Huenink makes fourth trip to state track and field meet

Cedar Grove-Belgium High School senior Weston Huenink is making his fourth trip to the state track and field meet, but he was more worried about others making their first.

Huenink anchored the 3,200-meter relay at a Division 3 sectional in Hilbert to fourth place in 8 minutes, 28.4 seconds last Friday, snagging the final spot to qualify to head to La Crosse this week.

The other runners were Nolan Brill, Noah Hopeman and Jack Krause, who have never been to state before.

“That 4x8, I wanted to go for it. I really wanted my team down there. I think that’s the most important part,” Huenink said. “Being down there with the team is a much better experience, so I gave it my all in that.”

The team finished 13 seconds ahead of the fifth-place squad from Weyauwega-Fremont.

“We’re so happy for the 4x800 to get a chance to race at state on Friday,” coach Jamie Brill said.

Distance coach Brandon Langer put the squad together.

“Brandon is a great researcher and looked into building a 4x800 and adding Wes Huenink. By his calculations and projected times for these guys, he thought that they had a chance to make it,” Brill said.

“The boys ran hard, with most of them running personal-record times or tying them. It was very cool to see them get there.”

Huenink returns to state in the 1,600 after finishing third in 4:29.77. He was ninth last season at state in 4:29.47.

“Did what I could in the mile, got the job done,” he said.

“He’s a great runner who runs with a game plan and usually executes it,” Brill said. “He’s already talking strategy for the state race and has some high aspirations. It’s wonderful he can run his last race of his high school career at the state meet.”

The Rockets’ other finishers were: the 1,600 relay of Nolan Brill, Cameron Holle, Huenink and Peterson, sixth, 3:35.28; RJ Griffin, high jump, eighth, 6 feet; Abram Brill, pole vault, 10th, 11-0; and Parker Held, 200, 14th, 24.55.

Schmidt breaks another school record

Sophomore Brynlee Schmidt, who holds the school’s cross country record, qualified for state in the 3,200, finishing a surprising third in a school-record 11:22.83.

“She went from being seeded 14th in the two-mile to sticking with the chase pack through all the laps and showed her strength once again by pulling away for third place to qualify,” Brill said. “She cut 49 seconds of her personal record and broke the school record in the process. It will be exciting to watch her run on Saturday.”

Schmidt is making her first trip to the state track and field meet, but she has already competed twice in the state cross country meet.

“Brynlee is a gamer. She proved she has fight and grit as a freshman during her cross country season her freshman year, qualifying for the state meet after coming in as a relative unknown,” Brill said.