What: The 55th Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association girls state track and field championships.
When: Friday and Saturday, June 5 and 6.
Where: Veterans Memorial Stadium on the UW-La Crosse campus.
Streaming: Available on WIAA.tv, a subscription site that is part of the NFHS Network.
Results: Available on the WIAA website.
Journal Sentinel coverage: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel will be providing a live blog and recap story coverage at jsonline.com, as well as social media coverage on X at the Journal Sentinel prep sports reporters’ handles of @couldbelikemike and @ZacBellman_WNY.
UWL alert emergency notification system: Spectators can text “WIAATRACK” to 67283 to receive weather, emergency and other important updates during the WIAA state track and field championships.
Who are some of the top individual state medal contenders?
When you look at the heat sheets on the girls side, especially in Division 1, you have to start with the sprints because the Milwaukee area will be well represented in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter events. Defending 100-meter state champion Kyenret Rinkam of Brookfield Central ran a time of 11.88 seconds in last year’s state meet and enters this year’s heats as the No. 3 overall seed with a sectional time of 11.87. Rinkam qualified for the 100, 200 (:24.17, seeded first) and the 4×400 (3:54.80, seeded first) relay events.
Classic 8 Conference rivals will join Rinkam in the 100 and 200 as Arrowhead senior Avery Bott and Mukwonago senior Laela Presendofer will both contend for the 100/200 double, while Bott will contend for the sprint triple again this season after qualifying for the 400. Bott won the 200, finished second in the 400 and finished third in the 100 as a junior last year, while Presendofer will look to improve on her fifth-place finish in the 100 and her 10th-place finish in the 200 last season. The future Minnesota State Mankato sprinter also will look to capture the 4×200 relay title with the top-seeded quartet from Mukwonago (1:39.77).
Division 3 will also feature a top seed attempting to complete the 100/200 double as Dominican senior Sydney Knautz enters as the top overall seed in both events (:11.88, :24.40). Knautz finished third in the 100 and fourth in the 200 last June as Catholic Memorial’s Analena Peterson completed the 100/200 double herself. Even with the move down in a division for the Knights, Knautz has tied the third-fastest time across the state in the 100 and the eighth-fastest across the state in the 200 this year, regardless of division.
West Bend West senior Rylee Faehling will look to complete the 100/300 hurdle double after finishing state runner-up in the 300 last year. Faehling enters the 100 hurdles as the No. 4 overall seed (:14.60) and the overwhelming favorite to win the 300 hurdles title. Faehling’s qualifying time of 41.65 seconds is over three seconds better than the next closest competitor and the 21st-best time in the country this outdoor season.
Moving into the distance events, two of the top four D1 seeds in the 1,600-meter run are from the Milwaukee area in Muskego senior Ella Anschutz (4:56.65, seeded second) and Whitefish Bay freshman Karstin McCabe (4:57.34, seeded fourth). Anschutz will also look to defend her 3,200-meter state title while attempting to win her third career state title in the mile, while McCabe enters the eight-lap run as the top overall seed with a time of 10:34.73.
The four featured relay events also have a heavy area flavor as Arrowhead (4×100), Mukwonago (4×200) and Brookfield Central (4×400) are all top overall seeds in their respective events. The field events could be huge point-getters for two-time defending D1 state team champion Arrowhead, which has Addison Pommerening as the top seed in the high jump (5-7), two-time defending state pole vault champion Elise Schroeder as the top overall seed (13-3), and Payton Eicher as the No. 2 overall seed in both the long jump (19-2) and triple jump (38-11.75) competitions.
Taking a look at Division 2, the 800 could see a state champion with New Berlin West sophomore Raquel Gerovac coming into La Crosse as the top overall seed (2:15.07). The Vikings enter as a real threat for the team title if their elite relay teams can pick up some major points. NBW enters 4×200 relay heats as the top overall seed (1:40.66) with Gerovac serving as a team alternate and older sister Caroline attempting to help NBW capture a third straight state title in the event with teammates Aubrey Lane, Ashley Babcock and newcomer freshman Harmony Billups. The Vikings are also the top overall seed in the 4×400 relay event (3:56.93) with the Gerovacs, Babcock and Lane.
Elsewhere in the relay field, Pius XI Catholic enters the 4×100 field as the top overall seed (:48.26) with a senior-less lineup of TyJah Horton, Samara Crowley, Nyomi Seals-Presti and Alanna Loyd. Pius could also be a contender in the pole vault competition with Mya Gencuski as the event’s No. 2 overall seed (11-6). Gencuski cleared 11-9 in last year’s state meet as a junior to finish third overall.
Which area programs are in the hunt for state team titles?
In last season’s state meet, seven of the top 10 team finishers in D1 came from the area with Arrowhead winning its second straight team state title (51 points). The Warhawks are the favorites again this year in their quest to three-peat, but the area will have some competitors trying to capture the throne themselves. Mukwonago has been hot on Arrowhead’s heels all season, and for much of the 2026 Myrhum Invite the Classic 8 rivals were neck-in-neck in the team standings before the Warhawks’ depth overwhelmed the field with almost 96 points. Neenah and Holmen, the state runner-up and fourth-place team in 2025, will be in the hunt again for the D1 title, but Mukwonago may be the toughest area challenger for the Warhawks. Brookfield Central (seventh place in 2025) could be a bit of an area sleeper team, especially if Kyenret Rinkam can pick up a huge point total in the sprints.
Division 2 saw a pair of area programs finish in the top 10 last year with University School of Milwaukee (second) and New Berlin West (10th). USM was hurt by graduation from last year’s bunch, but West could be a real contender if its relay teams can lead the charge like they have in recent state meets. Aubrey Lane is a key cog in the relays, but a top finish from her in the 200 could really help the Vikings tighten the gap atop the standings.
Which state meet records could potentially fall?
Division 1 will likely see former area great Dezerea Bryant’s sprint records continue to hold strong in the 100 and 200 despite a strong field, but there’s a few other records that could be surpassed. All eyes will be on Rylee Faehling, who enters the 300-meter hurdles event with a best time that’s just .25 seconds off Brooke Jaworski’s 2018 record of 41.40 seconds. Karstin McCabe’s personal-best time this season of 10:20.76 in the 3,200 is seven seconds off Aubrey Roberts’ state-record time in 2016.
The 4×100 relay record held by Bryant and Milwaukee Bradley Tech in 2011 (:46.02) could be in a bit of danger if Arrowhead’s bunch can improve off its time of 46.61 seconds from the Classic 8 relays. It’ll be tougher without Avery Bott in the lineup, but it’s a record this group has been chasing. The same can be said for the 4×200 relay record of 1:38.46 held by Bradley Tech in 2008. Both Arrowhead and Mukwonago have come within .45 seconds of that record this season.
Former Homestead vaulter Peyton Berryman’s pole vault record of 12-9 set in 2022 could be in danger of falling if Arrowhead’s Elise Schroeder can capture a third straight state title. She’s already cleared 13-6 at the Myrhum this season. Arrowhead could also become the fifth program in state girls track and field history to win three straight Class A/Division 1 state team track titles and the first to do it since Milwaukee Bradley Tech from 2009 to 2011.
Four state records fell in last year’s D2 state meet, including defending 4×200 relay champion New Berlin West setting an event record (1:41.35) to win the crown. Its sectional time of 1:40.66 would not only break its 2025 record, it’s the third-best time in the state this season, regardless of division. Pius’ sectional time of 48.26 seconds in the 4×100 relay would also set a state record if the Popes could match that time in La Crosse.
Division 3 could see its 100 and 200 records fall if Dominican’s Sydney Knautz can match her sectional times at state. Knautz’s best 100 time is .24 seconds faster than the D3 record set in 2019 by Haley Durst of Ithaca/Weston and her best 200 time is .04 seconds better than the record set in 2025 by Assumption’s Bella Thomas.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Who are some top medal contenders at the WIAA state girls track meet?
Reporting by Michael Whitlow, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
