Anderson, Jaworski top field at WVC meet

Evergreens senior, West freshman win individual titles while SPASH sweeps team competition

Tim Johnson

RIB MOUNTAIN — Anthony Anderson walked over to Rex Zemke and then greeted and shook the hand of the individual whose accomplishments he has been chasing.

The two D.C. Everest runners, past and present, shared a few words and a bond over winning a Wisconsin Valley Conference individual cross country championship more than two decades apart.

Wausau West's Brooke Jaworski nears the finish line to win the girls race during Saturday's Wisconsin Valley Conference cross country meet at  Nine Mile Recreation Area.

Anderson won his title on Saturday morning at Nine Mile Recreational Area, finishing first in the boys 5,000 meter race in 16 minutes, 2.8 seconds. He is the first Everest boy to win a conference title since Zemke accomplished the feat 25 years ago.

"It's an honor to be a part of that club," said Anderson, who finished 12 seconds ahead of Ricky Perez of Stevens Point Area Senior High. "I have been working really hard this whole season and the past four years to do this and be able to say that I'm the best in the conference."

Wausau West's Brooke Jaworski earned that right in her first WVC meet.

The Warriors freshman led from the start and won the girls 5K in 19:17, finishing 26 seconds ahead of SPASH's Autum Shurbert-Hetzel.

Jaworski said afterward she didn't know how big of a lead she had as she sprinted down the final stretch of the course.

"One thing I taught myself and my dad always reinforces is to never look back," Jaworski said. "When you look back it means that mentally you're not tough because you're just afraid of far behind you they are."

Both Anderson and Jaworski won their respective races on the same course just a few weeks ago in the Wausau City Meet. Anderson credits the time he put in training on running hills for his success on the Nine Mile course

"In the back (of the course) there are so many hills and you have to be able to work up them and down them," Anderson said. "This is not a course for just anyone to go out and run a fast time. You have to be a mature runner and know what you are doing to do good on this course."

The Everest boys and West girls both finished second as SPASH won both team titles again.

Perez was one of six SPASH runners to crack the top 10 as the Panther boys won the conference championship for the 28th straight season. The Panthers finished with 29 points and Everest was a distant second with 65. Everest's Logan Spooner was fourth overall, finishing in 16:30.6. Wausau East's Axel Treinen and Wisconsin Rapids Joe Corneau were fifth and sixth, respectively.

"We had a lot of question marks at the start of the season. We had two guys returning and then after that we really didn't know what we had," SPASH coach Donn Behnke said. "We found a couple really talented freshmen who have worked hard and have had some other younger kids who have stepped forward. We've built a team that we're really proud of."

The Panthers girls were even better, placing seven individuals among the top 10 finishers to win their fourth straight title.

The Panthers pack was separated by roughly 27 seconds as SPASH finished with 26 points, while West totaled 55. The Warriors Emmy Sheehan and Mackenzie Malone were third and fifth overall, respectively.

Tim Johnson can be reached at 715-845-0731 or at Find him on Twitter @timmyjo11.


Team scores: 1. SPASH 29; 2. D.C. Everest 65; 3. Wausau East 76; 4. Wausau West 93; 5. Wisconsin Rapids 119; 6. Marshfield 169; 7. Merrill 237.

Top individuals: 1. Anthony Anderson, DCE, 16:02.8; 2. Ricky Perez, SP, 16;14.; 3. Derek Franz, SP, 16;17.4; 4. Logan Spooner, DCE, 16:30.6; 5. Axel Treinen, WE, 16:57. 6. Joe Corneau, WR, 17:01.8. 7. Liam Belson, SP, 17:03.3; 8. Mark Stoskopf, SP, 17:08.1; 9. Chad Franz, SP, 17:10.7; 10. Johnny Hyland, SP, 17:14.4.


Team scores: 1. SPASH 26; 2. Wausau West 55; 3. D.C. Everest 82; 4. Wausau East 101; 5. Marshfield 136; 6. Wisconsin Rapids 181; 7. Merrill 209.

Top individuals: 1. Brooke Jaworski, WW, 19:17; 2. Autum Shurbert-Hetzel, SP, 19;43. 3. Emmy Sheehan, WW, 20:01.1; 4. Courtney Milkowski, SP, 20:05.3; 5. Grace Belson, SP, 20:06.6; 6. Mackenzie Malone, WW, 20:07.3; 7. Carly Olsen, SP, 20:07.6; 8. Mya Zajakowski, SP, 20:09.8; 9. Kimby Klein, SP, 20:10.2; 10. Miranda DeBot, SP, 20:10.6