Murray Shukar
West’s Olin Hacker is one of the local athletes vying for honors at the upcoming state track and field championships.
Olin Hacker, the fastest 3,200-meter runner in the state, earned more accolades last week. The Madison West cross country and track and field standout will receive the Sportsman of the Year award at the Madison Sports Hall of Fame Banquet at Monona Terrace on June 3. Hacker won the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association cross country state title last fall and was a favorite heading into this week’s sectional track and field meets. The distance runner had been recruited by Stanford, but signed with the University of Wisconsin earlier this year. (The other high school honoree, Beata Nelson, a junior on the Verona/Mount Horeb girls’ swim team, is an equally outstanding choice.)
Given the fact that Hacker already has competed on the international level, the local Hall of Fame nod shouldn’t be a distraction as he runs for a slot in next weekend’s state meet at Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex on the UW-La Crosse campus.
That’s good, because Hacker will need to focus on Middleton High School junior Perrin Hagge, who holds a one-tenth-of-a-second edge over Hacker in the 1,600-meter run (4:13.44 to 4:13.54). On the other hand, Hacker runs the 3,200 in under nine minutes — 8:58.99, to be exact — and his closest competition is almost 20 seconds off that pace.
Although we won’t know for sure until this weekend, the Madison area should be well represented at the state meet. In addition to Hacker and Hagge, other athletes to keep an eye on include Madison West senior Jack Wellenstein (200 and 400 meters), Middleton senior Noah Meeteer (pole vault), DeForest junior Abrahm Schroedl (high jump) and Oregon senior Josh Sromovsky (long jump).
On the girls’ side, look for strong performances from Monona Grove senior Gabby Beauvais (200 and 400 meters, plus long jump), Mount Horeb junior Nadia Williams (long jump), Sun Prairie senior Tierney Lindner (high jump) and sophomore Natalie Pfann (pole vault) and Madison Edgewood senior and UW recruit Amy Davis (1,600 and 3,200).
High school track and field athletes deserve a ton of credit. I was a first-time track dad this spring, as my son, a freshman, learned how to pole vault from scratch. As long as it’s not lightning outside, they compete — in rain, snow and wind chills below freezing.
