The 2024 State Cross Country Meet in Wisconsin Rapids on Saturday, November 2, was exactly what the team had envisioned months ago when this group of seniors laced up their shoes for their first summer runs. They were driven and would not waiver from the vision of being the best version of themselves by wearing a Whitewater Cross Country uniform this fall. They followed through with that in spades, as the team finished ninth overall, capped off with an individual state title from Jack Hefty.
In near perfect race conditions for both the course and the weather, Jack Hefty asserted himself early on with the pack that he was a force to reckon with. Positioned nicely with the leaders at the first mile at 5:00.7, he was poised to have a great day. By the second mile, he was now in third with his sights set on when he would make a push for the title. In the third and final mile, the most difficult part of the course with several challenging hill sections, Jack took the lead with about 300m to go. Making his last turn onto the final straight to a roaring crowd that was several people deep, it was all gas and no brakes as Hefty looked as smooth as ever with a lead that grew with every stride. The Whippet jersey once again was on full display for the crowd to see as Jack became the third Whitewater athlete to win a state cross country title (Rick Bergholtz ’75, Ben Maas ’95). Jack ran 15:46.5, the ninth fastest time overall across all divisions, which earned Jack first team All-State honors. His time is also the ninth fastest in Division 2 state history, and the sixth fastest on this course at the Ridges which has hosted the state race for over 35 years. Jack simply ran a flawless race that was the most complete 5000 meter effort of his life. He won every race he entered this season except one invitational in Janesville.
Miles Nickelsburg also shined brightly on this day as he made it back-to-back state meets where he came up big and was the team’s second runner. He methodically sawed his way through the field moving from 69th up to 53rd and finished in 17:18. Miles ran 29 seconds faster than last year’s state meet performance. Xavier Zei was the team’s third runner and finished in 78th in 17:35. Xavier was able to put a more complete race together this season which afforded him an incredible 57 second improvement over 2023. One year ago, Luc Pomazak wasn’t even a scoring runner on our JV team. This year, he was the fourth man on a team that finished 9th at state with a time of 18:01 and placed 101st. A year ago, Andrew O'Toole was the team’s 7th runner and finished in 20:29. This year he was the team’s fifth man placing 128th with a time of 18:31! Nearly two full minutes were cut from his state race a year ago. Onyx Thompson placed 134th with a time of 18:55, a 35-second improvement from a year ago. Isaac Straight was the final Whippet to cross the line in 150th place with a time of 20:18.
As a team, they finished in 9th place overall, moving up five spots from one year ago. It was an incredible day with incredible results. This was not just any team, this was a team consisting of all seniors - boys that started as freshmen who simply found their way, pulling in friends, and sharing their love of the sport to create a beautiful masterpiece as seniors. They will cherish this for the rest of their lives and fondly remember what they were able to accomplish together as one team, one family.
Last time it happened:
The last time the boys’ team finished this high at state was in 2007 when the team finished in 8th.
The last time that a boys’ CC team had qualified for state in back-to-back seasons was in 1995 and 1996.
The last time a Whippet boy won a state title was Ben Maas in 1995.
Full Results: https://live.pttiming.com/xc-ptt.html?mid=7561
(L-R) Coach McKenzie, Jack Hefty, Luc Pomazak, Andrew O'Toole, Xavier Zei, Isaac Straight, Onyx Thompson, Coach Carstens, Coach Green. On the gound: Miles Nickelsburg. Photo Credit: Jeff Hefty