Wisconsin Lutheran's Jaiah Hopf three-peats in triple jump, Homestead's Peyton Berryman sets vault record

LA CROSSE - The discussions around winning three consecutive championships are usually the same, regardless of the sport. Whether it’s the Chicago Bulls of the 1990s or the New York Yankees of the late 1990s, it’s one of the hardest things to do in sports.

To paraphrase Han Solo cruising in the Millennium Falcon, never tell Wisconsin Lutheran jumper and two-time state triple jump champion Jaiah Hopf the odds.

In front of a packed house at Roger Harring Stadium for the WIAA boys and girls state track and field meet on the UW-La Crosse campus, the DePaul recruit jumped a personal-best triple jump of 40 feet 8¾ inches to win her third consecutive Division 1 state title in the event.

“It’s a great feeling to end it with this,” Hopf said with her medal dangling around her neck. “It’s just been a great four years – well, technically three years, I wish we had four – but my coaches have done an amazing job getting me out of my head. They’ve always been there for me and I’m just not ready to leave yet (laughs).”

Hopf didn’t register a jump on her first two tries, and on the third, she landed in the sand at 37-6 to sit in third place. Her fourth jump jolted her onto the top of the leaderboard at 39-11¾, but it was the jump two rotations later – her final jump of the day – that sealed the deal and capped the three-peat.

“I thought it wasn’t a good jump at all, so I just walked off,” Hopf said with a laugh about the title-clinching jump. “I was like, ‘OK, I’ll just go talk to my coach and we’ll see what happens.’ I was talking to my coach and I saw my dad freaking out and I was like, ‘What did I just jump?!’ They all came running over to me and I said I PR’d, so I was like, ‘OK!’ ”

Saturday brings one last challenge for Hopf – a possible three-peat in the sand again as a long jump champ, but winning a third title in the triple jump left the future Blue Demon satisfied for one day.

“This one’s definitely the sweetest for sure,” Hopf said. “I PR’d my last one, so that’s all I needed (laughs).”

Homestead’s Berryman sets pole vault record

Last year left a bitter taste in Homestead senior pole vaulter Peyton Berryman’s mouth.

Between having to vault indoors due to poor weather and finishing tied for second at state after coming in as the top-seeded vaulter in Division 1, Berryman’s one focus this season was standing atop the podium. The North Carolina recruit delivered, and then some.

Berryman was the only vaulter to clear 12-3, but the future Tar Heel wanted more. On her second try at 12-9, one inch above the state meet record set by Arrowhead’s Julia Moore a year ago, the senior cleared it, sending the Highlanders contingency into a frenzy.

“I was honestly kind of expecting myself to get the state record after last year. I was ranked first after jumping 13 feet at sectionals and then at state, I tied for second,” Berryman said. “This year, I definitely felt like I was a lot more determined and I was trying to stay calm and focusing on every vault because I really wanted that state record and I’m happy I got it.”

Berryman gave it three tries at 13 feet but came up just short. Despite not hitting her personal goal for the day, it was still a chance at redemption and Berryman didn’t waste it.

“I think I could’ve made 13 (feet) if my standards were back just a few inches for my 13-7 pole and I don’t have one bigger than that. But I was definitely excited, especially after not doing it last year and it’s senior year, so it’s a great feeling.”

New Berlin West's Schultz captures D2 girls shot put title

In her first year of participating in track and field, New Berlin West thrower Meghan Schultz dominated the competition on her way to the Division 2 state shot put championship with a top throw of 45 feet, 10.5 inches, clearing the pack by over four feet.

“I’ve been practicing a lot up to (the state meet), and the last practice, I think I got about 45 (feet) then, so I felt like I could easily do this today," Schultz said with a giant smile on her face. "I walked up to my first throw and I felt good about it. I threw a 44-7 and then after, I felt a lot safer, so my coaches were like, ‘Just send it. You can easily get (45 feet).’ I stepped up and remembered to just let it go and send it, and it was up over 45 and I was like, ‘Whoa! I didn’t know I could do that!’ I thought it was like, 39 (feet).

"I threw and saw people cheering and I’m like, ‘Why would people be cheering a 39?’ Then I saw it was a 45 and I was like, ‘Jeeze! I did that?’”

Schultz came out of the gate strong with the throw of 44 feet, 7 inches that put her in first place and would've kept her there had she not thrown again. After her second throw of a shade over 43 feet and two almost identical throws of over 44 feet, Schultz unloaded for the 45-footer she had been chasing to lock up the title.

“I wanted to really put up a good throw out there to start, but when I got that 44-7, I started to kinda relax after that, so I only threw about 42, 43 (feet). But then, there was a break before the finals and I thought to myself, ‘You know what? I want to get to 45 (feet). Let’s get to 45 (feet).’”

Other D1 notes from Day 1 at state for the girls

• Beloit Turner junior Rachel Cleaver won the title in mixed shot put with a throw of 16-0¾ inches, eclipsing her record throw of 16 feet a year ago.

• Watertown's Riley Quinn won the girls state discus title with a throw of 134-5, while Fort Atkinson's 3,200-meter relay time of 9:30.31 topped the podium.

• After five of 18 events at the meet, Middleton led the way with 18 points. Homestead was second with 14, followed by West De Pere (13). Wisconsin Lutheran had 10 points, Slinger had 9, Muskego was tied for 12th with 8 and Arrowhead was in a three-way tie for 15th with 6. Whitefish Bay and Oak Creek each had 5.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Jaiah Hopf wins third triple jump title, Peyton Berryman sets record