Surprise! St. Johns Celebrates 1st Title
May 30, 2015
By Bill Khan
Special to Second Half
ZEELAND — Karrigan Smith wasn't going to put up a false front.
Neither was her coach, Neil Feldpausch.
Nobody expected St. Johns to come away with the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 2 girls track and field championship Saturday at Zeeland Stadium.
And "nobody" included St. Johns athletes and coaches.
"I think I can speak for everyone when I say this is a surprise," said Smith, a senior who had a hand in all but four of her team's points as St. Johns edged Flint Southwestern Academy 36-34.
"A small town like St. Johns winning a state title in track and field? It's an indescribable feeling right now."
Just two years ago, St. Johns wasn't even a factor in its own league, taking fifth place out of six teams. The Redwings won their conference the last two years.
"Definitely we thought (Smith) could score points, but coming in thinking we were going to win the state meet? No, it didn't even cross my mind," Feldpausch said. "These girls have surprised me."
St. Johns had never had a top-10 finish at the finals before Saturday. Smith has been a standout for four years, but got enough assistance that the Redwings were able to score in three of the four relays.
Smith repeated as the 1,600-meter champion in a rout, posting a time of 4:59.08 to win by 9.35 seconds. Smith set the LP Division 2 Final record of 4:51.53 last year when she was locked in a duel with Megan O'Neil of Remus Chippewa Hills.
"It was a little bit weird," Smith said of the one-sided 1,600 final, "but I wasn't going to count any competitors out, because when you come to the state meet a lot of people can do great things and surprise themselves. I was taking this race very seriously. I knew what I had to do. I knew what I could control. That's what I did."
By not being pushed too hard in the 1,600, Smith was fresher for her final two events. She placed third in the 800 in 2:16.94 and was on the second-place 1,600 relay team that clinched the championship. (Southwestern didn't have a team qualify for the final event.)
Smith was also on the second-place 3,200 relay squad that posted a time of 9:31.57.
"I was very excited about how the whole day went," Smith said. "It made all the hard work we put in over the season worth it."
Senior Lyndsay Pung, junior Emily Wohlfert and Belgian exchange student Pauline Carbonnelle were on the fifth-place 800 and second-place 1,600 relay teams. Junior Anna Krumm was also on the 800 relay squad.
Juniors Jen Eaton and Milah Montle and freshman Madison Maloney were on the 3,200 relay team.
"Going in, I scored it out to be Flint Southwestern 39, St. Johns 34," Feldpausch said. "Looking throughout the meet, it kept getting closer. We did some things we needed to and made it happen."
It was the first MHSAA title for St. Johns in a girls sport. The Redwings' other MHSAA crowns are in wrestling (four) and boys track and field (one).
Flint Southwestern led going into the final event on the strength of an outstanding performance by senior Miaisha Blair. Blair won a highly competitive long jump with a leap of 18 feet, 9.25 inches. The top three finishers cleared at least 18-3. Blair was also on Southwestern's second-place 800 and 400 relay teams.
A cool, rainy day — a contrast to the typical scorchers at the finals — probably helped keep Smith fresher for her four events.
It was certainly a welcome break in the weather for the other distance champion, Cedar Springs senior Kenzie Weiler. Weiler was able to challenge the LP Division 2 Final record in the 3,200, but came up short with her time of 10:41.98. Ali Wiersma of Allendale ran 10:40.22 in 2012.
Weiler stayed behind Kelli Nesky of Hudsonville Unity Christian until 500 meters remained.
"It was about 30 degrees warmer last year," Weiler said. "I broke my outdoor (personal record) by six or seven seconds. That made me pretty happy. This is perfect. I couldn't ask for a better day and better competition at the state finals."
PHOTO: St. Johns' Karrigan Smith runs toward the finish during one of her races Saturday at Zeeland Stadium. (Click to see more from RunMichigan.com.)
Adrian Madison Follows Rosales to Top
By
Wes Morgan
Special for MHSAA.com
June 4, 2017
COMSTOCK PARK – Doing one better was the theme for Adrian Madison’s girls track & field team Saturday at the Lower Peninsula Division 3 Finals at Comstock Park.
A year after finishing runner-up, the Trojans nabbed a team championship with 56½ points. Lansing Catholic was second with 41, and Shepherd took third with 33.
It was a prolific final performance by senior Megan Rosales that sparked the victory, as she played a role in four wins for the Trojans. Rosales, who won the 400 meters in 2015, was runner-up in the 300 hurdles and part of the winning 800 relay last season, made her last meet count with a season-best time of 57.02 seconds to win the 400, and a first-place run of 45.05 in the 300 hurdles. She joined teammates Delaney Stersic, Sierra Hernandez and Chelsea Short as the fastest 800 relay squad (1:44.11) and she anchored the 1,600 relay to a repeat title in 3:57.80. Short, Stersic and Hernandez ran the first three legs.
“Today was definitely one to remember,” Rosales said. “We took the saying ‘going out with a bang’ to a whole new level. None of this would be possible without all of (these girls). I'm so proud of you all and everything that you girls have accomplished. This is what we've all worked for. It all paid off in the end. No better way to end my high school running career.”
The Trojans enjoyed all-state efforts by Kiarah Horn, who was third in the pole vault with a height of 11 feet, and Anne Wong, who tied for eighth in the same event at 10 feet. Chelsea Short registered a sixth-place time of 26.24 in the 200.
Shepherd may have had to settle for third place overall, but the program delivered a third MHSAA title in four seasons in the 3,200 relay. This time, however, the team clocked a Division 3 meet record time of 9:18.06. It was the quartet of Rachel Mathers, Katelyn Hutchinson, Kylie Hutchinson and Amber Gall that now boasts the best of all time, dethroning Benzie Central’s 2011 performance of 9:22.71. Gall also won the 800 in 2:14.81.
Parchment junior Shiyon Taylor took home a pair of championships after running a personal-record in the 100 (12.41) and a top time of 25.96 in the 200.
Lansing Catholic junior Olivia Theis was the best of the bunch in the 3,200, which featured two sets of sisters among the all-state top-eight performers. Freshman Jaden Theis was third for Lansing Catholic in 10:34.73, while Hart sophomore Adelyn Ackley was runner-up (10:34.47) and junior Alayna Ackley placed eighth in 11:07.30.
Olivia Theis completed the distance double with a championship in the 1,600, winning by more than five seconds with a personal-record of 4:50.10. Adelyn Ackley recorded a second-place time of 4:55.53, while Jaden Theis was third in 4:55.81, setting the stage for some exciting races to come.
PHOTOS: (Top) Adrian Madison's Megan Rosales pulls away from the field during the 400 in helping her team to the overall championship. (Middle) Shepherd, right, and Lansing Catholic also put up strong performances at Saturday's Division 3 Finals. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)