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Craig girls run to third at state cross country meet

WISCONSIN RAPIDS — Janesville Craig High School’s girls cross country team entered the WIAA state meet ranked third in Division 1.

Obviously, the state Coaches Association knew what it was doing.

The Cougar girls finished third in Division 1 here Saturday at The Ridges Golf Club.

In making their eight straight trip to state, the Cougars earned the school’s highest finish since current co-head coach Jessica Lawton, then Jessica Berlowski, ran on Craig’s 1991 state title team.

Rachel Gilmore and Megan Muhs paced the Cougars by finishing 22nd and 28th, respectively, but it was a total team effort, according to co-head coach Brian Lawton.

“The girls ran awesome today,” Lawton said. “This was the best we’ve ran all season.

“They’ve got a lot to be proud of—to say that you’re the third-best team in the whole state is quite an accomplishment.”

Craig’s Ryan Ahrens, meanwhile, eclipsed his personal-best time at 5,000 meters to finish sixth in the Division 1 boys race. The Cougar boys were 13th overall; Stevens Point edging Madison West for the title.

Top-ranked Whitefish Bay won the girls Division 1 title with 75 points. Onalaska was second with 129. Onalaska was the only Wisconsin team to beat Craig during the regular season.

Senior Cassidi Running finished 45th for Craig, freshman Jessie Finnane was 73rd, and freshman Stephanie Perleberg was 75th.

“This never gets old,” Brian Lawton said of competing at state. “Both teams put in the time, and this is their reward.

“And for Ryan to come out today and run the kind of race he did is incredible. He took 14 seconds off of his previous best time, and he did it at the state meet, where it matters most. We’re just very proud of both teams.”

Ahrens predicted it would take the race of a lifetime to find his way to the podium, and that’s exactly what happened.

The senior easily beat his previous-best time as he shattered the elusive 16-minute mark by seven seconds. He nearly chased down Milwaukee Hamilton’s Marcus Paulson for fifth place, but was still elated to take home a medal.

“I knew after the first mile that I had a chance to really have a good time,” Ahrens said. “I can’t believe I broke 16 minutes, but everything just felt right before the race and during the race.”

Ahrens said the team’s goal of finishing in top 10 came up short, but he said the future is bright.

“It’s a pretty young team, and it’s only going to get better,” Ahrens said. “There’s no reason they can’t get back here next year.”