Schubert saves the best for last

This was the last cross country race of his high school career, and Nicholas Schubert made sure it was a memorable one.

The Ozaukee High School senior led his team by finishing 14th (eighth of runners in the team competition) of 152 runners in the 5,000-meter race in a personal-record 16 minutes, 39.9 seconds.

Schubert had finished 17th and 20th in the Division 3 meet.

“It was his third time running at state, and he saved his best race for his last,” coach Andrew Pfeuffer said. “Nick has been a consistent and dedicated runner for us since he was a freshman.  He is always at practice, willing to work hard, and a competitor.”

“Finishing my cross country career at state was definitely bittersweet,” Schubert said. “It’s hard knowing that something I’ve spent so much time doing is over so soon, but I’m grateful for all the teammates, coaches and memories I’ve made along the way. I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.”

His finish helped lead the Warriors to 187 points and seventh place of 16 teams. Marathon won with 102, and Brookwood had 108.

Sophomore Wyatt Borchardt, in his second state race, finished 41st (19th) in 17:23.8, nearly a minute faster than at last year’s state meet.

“The state course is challenging and many runners need that initial experience to learn how to run the hills efficiently and to handle the excitement of state,” Pfeuffer said.

First-time state runners Sterling Schanen was 61st (31st) in 17:39.9, Hugh Steffen was 97th (58th) in 18:25.9 and Fritz Hoffmann was 111th (71st) in 18:59.1.

Evan Caswell was 121st in 19:14.9 and Carsen Isselmann was 126th in 19:25.

“Sometimes there can be a letdown in performance after qualifying for state, but that was not the case with these guys,” Pfeuffer said. “They came out ready to prove how good of a team we can be and to place in the top half of teams at state is a great accomplishment for our program.”

The Warriors beat Big East Conference rival Sheboygan Lutheran, which finished ninth with 195 points.

“Beating Sheboygan Lutheran was definitely part of the plan, and it was exciting to see that pay off,” Schubert said. “Our race strategy was pretty much to go out there, let it rip, and give it everything we had.”

Ozaukee loses Schubert and Steffen to graduation but returns everyone else next season.

“It was a great season overall. I’m proud of our guys, and we look forward to the challenge of making it back to the state meet next year,” Pfeuffer said.