WIAA TRACK SECTIONALS: Central’s Capra qualifies for state meet

Westosha Central’s Meghan Capra weeps with joy after she finished second in the 1,600-meter run at the May 24 sectional meet hosted by Lake Geneva Badger. Capra, a four-time state qualifier for cross country, will make her first career appearance for track (Earlene Frederick/The Report).

By Jason Arndt
Editor

When Meghan Capra finished her 1,600-meter run at the May 24 WIAA Division 1 sectional meet, the Westosha Central High School senior burst into tears, according to her teammates and coaches.

After she placed second to qualify for the state meet, a first in track, no one could blame her.

Capra, a four-time state cross country qualifier, also registered a personal record of 5 minutes, 18.97 seconds.

“She was very excited that she finally made it to state in track,” said Falcons coach Deirdre Reeves. “She is one of those athletes that works so hard day in and day out….and to do it in that fashion, she did such a great job, she broke down.”

The fashion, according to Reeves, relates to the last 200 meters.

With Capra running in fourth place, the senior found a burst of speed, and made the leap to second place by the end.

“She PR’d by more than eight seconds, and she just absolutely flew through the last 200 meters,” Reeves said.

Capra, who advanced to sectionals after claiming the May 22 regional title, credits her supportive teammates cheering her on from behind the fence and in the stands at Lake Geneva Badger.

“I was a little nervous going into it, but I had a very supportive team, and heard a lot of loud cheering as I was running,” she said. “I just felt like it was my last chance and I wanted to make it count.”

“It feels amazing,” she said.

The accomplishment, meanwhile, left Reeves equally amazed.

“I had an opportunity to coach Meghan since the fifth grade and to see her do that, it makes my heart explode for her,” Reeves said.

Like the sectional race, Capra plans to take the same approach.

“I am hoping to come in the top six, and achieve a personal record again,” she said. “I am going to give it all I have, this is my last year.”

Engberg comes up short
On the boys side, senior Josh Engberg missed qualifying for state in the pole vault, where he made an appearance as a junior.

Engberg, who placed third in the May 22 regional, took sixth on May 24 with a score of 12-00.

According to Reeves, the inconsistent spring weather may have played a role in Engberg’s finish.

“That was rough seeing him go out at that height,” she said. “We really thought that he would be going back to state this year.”

“The weather took its toll on everybody with fewer meets and gave us fewer chances to compete,” Reeves added.


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