From hay fields to track and field

SOUTH WAYNE, Wis. — While most teenagers are still asleep, athlete Brooke Wellnitz is putting in time on her family farm and then heading to the weight room and track.

That hard work paid off early in her career as she set records at Argyle-Pecatonica High School in the triple jump and pole vault, earned first team all-conference volleyball honors and was named Six Rivers East Conference Co-Player of the Year in basketball as a sophomore this past year.

“Growing up on the farm has really helped me learn not to be lazy, and to listen to people who are instructing me,” Wellnitz said. “When a coach or teacher tells me to do something, it’s because they’ve already had that experience and they’re teaching me something that will make me successful.”

Wellnitz, the eighth of nine children born to Donielle and Tom Wellnitz, has seen plenty of athletic success in her own backyard. Her older siblings hold countless records at Black Hawk High School. A brother won a state title in football, three older sisters played in the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association girls basketball semifinals, and an older sister, Jen, competed at the Division I level as part of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay women’s basketball team from 2014 to 2019.

Brooke is active on the farm, as well as finding time to be a top-level athlete. At Wellnitz Dairy near South Wayne, she feeds calves, helps with the fair animals and assists where needed, including helping to milk the farm’s herd of 120 cows. Her favorite chore is raking hay on the Farmall 706.

“I like raking because it helps me mentally,” Wellnitz said. “I think about what I can be doing to improve for next year and what else I can continue to get better at. It helps my dad get done faster, too.”

Improving on an already high bar is something that Jen helps her with. Three years ago, Jen was named the head girls basketball coach at Argyle-Pecatonica, 12 miles away from where the rest of the family attended Black Hawk High School. Brooke and her younger sister, Jade, followed for a chance to be coached by their sister.

“I told them when I got the job, not to feel obligated to follow me,” Jen said. “We had some of our family stay at Black Hawk, but Brooke and Jade believed in me as a coach and thought I could help make them better. The first year I coached Brooke at Argyle-Pecatonica, we went to the state tournament.”

Jen said growing up on a farm can help athletes build a strong core of athleticism.

“I’ve seen it from my past,” Jen said. “When we were at Black Hawk, there were a lot of farm kids there. It made you a better athlete because if you weren’t in sports, you were at home working on the farm. In the summer, it was throwing small square bales. There was just that farm strength you get growing up that you can’t get in the weight room, and we love the weight room.”

Brooke’s and Jen’s backgrounds on the farm paved the way for the type of communication and work ethic needed to excel.

“Growing up on the farm has helped me build my mental toughness,” Brooke said. “I’ve seen other teammates who, when things get difficult, quit playing altogether. I think a big part of growing up on the farm is dealing with difficult things and at times, dealing with hard coaching.”

Those lessons go beyond the hardwood and the track and extend to the show ring. Brooke also exhibits pigs and steers at local fairs.

“When we show, we’re responsible for our animals,” Brooke said. “We feed, clean and take care of them. I know I have a responsibility to take care of them, and being independent and relying on myself to get things done really makes me proud.”

Between sports and showing at fairs, competition is as ingrained on the Wellnitz farm as work ethic. Although she does not attend the same high school as her sister did, Brooke knows exactly what records and numbers Jen holds at Black Hawk High School.

“It would be fun to break Jen’s records officially,” Brooke said. “We still compare our personal bests. I know the marks I need to get, and I’m going to keep pushing myself to reach those numbers.”

Jen does not let the competition factor into how she works with her sister. In fact, she helped Brooke continue to improve on a freshman year that saw her earn first team all-conference honors in basketball, as well as earning regional champion honors in the triple jump, long jump and the 400-meter race, along with qualifying for the state track and field meet in La Crosse for the triple jump.

“I want to see Brooke do well, and getting to work with her on the court and on the track is great,” Jen said. “It gives me more incentive to want to be there because I want to see her do well. It’s also fun because I know I can coach her hard, probably harder than most because she knows I care about her.”

Whether representing Argyle-Pecatonica, Sunday night volleyball against her parents and siblings at Wellnitz Dairy or bringing the cows into the barn and finishing chores, the feeling of accomplishment is what drives Brooke to continue to be at her best.

“I like competing,” Brooke said. “There isn’t a better feeling than at the end of the track meet, seeing my name on the top of the leaderboard, or beating another team in volleyball or basketball. I’ve accomplished what I was working for. The hard work is paying off, and the work you put in during the offseason is paying off. I have a similar feeling when we get our cows taken care of and everything goes right.”