The year 2024 was one to remember in Chippewa County sports. Success on the local, state, national and worldwide stage lined the past 12 months with many more potential triumphs in the weeks and months to come. Here's nine of the year's biggest stories (in no particular order) from the county sports landscape.
Chippewa Falls boys 1,600-meter relay runners (from left) Samuel Hebert, Ethan Faschingbauer, Carter Bowe and Jackson LeMay look at their posted time after finishing first in preliminaries on May 31 at Veterans Memorial Field Complex in La Crosse. Chippewa County's seven track and field teams found success at the spring's WIAA state track and field championships in La Crosse. Chippewa Falls, Bloomer and Cadott all brought home state titles, while McDonell and New Auburn earned podium finishes.
The 1,600-meter relay team of Ethan Faschingbauer, Jackson LeMay, Carter Bowe and Sam Hebert captured the Division 1 state championship, while LeMay, Jackson Bohland, Faschingbauer and Bowe were second in the 800 relay and Hebert was runner-up in the 400. Ava Krista returned to the Division 1 girls podium, finishing fifth in the triple jump. The Bloomer freshman quartet of Aliya, Briella and Ciara Hartman and Sophie Strand scored a Division 2 3,200 relay state title, and Ciara won the 3,200 title in dominant fashion.
Ciara also was third in the 1,600, while Briella took fourth in the 400. Cadott sophomore Iszy Sonnentag repeated as Division 3 state champion in the 400 and used a l.