Middle school runners close season strong at home invitational

TOMAHAWK – The Tomahawk Middle School (TMS) cross country teams wrapped up their 2026 season on home turf on Thursday, Oct. 8, hosting a large field of local area programs on a fast but deceptively rolling course near the JV baseball field and school forest trails.

The Hatchets delivered their most complete team effort of the year, highlighted by tight pack running, several season‑best performances, all-time school best performances and strong finishes across both squads.

The boys once again found themselves in the mix, led by Aries Messerschmidt, who powered to a 12:36 finish for 12th place and moved into the top five in boys’ all-time middle school performances.

Max Micke (13:28, 24th) improved his all-time list mark, and Evan Zorn (13:34, 25th) worked together through the middle miles, while Theo Heier (13:58, 33rd) punched his ticket into the all-time best club, and Eli Ierulli (14:14, 39th) rounded out the scoring pack. Aydin Michael (14:21, 40th), Ethan Riebe (14:28, 44th) and Jesse Wallschlaeger (14:42, 45th) kept the Hatchets tightly grouped through the mid‑field.

Additional Hatchets crossing the line included Kamden Hanse (14:44, 46th), Finn Childers (14:57, 47th), Case Montag (16:31, 65th), Cylus Hilgendorf (16:35, 67th), Gabriel Lobermeier (16:42, 68th), Gabe Nelson (16:47, 69th), William Wendorf (17:34, 73rd), AJ Blaeser (18:24, 75th), Micah Cerkas (19:12, 76th), Thomas Totch (19:28, 77th) and Leo Fishbeck (19:57, 78th).

The girls closed out their season with one of their strongest team performances of the year. Jayda DeVillers led the Hatchets with a blazing 12:14, finishing 3rd overall and ending her middle school career with the fastest girls’ time in TMS history, surpassing the mark of Rachael Reilly.

Maci Bandura followed with a strong 14:05 (18th), while Allie Reiff (14:52, 26th) and Emma Childers (14:56, 29th) kept the scoring pack tight, both having incredible races. Stephanie VanAsten (15:08, 31st), Fjola Erickson (15:45, 36th) and Adeline Voermans (15:54, 38th) rounded out the top seven with some very strong racing in the late stages of the race.

Additional Hatchets finishing strong included Allie Lemke (16:00, 41st), Ahna Arndt (16:32, 44th), Iona Oates (17:18, 51st), Aspen Pankow (17:22, 52nd), Emree Quesinberry (17:30, 53rd), Allie Maki (17:37, 54th), Nevaeh Mathis (18:20, 56th), Dayze Rounds (18:26, 57th), Kaylyn Ponsler (20:04, 62nd), Finley Bubolz (20:28, 63rd), Quinn Cordova (20:30, 64th) and Delilah Rounds (23:06, 71st).

Milestones of the Meet

Congratulations to the Hatchets earning "Milestones of the Meet" honors, which honor TMS cross country athletes who made a meaningful step forward through improvement, effort, or positive impact on the team: Cylus Hilgendorf, Theo Heier, Gabriel Lobermeier, AJ Blaeser, Nevaeh Mathis, Aspen Pankow, and Jayda DeVillers.

Thank you

As we close out the 2026 season, the coaching staff would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to:

• Our parents, whose support, encouragement and presence at meets make this program possible. The kids and coaches all appreciate all of the help and snacks at the meets and our awards celebration.
• Our volunteers, who step in wherever needed – timing, course setup, cleanup and everything in between.
• The Tomahawk School District social media team, for consistently sharing our results, photos and stories with the community.
• The Tomahawk Leader, for their continued coverage of middle school cross country and for helping highlight the efforts of our athletes throughout the season.

Your support strengthens our program and helps create the positive, team‑centered environment our runners thrive in. With the home meet marking the end of the 2026 season, the Hatchets close out another year of record growth, grit and memorable performances. The coaching staff is proud of every athlete’s effort and looks forward to building on this momentum in 2027.