Wisconsin High School Track and Field - 2007 Athletes of the Year

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Wisconsin High School Track News
Last Updated: August 5, 2007

2007 Athletes of the Year.

Madison, WI (8/5/07) -- wisconsintrackandfield.com has announced its selections for the 2007 Wisconsin Prep Track and Field Athletes of the Year.

This season wisconsintrackandfield.com has chosen Belleville-New Glarus junior Ashley Beutler and Watertown junior Andrew Perkins as the Athletes of the Year. Both were chosen because of their 2007 results and the significant historical perspective of their top times (both moving past Wisconsin track legends with their top times this season).

In 2007 our AOY selections had times that moved past legendary Wisconsin athletes Mark Winzenried (Monroe 1967) and Cathy Branta (Slinger 1981).

Read more about this season in the Wisconsin High School Track and Field Yearbook - 2007 (ISSN 1540-4978) Volume 6. The 2007 Yearbook provides a snapshot of the 2007 Wisconsin High School Track season and the 2006 Cross Country season for both boys and girls. See how to order your copy here.

Female Athlete of the Year

Ashley Beutler was the dominant force in female distance running this season.

She led the honor roll in both the 1600 and 3200 meter runs all year. At the WIAA State Championship in La Crosse, she ran her season bests to take home two state titles. Beutler also won the 2006 WIAA D2 cross country title.

At the WIAA State Meet in La Crosse, Ashley bypassed Branta’s D2 record in 1600 meter run with a great run of 4:48.37 (fourth best ever). Her season leading 3200 meter time (10:46.62) is the 13th fastest ever. Beutler has improved her times each season so 2008 could be a season to watch.

Moving past Branta in the history books was no small effort.

Branta was a five-time national champion (twice in the 3,000 meters outdoors and once each in cross country, the 3,000 meters indoors and the 1,500 meters outdoors - also as a Badger). She set NCAA meet records in the 3,000-meter run indoors (9:04.81) and outdoors (8:59.57). During her collegiate career Branta was an 11-time All-American and eight-time Big Ten champ. It was indeed a very special occasion when new history was made in 2007 by a new generation of Wisconsin stars.

In high school Branta won 6-WIAA titles in the 1-mile, 2-mile and 1600 and 3200 meter runs. She set the WIAA 1600 meter D2 state record in Madison in 1981 with a run of 4:51.86.

Female Top Ten Athletes:

There were many other outstanding athletes this season. See how wisconsintrackandfield.com rates the rest of the top-ten.

2  Hannah Gronning, Shell Lake, Senior: Gronning was the main reason Shell Lake won the WIAA D3 team title as she took home three gold medals - the shot put, discus and as a member of the champion 400 meter relay squad. Hannah also had the sixth best discus throw ever and the top mark this season at 159-9. Gronning was named the Wisconsin Track Coaches Association Girls Athlete of the Year as well as the Gatorade Wisconsin Girls Track and Field Player of the Year.
3  Kaya Senaya, Brown Deer, Junior: Senaya won three WIAA D2 State titles in La Crosse and ran the all-time best 100 (11.78) as well as the year’s fastest 200. She repeated her individual WIAA 2006 wins in the 100 and 200 meter dashes and she also anchored the winning Brown Deer 400 meter relay squad.
4  Becca Buchholz, East Troy, Junior: Buchholz repeated as the D2 state high jump champion with a PR and third best jump ever of 5-9. She also won the D2 triple jump and took second in the long jump totaling 28 points scoring all the East Troy’s points (placing them sixth in the team competition).
5  Akaila Cabell, Racine Case, Senior: Cabell scored 28 points at the WIAA state meet helping Case to a 4th place team finish. She won the WIAA D1 100 and 400 meter dashes and came in second in the 200. She also led the honor roll in the 400 - and she had the second best 100 and fourth best 200.
6  Jamie Dittmar, Wausau East, Senior: Jamie just missed her PR (set at state in 2006), running the sixth fastest time ever in the 800 meters while winning the WIAA D1 title in 2:11.63. No Wisconsin girl (other than Jamie) has run this fast since historic Wisconsin runner Suzy Favor in 1985.
7  Sharyn Dahl, Hudson, Senior: Helping D1 team champion Hudson to their title, Dahl repeated her WIAA D1 300 low hurdles title in the fifth best time ever - 44.11. She also finished 5th in the D1 high hurdles.
8  Emily Worden, La Crosse Logan, Sophomore: Worden had the season’s best long jump (19-1Ľ) at Stoughton in early May. This is the fifth furthest jump ever. She also won the D1 state title with a great leap of 18-10.
9  Megan Rennhack, Dodgeland, Junior: Rennhack ran the sixth fastest time ever in the 300 meter low hurdles while running 44.44 in the WIAA D3 prelims. She also won both the high and low hurdle titles in the WIAA D3 competition.
10  Anna Johnson, Appleton Xavier, Senior: Johnson won both hurdles events in WIAA state D2 competition. Her winning time in the 100 meter high hurdles (14.85) was the year’s fastest time. Her 300 low hurdles winning time (45.03) was the fourth best this season.

Male Athlete of the Year

Once again in 2007, Wisconsin boys distance stars had a fantastic season. Many top performances were made by guys like Matt Mroczyzynski, Aron Keho, Joe McFarland, Joshua Lund, and Sean Olson. One name was dominant above all of the other distance studs. Andrew Perkins, whose name has been at the top of Wisconsin distance runners now for several years, took his game to a new level in 2007 Watertown junior, Perkins, had a fantastic season both with the quality of his times as well as with championships won.

At the WIAA state meet, he won both the D1 800 meter and the 1600 meter runs. After placing highly in the 800, 1600 and 3200 meter runs in 2006 he focused on just the two shorter distances in 2007 and brought home the titles over very tough competition.

One week after the state meet, Perkins won the 800 meters at the Midwest Distance Gala in Elmhurst, ILL, with the best time ever run by a Wisconsin athlete (1:50.17). This time topped the mark made by legendary Wisconsin runner Mark Winzenried in the summer of 1967 (1:50.3hy).

Winzenried was the first Wisconsin athlete to break 4-minutes in the mile and he once held the world record in the indoor 1000 yard run along with being a five-time all-American, including three NCAA titles competing for the University of Wisconsin. In high school Mark held the WIAA state record in the 440 yard dash (47.8 set in 1966) and 880 yard run (1:53.1 set in 1967) for many years.

Male Top Ten Athletes

2  Paul Annear, Richland Center, Junior: Annear had the best high jump this season with the 6-10Ľ indoor mark he made in February (equals the fifth best jump ever). Annear had a best of 6-10 outdoors. At State he won three D2 titles - winning all of the jumping events - high jump, long jump and triple jump. His WIAA high jump title was his third straight. Only David Greenwood (Park Falls, 1979) has ever won four straight high jump titles. Annear was named the Wisconsin Track Coaches Association athlete of the year as well as the Gatorade Wisconsin Boys Track and Field Player of the Year.
3  Quentin Luttrell, Milwaukee Marshall, Senior: Luttrell was Wisconsin’s best sprinter in 2007. Luttrell won both WIAA D1 sprints in La Crosse. He the fastest 200 meter time this season (21.35 - x12WI). His 100 meter title was his second straight.
4  Adam Hexum, Hayward, Senior: Hexum ran the second fastest 110 meter high hurdle time ever at the USATF Junior Olympics (14.08). He also won the WIAA D2 high hurdles and he placed second in the D2 300 hurdles with the year’s third best time (38.49).
5  Aron Keho, Monroe, Senior: Keho took second to Perkins in the 800 meters in La Crosse with a fantastic time of 1:52.99 (x11WI). He also anchored Monroe’s record setting 3200 meter relay squad (7:42.91).
6  Marcus Jenkins, Bradley Tech, Junior: Jenkins had the furthest long jump this season at 24-5 (x2WI) set while winning the national title at the AAU Junior Olympics. He also won the WIAA D1 title with this 23-7Ľ leap. In addition to his individual efforts, Jenkins was also a member of Tech’s state championship 800 meter relay squad which ran the fifth best time ever while winning the D1 title in 1:28.36.
7  Marcus Smith, West Allis Central, Junior: Smith was the dominant triple jumper this season (best of 48-3ľ - x7WI) but he was upset at State by South Milwaukee’s Trey McKinney-Jones. Smith did finish second in the triple jump to McKinney-Jones and he pulled off a surprise of his own by winning the D1 110 meter high hurdles.
8  Cory Yttre, Brookfield East, Senior: Yttre ran the eighth fastest 400 meter time ever while winning at the Monona Grove Invite (47.92). He also won the WIAA D1 title with a 48.77 time and he took third in the D1 200.
9  Patrick Plank, Omro, Senior: Plank ran the 11th fastest 300 meter intermediate time ever while winning the WIAA D2 title (38.08). He also placed second in the WIAA D2 200 meter dash and he had the year’s seventh fastest 110 meter high hurdle time (14.62).
10  Justin Austin, Brown Deer, Junior: Although he was running with strained hamstrings, Austin defended his D2 100 and 200 meter dash titles in La Crosse. Austin also ran 21.45 in the 200 meters this season which is the 16th fastest ever.