Blue Devils Sweep SAC Track and Field Championships

On Tuesday the Girls and Boys Varsity Track and Field teams traveled to Cheboygan to compete in the Straits Area Conference championships, and both teams came home as champions. The girls finished with 143.83 points, over Cheboygan 84, St. Ignace 62.67, Newberry 38.5, and Rudyard 17. The boys won with 126 points over St Ignace 78, Cheboygan 76, Newberry 64.5, and Rudyard 8.5.

The Blue Devils had a number of athletes win their individual events. Bella Smith won the 200m (28.43), Isabella DeWildt won the 800m (2:39.12), and Annabelle Fazzari won the 100m low hurdles (17.02 – PR). Katie Anderson won the shot put (31’7.5), and Fazzari won discus (96’6.5 – PR). The girls swept the relays, winning all of them. In the 4×100, Tarynn Pratt, Mackenzie Bell, DeWildt and Smith won with a time of 53.62, and Bell, Dayna Szabo, Pratt and Smith won the 4×200 with a time of 1:54.12. DeWildt, Szabo, Ava Mayer and Pratt won the 4×400 with a time of 4:35.52, and Cassandra Gallagher, Abby Walther, Ella Marchand and DeWildt won the 4×800 with a time of 10:51.84. 

The boys individual champions include Logan Haskins in the 800m run (2:07.56), Gabe Litzner in the 1600m (4:37.27), and Cody Aldridge in the 3200m (11:14.84). Evan Arbic was the discus champion (121’0) and Rayce Rizzo won the pole vault (10’6). The 4×800 relay team of Caleb Klier, Haskins, Aldridge and Litzner won their event with a time of 9:27.14.

Runners up for the girls were Bell in both the 100m (13.28 – PR) and 200m (28.63), Pratt in the 400m (1:05.37 – PR), and Gallagher in the 1600m (5:52.01). Fazzari took second in the 300m low hurdles (54.34), and Anderson was the discus runner up (89’7.5). Second place finishers for the boys were Carter Oshelski in both the 100m (11.14) and 200m (22.68), Cody Aldridge in the 1600m (4:39.93), Gabe Litzner in the 3200m (11:58.22), Owen Rice in the 300m low hurdles (44.79 – PR), and Talon Thomas-Holm in the high jump (5’6). The 4×200 relay team of Alex Jacek, Donnivan Dykraaf, River Perez and Oshelski were also runners up in their event, with a time of 1:35.84.

Third place finishers were Szabo in the 400m (1:08), Marchand in the 800m (2:47.34), and Gallagher in the 3200m (13:09.47). Fazzari placed third in shot put (30’10.5), and Ava Donmyer came in third in discus (87’9). For the boys, the third place finishers were Klier in the 400m (57.09 – PR), Shea Armstrong in the 3200m (12:05.22), and Isaac Niebuhr in both the 110m high hurdles and 300m low hurdles. Nate Koepp was third in high jump (8’6), and Rizzo was third in long jump (17’2). The 4×400 relay team of Klier, Perez, Dykraaf and Haskins also came in third with a time of 3:55.46. 

Fourth place finishers for the girls were Smith in the 100m (13.84), Mayer in the 400m (1:08.18), Walther in the 1600m (6:16.58 – PR), Elise Proulx in the 3200m (14:50.52 – PR), Jillian Newhouse in the 300m low hurdles, Donmyer in the shot put (29’6.5), and Maddie McLean in the long jump (13’4.5). For the boys, Alex Jacek took fourth in the 200m (24.50), and Rice took fourth in the 110m high hurdles (18.81 – PR). The boys 4×100 relay team of Jacek, Billy Menard, Dykraaf and Perez came in fourth with a time of 48:09. 

Rounding out the top five finishers in each event were Proulx placing fifth in the 1600m (6:23.21) and Taylor Meilstrup in the 3200m (15:48.09). Evan Arbic was fifth in the shot put (37’10.5) and Wyatt Peabody took fifth in the pole vault (8’6).

Reflecting on the conference meet, girls head coach Scott Menard was “Very proud of both the boys and girls. Both teams ran well and continue to improve as the season progresses, and we get ready for UP Finals.” Next week, select members of both teams will compete in the Northern Michigan Meet of Champions in Gaylord. This will be the final competition before the regional qualifiers compete in the UP Finals in June. 

Photo credit goes to Hannah Klier and Ursula Walther