Saints Shine Across Board in UPD2 Repeat
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
June 3, 2018
KINGSFORD — The St. Ignace girls placed in all 17 events Saturday, repeating as Upper Peninsula Division 2 track champions with 160 points.
Runner-up Iron Mountain scored 90 and Ishpeming placed third at 75.
St. Ignace junior Libby Becker won the 800-meter run in 2 minutes, 24.5 seconds, 1,600 (5:23.52) and 3,200 (11:56.41) and helped the winning 1,600 relay (4:24.82).
“I just wanted to do my best,” she said. “I wanted to PR. But if I didn’t, that’s okay too. I love these conditions. The breeze helped out a lot. It’s hard to run in dead heat.”
Junior Emily Coveyou, also a part of the 1,600 relay, added a first in the 400 (1:04.11) and was runner-up in the 100 (13.56) and 200 (27.73) on this sunny and mild day.
“That wasn’t my best time in the 400,” said Coveyou, who was battling a chest cold. “My starts were better today than usual, but it was harder for me to breathe.”
The Saints started the day by squeezing past Manistique for the 3,200 relay title. They were clocked at 11:04.29, edging the Emeralds by two hundredths of a second.
“Four different girls tried out for the 3,200 relay and it took a while to find the right combination,” said senior Caitlin Dean. “We just tried to keep pace with Manistique. It was exciting when Allison (Smith) went ahead for a while.”
A first trip to the Finals provided plenty of motivation for Saints’ freshman Hallie Marshall, who also helped the 3,200 relay.
“This is the last day of track,” said Marshall, who was also runner-up in the 3,200 (12:54.14) and third in the 1,600 (5:50.28). “I just practiced real hard for this. I’m really excited to be here.
“Our (3,200 relay) team really improved at the Regional (May 18 at Manistique). After finishing so close to Manistique in the Regional, we knew we had a chance.”
Freshman Emmalee Hart placed second in the 800 (2:30.74), shared second with teammate Jessie Frazier in pole vault (7-6) and helped the 1,600 relay.
“It felt great to end the day with a W,” said Hart. “It was a great effort by everybody. It’s nice to have a competitive team. Our seniors show us what we need to do to reach that point.”
St. Ignace senior Linnee Gustafson captured high jump for the fourth straight year at 4-11.
“That was definitely not my best jump, but I’ve been jumping around that height all year,” said Gustafson, who will play basketball at Northwood University next winter. “I just wanted to win it four years in a row. I wasn’t concerned about the height as much as the place.”
The Saints also got a first from Heather Lamb in long jump (14-8½).
Saints coach Trudy Olsen was understandably happy with the team’s effort.
“All the girls did good,” she said. “Linnee winning high jump four years in a row was real special. She works hard the year around. Emily did a great job considering she wasn’t feeling the best. Libby works real hard. That was an amazing performance by her.”
Iron Mountain’s Taylor Talerico won the 100 (13.45), with Olivia Berutti taking the 200 (27.72) and both helping the winning 400 relay (52.76).
Ishpeming’s Katie Loman won the 100 hurdles (16.55), and Berutti was runner-up (16.64). Loman (48.88) won the 300 hurdles just ahead of Talerico (49.34).
Iron River West Iron County had a double-winner in senior Rachael Tefft, who took shot put (36-6½) and discus (112-7).
PHOTOS: (Top) St. Ignace’s Libby Becker sets the pace in a relay Saturday. (Middle) Ishpeming’s Katie Loman, left, and Iron Mountain’s Taylor Talerico clear the final hurdles in the 300. (Photos by Cara Kamps. Click for more at RunMichigan.com.)
Seaholm Stars, Oak Park Grab Spotlight
By
Tom Markowski
Special for Second Half
May 30, 2015
ROCKFORD – Rachel DaDamio has had to race in the shadow of Birmingham Seaholm teammate Audrey Belf throughout her high school career.
That’s OK. They’re friends. And don’t worry about DaDamio. She found her time to shine through the raindrops at the Lower Peninsula Division 1 Track and Field Final at Rockford High School on Saturday.
DaDamio took her turn in the spotlight as she won the 1,600 run, running first most of the way, with a time of 4:46.05
“It feels so good,” DaDamio said. “I’m used to running in this weather. I run cross country. I really didn’t have a race plan today. No one really wanted to take the lead, so I did. I felt really strong. If they were going catch me, I was going to run my best. I hardly ever take the (early) lead. I run better form behind.
Belf successfully defended her title in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 10:26.58, won the last two LP Division 1 cross country titles and will be attending Georgetown University in the fall. She also was named high school female Athlete of the Year by the Detroit Athletic Club, so the spotlight has shown brightly on her the last few seasons.
As she noted, DaDamio also was part of the Seaholm cross country team, one of the best in the Midwest recently, and she understands the attention Belf has received.
“Audrey and I are such good friends. Just being a part of this team … we’ve had such strong distance teams at Seaholm. It’s so cool. My teammates are my best friends.”
DaDamio will make new friends in the fall as she’ll attend and run for University of Notre Dame.
Some who gathered around DaDamio after her victory joked she could have gone to Notre Dame even without her success in track. She graduated with a 4.0 grade-point average and never received a B for a grade, or an A-minus.
Belf said running for a program like Seaholm was “so surreal to run with my teammates.
“Rachel ran a great race. I was watching and pulling for her all the way.”
Oak Park finished with 93 points, one more than last year, to win its second consecutive team title. East Kentwood was second with 54.5 points, Northville was next with 43, Rockford placed fourth with 42 points and Ann Arbor Pioneer was fifth with 37.
Oak Park senior Ersula Farrow won the 800 run last year when she attended Grosse Pointe South, and again this year with a time of 2:08.43. The Clemson University recruit also ran on the winning 1,600 and 3,200 relay teams.
Farrow finished among the top five in the 800 all four years of high school.
“I was going for the record,” Farrow said of the 800 run. “I knew it would be hard. I’m satisfied.”
Brianna Holloway won the 300 hurdles with a time of 43.5 to also help Oak Park’s title effort.
One of the surprise winners was Sammy Cuneo of Rockford in the 400 dash. Cuneo, who will attend Center Michigan University in the fall, just began competing in the event this season. And it wasn’t her idea.
“This was like my fifth time (in the 400),” Cuneo said. “I was running the 100 and the 200 but my coach said I was tough and that I could do this. I said, yeah. I’ll prove I’m a 100 runner.”
Good thing Cuneo listened to her coach.
Cuneo entered the finals with the top time (55.44) in all LP Division 1 Regionals, but had to pass defending MHSAA champion Anna Jefferson of Oak Park in the straightaway.
Cuneo also placed second in the 200.
Junior Sekayi Bracey of East Kentwood placed first in three events, the 100 (11.83), 200 (24.62) and the long jump (17 feet, 5¾ inches). They were Bracey’s third consecutive titles in the 100 and the 200.
“I was very tired,” Bracey said after the 200, her third of three individual events. “I was tight. I just got done with the long jump. So that’s a lot.”
Bracey is undefeated in this state in the 100 and 200. Her only losses have come in national events during the high school offseason.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself,” she said. “I’ve got to learn to relax and just run. I do better that way.”
Events like the 200, 3,200 and the 1,600 relay were especially difficult for the athletes. Even though the rain let up, the wind picked up and the temperatures dropped.
“I didn’t think about it at all,” Farrow said. “I had a feeling it would be hard. I just had to do my best. I’m not sure about my times, but it was tough. The wind is the worst.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Seaholm's Rachel DaDamio leads the pack during her title-winning 1,600 run Saturday. (Middle) Oak Park won a pair of relays en route to repeating as LP Division 1 champion. (Click to see more from RunMichigan.com. Photos by John Brabbs.)