Coleman’s Peters sets state record to lead local athletes at state track meet

LA CROSSE — Local Division 3 track and field athletes made a significant impact at the WIAA Track and Field State Championships, held Friday and Saturday at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, highlighted by a state championship performance and a new meet record. Coleman junior Kolton Peters delivered a historic performance in the boys 110-meter hurdles, advancing through the preliminaries with a time of 15.17 seconds before capturing the state title in the finals with a blazing time of 14.25 seconds. His championship mark successfully broke the previous Division 3 state meet record of 14.32 seconds set just a year prior. Peters nearly secured a second state crown in the 300-meter hurdles, qualifying in the preliminaries with a time of 39.35 seconds and finishing as the state runner-up in the finals with a time of 37.98 seconds.

Coleman track and field coach Joshua Pillath marveled at the junior’s rapid turnaround and exceptional mental toughness on the big stage. “It was incredible to see Kolton cap off his Junior season with a state record,” Pillath said. “One of the most hardworking, humble athletes you’ll see. You don’t see many athletes break a state record and almost immediately lock in for there next race. There is no slowing down for Kolton, I would expect bigger and better things next year.”

Peters’ individual brilliance was supported by a stellar cast of Coleman teammates who helped push the Cougars into a tie for third place in the final overall boys team standings with 31 points. Sophomore Hunter Dehart dominated the throwing events, earning state runner-up honors in the shot put with a premier distance of 58 feet, 10.75 inches. Dehart also scored major points in the discus throw, launching a mark of 179 feet, 11 inches to secure a fourth-place finish in the state. On the girls’ side, Coleman junior Kendal Truckey competed well in the pole vault, successfully clearing a height of 9 feet, 6 inches to finish 11th overall in a highly competitive field.

Other local programs also saw their athletes excel on the state’s biggest stage. In the girls pole vault, Crivitz senior Kylah Betka cleared a height of 10 feet, 6 inches to capture a fourth-place medal, contributing five points to the Wolverines’ team total. Lena senior Zander Thomson put together an impressive showing in the boys 110-meter hurdles, booking his ticket to the final round with a preliminary time of 15.46 seconds before running a sharp 14.85-second sprint in the finals to secure fourth place in the state.

Suring sophomore Aliya Cox tackled a grueling hurdles double on the girls’ side, qualifying for the final rounds in both of her events. Cox opened her weekend by running a 15.87-second mark in the 100-meter hurdles preliminaries, later dropping her time to 15.60 seconds in the finals to claim a seventh-place finish.

She followed that up in the 300-meter hurdles, navigating the track in 46.57 seconds during the preliminaries to qualify for the finals, where she finished ninth in the state with a time of 45.91 seconds. Rounding out the local contingent, Florence-Niagara sophomore Kelsi Chrisman represented her program in the girls 100-meter dash, finishing her season in the state preliminary rounds by crossing the finish line with a time of 12.94 seconds.