MENOMONIE – Tournament time has started for the Menomonie High School winter athletic teams, with wrestling and boys swimming and diving competing in sectional competition over the weekend.

The boys wrestling team hosted one of seven WIAA Division 1 sectional meets Saturday, with senior Bailey Casey capturing the sectional title, winning all three matches at 132-pounds to improve his record to 22-1 overall. As a team, Menomonie placed third in the 15-team field.

Menomonie got runner-up finishes from junior Aiden Aure (138), junior Aaron Howard (157), senior Luke Pember (165), senior Jacob Anderson (175), and senior Bryce Shepard (215). Additional place finishers were freshman Carter Reberg (106, 8th) and sophomore Ryan Shackleton (150, 7th).

Six Mustangs earned berths to the individual wrestling tournament scheduled for Feb. 26-28 at the Kohl Center on the University of Wisconsin campus.

At 132, Bailey Casey (19-1) will face Perry Baeher (32-8) of Kaukauna. At 138, Aiden Aure (32-3) will meet Bodi Kotheri-Schmi (26-11) of Brown Deer. At 157, Aaron Howard (19-4) will face off against Parker Neu (41-6) from Hartford Union. At 165, Luke Pember (17-3) will meet Benjamin Wiza (37-10) of Oak Creek. At 175, Jacob Anderson (31-7) will tussle with Niko DeZiel (41-3) from Sun Prairie West. At 215, Bryce Shepard (30-5) will meet Wes Olson (33-12) of Pulaski.

Aure and Shepard will be making their third trip to the state tournament, with Aure placing fourth in 2025. Casey, Howard, Pember, and Anderson will be making their second trips to Madison.

Olivia Potter and Tayelin Johnson competed at the WIAA girls wrestling regional Friday at Eau Claire North. Potter, a sophomore, finished third at 114 and Johnson, a junior, placed fourth at 120. As a team, Menomonie finished seventh.

The boys swimming and diving team placed fourth at the WIAA Division 2 sectional hosted by Rice Lake. The Mustangs scored 206 team points, trailing only Rhinelander, Ashwaubenon and Rice Lake in the 10-team field.

Menomonie’s top individual finish came in the 200-yard freestyle, where juniors Ryan Rood and Will McKnight tied for third in 1 minute, 58.55 seconds. McKnight also added a fifth-place finish in the 500 freestyle (5:27.52), while Rood was 10th in the same event (5:36.53).

Senior Thomas Seim placed eighth in the 100 butterfly in 1:02.12 and finished 14th in the 500 freestyle. Senior Luke Ray added a ninth-place showing in the 100 freestyle (58.70) and took 11th in the 200 individual medley. Junior Eric Zydowsky was 10th in the 200 IM and 10th again in the 100 breaststroke (1:17.94).

The Mustangs’ relays also contributed key points. The 400 freestyle relay team of Rood, Ray, Seim and McKnight placed fourth in 3:38.43, while the 200 freestyle relay quartet of Rood, Matvey Zazovskiy, Seim and McKnight finished fifth in 1:39.59. Menomonie’s 200 medley relay team took seventh.

WIAA Division 2 Sectional Results
Team Scores: 1. Rhinelander 363; 2. Ashwaubenon 348; 3. Rice Lake 325;  3. Menomonie 206; 4. River Falls 166; 5. Notre Dame/Southern Door 166; 6. Tomahawk 160; 7. Wausau East 117; 8. Medford 68; 9. Lakeland 24.

Individual Results: 200 Freestyle — 3 (tie), Ryan Rood (JR), 1:58.55; 3 (tie), Will Mcknight (JR), 1:58.55; 8, Matvey Zazovskiy (SR), 2:10.16. 200 IM — 10, Eric Zydowsky (JR), 2:29.45; 11, Luke Ray (SR), 2:41.13; 12, Seth Ray (FR), 2:53.27. 100 Butterfly — 8, Thomas Seim (SR), 1:02.12; 13, Eirik Erickson (JR), 1:13.20. 100 Freestyle — 9, Luke Ray (SR), 58.70. 500 Freestyle — 5, Will Mcknight (JR), 5:27.52; 10, Ryan Rood (JR), 5:36.53; 14, Thomas Seim (SR), 5:46.93; 15, Matvey Zazovskiy (SR), 6:06.47; 16, Peyton Gregerson (JR), 6:25.81; 17, Seth Ray (FR), 6:43.54. 100 Breaststroke — 10, Eric Zydowsky (JR), 1:17.94; 12, Eirik Erickson (JR), 1:19.42; 16, Peyton Gregerson (JR), 1:24.01.

Boys and girls hockey will get the tournament underway this weekend.

The Chippewa Falls/Menomonie (CFM) girls hockey team earned will travel to Somerset either Thursday, Feb. 19 at 5 pm. The winner will advance to meet the winner of the West Salem Co-op/Eau Claire North Co-op, Tuesday, Feb. 24. Sectional finals are Friday, Feb. 27 at Somerset at 7 p.m.

The third-seeded Menomonie boys hockey team will open play in the River Falls Sectional by hosting the Black River Falls Co-op Thursday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. at the Fanetti Community Center. The winner will advance to play the winner of the River Falls/West Salem-Bangor game Tuesday, Feb. 24. The sectional finals are at the Wildcat Centre Arena in River Falls, Saturday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m.

The Menomonie girls basketball team earned the fifth seed and will open WIAA play Friday, Feb. 27 at fourth-seeded Medford at 7 p.m. The Menomonie boys basketball will find out Sunday, Feb. 23 who they will open tournament play with.