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Cougars Gain Big Eight Recognition
Record-tying eight Craig runners earn all-conference honors
Updated 11.5.09

Our program was honored with eight Big Eight All-Conference selections on Monday night at the conference coaches meeting in Beloit.  That number ties the program's record number of athletes recognized after the 2008 season.

The girls' team led the charge with five accolades.  Regina Griffith (12), Rachel Gilmore (11), Jessie Finnane (10), and Stephanie Perleberg (10) were named to the second-team, while freshman Teryn Bordwell earned honorable mention.

Tommy Meister (10) took home the only first-team honor between both teams.  Seniors Eric Gudgeon and Matt Bordwell were named to the second-team.


Teams End Season With Success at Rapids
Cougar boys' team enjoys regional recognition
Updated 11.4.09

The Craig teams ran their final race of the 2009 where every team wants to finish to their season:  at the WIAA State Championships.

The girls, led by a fourth different runner in as many meets, ran to a sixth place finish narrowly missing a top three showing by eleven points.  Freshman Teryn Bordwell led the charge with a personal best 15:42 (40th).  Teammates Rachel Gilmore (55th), Stephanie Perleberg (59th), and Megan Muhs (61st) were close behind.  Senior captain Regina Griffith rounded out the Cougar scoring effort in 90th place (16:06).  The 24-second scoring gap was the best in the race.

The boys were led by Tommy Meister's 21st place effort (16:36) on the tough Ridges course.  Seniors Matt Bordwell (80th) and Eric Gudgeon (85th) completed their careers with impressive top 100 finishes at the meet.  Spencer Hrycay (133rd) and Joe Sarow (139th) rounded out the Cougar scoring that was good for ninth place - the third highest finish for a Cougar boys' team in our history.

The boys garnered regional attention once again this season.  In the October 30 ESPN Heartland Regional rankings, they are listed as a "bubble team" for the top ten cross country teams in the seven state region.  A total of twenty teams were recognized:  the top ten were ranked, the next ten were listed as bubble teams
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Cougars Keep Streaks Alive
Teams head to state meet:  ninth in a row for girls; fifth for boys
Updated 10.26.09

The Cougar girls' and boys' teams ran through the mud and wind on Saturday and earned yet another trip to the WIAA State Championship Meet. 

The girls were led by sophomores Jessie Finnane (5th, 15:47) and Stephanie Perleberg (6th, 15:47) on their way to the ninth consecutive state berth.  The team ended the day with an impressive 38 points to win the title, 25 ahead of runner-up Mount Horeb-Barneveld.  The Lady Cougars put all of their scoring runners into the top ten and their entire team in the top fifteen. 

The boys, led by sophomore Tommy Meister's third place effort (16:29), missed the team title on a tie-breaker to Madison LaFollette.  The Cougars' second-place finish extended their state meet streak to five years.  The Cougars ran a balanced attack by having three runners in the top eight and all five scorers in the top seventeen for a total of 47.  

Both teams will compete at Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids on Saturday, October 31 in the state championship meet. 

Champions!
Cougar boys win; girls second at championships
Updated 10.19.09

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The Craig boys became Big Eight Conference Meet champions for the first time in 24 years on Saturday at Verona High School.

Led by sophomore Tommy Meister's third place finish, the Cougars ran five athletes into the top 25, which led to the overall title by three points over Madison Memorial.  On their way to the championship, the Cougars landed victories against four WCCCA ranked opponents:  LaFollette (5th), Verona Area (9th), Madison West (12th), and Memorial (13th).

On the girls' side, the Lady Cougars finished second to fourth-ranked Madison West 53-63.  The Craig team ran the strongest pack effort in school history with a remarkable eight-second 1-6 gap.  In the end, West dominated the first-team all-conference by finishing fourth, fifth, and seventh, which was too much to overcome.  

The JV girls team won the meet led by a top three sweep by sophomore Danica Reinicke (1st), and freshmen Kate Heaps (2nd) and Monica Speth (3rd). 

Both teams will compete in Saturday's WIAA Sectional Meet at Stoughton High School.  The girls' race begins at 10:00 followed by the boys' event at 10:45.  
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Fun facts from Saturday's meet:
1. The Craig boys' three point victory was the closest since 2000 (West over Middleton 68-71).  The 
    only time it has been less than three was in 1992.
2. The last time the Cougar boys won the conference meet in 1985, they beat Madison Memorial 49-
    55.
3. The boys graduated five seniors from the 2008 team with significant varsity experience, including
    four 2008 WIAA State Meet qualifiers.
4. After Saturday's meet, the Cougar girls have finished in the top two in the Big Eight Conference for
    ten straight years.
5. The girls' varsity gap of seven seconds was the best recorded split in school history.     

Cougars Stay Strong at Adidas and Rock County
Updated 10.7.09

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Both Craig Teams participated in the inaugural UW Adidas Invitational last weekend at the Thomas Zimmer Cross Country Course. It was an all day event featuring NCAA and Wisconsin high school races. The Boys and Girls ran to third place finishes behind top ranked teams, while both JV teams achieved first place.  Danica Reinicke, Kate Heaps, Jill Castro and Monica Speth finished first, second, third and fourth place respectively in the JV race. See Craig Results here.

Last Tuesday the Craig teams ran to victory in the Rock County Invite hosted by Janesville Parker. Without running the normal Varsity, both teams managed a win over Parker and Beloit in the mud, wind and hills of Rockport Park. 

Cougar Boys and Girls are currently ranked in the top 10 in the WCCCA Poll. The Boys have also achieved national attention because of their recent race performances.
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Cougars Tune Up for Inaugural UW Adidas Invitational
Updated 9.30.09

The Craig teams ran well Tuesday night at Sun Prairie in the Big Eight Five Team Challenge.  In preparation for the first annual Wisconsin Adidas Invitational this Saturday, the Lady Cougars earned a first place team finish at both the varsity and JV levels.  The boys' team finished second to Sun Prairie in the varsity race and won the JV team title. 

The girls' team paced themselves to an impressive, season-best, 23 second 1-5 gap.  They were led by sophomore Jessie Finnane who accomplished three personal accolades in the event:  a personal record time; her first varsity win; the fifth fastest time ever recorded by a Lady Cougar at Sheehan Park.  Three other varsity girls - Teryn Bordwell, Jill Castro, and Kate Heaps - also ran personal bests.  The JV girls were led by freshman Monica Speth, who raced to the fastest JV time on the night with a PR of 16:33.  Five other JV girls earned personal bests:  Ahrens, Budzinski, Fry, Klingaman, and Pohlman. 
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The boys' team, runner-up to Sun Prairie in the varsity race, earned nine personal bests for the season.  Three of the seven varsity runners - Peter Carlson, Eric Gudgeon, and Hunter Salmon - ran career bests, while six of the JV boys ran their way to a PR:  Chris Burma, Brandon Haling, Cliff Miller, Hunter Resler, Madison Schricker, and John Shulta.  

The JV boys turned in the better of the two team races on the night by running to a 32 second 1-5 gap and a team victory with an impressive 24 points.  The varsity team earned 52 points, five behind Sun Prairie's 47.  Their 1-5 gap was 52 seconds.   

Both the boys' and girls' teams will look to make an strong showing on the new Thomas Zimmer Championship Course this weekend.  Athletes and spectators can take a literal "sneak peak" of the course on a video tour with University of Wisconsin men's coach, Mick Byrne.  The meet gets underway at 11:00.


Cougar Performances at Midwest Vault Teams into State Rankings
Updated 9.29.09

An incredible 38 PRs sent our Cougar teams sailing to the top of the leader boards at Saturday's 72nd running of the Midwest Invitational. 

On the boys' side, 21 athletes set personal bests as the JV finished 3rd, the frosh/soph team finished 5th, and the boys' varsity was runner-up to team champion Lake Park (IL) - their highest finish since 1985. 

Equally impressive, the girls' team ran to 17 personal records.  The JV girls finished 10th as a team, frosh/soph were team champions, and the varsity made the podium with a third place finish.

Both teams received high honors for their performances over the weekend.  Coaches from across the state ranked our boys' team fourth - the highest ranking achieved in school history - and our girls' sixteenth in the week 5 state rankings.
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2200 Expected for 72nd Running of the Midwest Invitational
Updated 9.25.09

Over 2200 athletes from 35 high schools and several middle schools will compete in this year's Midwest Invitational, believed to be the oldest inter-state cross country meet in the nation.  Teams from Illinois, Iowa, Texas, and Wisconsin will start the action at 9:15 on Saturday, September 26 at Blackhawk Golf Course in Janesville.  The event is free to the public and features seven races.

This year's field, similar to every year, features incredible competition.  Five of the state's top 10 rated division-1 boys' teams along with two ranked division-2 and 3 teams will attend.   The girls' race figures to be equally tough with seven ranked Wisconsin teams, not including eight-time team champion Lake Park from Illinois.  The varsity girls' side of things also includes both defending WIAA division-1 and 2 individual champions from last fall (Gabby Levac from Arrowhead and Morgan Sickels from Catholic Memorial in Waukesha).  

The Janesville Gazette previewed the meet on September 25th. See it at GazetteXtra.com.
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14 PRs Lead Way at Milton
Updated 9.22.09

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Craig runners enjoyed the hills and mud on their way to 14 personal records at Milton on Tuesday.  Freshmen Spencer Hrycay (varsity boys' race) and Kate Heaps (JV girls' race) won their respective races along with sophomore Peter Carlson (JV boys).  The Cougars won seven of the eight titles in the meet: three individual and all four team events.  Both JV squads earned perfect scores of 15, including the JV boys who swept the top seven spots. 

The Craig teams will take their racing confidence into the 72nd annual Midwest Invitational on their home course this Saturday, September 26 at Blackhawk Golf Course in Janesville.
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Cougars Solid at Grade Level Challenge
Updated 9.16.09

The Lady Cougars turned in a second place finish in our first Big Eight Challenge meet behind fifth-ranked Madison West, while the boys' team ran to third behind Madison West and ninth-ranked Madison LaFollette.  Freshman Spencer Hrycay and sophomore Tommy Meister led the team with a pair of first place finishes.  Eight Cougars turned in personal bests:  Bordwell, Fry, and Swirgsdin on the girls' side; Bordwell, Burma, Fenrick, Schricker, and Upmann for the boys.  Great work!  See complete results here.

Up next for the Cougars is the previously rained out Milton Rock Run on Tuesday, September 22 at Milton High School.


Track Ironman Competitors From Our Cougar Family
Updated 9.11.09

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Four people from our extended Cougar family will be competing in Ironman Wisconsin this weekend.  Kevin Castro (Jill's dad), Coach Jessica Lawton, Charlie Meyer (Haley's dad), and John Nelson (Kelsey's dad) will begin their journey to their Ironman goals at 7:00 AM on Sunday, September 13 at Monona Terrace in Madison.  Check out the schedule of this magnificent sporting event, and if you have the opportunity drive up and watch the day unfold in support of our Cougars.  If you can't make it to Madison, you can follow them online with the athlete tracker.

Kevin Castro, bib #1791
Jessica Lawton, bib #2303
Charlie Meyer, bib #1881
John Nelson, bib #1617

Good luck!

Cougar Boys, Girls Fourth at West

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Senior Matt Bordwell led the Cougar boys to a fourth place finish at the West Invite.  The Lady Cougars, who won the meet last season with 101 points, scored fewer points at this year's meet (92), but that was only good for fourth as well.  The girls team had an impressive 1-5 gap of 24-seconds and will look to move the pack closer to the front on Tuesday, September 15 at the Big Eight Grade Level Challenge.  Freshman Teryn Bordwell won the JV race, leading the team to a second-place finish.  The JV boys, led by junior John Weirich, finished third. 
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Cougars Look to Repeat 2008 Success in Coming Days
Updated 9.10.09

Both the boys' and girls' teams will be racing twice in the next six days and hope to improve on their Verona performances and race near the front of the pack like they did in 2008 at both meets.  The Cougars will compete at the talented Madison West Invitational this evening and travel to Middleton for the Big Eight Grade Level Challenge next Tuesday, September 15.   Last year, the Lady Cougars won both meets, while the boys' team finished second to Madison West at each event. 

The West Invite begins at 4:00 at Yahara Running Course in Madison.  The first Big Eight Challenge gets under way at 4:00 at Pleasant View Golf Course in Middleton.  Spectators for this event should note the special parking information. 


Cougars Start Strong
Updated 9.7.09

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The Lady Cougars start their season.
The Cougar boys' and girls' teams started their competitive seasons at the Verona Invitational on Saturday with four top three team finishes.  Both varsity teams were third in the 25-team talented field.  The girls' JV raced to the team title and the boys' JV team was third.   

Between the four squads, the Cougars accomplished 15 PRs on the tough course.  The girls' team saw junior Kelsey Swirgsdin improve the most.  She bettered her PR by a whopping 1:14!  Sophomore Chris Burma led all boys with a 41 second personal best.  Sophomore Tommy Meister PR'd by 30 seconds on his way to the second fastest time ever run by a Cougar at Verona.

 





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A dual for the title.

Off and Running
Updated 9.4.09

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The 2009 season has begun!  The Cougars will be represented by 62 runners this season.  The girls will be led by their three senior captains:  Regina Griffith, Megan Muhs, and Liz Ouimet.  On the boys' side, the team will look to senior captains Matt Bordwell and Madison Schricker along with junior captain Sully Hrycay.  Together we'll keep our tradition of excellence rolling.  See what the Janesville Gazette had to say about this year's team here.

With the Rock Run being rained out, our teams used an intrasquad meet as their first racing effort and will travel to Verona on Saturday, September 5 for their opening race.  Madison.com previewed the meet on September 3rd.  Go Cougars!