Ella Anderson and Payton Eicher Shine on Opening Day of WIAA Girls State Track Meet

LA CROSSE - The 55th Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) girls state track and field meet commenced on Friday, June 5, featuring preliminary events in sprints, long-distance finals, and various field competitions at the Veterans Memorial Complex at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. The opening session celebrated two state champions from the greater Milwaukee area, while many athletes positioned themselves for potential victories on the concluding day.

Franklin sophomore Ella Anderson captured the Division 1 state high jump title, setting a new school record. After narrowly missing out on qualifying for the finals in the 800-meter relay, Anderson faced a tight high jump competition. She managed to clear the height of five feet, seven inches on her final attempt, clinching her first state championship. "It was amazing," she reflected on her victory, noting her exhaustion from the previous relay. "I was coming in kinda nervous, but I just told myself to do what I do and let it all work out."

Arrowhead's Payton Eicher also had a standout performance, winning the Division 1 long jump competition. Although she did not surpass her personal best of 20 feet, her winning jump of 19 feet, 9 inches brought her within three-quarters of an inch of the state meet record. "I was super stoked about long jump because I knew it wasn't gonna be an easy pathway through," Eicher said, expressing her determination to succeed despite the nerves she felt prior to the event.

In addition to these individual achievements, several area athletes made their mark in preliminary heats. Dominican senior Sydney Knautz set a Division 3 state meet record in the 100 meters with a time of 12.10 seconds, while Pius XI Catholic and New Berlin West both established new Division 2 records in the 800-meter relay heats, setting the stage for thrilling finals on Saturday. The competition continued to be fierce, particularly in the D1 sprints, with numerous local athletes recording top times to advance.