RHINELANDER – The Tomahawk High School cross country team competed at the Sectional meet last month, where two Hatchet harriers punched their tickets to the State meet.
Sectional meet
On Friday, Oct. 23, the Tomahawk runners headed to the Northwood Golf Club in Rhinelander to compete at the WIAA Division II Sectional meet.
It was a warm and sunny fall evening that saw a total of 15 schools face the Hatchets for the right to advance to the WIAA State Championships in Wisconsin Rapids.
“The coaching staff and I were thrilled to see how the vast majority of our student-athletes accepted the challenge of the Sectional meet,” said coach Jerett Flynn. “Not a flat course by any means, but it has the possibility of fast races and our kids ran it as such, even to the bitter end.”
The girls’ race started the evening, with Lakeland’s small squad clearly taking the victory. Pacing behind them was Wittenberg/Birnamwood, and chasing after them were the lady Hatchets and Oconto Falls.
Despite being ranked 5th, the Tomahawk girls scored 97 points to take 3rd place. The team was led by senior Elise Gibeault and sophomore Charlee Lund, who both ran magnificent races to earn individual qualification to the WIAA State Meet as the 5th and 6th overall finishers, coach Connor Ahrens said.
Gibeault ran the course in 20:17, and Lund ran it in 20:22.
Nearly cracking the top 20 finishers was junior Ellie Micke, who took 22nd with a time of 22:38. Senior Abbie Rosenmeier had a great comeback race, taking 27th with a time of 22:50. Junior Aliyah Nelson and sophomore Victoria Towle ran well together in the race and took 46th and 48th with times of 23:51 and 24:11. The final Lady Hatchet was senior Norah Mann, who dropped several places to finish in 55th with a time of 24:33.
There were 86 runners in the girls’ race, with finishing team results as follows: Lakeland 51, Wittenberg-Birnamwood 69, Tomahawk 97, Oconto Falls 101, Rhinelander 149, Peshtigo 158, Shawano Community 165, Merrill 201, Medford 238, Marinette 239, Mosinee 247, Clintonville 279, Menominee DNS, Northland Pines DNS, Antigo DNS.
The highly competitive boys’ race was next. The Hatchet boys ran into some difficulty and ended up finishing in 8th place. The Lakeland boys again easily won the sectional championship, with Prentice/Rib Lake comfortably taking second.
Making his own run at an individual trip to State was junior Jordyn Carew, going from 40th at the mile all the way down to 28th by the finish, running an 18:24. Sadly, this would not be fast enough, as the field was filled with other elite individuals, according to Ahrens.
Another teammate passing runners as the race transpired was junior Dawson Jones, taking 41st with a time of 18:50. Shortly after Jones was a large group of Hatchets lightly separated. Returning to the varsity squad was junior Joe Zastrow, who also dropped places to run a 19:27 for 46th place. Right behind Zastrow was senior Ryan Montag, who dropped 21 places throughout the race to finish in 49th with a time of 19:33. Holding a consistent place in the race was sophomore Connor Zorn, taking 52nd with a time of 19:43. Junior Luke Morrison would break the 20-minute 5k mark with a 19:59 to take 61st. Rounding out the boys squad was senior Will Boneck with a time of 20:46, taking 77th.
There were 96 runners in the boys’ race, with finishing team results as follows: Lakeland 46, Prentice/Rib Lake 60, Rhinelander 86, Shawano Community 89, Oconto Falls 173, Peshtigo 179, Mosinee 196, Tomahawk 202, Northland Pines 232, Medford 269, Antigo 280, Wittenberg-Birnamwood 319, Marinette 323, Merrill DNS, Menominee DNS, Clintonville DNS.
“Our boys ran well, despite sliding down a few more places than expected, and our girls ran with lots of courage to move up to 3rd place,” said coach Steph Ahrens. “This Sectional seems to get tougher each year, but these Hatchet boys and girls are finding out that they can rise to the competition. A great sign for next year.”
“Though neither team qualified for the State meet, they both represented Tomahawk and our community extremely well,” said coach Connor Ahrens. “Elise and Charlee are excellent runners who certainly earned their trip to the state meet in Wisconsin Rapids. It’s always a great year when we can end it at the State meet with at least one runner; going with two runners is a bonus.”
State meet
On Saturday, Oct. 31, Hatchet sophomore Charlee Lund and senior Elise Gibeault headed south to Wisconsin Rapids to compete in the WIAA Division II State cross country meet.
This year’s girls Division II State meet was held on a cool, misty day that saw a total of 149 runners and the 15 best Division II teams in the state compete for the WIAA state championship.
After previewing the course and taking in the sights and sounds of the State meet, Charlee and Elise prepared for their final race of the season. They were placed in box 22 with the other Rhinelander Sectional individual qualifiers.
The Division II girls race began at 12:40 p.m. Both girls got out to good positions and started the race in the upper half, with Gibeault in 52nd and Lund in 71st at the one-mile mark.
As the grueling State race continued, the girls found themselves separated, but pressing on. The rolling hills later in the course proved to be speed bumps for many racers. Ultimately, Gibeault pushed hard to earn 40th place in a time of 20:12, and Lund finished the challenging race in 95th with a time of 21:14. This ended Gibeault’s four-year cross country career, Lund’s second year and the 2026 Tomahawk cross country season.
Girls’ finishing team results were as follows: New Berlin Eisenhower 87, Kettle Moraine Lutheran 99, Notre Dame Academy 132, McFarland 152, Winneconne 164, Aquinas 179, Monroe 184, Lakeland Union 184, Lakeside Lutheran 195, Saint Croix Central 198, Kewaskum 262, West Salem 278, Osceola 293, Shorewood 301, Wittenberg-Birnamwood 375.
Other Great Northern Conference performances included the Lakeland girls taking 8th in the Division II race and the Lakeland boys taking 3rd in the Division II race. Rhinelander’s Dean Gillingham placed 57th in a time of 17:14, and Avrom Barr took 70th in a time of 17:26. Northland Pines' Ryleigh Thompson took 20th in a time of 19:31. Antigo’s Shepard Snider placed 48th in a time of 16:58.
“Elise and Charlee have put in a tremendous amount of work both in the off-season and in-season to just have a chance to make the State meet,” said coach Connor Ahrens. “They deservingly qualified at sectionals and did a great job representing our school and community at the highest level of high school cross country.”
“We are so proud of what these two girls have achieved,” said coach Steph Ahrens. “Qualifying for the State meet is a great accomplishment, and their races at the state meet were awesome to see. Elise had a great last race of her high school cross country career, and even though Charlee had a slower time than last year’s state race, she will no doubt come back next year ready to compete and be even better for it.”
“I enjoyed coaching Elise and Charlee, and it was awesome to be present at another state meet to watch these two girls race with the best in the state,” said coach Jerett Flynn. “They should be very proud of what they achieved this season.”
With the end of the state meet, the 2026 Tomahawk cross country season comes to a close.
“The team and coaching staff would like to thank the entire school staff, parents, and community for their support,” said coach Connor Ahrens. “The team’s success is a result of so many supportive and helping hands throughout their journey, and we could not have achieved it without all of your help. Thank you!”
Athletes of the Week
Abbie Rosenmeier – “Senior Abbie Rosenmeier wrapped up her high school cross country career nearly running a season-best at the Sectional meet with a 22:50. She certainly ran the game plan by starting out in 32nd place and ended the race in 27th. The biggest legacy Abbie leaves behind, though, is her leadership. She did a great job of steering the girls’ team in the right direction, even when she had her own running difficulties to get through. She has always placed the team above her own personal endeavors; this level of selflessness is a hard trait to come by. That being said, she has also always stayed on top of her own responsibilities to remain a top-tier student-athlete. She will be sorely missed by her younger teammates and a grateful coaching staff.”
Ryan Montag – “The iron man of Tomahawk cross country would have to be senior Ryan Montag. He has never missed a practice or meet in all four years of his high school career – a shining example of what consistency and dedication can do. Ryan’s final season would see him run a new personal record 5k of 19:14 at the GNC meet. He would also run a fantastic sectional race by starting out in 70th place and executing the team’s race strategy to end the race in 41st place. Ryan was also the boys’ team leader and kept them moving throughout the season; a friend to all who knew what his teammates needed to hear. There is no doubt Ryan helped the boys’ team culture take another meaningful step forward this season. Ryan will certainly move on to greater and better things, but at one time he was an excellent everyday staple for the Hatchet boys’ cross country team.”
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