BAY PORT, Wis. — A Bay Port student-athlete is flourishing in her final year of high school. She's excelling on the track, in the classroom and in the community.
Madeline Thoreson competes in long jump, high jump, hurdles and relays, along with competing on the volleyball team. She set a record last year with a long jump of 18 feet and 1 ¾ inches.
She said she was proud to be named the Fox River Classic Conference Girls Field Athlete of the Year.’
“I've always loved to compete and be a competitive person. This sport is very individual in that sense of competition, but [we] also come together as a team completely,” said Thoreson. “It's just the beauty of both ends of that, whether it be relays as a whole team or individual events, too.”
She will continue to run track in college at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse next year.
Her track coach, Andy Kros, said she is a great role model for the younger athletes on the team.
“I think there's no better person to represent our program at the next level than Madeline,” said Kros. “She's just a great human. Her work in the community, in our school and for our track team is really second to none.”
Although she has committed to be an Eagle in college, Thoreson said she has more to accomplish in her final year as a Pirate.
“I hope to beat the triple jump record,” said Thoreson. “I'm currently like two inches or an inch away right now from last year for my PR in long jump; hopefully breaking my PR again this year would be pretty awesome.”
Thoreson packs a lot into her day beyond athletics. She makes cards for senior citizens, volunteers at a food pantry, and belongs to multiple clubs, all while holding down part-time jobs.
One of those jobs is helping Danielle Schuh, a teacher, with her daughter who has special needs. Schuh said Thoreson got trained to use a feeding tube, which is not easy.
“I've just always seen that Madeline has such a heart for people, that I knew my daughter would receive great care and would, like I said, be valued and treated with the utmost respect,” said Schuh.
Thoreson is a model student and wants to major in biology at UW-La Crosse. She said she plans on enrolling in med school. Her goal is to work as a surgeon in sports medicine.
“Also going into the med school, they have a great science and STEM program for me,” Thoreson. “I'm really excited not only for my athletic opportunities, but academics as well.”
