East Jordan Champions

The Sault High Blue Devils track and field teams brought home two more trophies for the case after winning both the boys and girls competitions. A 20 team invite, the Blue Devils were champions of the large school category. The boys earned 150 points over Roscommon 126.5 and Kalkaska 112.5. The girls earned 185.5 points over Roscommon 128.5 and Cheboygan 107. The top eight finishers in each event earned points for their teams. 

In the field events, Evan Arbic won the shot put (45’4 – PR) and placed third in discus (124’3). Brady Ditmyer (37’8) threw seventh in shot. Katie Anderson (30’9.5) was runner up for the girls’ shot and Abby Kachur (24’9.5) placed sixth. Anderson was the discus champion (119’2 – PR) and Maddie McLean (69’3) threw eighth. Throwers’ Coach Brad Boven spoke highly of his athletes’ efforts. “East Jordan is always one of the best venues in the state for a track meet. It’s our last tune up meet before the post season starts with Regionals in Gladstone Wednesday we wanted to see our squad step up and they did in a big way. Katie Anderson stepped into a huge PR with a discus throw of 119 and some change which was a 17 foot improvement from her previous PR this season which is fun. She had taken first in the meet for discus and 2nd for shotput. Evan Arbic stood out for our guy throwers with another PR in shot, hitting over 45 feet in a meet which is an awesome thing to have. He placed first in shot and top 3 I believe placing in discus with a 124 throw. Regionals is up next and we have some great competition on this side of the region trying to make it out to the State meet in Kingsford.”

Talon Thomas-Holm (5’9) won the high jump, with Isaac Niebuhr (5’5 – PR) jumping third. Jordyn Giffen (4’3) placed sixth for the girls, and Gracie Akridge (4’0) jumped eighth. Rayce Rizzo (11’6) was the pole vault champion, and Wyatt Peabody (9’0) jumped sixth. Natalie Heyrman (6’0) had a fifth place finish for the girls’ pole vault. Rizzo (18’1) placed third in long jump, and Heyrman (13’2) also jumped third for the girls, Giffen (13’1) jumped fourth, and McLean (12’5) jumped seventh. 

Donnivan Dykraaf (11.99) was runner up in the 100m dash, with Javonte Bellamy (12.01 – PR) right behind him in third, and Dean Roe (12.19) placing seventh. Ahnaka Oshelski (13.50) was runner up in the girls’ 100m dash, with Bella Smith (13.96) in third. Roe (24.78) placed fifth in the boys’ 200m dash and Dykraaf (25.13) placed seventh. Smith (28.08) won the girls’ event, Natalie Prestien (29.85) was fifth and Abrianna Spencer (30.02 – PR) was sixth. Grace Mayer (1:03.66 – PR) finished third in the 400m dash and Dayna Szabo (1:04.08) took fourth. Evan Huyck (2:19.73) placed fifth in the boys’ 800m run, and Taryn Pratt (2:36.95) finished third, Isabella DeWildt (2:40.02) placed fourth, and Stephanie Jones (2:48.32) was seventh in the girls’ event. Gabe Litzner was runner up in the 1600m run (4:33.23) and won the 3200m run (9:59.66). Shea Armstrong (10:17.23) was second, and Daniel Bowerman (10:56.47) was fourth in the two mile run. Abby Walther (5:46.37) won the girls’ 1600m run, and Regan Sporte (6:03.67) was third, Jones (6:11.60 – PR) was fourth, and Elise Proulx (6:18.60) finished sixth. Sporte (13:32.77) won the girls’ 3200m run and Leighton Nyboer (15:13.95) placed fifth. 

Niebuhr (18.88) placed sixth in the 110m high hurdles, and Peabody (18.98 – PR) placed seventh. Oshelski won the girls’ 100m high hurdles (17.21) and the 300m low hurdles (50.49 – PR) m, while Niebuhr (46.17 – PR) placed fourth in the boys’ 300m low hurdles. 

Both teams won the 4×100 relay. Roe, Dykraaf, Caleb Klier and Bellamy finished in 46.30. Prestien, Grace Mayer, Isabella DeWildt and Smith finished in 54:08. The 4×200 boys’ team finished fourth with a time of 1:40, and the girls’ team won in 1:41.17. Klier, Max VanDoren, Dykraaf, and Adam Brandt won the 4×400 with a time of 3:43.11. DeWildt, Grace Mayer, Walther and Szabo were runners up in 4:26.02. In the 4×800 relay, Eli Hills, Armstrong, Brandt and Klier finished third with a time of 8:50.42. Jones, Walther, Proulx and Pratt were runners up for the girls, with a time of 10:35.75.

Boys’ Head Coach Jim Martin was impressed with the team’s progress this season. “We were without our top two scorers (Ryver Rykegham and Owen Rice) yet somehow found a way to win. These kids never fail to impress. Frosh/Sophomores like Klier, Dykraaf, Peabody, Bellamy, Roe, Niebuhr, Armstrong, Litzner, Ditmyer, Brandt, and Bowerman all stepped up big time while Seniors Evan Arbic, Talon Holm, and Rizzo scored 40 points between the three of them. Beating a tough Roscommon team and an Elk Rapids team that beat them just 10 days ago. Right now the team is running on all cylinders but Wednesday’s Regional meet will, in many ways, decide the trajectory of the rest of our season. Marquette is loaded with talent and we are still relatively young but are now battle tested with four invitational championships. We’ve had the toughest schedule in many years and responded well to many challenges and injuries. We’ll see what happens. Anything is possible in high school sports.”

Girls’ Head Coach Scott Menard celebrated his team’s success. “I thought it was another good team performance.  We had a lot of PRs in the individual events and the relays. East Jordan is always a good meet because of the strong competition.  It’s also a good prep for us before Regionals as well.”

Wednesday the team will head to Gladstone for the Region 41-1 qualifier competition. Only the top four placers in each event will advance to the UP State Finals in Kingsford at the end of the season. 

Photo credit: Ursula Walther 

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