Most overrated team this season is Madison West without doubt. Most of their top guys will peak in the middle of the season again - just like track 2023. They’ll run great at griak. That’s it. Only guy to watch out for is Culp. Solid runner who could have a huge breakout season. Definitely a contender for top 10 at state.
this peter negrut kid is teh x factor for west, watch out for him. he just started running last year but still sniffed varsity on a very deep squad, was very fast this spring and is putting in some great mileage this summer. go pete go!
I also heard he dunked on 5'3" guy (not manny putz)
Last year there was only 1 senior in their top 7, and Negrut will likely be the one taking that available spot.
Looks like SPASH will be racing at the Roy Griak Invitational this year. This is a race that the top Heartland teams choose to participate in. Some teams from other regions go there too. Two Heartland nationally ranked teams (Wayzata MN and SPASH) will be facing each other.
1. SPASH. Crushed the state meet last year and return their 1-5. Could be top 10 in the nation
2. Madison West. Took 3rd at state last year and return their 1-6.
3. Oconomowoc. Lost their 1,2,6 but is looking to have a great top 5. They return 4 guys under 16:50 and another 9:57 3200 guy.
4. Hudson. 7th at state last year. Returns 3 16:30 guys, another 9:46 guy, and 3 more guys between 17:00 and 17:02 for 5k.
5. Eau Claire Memorial. 4th at state last year. Lost only 1 senior and returns 4 guys under 16:50. But this team needs to close the 4-5 gap. Either the younger Sylvester, or a 4:43 1600 can close it.
6. Muskego. Didn’t make state last year but returns 9:22, 9:59, 17:20/4:34, 17:45/4:47, 17:07/2:02, 2:04/16:42
7. Madison LaFollette. Didn’t qualify for state last year. But they only lost 2 senior and their #1 guy Castellanos didn’t have his best finish at the state meet. There is also another Castellanos who ran a 4:51 mile coming in
8. Germantown. Didn’t make state last year and lost Walker, but they return 9:51, 10:22, 4:37, 17:01/4:55, 17:39/4:54. They return most of their varsity squad
7. Madison LaFollette. Didn’t qualify for state last year. But they only lost 2 senior and their #1 guy Castellanos didn’t have his best finish at the state meet. There is also another Castellanos who ran a 4:51 mile coming in
Listen to this episode from Wisconsin HS running podcast on Spotify. I am joined by one of the best duos in the state, the Onalaska boys Manny Putz and Blake Burnstad. We talk all about their running lives, what they have had...
The first 2 are on point. I think teams that are ranked 3-6 can place anywhere in that range.
Middleton at #7 is a stretch based on what they graduated. It will be interesting to see who steps up though. They return 2 varsity guys, a 4:44 incoming freshman, and 3 more former JV guys who ran sub-17:30 last year. Should be interesting to see how they do
Onalaska #10? Well… They have a strong 1-3 and also returns their 7th man, but they graduated everyone else from varsity, and we need to see who they have as their 4th and 5th. They always seem to find 5 good scorers though
As a madison west student, one thing that you really need to consider with the team is organization and mentality. Even if the seniors last year didn’t contribute to the team scoring, they played a pivotal role in maintaining the morale and organization of the team during practice, workouts, and meets. Even if they weren’t the fastest on the team, west will definitely struggle without those pivotal team leaders.
