Sonnentag earns repeat title at State with the 400

Cadott sophomore Iszy Sonnentag placed fourth at State, June 1, in the 100-meter hurdles, but took the championship in the 400-meter dash, repeating from last year. Photo by Valorie Brecht

By Ginna Young

A little rain didn’t slow down the Cadott track athletes, as they headed to La Crosse, May 31-June 1, for State competition. The Hornets sent sophomore Iszy Sonnentag back to State, to try for a repeat title in the 400-meter dash and Sonnentag did not disappoint.

“Iszy sets herself apart from the other runners, by having the best finish in the state,” said coach Pat Rothbauer. “She truly has such a competitive fire, that she can will herself to push, even after she is tired and hurting. It is usually in the last 100 meters of this race, that she takes the lead and holds off the other competitors.”

Setting a new school record in the preliminaries, with a time of 56.25, Sonnentag placed first in the event, which qualified her to compete in the finals. There, Sonnentag tore past her fellow runners to claim the victory, finishing with a time of 56.80, just 0.1 seconds away from a Division 3 State record.

In order to win the back-to-back title, Sonnentag learned small details from coaches to improve on and worked hard to reach her goals.

“It means a lot to me, because I really enjoy being part of the Cadott team,” said Sonnentag. “I always wanted to be famous.”

She also competed in the 100-meter hurdles, taking first in the preliminaries (15.27), but ended in fourth in the finals (15.44), as well as 12th in the long jump (1603.25).

Sonnentag was also part of the 4x800-meter relay, with team members consisting of seniors Emma Kowalczyk and Jaycee Stephens, and junior Cortney Weggen.

“The girls ran a very intelligent race and did a great job trusting the race plan,” said Rothbauer.

The group ran their way to third place (9:47), breaking their own school record by 13 seconds, putting a stellar end to Cadott’s season.

“We are extremely proud of all the hard work and determination that went into earning this third-place finish,” said Rothbauer. “What a great way for Emma and Jaycee, both seniors, to end their high school track careers.”

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="243"] Senior Jaycee Stephens took her turn as part of the 4x800-meter relay for Cadott, at State competition June 1, with the team finishing third and making podium. Photo by Casey Krautkramer[/caption]