Bella Grenier Wins State Track and Field Title; Team Places Second

Bella Grenier ’25 earned the title of state champion in the 3,200-meter final (while also establishing a new school record in the event), while the girls’ track and field team earned its first-ever team state trophy, finishing three points away from the title in second place, at the Division 2 WIAA state track and field meet in La Crosse, Wisconsin on Friday, June 6 and Saturday, June 7. The state meet also saw the USM girls’ 4x800-meter relay team of Grenier, Annie Norman ’25, Anastasia March ’26, and Cate Kohli ’27 finish less than a second behind the first-place finishers in that event (while also besting the former state-record time), and Norman earning a 4th place finish of her own in the 3,200-meter run.

Overall, the girls’ team finished with five podium finishes in the three races they competed in at the state meet. Grenier and Norman finished second and third, respectively, in the 1,600-meter run, with sub-five-minute times. Both of their results bested the previous school record time. Marich and Kohli also both competed in the 800-meter event, and Neva Miner ’26 competed in discus. Overall, the girls improved significantly from their 25th-place team finish at state the previous year.

"I couldn't be prouder of our girls and what they accomplished this season as a team, said Joe Eason, head coach. "We made a huge statement with a very small group of athletes. Bella and Annie have completely redefined distance running at USM, and while it's always tough to see such great competitors graduate, through their enthusiasm and their leadership they have helped create a lasting legacy in our younger runners. The future is really bright." 

On the boys side, two relay teams participated in the state meet, with the 4x100-meter relay team of Geno Cooks '26, Sam Eason '26, Donovan Ford '26, and Ethan Feldner '25 wrapping up their season in the prelims, and the 4x800-meter relay team of Austin Jarmuz '27, Beckett Newman '28, Kiran Siddalingaiah '25, and Owen Birchall '25  finishing in 15th place in the finals.

"Our two boys' relay teams had a great experience in La Crosse. It was a remarkable way for some of our seniors to end their high school track and field experience, and the underclassmen came away with a vision for what's possible next year and after. They are already focused on the goal of getting back to the state meet next year and improving their times. Overall this year was a big step forward for our program."