Greenfield's Nguyen, Whitnall's Heller Crowned Hurdle Champs

With multi-time state hurdle champion Michelle Garner now gone, Greenfield sophomore Tuyet Nguyen assumed the spotlight.

Nguyen won the conference title in the 100-meter hurdles at Monday’s Woodland Conference Outdoor Championships at Brown Deer High School.

The sophomore posted a time of 16.92 seconds, well ahead of South Milwaukee senior Taylor Zaeske’s runner-up time of 17.24. Nguyen was also the runner-up in the triple jump with a distance of 34 feet, 9 ½ inches, behind only Pius senior Amelia Acompanado, who had a distance of 35-3.

Meanwhile, Whitnall senior Meredith Heller showed she’ll be a force over the final few weeks of her high school career when she claimed the 300 hurdles in 47.46, more than two seconds better than the runner-up.

That race featured three other local runners: Greenfield sophomore Madison Kohl was fourth (50.48) and Heller’s Whitnall teammates, senior Robyn Roberts (51.39) and freshman Jasmine Bickerstaff (52.10), were fifth and sixth, respectively.

Heller also ran third in the 100 hurdles, won by Nguyen, in 17.61 with Bickerstaff close behind in 18.43.

Heller and Nguyen weren’t finished, however. They were also fourth and fifth in the long jump with distances of 16 feet and 15 feet, 10 ¾ inches, respectively.

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Another Whitnall senior, Sam Mentkowski, had a solid day. He was the runner-up in the 400 dash in 52.08, behind only New Berlin West senior Cory Davis’ 51.77.

Greenfield sophomore Xavier Copeland ran fifth in 53.09 and Whitnall sophomore Joe Alexopolus was eighth in 54.03 in the same event.

Mentkowski and sophomore teammate Mike Grimm were fifth and sixth in the 200 dash in 23.47 and 23.73 and teamed with Alexopolus and Paul Howard for third in the 1,600.

Kohl, the Greenfield sophomore, also turned in a solid third-place effort in the 400 in 1:02.23, less than 3 seconds off the pace set by Shorewood senior Alexis Farrington.

The top-eight place-winners scored points for their schools. Other Whitnall point-scorers were:

• fourth: senior Austin Hurst in the high jump with a 5-8; senior Eric Ratkowski in the discus with a 112-8;
• fifth: 3,200 relay of Jenny Bahling, Kim Hurst, Alyssa Woo and Reilly Johnson in 10:47.53; 1,600 relay of Sarah Czerwinski, Leah Windt, Heller and Robyn Roberts in 4:23.54;
• seventh: sophomore Skylar Czaplewski in the 300 hurdles in 44.68; 800 relay of Andy Karwoski, Max Anderer, Zabien Porter and Patrick Wyrowski in 1:40.21;
• eighth: senior Tyler Centers in the 3,200 in 10:41.77.

Other Greenfield place-winners were:

• fifth: 3,200 team of Andy Sabinash, Casey Sabinash, Quinton Kufahl and Dylan Kumbera in 8:43.06; senior Kyle Schahczinski in the 300 hurdles in 42.48;
• sixth: 400 relay of Alex Ljubic, Stephen Lisiecki, Mike Kaifesh and Nicholas Walloch in 47.29; (tie) junior Stephanie Van Wieringen in the high jump with a 4-6; junior Robert Hopefl in the triple jump with a 40-7 ¾; 800 relay of Lisiecki, Mike Kaifesh, Jon Kaifesh and Walloch in 1:39.20;
• seventh: junior Alex Ljubic in the discus with a 110-6;
• eighth: freshman Keely Hanley in the 1,600 in 5:35.57; 800 relay of Audrey Schmidt, Ashlee Schilling, Julia Hyatt and Maggie Tooley in 2:01.51.

The Whitnall boys were sixth of 13 teams, while the girls were eighth. Greenfield’s girls were ninth and the boys 11th.