13^th 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.

They played well throughout the weekend.

They competed hard, and for the most part, held their seeds.

Now, Middleton’s boys tennis team hopes to use its experience at the WIAA Division 1 individual state meet as a springboard to the state team meet this weekend.

The Cardinals sent three singles players and two doubles teams to the individual state tournament last weekend in Eau Claire and had respectable results.

Top singles player Koji Heinemann won a pair of matches, before falling in the round of 16. No. 2 singles player Ian Connell won a match, then lost in the round of 32.

No. 3 singles player Jonathon Kim also won a match, before losing in the round of 32. Middleton’s two doubles teams of Gene Kim and Kieran Gopal, and Anders Clark and Jacob Mandelbrot didn’t get out of the first round.

“I thought all of my players competed hard and played well at the tournament,” Middleton coach Tony Mirasola said.