Phenomenal Sectional performances have landed Prescott’s Kyra Dix, Ellsworth’s Adolfo Mendez and River Falls’ Micaiah Black spots in the Halloween State meet at Wisconsin Rapids.

Rice Lake Sectional

Prescott and Ellsworth each had a State qualifier and top two finisher at the Rice Lake Sectional on Friday.

Prescott’s girls finished sixth of 12 teams at the meet, led by senior Dix winning the race and lowering her own school record to 18:02. Behind her were sophomore Brooklyn Huppert in 33rd with a personal best time and senior Emma Schmitz in 34th. Then it was junior Kyla Gotzinger in 58th and freshman Mari Most with a personal best time in 66th.

“I am honestly just so excited. I came into this meet a little down from last meet but really fired up to do better and to beat some people that I haven’t lost to yet this season that I did last meet. Definitely came in with some fire under my butt,” Dix said. “Trust yourself. Don’t second guess it otherwise you’re going to get in your head, and this is definitely a mental sport as a lot of sports are.”

The top six runners at the Sectional came from the Middle Border Conference, so Dix was familiar with the competition. She has raced individually and as part of a team at State before, which makes her all the more excited to return. Dix said the best part of State is being at the finish line and cheering on the rest of the runners.

“It’s just a vibe at State. I love when they play the ‘Cotton Eye Joe,’” Dix said. “All the people 12 ptthere are so nice. Cross country is such a community sport. It doesn’t matter who you’re racing against, because at the end you’re all going to give each other hugs and high fives.”

The boys took 11th of 13 teams. Leading the charge was senior Quinn Justen with a personal best time in 22nd and sophomore Dawson Langer in 24th. Then it was Rowan Bauman in 76th, Max Borkowski in 83rd and Andrew Henrich in 85th.

The Ellsworth boys threatened a top two spot for State qualification but ended up in fourth. Mendez’s personal best 15:47 time earned him runner-up and a trip to State individually. Junior Carter Lampman had a personal best in 11th, senior Jacob Michels finished 18th, senior Parker Lampman had a personal best in 37th and freshman Zakary Zierl had a personal best in 40th. Four of the five scorers for the Panthers had personal best times, and Michels had a season best time for himself.

“It feels great. I wish we could have went to team State,” Mendez said. “New PR, felt great. I was out there running, felt comfortable.”

Mendez is excited for the trip to State, as he enjoyed a trip to track and field State in the spring.

“I just kind of turn my mind off and just go out there and run. Do what I love doing,” Mendez said. “Just the atmosphere, it’s always great. Track State was great, so why not cross country.”

The girls team finished 11th of 12 teams, led by junior Evie Peterson’s personal best time to finish 23rd. Junior Blakely Lucente finished 26th, freshman Hayden Welch in 61st with a personal best, freshman Linnea Spears in 77th with a personal best and sophomore Mackenzie Hince in 86th.

Menomonie Sectional

The River Falls boys also made a run at a trip to State, coming up one spot short in third place.

“Our boys came in ranked sixth and fought their way to third,” River Falls Coach Kari DeLuca said. “They ran with incredible heart and battled to beat two tough rivals, Hudson and Chippewa Falls. Both teams beat us earlier in the season. We have three seniors in our top five; watching them end their cross country journey with exceptional races was extra special—what a way to go out.”

Sophomore Micaiah Black made it to State individually with a third-place finish and a time of 16:23. Senior Owen Koepke ended his season in 17th, senior Cruz Johnson in 19th, senior Dylan Henjum in 24th and sophomore Gunnar Johnson in 26th.

“Micaiah ran a super smart race. The heat and fast pacing caught up to many on Saturday, but not Micaiah. He put in so much work this off-season to get to this point, this trip to State is well-earned,” DeLuca said. “He’s got one heck of a career ahead of him.”

The girls team finished ninth of 13 teams. Junior Annie Csiacsek took 30th, sophomore Berkley Petta 37th, junior Mackenzie Schmidt 43rd with a personal best time, junior Willa Barry 54th and sophomore Ashelyn Schommer 74th.

“The girls’ team is in a fantastic spot, too. With most of our varsity roster returning next year, the energy and excitement for next season are already building. They're hungry and ready to put in the work,” DeLuca said.

Unity Sectional

The Dunn-St. Croix teams saw their seasons come to an end at the Unity Sectional but not before laying down some strong times Saturday.

The Spring Valley girls finished fifth of 14 teams thanks to solid finishes throughout the lineup. The team’s five scorers were freshman Frankie Hudson with a personal best time in 28th, junior Stella Mathison in 30th, senior Kate Cipriano with a personal best time in 40th, junior Harper Turner in 55th and junior Gwen Yonke in 62nd.

The boys finished eighth of 17 teams at the Sectional. Dexter Arco, Chase Glaus and Seth Palmer finished in the same crowd, taking 28th, 30th and 33rd. Following them up was junior Drake Olszewski in 41st and junior Bismillah Khan Kaker in 62nd.

Elmwood/Plum City had two runners compete, with senior Tessa Asher taking 72nd with a personal best time and sophomore Kyra Duval finishing 108th.