WIAA boys state cross country: Muskego, Oconomowoc and Shorewood highlight area finishes

WISCONSIN RAPIDS – Senior Diego Serraino was hard to miss Saturday as he made the final strides of a ninth-place individual finish at the WIAA Division 1 boys state cross country meet in 15 minutes 54.2 seconds.

His pink sleeves and hair dyed to match struck a contrast with Muskego's red, white and black uniforms, but it was for a purpose: breast cancer awareness. Serraino's mother, Heidi, was diagnosed in spring of 2022. While she is now in remission after multiple rounds of chemotherapy, October remains a reminder for the Serraino family of the importance of regular screenings. So much so, in fact, that Diego asked his mother if he could dye his hair pink near the conclusion of Breast Cancer Awareness Month when he would compete on WIAA cross country's biggest stage. Diego's teammates followed in solidarity, another symbolic gesture of a close-knit, senior-led team.

"We knew we could be anywhere between fourth and 12th," Diego said of the team placement expectations. "So we just went in here, had each other’s backs, raced hard and whatever happened, happened."

Muskego finished eighth in Division 1, following Serraino with senior Jonah Slavik in 56th (16:47.8), senior Alex Anschutz in 63rd (16:50.7), senior Owen Danihel in 64th (16:50.9), sophomore Parker Fons in 137th (17:28.3), sophomore Jack Reinsel in 144th (17:33.6) and senior Dominic Curatola in 168th (17:47.4).

Lennington's 10th place leads Oconomowoc to third

Facing a pair of dominant, senior-led programs in Stevens Point and Hudson, Oconomowoc couldn't have hoped for much more than the third-place finish the Raccoons earned. Junior James Lennington led the effort, coming in 10th with a time of 15:55, followed by senior Jayden Sayles in 30th (16:22.3), senior Bryce Faith in 35th (16:28.4), sophomore Troy Bartlet in 49th (16:42.2), sophomore Max Meissner in 68th (16:53.1), senior James Belus in 115th (17:15.2) and senior Mason Paar in 140th (17:30.1).

Lennington said there was not a placement goal for the team after a second in 2022 but instead an emphasis on giving the state stage "everything we had."

"I think that’s what happened today," Lennington said. "We didn’t get that second again, but it was still a really awesome experience and sixth time at state in the last six years."

That run of six straight appearances also includes a 2020 title, which remains the standard for returning runners in 2024.

"I’m definitely excited to take up those expectations, but I think we’ll definitely be able make it to state again next year," Lennington said. "We have such great coaching, such a great team environment and a supportive school."

Shorewood finishes third in Division 2

Shorewood put together an "all-out fight to the end" in the Division 2 race, according to senior Cody McKenna, but came up just short of a team title.

The third straight state appearance and 46th in program history ended with a third-place finish led by McKenna's 22nd overall (16:43.9). Shorewood's team score of 134 followed Lakeside Lutheran (112) and Winneconne (116).

"We did think we could contend for first, but I’m really proud of my team even though we got third," McKenna said. "It was a hard-fought battle."

Following McKenna were freshman Nolan Johnson in 32nd (16:59.1), sophomore Ryan Lien in 34th (16:59.7), sophomore Ryan Optekar in 63rd (17:24.7), freshman Benny Bejma in 70th (17:31.1), junior Sam Donner in 73rd (17:33.7) and senior Rueben Keuler in 108th (18:04.1). McKenna said the whole team was running for one another, and seniors like himself and Keuler were trying to leave the program better than they found it.

"We’ve been trying to enjoy our last season and make sure our younger team will prosper in the future," McKenna said.

Kettle Moraine Lutheran junior Kyle Kieper climbed from 76th in 2022 to third in 2023 with a time of 16:06.8 to highlight other area performances in Division 2.

WIAA boys state cross country results

Division 1

Team scores: 1, Stevens Point, 36; 2, Hudson, 75; 3, Oconomowoc, 137; 4, Marquette, 163; 5, Madison West, 185; 6, Green Bay Preble, 189; 7, De Pere, 233; 8, Muskego, 237; 9, Eau Claire Memorial, 281; 10, Brookfield East, 297; 11, Madison East, 297; 12, Homestead, 298; 13, Middleton, 317; 14, Hartford, 317; 15, Mukwonago, 318; 16, Pewaukee, 396; 17, Neenah, 404; 18, Kenosha Indian Trail, 414; 19, Madison La Follette, 435; 20, Waukesha South, 549.

Top individuals: 1, Manny Putz, Onalaska, 15:05.8; 2, Aloysius Franzen, Stevens Point, 15:09.7; 3, Grady Lenn, De Pere, 15:17.0; 4, Zach Temple, Madison West, 15:40.9; 5, Jacob Nuthals, Green Bay Preble, 15:42.3; 6, Ethan Olds, Stevens Point, 15:44.8; 7, Brock Bjerke, Hudson, 15:45.9; 8, Cooper Erickson, Stevens Point, 15:47.2; 9, Diego Serraino, Muskego, 15:54.2; 10, James Lennington, Oconomowoc, 15:55.

Division 2

Team scores: 1, Lakeside Lutheran, 112; 2, Winneconne, 116; 3, Shorewood, 134; 4, West Salem, 140; 5, Bloomer, 163; 6, Lakeland Lutheran, 173; 7, Kiel, 187; 8, McFarland, 187; 9, Dodgeville/Mineral Point, 203; 10, Shawano Community, 225; 11, Osceola, 236; 12, Watertown Luther Prep, 271; 13, Notre Dame, 301; 14, Whitewater, 311; 15, Campbellsport, 312; 16, Clinton, 374.

Top individuals: 1, Noah Kuhn, Edgewood, 15:50.5; 2, Max Voss, Amherst, 16:00.2; 3, Kyle Kieper, Kettle Moraine Lutheran, 16:06.8; 4, Will Chelberg, Shawano Community, 16:07.9; 5, Cameron Weiland, Lakeside Lutheran, 16:11.7; 6, Owen Clark, Lakeland Union, 16:12.6; 7, Alex Anewenter, Port Washington, 16:16.4; 8, Joseph Hunt, Notre Dame, 16:17.5; 9, Layne Aurit, Dodgeville/Mineral Point, 16:20.9; 10, Tre Dammen, Monroe, 16:26.0.

Division 3

Team scores: 1, Kohler, 109; 2, Solon Springs/Northwood, 114; 3, Cedar Grove-Belgium, 131; 4, Aquinas, 135; 5, Fennimore, 141; 6, Phillips, 164; 7, Pacelli, 167; 8, Pardeeville, 172; 9, McDonell Central Catholic, 188; 10, Lake Country Lutheran, 227; 11, Dodgeland, 267; 12, Iola-Scandinavia, 292; 13, Bonduel, 312; 14, Bangor, 318; 15, Chetek-Weyerhaeuser, 321; 16, St. Mary Catholic, 369.

Top individuals: 1, Charlie Vater, Iola Scandinavia, 15:49.7; 2, Taylor Karcz, Crandon, 16:01.8; 3, Carter Scholey, Belleville, 16:04.3; 4, Jonathan Skemp, Aquinas, 16:10.9; 5, Gavin Stewart, Ladysmith, 16:10.9; 6, Isaac Scheer, Columbus Catholic, 16:18.4; 7, Luke Eiden, Pacelli, 16:24.5; 8, Isaac Dickenson, Solon Springs/Northwood, 16:25.3; 9, Matthew Wilterdink, Oostburg, 16:25.5; 10, Connor Quimby, Grantsburg, 16:34.4.

Full WIAA state cross country results are available on the WIAA website.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Muskego, Oconomowoc, Shorewood stand out in boys state cross country