Rieck brings home state title in discus

By Nathaniel Underwood

Colby junior Daelyn Rieck had been to the state track and field meet before. The facilities at Veterans Memorial Sports Complex in UW-La Crosse have become familiar for the Hornets thrower, who competed there in the WIAA Division 2 finals as a freshman and a sophomore. For the third year in a row, Rieck had earned a spot to compete against the best the state had to offer, though this time it would be in the Division 3 competition.

After improving on her freshman placements of fourth and 10th in the shot put and discus last season by finishing with a second place spot in the discus and fourth in the shot put, Rieck once again stepped up her game in the state finals. A pair of impressive performances put her at the top of the standings, capturing a state title and runnerup honors.

It was the discus first for Rieck on Friday in La Crosse, and what awaited was a battle that went right down to the wire.

Heading into the competition, the junior had earned the number one overall seed, her personal best throw the week prior standing as the best across all Division 3 sectionals. However, variability in the discus and the closeness of the field behind her meant that victory at state was anything but certain.

The runner-up from the Colby sectional, Clear Lake’s Shelby Meyer, set the throw to beat early on in the competition. The attempt of 132 feet, three inches on Meyer’s second throw of the day put her at the top of the standings for much of the event. However, the Clear Lake junior scratched on her final three throws, leaving the door open for the rest of the field to move in. Despite that, none seemed able to surpass Meyer, all falling short of the 130foot barrier.

However, just as she had at the sectional meet the week before, Rieck had saved her best throw for last.

Going into the sixth and final round of throws, Rieck’s top throw of 126 feet, five inches had her in fifth place. With one final try available, a clutch effort from Rieck shook up the standings as the Hornets thrower put together a performance that rocketed her to the top. A throw of 133 feet, four inches pushed her narrowly past Meyer, a comeback that secured her first place and a state title.

The victory was the perfect ending for a dominant season in the event for Rieck. In 2025, she won all but one of her discus events, taking the top spots in conference, regionals and sectionals as well.

With one state championship under her belt, Rieck entered Saturday’s shot put as the third seed. Pardeeville’s Chloe Kessenich entered the day with the top throw from sectionals and Athens’s Sy’Rih Hartwig held the second spot as the winner of the Colby sectional. Hartwig had proven to be Rieck’s top competition in the event over the past few weeks, coming out with victories in the sectional and regional meets, as well as at Colby’s final regular season meet of the year.

However, it was Jenna Dirks of Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah that set the bar first, putting forth a throw of 40 feet, 10 inches in the first round. Rieck’s own throw of 40 feet, 8.5 inches in the first was the second best of the round and the pair would hold on to their spots through the preliminary rounds.

In the first round of the finals, the standings at the top saw a shake up as many put forth their best attempts of the day. Hartwig surpassed both Dirks’s and Rieck’s earlier throws with one of 40 feet, 11.25 inches, but both Rieck and Kessenich entered the finals with impressive throws of their own. Kessenich took over the top spot with a throw of 41 feet, eight inches, while Rieck maintained her second place standing with a throw of 41 feet, 2.75 inches.

The big throws from the top three in the fourth turned out to be the decider. Kessenich expanded her lead in the fifth round with a toss of 43 feet, 3.75 inches and the rest of the field could not muster a challenge, with none of the athletes posting a throw over 40 feet on their last two attempts. Rieck held on to her runner-up spot and claimed yet another podium finish.

Despite Rieck being Colby’s only representative, her first and second place finishes gave the Hornets 18 points and a 14th place finish in the team competition.

With a successful state tournament in the books, the Hornets will begin looking ahead to the 2026 season. Much of the core from both the boys and girls squads will have the potential to remain intact, as a boys team driven largely by sophomores and freshman and a girls team that largely fielded juniors or underclassmen will have a chance to use their varsity experience from this year to improve.

NO STAGE TOO BRIGHT - Daelyn Rieck unleashes a throw during the state discus competition at Veterans Memorial Sports Complex at UW-La Crosse. The junior thrower did what she has done all season and grabbed the top spot in the event, winning the state title on her final throw.

STAFF PHOTO/MATT FREY