By Mike Moore
Sports Correspondent
After a 1 ½-hour rain delay, the Burlington track and field program made a splash at the WIAA Division 1 regional meet on Tuesday.
Both teams brought home an individual regional champion from the competition in Lake Geneva. Cody Mather won the pole vault for the boys, while Brittany Ehlen won the 3,200-meter run for the girls.
In all, 14 Burlington athletes advanced to the sectional meet Friday in Janesville.
“When you have that many individuals who move on, it shows a little bit of depth to your team,” said girls’ head coach Dan Luneau, who also assists boys’ long jumpers.
Burlington pole vaulters hogged three of the four available boys’ qualifying spots. Mather led the way by clearing a height of 12 feet, six inches better than Lucas Shenkenberg and Greg Vogt.
The Demons totaled 74.5 points, placing fourth among the eight competing teams. Kenosha Indian Trail had the top team score, with 133.
Other boys advancing from the regional were Josh Insor in the 200; Nathaniel Sibley in the 1,600; Charlie Aguirre in the 300 hurdles; Austin Epping in the long jump; and Tyler Bopp in the triple jump.
While her cousin Meta’s success sometimes overshadows Brittany Ehlen’s consistency, this time she shined brightest. Brittany cruised to victory in the two-mile race by nearly four seconds. Despite little break between the two events, she also advanced in the pole vault.
In the girls team standings, Burlington finished sixth with 69.5 points. Kenosha Tremper held the top spot with 118.
Other girls sectional qualifiers included Megan Wallace in the 400; Meta Ehlen in the 1,600; Emma Fettig in the long jump; and Lisa Bedessem and Arden Peterson in the triple jump. Doubling up in that last event pleasantly surprised Luneau.
“I thought maybe, on a good day, we’d have one in the top four,” he said. “That was great.”
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