Dominican's Sydney Knautz wins the D3 100 by a hundredth — in a meet record

LA CROSSE — One hundredth of a second separated a meet record from second place in the Division 3 girls' 100.

Sydney Knautz of Dominican won it in 11.94 — a meet record — with Batteh Doumbya of Madison Country Day right on her shoulder at 11.95. A single hundredth decided the title, and Knautz had it.

The 11.94 was the fastest legal 100 of her season, and it came at the best possible moment. Knautz had spent the spring chipping at the barrier — 12.22, 12.10, a wind-aided 11.88 — before finally breaking 12 seconds with the wind inside the limit, in the state final. Lowering a state-meet record takes a special race; doing it in a photo finish takes nerve to match.

She is more than a 100 runner, too, doubling back in the 200 to give Dominican a sprinter who scores across the short events. For now, though, the headline is the closest of margins and the record that came with it — Dominican's Knautz, the Division 3 100-meter state champion.