Michael WhitlowMilwaukee Journal Sentinel
Here are 25 top girls athletes to watch in WIAA track and field this spring:
Luciana Aizpurua, jr., Amery
Aizpurua made some history on her way to a Division 2 state title in the 100-meter final last spring. Aizpurua put her talent on full display with a state-record time of 11.85 seconds to win the event for the second straight year. She also finished 4th in the 200 (24.83).
Nolie Anderson, jr., St. Mary Catholic
Anderson won the Division 3 state title in the discus throw competition last season with a toss of 128-11 in her second appearance at state. She improved her top throw from her freshman season by over 20 feet and is one of the favorites to win the crown again.
Ella Anschutz, so., Muskego
The Warriors got a massive boost for their state title chances in their runner-up finish last season when Anschutz won the Division 1 1,600 title with a time of 4:50.27 in one of the wildest weather days in the state track meet’s history. The reigning D1 cross-country champion will also be one of the favorites in the distance events this spring.
Anisa Barnett, jr., Homestead
Barnett took home the D1 triple jump championship last season with a leap of 38-10.25, which she admitted in her title-winning joy that she surprised herself with that jump. She won’t surprise anyone this season, but she will again be one of the top athletes to watch in the event.
Sophia Bablitch, sr., Rosholt
Bablitch returns for one final go as the defending D3 3,200 state champion. The University of Minnesota commit won last year’s title with a time of 10:55.35, over eight seconds ahead of second place. The duels in the 1,600 and the 3,200 with Bablitch and Chequamegon’s Autumn Michalski – the reigning state champion in the 800 and 1,600 – should be a blast to watch again.
Keira Fax, jr., Wauwatosa West
Bad weather, no functioning lights at times, no problem for Keira Fax last year at state. As a sophom*ore, Fax captured her first state title in the D1 shot put competition with a throw of just over 41 feet. She also finished 13th in the discus throw with a best toss of 114-10.
Ava Finger, jr., Dodgeland
Finger finished in the top three of three different events last season during the state wheelchair meet. She was the runner-up in the 100 (26.65) and the 400 (1:54.38), while also finishing in third place with a shot put throw of 10-9.75.
Erin Gluch, jr., Westby
Gluch was the lone high jumper to clear 5-8 to win her first state title last season. She came just an inch short of tying the D3 state record of 5-9 set 15 years ago. She already cleared 5-6 during the indoor season.
Nora Gremban, sr., Northland Pines
The reigning D2 cross-country champion also captured the state title for the third straight time in the 1,600 last spring with a time of 4:53.30, roughly four seconds ahead of second place. Overall, the future Wisconsin Badgers runner has won five individual state track titles to go along with the cross-country crown.
Renaya Horvath, so., Greenwood
Horvath will look to defend her 100-meter title in the wheelchair division from last spring. She captured her first state title with a time of 24.23 seconds and also finished as the runner-up in the shot put competition with a throw of 11-8.
Kamdan Johnson, jr., Florence
Johnson won the D3 100-meter hurdles state title last season in her state hurdles debut with a time of 15.01 seconds. With another title in the 100 hurdles, Johnson could become the first hurdler since Reedsville’s Faith Lubner in 2016-17 to repeat as D3 state champion in the event.
Thea Kral, jr., Ashwaubenon
Kral captured the D1 discus throw state title last spring with a toss of 139-4, over eight feet more than second place. She also finished inside the top eight finishers in the shot put competition for the second straight state meet with a throw of 38-1.5. Kral could become the second repeat D1 discus state champion after D.C. Everest’s Danni Langseth captured the 2019 and 2021 titles (the 2020 meet was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
Lydia Merrick, jr., Freedom
Merrick won the D2 high jump state championship last spring as the only jumper to clear 5-6. She’s already cleared 5-7 this season, so the bar’s been raised for her competition before the action moves outdoors over the next couple months.
Autumn Michalski, sr., Chequamegon
The Oklahoma State recruit will look to complete the distance title trilogy in Division 3 this spring. She captured both the 800 and 1,600 state titles last season with a runner-up finish to Rosholt’s Sophia Bablitch in the 3,200. Her time of 2:12.13 in the 800 set a new state record. Michalski also won the D3 cross-country title in her final race this past fall.
Sara Mlodik, sr., D.C. Everest
Only one runner in D1 last season finished inside of the top five in the 800 (5th), 1,600 (2nd) and 3,200 (3rd) at the state track meet. That was Sara Mlodik, who also finished 11th in the D1 state cross-country meet this past fall. The Wisconsin recruit for both track and cross-country should be a title contender in all three distance events again, especially the 1,600 where she finished in second place by 0.56 seconds to Muskego’s Ella Anschutz.
Casidi Pehler, sr., Arcadia
The future North Dakota State vaulter went from clearing 10-9 and a fourth-place finish at state as a sophom*ore to a state champion by clearing 11-6 last spring. She’ll look to make her third straight appearance at state in the event.
Meredith Richter, sr., Medford
Richter ended Nora Gremban’s dominance in the 800 to capture the D2 state title with a time of 2:14.08, 1.56 seconds ahead of Osceola’s Rachel Ulrich. Richter will look to repeat in the event before she heads off to run track and cross-country (7th place at state last fall) for the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
Abigail Sadler, sr., Mount Horeb
Before Sadler departs for Harvard this fall, she has an 800 state title to defend in D1. Sadler captured the crown last spring with a time of 2:11.64 following the departure of SPASH’s state record-setter Roisin Willis. If last year was any indication, this race could be one to watch in La Crosse with the likes of Cedarburg’s Charlize-Trinity McKenzie and Oregon’s Delaney Nyenhuis also chasing the crown.
Alena Sanfelippo, jr., Fall Creek
In her first appearance in the state pole vault competition as a sophom*ore, Sanfelippo captured the D3 title with a vault of 11-1. Not only that, she helped Fall Creek capture the D3 team title by running legs on the state title-winning 400 and 800 relay teams, plus a fifth-place finish in the long jump competition.
Elise Schroeder, so., Arrowhead
Schroeder came so close to capturing the pole vault state title in D1 last season. She cleared 12 feet with West De Pere’s Eliza Aitken, but with one more miss overall than Aitken, Schroeder took home with a runner-up medal. The boys have captured much of the attention for Arrowhead in recent years with their success, but the girls continue to grow and Schroeder is helping lead the charge.
Eliana Sheplee, sr., Rice Lake
Division 2 was loaded in the 100, 200 and 400 last season and the Northern Iowa recruit found a way to finish inside of the top five in all three events, including a record-setting performance in the 400. Sheplee finished fifth in the 100 (12.29), second in the 200 (24.69) and broke her own state record in the 400 on her way to her third straight state title in the event with a time of 55.25 seconds.
Iszy Sonnentag, so., Cadott
Sonnentag didn’t waste any time finding gold in her freshman season. She captured the D3 state title in the 400 with a time of 57.69 seconds. The 400 in D3 could be quite an event over the next couple seasons. Only one upperclassman was featured in last year’s final that Sonnentag won.
Bella Thomas, so., Assumption
The sprinting events in D3 will likely have some featured names over the next few years. Thomas falls into that crop after a stellar finish to her freshman campaign. She won the 100 state title (12.39) and finished as the state runner-up in the 200 with a time of 25.49 seconds, just .05 seconds from a 100/200 title double.
Elletta Uddin, so., Osceola
In terms of overall state meet performances last season, few had one better than Uddin. She finished as the runner-up in the high jump (5-5), won the 100 hurdles (14.34) in a fun heat with Shorewood’s Kaymin Phillips, and then set a new state record in capturing the 300 hurdles with a time of 43.56 seconds.
MacKenzie Wissbroecker, sr., Antigo
Wissbroecker finished third in the D2 long jump competition as a freshman and has won the title the last two seasons. With another state title, the Winona State recruit would join a group of 109 girls that have won three state titles in one event in state history.
