By David Paulsen
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
An eighth-place finish was the best any of the Waterford High School track and field athletes could accomplish at the WIAA State Track and Field Championships held Friday and Saturday at La Crosse.
Senior Jenny Gilbreath grabbed eighth in the 400-meter run. Gilbreath turned in a season best time of 59.34 seconds in the qualifying race, and then ran 59.56 in the finals. Although it was a season best time, the 59.34 was not a lifetime best for Gilbreath.
“She did pretty well there,” head coach Jerry Glisch said of Gilbreath’s 400. “She ran a pretty good time for this season.”
Gilbreath did not fare as well in the other two events she competed in at state – the 200 and the long jump.
In the 200, Gilbreath finished 16th. Her time of 27.13 seconds did not qualify her for the finals.
In the long jump, Gilbreath leaped 16 feet 2.5 inches, which was 19th best. Her season best had been 17-06.75.
“She had an off-day over there,” Glisch said.
The Wolverine girls also had their 4×100 relay team at state. Sam Dziak, Samantha Jahnke, Valerie Knurr and Hannah Zimmerman finished 19th overall with a time of 50.54. That was just .1 of a second slower than the girls time at sectional.
“They did a real nice job,” Glisch said. “I thought they ran a really good race.”
The only Wolverine boy competing at state was Brandon Miller. He threw the shot put 52-00.25, and finished 13th overall.
“I thought he did a nice job,” Glisch said, adding that Miller was very consistent all season, with most of his throws around 52 feet.
All season, Glisch emphasized that both of his squads were very young.
“We’re going to have a lot of kids coming back,” he noted.
The boys’ squad finished third in the Southern Lakes Conference, while the girls were fourth.
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