Viola holds her own at state

The field was deep and remarkably gifted. And Sauk Prairie track and field standout MariElla Viola showed she belonged. Now, after an impressive showing at the WIAA Division 1 state track and field meet last weekend at Veterans Stadium in La Crosse, Viola should be poised for even bigger and better things in 2025. Viola, a junior, finished in 16th place in the preliminaries of the 200-meter dash. Only the top-10 runners advanced to the finals. Viola’s time of 25.96 seconds was just 0.40 seconds behind 10th place Alayna West of Madison La Follette, who earned the last spot in the finals. Still, simply reaching the state tournament was a tremendous accomplishment for Viola, who was the lone Sauk Prairie runner at state last weekend. “Any opportunity to compete at state is a huge accomplishment,” Eagles coach Andy Sherman said. “For MariElla to do this in her second individual event, and not necessarily her favorite, speaks volumes to the talent she has. The sprint groups in high school are very deep and talented, especially in our regional and sectional. For MariElla to get there was great.” Viola emerged from a terrific sectional, where she finished third in the 200 and earned the final state qualifying in that event. She was also fourth at sectionals in the 100-meter dash, and fourth with the Eagles’ 800-meter relay team, meaning she missed qualifying in those events by just one spot. But simply reaching the star-studded state meet meant a lot to Viola — and the entire Sauk Prairie program. “It means so much,” Viola said. “We have an amazing program. We just happen to not necessarily always have the numbers in every event. “So knowing that I’m going, I feel like I’m representing my whole team and my community.” Viola did just that, and should now be ready for a big senior season. Sherman, for one, can’t wait to see what Viola can accomplish next spring. “This definitely sets her up for success next year,” Sherman said. “I think she now knows what it will take to truly make greatness a realistic goal and we will work very hard to get her back there and hopefully on the podium (top six finish).”