Hello Vikings, this is the Norse Code’s sixth edition of Feature Friday. Every Friday, we shine the spotlight on a New Berlin West student, faculty member, club, or event.
This week, Journalism got the rundown on the trail to the Division 2 WIAA State Cross Country Championships for freshman Emily Zeller and junior Isaac Krzyzaniak. On Saturday, October 28th, Zeller and Krzyzaniak will be running at the Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids for their last race of the season. The varsity runners earned State Championship berths at the Kettle Moraine Lutheran sectional: Zeller finished 6th place (19:58.4), Krzyzaniak finished 10th place (17:33.3).
Zeller, the 19th ranked female cross country runner in the state of Wisconsin for Division 2, shot off the line and left smoke behind as she won the Ladish Invitational hosted by East Troy High School at the start of the season. On her track to the State Tournament, she collected a medal in each of the 7 meets participated in and received 1st Team All Conference Honors. Additionally, she finished the Woodland Conference race with a personal record of 19 minutes. Zeller has been running cross country since 7th grade when she joined the NBW middle school team. Her great feats this season can be attributed to training with her teammate, Nora Campion, in the summer and mentally pushing herself to never give up. She is looking forward to spending time with Campion and the team at state and hopes to take in its beauty as the next race is never guaranteed. Wearing bib #65, her goal for the state tournament race is to place within the top 50.
Krzyzaniak is returning to the WIAA XC State Championship after placing 92nd out of 152 runners last year as a Sophomore. With experience under his spikes, he is going to make an effort to start out fast and receive a time under 17 minutes this time around. In the offseason, he participated in Track & Field and attended captains practices over the summer. During the season, he added weight training to his practice agenda with hopes of getting stronger and faster. His hard work paid off as he finished the Woodland Conference meet with a time of 17 minutes and 5 seconds, a lifetime personal best. His outstanding performances throughout the season rewarded him with 2nd Team All Conference Honors. As bib #63 at state, he is looking forward to competing against all the great athletes. Going into the race, he ranks within the top 100 best cross country runners in the state of Wisconsin for Division 2, coming in at #91.
![(L-R) Henry Gardner, George Gardner, [father Gardner], Mrs. Gardner and Jake Gardner all pose in front of a waterfall.](https://mynorsecode.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/IMG_4449-970x1200.jpg)
