LA CROSSE – The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association State state track and field championships began on June 5, as Milwaukee area athletes joined those from around the state in the quest for state gold.
Preliminary events for several sprints, as well as finals for several distance and field events were held on Friday at Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex on the campus of UW-La Crosse. Finals for the remaining events across the three divisions will be held on June 6.
Here were the boys highlights from day one of the WIAA state track and field meet. A weather delay Friday evening delayed scheduled events that will be made up later in the weekend.
Wisconsin Lutheran’s Niyer Clayborn eclipses record in prelims
The 110-meter hurdle preliminary heat proved to be a a record-breaking heat for Wisconsin Lutheran’s Niyer Clayborn last year, and he managed to out-do himself in the 2026 prelims. His time of 13.80 seconds not only bought him pole position in the finals, but eclipsed his 2025 record-breaking time of 13.92. His 2025 state title defense will be a can’t-miss heat as he looks to push that record time once again.
South Milwaukee senior Shaundel Williams (third, 14.61), Homestead senior Jeridon Clark (fourth, 14.61), Wisconsin Lutheran sophomore Cedric Bolden (fifth, 14.69), Slinger senior Jeffrey Ford (seventh, 14.89), Menomonee Falls senior Cyrus Jones (ninth, 15.05) and Sussex Hamilton junior Tristan Haigh (10th, 15.08) also qualified for the finals in the 110 hurdles.
Later in the 300 hurdle prelims, Clayborn led a quintet of area qualifiers with the top time from the three heats (37.87). Haigh (second, 38.54), Oak Creek junior Kenneth Mueller (fourth, 38.83), Sussex Hamilton senior Cooper Knuf (seventh, 39.09), Williams (ninth, 39.76) and Mukwonago senior Devin Viola (10th, 39.77) will round out the area reps in the finals heat.
Waukesha West 800 relay eclipses meet record, wins two field events
It was a banner day for Waukesha West across three events, including the 800 relay, discus and triple jump.
In the D1 800 relay, Waukesha West will be the top qualifying seed after a record-breaking finish in 1 minute 25.65 seconds run by Nolan Schmidbauer, Ammonra Lomas, Josh Ziebell and Cole Zielinski. The time beat Arrowhead’s 2025 state title-winning record time of 1:25.88. Also qualifying for the finals were Germantown (second, 1:26.83), Wauwatosa West (third, 1:27.06), Kenosha Bradford-Reuther (fourth, 1:27.13), Oak Creek (fifth, 1:27.14), Wisconsin Lutheran (sixth, 1:27.34), West Allis Nathan Hale (seventh, 1:27.45), Homestead (eighth, 1:27.71) and Greendale (10th, 1:27.99).
Despite warnings from his coaches to ease off a bit in the qualifying heat, Zelinski admitted that if he saw a “:22” in the final 100 meters, he was going to go for it.
“Being able to see the meet record up there, it was just electric,” Zelinski said.
Zielinski put together another gold-medal winning effort in the triple jump with an effort of 48 feet, 2 inches and then was able to contribute on the relay.
“I’m just kind of in the moment,” Zelinski said of balancing the two events. “It obviously takes a toll, but throughout the year I’ve made my endurance better, and it’s capable now.”
The Nicolet duo of senior Demian Harris (third, 47-9.5) and junior Donavin Bond (fifth, 45-8) each podiumed behind Zielinski in the triple jump. Harris called his last meet competing alongside Bond “bittersweet.”
“It was amazing to see him grow and develop as an athlete… It’s astounding how far he’s come, he’s been pushing me, I’ve been pushing him, breaking each other’s records, and it’s just great being able to compete with him,” Harris said of Bond.
Bond admitted he looked up to Harris throughout their years together, and the biggest lesson he took from the graduating senior was his perspective.
“The biggest thing I took is not to take things for granted, and that I always have one jump, and it only takes one jump to qualify. It only takes one jump to place, and that’s all I need is one,” Bond said.
Of Zielinski, Harris was complimentary of how the Waukesha West junior had risen in the event over the years as well.
“I’m pretty sure he PR’d like three feet from last year to this year, and it was just amazing to see his development,” Harris said. “His older pal Angel [Escamilla] was like the triple jumper there, but seeing Cole do his thing in both the triple and long jump, it was really amazing. I’m just so proud of him.”
Zielinski was just as complimentary of the competition both Harris and Bond have provided over the years.
“They’re always there to compete, they’re always right there with me. Last year, they were honestly like two feet better than me,” Zielinski said, adding his desire to compete with them helped his push for gold.
“I knew that I had to bring what I did, and then just kind of hope for the best,” Zielinski said.
Zielinski will compete in the long jump on Saturday to defend his 2025 state title in that event, along with the 800 relay.
Muskego senior Josiah Vanness (sixth, 44-8.25) and Racine Park senior Mikaiden Hanson (seventh, 44-8) rounded out podium finishers from the Milwaukee area in the triple jump.
Waukesha West senior Chetan Malkan also won gold in the D1 discus throw, with his winning throw of 172-5 actually tying that of second place finisher Aidan Scholze of Watertown. Malkan won via tiebreaker on his second of six throws (167-5), which narrowly eclipsed Scholze’s last throw of 167-3.
“I did not think that would happen. Just getting all the reps in, the consistency is a big improvement this year,” Malkan said.
Despite the win, Malkan was a bit underwhelmed with his own performance relative to his practice earlier in the week.
“190s, consistently,” Malkan said of his performance earlier in the week. “Last throw [at state] was pretty clean for me. It wasn’t like great, it was pretty quiet after I threw it and quiet before. I’m like ‘Alright, it’s over, I got second.’ “
Asked about West’s day overall to that point, Malkan lauded the coaches that had led them back to state.
“We got a whole new coaching staff, and I think that’s a little bit the reason we’re doing so well are the active coaches, amazing coaches,” Malkan said.
Quintero breaks own 800 record in quest for career titles mark
Marquette senior Gianni Quintero won the wheelchair 800 heat in 1:54.75, which broke his own record set in 2024 of 1:56.02.
Quintero won his ninth individual state title with the 800 win, putting him in striking distance of Joe Schubert’s all-time career state record for individual wheelchair titles (10). He will compete in the 400 and 1,600 on Saturday, and carries the top seed into each event.
Arrowhead sets 400 relay record after losing a 2025 record
After seeing their 800 relay record time fall to Waukesha West earlier on Friday, Arrowhead got itself back in the record book with a 41.14 qualifying time in the D1 400 relay run by Presley Bencz, Ryan Heiman, Anthony Vetta and Trey Resch. The time beat Racine Horlick’s 2019 prelim time of 41.38.
Also qualifying for Saturday’s final were Oak Creek (second, 41.47), West Allis Hale (third, 41.99), Germantown (fourth, 42.03), Oconomowoc (sixth, 42.16), Nicolet (eighth, 42.20), Homestead (ninth, 42.21) and Wauwatosa East (10th, 42.28).
Brown Deer sets D2 400 relay record
Brown Deer’s 400 relay team of Cole Lejon, Jaiden Craig-Collie, Jayden Ragland and Michael Essoka won its preliminary heat in 41.83, eclipsing Prescott’s 2025 Division 2 state record time of 42.00. The Falcons outlasted a preliminary field that included fellow area qualifiers Martin Luther (second, 42.23) and Lake Country Lutheran (fifth, 42.64).
Other top Milwaukee area finishers from Day 1 of WIAA state track and field
Other Milwaukee area preliminary qualifiers
Several sprint events held preliminary heats on Friday, with area athletes looking well-positioned for the finals with strong showings early.
In the 100, Resch led a number of D1 qualifiers from the area with his top prelim time of 10.74. Also qualifying for Saturday’s final were Hartford Union senior Cole Ohm (second, 10.79), Greendale senior Jonathan Lopez (fourth, 10.84), Marquette senior Amillione Johnson (sixth, 10.96), Milwaukee Riverside-Golda Meir junior Kevion Dickerson (seventh, 10.98), Slinger senior Kobe Hendricks (ninth, 11.07) and Oak Creek senior Gavin Schilling (10th, 11.07). In the D2 100, Catholic Memorial junior Devon Williams (third, 11.06) and Grafton senior Seva Belousov (seventh, 11.20) made the finals as well.
Resch also leads D1 200 qualifiers (21.40) headed into Saturday’s final, with Johnson (second, 21.56), Ohm (third, 21.69), Greenfield senior Bennett Bradley (fourth, 21.81), Oak Creek senior Gabriel Olson (fifth, 21.86), Kenosha Bradford-Reuther senior Brian Walton (eighth, 22.01), Nicolet senior Elizur Roberts (ninth, 22.04) and Germantown senior Payton Laabs (10th, 22.08) joining him as well.
In the D1 400, Olson (47.83) had the top qualifying time while Brookfield East junior Ben Borino (seventh, 48.92) and Bradley (eighth, 49.01) will join him in the finals. In the D2 400 prelims, Howard Fuller Collegiate senior Jabari Freeman (first, 48.36), New Berlin Eisenhower senior Javaryn Love (second, 48.43) and Saint Thomas More senior Brody Oleson (fifth, 49.24) earned qualifying spots as well.
The D1 1,600 relay final will feature top qualifier Oak Creek (3:20.22), followed from the area by Sussex Hamilton (second, 3:20.56), Wauwatosa East (third, 3:21.22) and Nicolet (10th, 3:21.80).
In the D2 110 hurdles, Martin Luther senior Rylee Wendt had the leading qualifying time of 14.67. Wendt was also in the first of two 300 hurdles heats, but missed qualification for the finals.
Brown Deer (1:27.42) and Grafton (1:27.74) finished with the top two qualifying times in the D2 800 relay. Dominican (44.05) slipped in at the 10th qualifying spot in the 400 relay as well.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Five from Milwaukee area set boys records in Day 1 of WIAA state track
Reporting by Zac Bellman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Zac Bellman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
