There was bound to be some changes atop the Sun Prairie West track & field program. Josh O’Connor pulled double duty in the high school’s first year of existence as head coach of both the track program as well as the football team. He understandably took a step back to an assistant role this spring to focus more on his responsibilities as head football coach.
The name replacing him as leader of the track & field program. Justin Beaver was an assistant who primarily worked with the jumpers in the spring of 2023. This time around, he leads the Wolves into their second season as their head coach. It was an easy decision for him.
“Between the athletes we had returning and the excellent coaching staff committed to this program, I felt really good about applying and taking the job,” coach Beaver said. “I have so much faith in this staff and the veterans have been outstanding leaders already. We expected some adversity with the change, but the athletes have responded tremendously. It’s been a really good start.”
Beaver’s motto for the program is to “trust the process.” While it may sometimes feel as though the approach being taken is not working, there has to be a mutual trust between coaches and athletes. He’s emphasized open communication, and players and coaches alike have responded well to that atmosphere.
The stellar amount of talent competing for him this spring will make it easier to trust, as well. Sun Prairie West sent eight events to the 2023 Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) state meet last season. Prior to that, the girls claimed a WIAA regional title. Plenty of athletes return from that inspiring start to hopefully carry momentum in this upcoming second season.
An obvious name to keep an eye on this spring is senior Dakota Mitchell. She was a rockstar for the Wolves last year, qualifying for state in three separate events. She finished 16th in the 100 meter dash, received a DNS in the 200 meter dash, and ran the anchor leg of West’s 4x100 meter relay team. Prior to state, Mitchell won a regional title in both the 100 and 200 meter dashes and placed third in both events at sectionals.
Two of Mitchell’s those teammates from that 4x100 relay team are also back, junior Sydney Holiday and sophomore Layla Maggit. Both are also contributors in the short sprints while Maggit has shown some promise in the high jump.
There are a handful of athletes from the boys’ side of things that also return to help lead the Wolves this spring. Daniel Wilson Jr. enjoyed a breakout season on the football gridiron this past fall. This came on the heels of a stellar junior season on the track, where he qualified for state in the 300 meter hurdles. He did not make it out of the preliminary round at state, but did finish third overall at sectionals. Wilson Jr. is also strong in the 110 meter hurdles. He placed second in the event at both conference and WIAA regionals before falling just short at sectionals.
Sun Prairie West also sent its boys 4x400 meter relay team to last season’s state meet. Half of that unit has graduated in Jonathan Weah and Devin Frank. Returning are juniors Drew Peters and Oliver Pooch. Peters enjoyed a tremendous cross country season in the fall, reaching the state finals. Pooch was a breakout player on the football field and was an important piece of the track program as well last season.
Distance as a whole should be a strength for the Sun Prairie West program. There are a pair of state-qualified cross country runners on the girls side with junior Jojo Knauss, who made it in 2022, and junior Ali McCaughtry, who qualified this past fall. Other familiar distance runners like Ben Polzin, Barrett Mould, Allison Bodnar, Sophie Erickson, and Sadie Seidl should add a valuable bump to the varsity.
As for the “field” portion of the program, junior Makenzie Hawk looks to be a dangerous piece in the triple jump. She won a regional title in the event last spring before qualifying for the state meet with a third place finish at sectionals.
Senior Ebrima Conteh nearly qualified for state himself last spring. He came agonizingly close with a fifth place finish in the long jump at sectionals. This came on the heels of a third place finish at regionals. Fellow senior Keion Kauppinen is another name to watch in the long jump after an impressive junior campaign.
The Wolves will make their official season debut on Thursday, April 11 as they compete in a relay meet at Elkhorn Area High School. Sun Prairie West will not host any varsity meets this spring. It will host four junior varsity meets, including the 2024 Big Eight junior varsity conference meet on Tuesday, May 7. The Wolves will get to compete in the city of Sun Prairie, though, as they travel to Sun Prairie East for the eighth annual Paul Frank invitational on Friday, April 26.
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