Ashwaubenon’s Wagner works her way to state runner-up finish
Sage Wagner was near the back of the pack two laps into the Division 1 girls 1,600-meter run at the WIAA state track and field meet.
The Ashwaubenon senior was exactly where she wanted to be.
“I wasn’t worried at all,” Wagner said. “I was counting the heads in front of me, and I knew was almost in dead last.
“We had a plan going into it. I wanted to race even for the first half and for the second half either a negative split or just keep chopping off time and moving up places. It’s a lot better motivation having people in front of me that I can peg off. That’s exactly how it worked out.”
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Wagner worked her way up to the state podium for the first time in her decorated career by finishing as the state runner-up with a time of 4 minutes, 56.22 seconds.
The Grand Valley State recruit not only topped her personal-best mark by 13 seconds, but she shattered the school record by 10 seconds. Becca Selner had the school record with a time of 5:06.24 from when she won the D1 state championship in 2009.
“This is probably the best I ever felt after any of them,” Wagner said about medaling for the first time at state track and field or cross-country.
Wagner was a three-time state qualifier for cross-country, just missing out on a medal by one place as a sophomore.
She finishes her career as a nine-time qualifier in track and field, advancing in multiple events each year, including this season in the 1,600, 800 and as the anchor leg on the 1,600 relay.
Although she didn’t medal in her other two events, Wagner set or helped set school records for both this season.
As good it feels to etch her name in Ashwaubenon’s record books as one of the finest distance runners the school has produced, finally reaching the state podium was worth the wait for Wagner.
“It was a good view to say the least,” Wagner said. “I’ve never been able to experience it from the podium. It’s something I’ll definitely never forget.”