Ontonagon's Team Effort Nets 3 Relay Wins, 3rd Team Title in 6 Seasons
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
June 5, 2022
KINGSFORD — The Ontonagon girls withstood the challenge of retaining the Upper Peninsula Division 3 track & field title here Saturday, winning for the second straight year with 74 points.
Stephenson edged Munising 62-60 for the runner-up trophy.
“When you come to the Finals, everybody can do something special,” said Ontonagon coach Brian Amos. “This is our third title in six years. We have a bunch of good kids who do what’s asked of them. We’re super proud of the girls. That’s a team effort.”
The Gladiators won the 400-meter relay in 52.84 seconds, 800 (1:52.68) and 1,600 (4:28.41) on a sunny and warm day.
“We’re pretty excited right now,” said senior Kiirsa Kolpack, who anchored the 400 relay. “Our handoffs and chemistry are real good. Being in sync with each other makes a big difference. We had a breeze kind of drifting on the south end of the field, which kind of cooled us off a little.”
Ontonagon’s Lilly McIntyre won the 100-meter dash in 13.7 seconds, edging Dollar Bay’s Ashlea Datto by one tenth of a second.
Kolpack was runner-up in the 100 hurdles (17.36), and Violet Amos placed second in the 400 (1:01.58).
Stephenson’s Jada Kuntze took high jump at 4 feet, 10 inches, and second in the 800 (2:34.99), and Daisy Grinsteiner added a first in pole vault (8-0).
“This is our first U.P. trophy since 1993,” said Stephenson coach Kate Kuntze. “This is a young team, and these girls like winning. Hopefully, we can take the next step next year. We have work to do.”
Munising opened with a victory in the 3,200 relay (11:23.25), and Monique Brisson took second in the 3,200 (13:15.72).
Purdue Northwest recruit and Rock Mid Peninsula senior Landry Koski gained her third straight 1,600 title in a season-best 5:31.74 and added firsts in the 800 (2:32.19) and 3,200 (12:52.73).
“The weather was nice all day, then it got hot in the 3,200,” she said. “The wind definitely swirled throughout the day – although, I’m real happy with how today turned out. The 400 could have been a little better. That’s not really my race, but it’s good speedwork. I’ll take the three firsts any day, and my times were real good. This is a good stepping stone for collegiate running. Running is such a mind game. It can be so stressful.”
Lake Linden-Hubbell freshman Emily Jokela won the 400 in a school-record 1:00.45 and 300 hurdles (47.78), and placed third in the 100 (13.78).
Teammate Abi Codere added a first in the 100 hurdles (17.19) and second in pole vault (8-0).
Brimley’s Grace Hill took shot put (34-10) and second in disc (101-1).
PHOTOS (Top) Ontonagon's Alli Bobula approaches the finish line first in the 800 relay Saturday. Other members of the winning team were Lilly McIntrye, Kiirsa Kolpack, and Senia Kolpack. (Middle) Rock Mid-Peninsula's Landry Koski celebrates crossing the finish line just ahead of Rudyard's Tristin Smith in the 1,600. (Click for more from Cara Kamps/Run Michigan.)
Speedy Sprint-Distance Tandem Carries Buckley to 1st Championship
By
Tom Lang
Special for MHSAA.com
June 3, 2023
HUDSONVILLE – Buckley capitalized on the balance of junior distance star Aiden Harrand and freshman standout sprinter Brooklyn Fraeze to rack up the points needed to win the Lower Peninsula Division 4 track & field championship with 52 points Saturday at Hudsonville.
The team title was Buckley’s first in girls track & field.
Harrand won the 1,600 for the third-consecutive year and added titles in the 800 and the 3,200, leading her team to the championship. Those three wins followed her cross country Finals championship from the fall.
“I think it’s kind of fun,” she said about racking up the titles. “My team motivates me, I mean we’re in it as a group and my points matter, so I do it for them.
“It was a cool experience to have, winning those two,” she said about the two longest races, the 1,600 and 3,200, which were the hardest of the overall meet due to the low 90s/high 80s heat and searing sun all day. Race officials allowed the unique opportunity for coaches to spray the runners with water and give them water bottles.
“The water on the backstretch was so nice, and I’m really glad it was there,” Harrand said about the unusual experience. “My coaches were spraying me, and that was so nice to have.
“And our girls took first overall, so we’re really excited for that. Me and Brooklynn (Fraeze) had lots of points, and our 4 x 400 (eighth place) got us the last points we needed. It was amazing, and this is why we do it.”
Fraeze, a freshman, won 100 dash with a personal best of 12.47. She added a runner-up finish in the 200.
“I was like, oh my gosh I’m doing it, the finish line is right there,” she said about the last 10 meters of the 100, as she finished just ahead of Molly Brown of Addison (12.57).
Brown later won the 100 hurdles.
“The girl who got second place, I felt her at like the halfway point and I was telling myself ‘I’ve got to go,’” Brown said of the hurdles win. “And after I finished the race, I was thinking about it and I heard my family yelling for me. I saw my dad and I started crying; there’s just a lot of emotions.”
Her team finished sixth.
Portland St. Patrick was the team runner-up, just three points back at 49. Indian River Inland Lakes took third, Fowler was fourth and Hillsdale Academy took fifth.
Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart senior Anna Plum successfully defended her 300 hurdles title.
“I think I was actually seeded third, but I had high expectations since I won last year and I really wanted that again,” Plum said. “It’s kind of like validation.
“We put in great practices, and God, honestly,” she credited as factors for her win and the team’s focus. “We are Sacred Heart and believe in God and put a lot of trust in that.
“My feet are pretty hot right now,” Plum added about the weather conditions. “I bet I’ve got some pretty big blisters. I don’t even know how the 3,200 runners do it. It was insane today.”
Rylee Scheurer led St. Patrick by winning the 200 (25.82), and Natalie Wandrie keyed Inland Lakes’ pursuit with wins in the shot put (39-8) and discus (128-11). Frankfort in the 400 (50.68), Fowler in the 800 (1:47.17) and Hillsdale Academy in the 1,600 (4:08.08) and 3,200 (9:57.73) were relay champions, and Beal City’s Kaylee Locke won the 400 (58.55).
Marlette’s Olivia Findlay won the high jump (5-4) and Wyoming Potter’s House Christian’s Sohanny Gonzalez-Castillo won the long jump (17-4). Deckerville’s Rebecca Moeller was first in the pole vault (10-6).
PHOTOS (Top) Buckley's Aiden Harrand sets the pace in the 1,600 on Saturday. (Middle) Addison's Molly Brown celebrates her win in the 100 hurdles. (Below) Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart's Anna Plum clears a hurdle during the 300. (Photos by Ken Swart/RunMichigan.com.)