Pentwater, Hesperia and Walkerville closed out their team track
seasons Friday at the Division 4 regionals in Brethren, though a handful
of athletes also punched their tickets to state.
The Falcon
boys finished in fourth place, the highest local finish. Hesperia took
seventh and Walkerville was 15th. In the girls' meet, Hesperia was
fifth, Pentwater seventh and Walkerville 15th.
Individual
county state qualifiers from the meet included Pentwater's Logan Fatura
and Chase McGuire-VanGills and Hesperia's Nate Ruhstorfer, Emily
McCallum and McKenna Fraser. The Panthers also reached state in the
boys' 400-meter relay.
Fatura reached state in both the
throwing events, securing a regional championship in discus with a throw
of 131-10.5 and taking second in shot put with a mark of 41-4.
McGuire-VanGills won the 300-meter hurdles in a time of 44.05 seconds, a
personal best, to reach state.
For Hesperia, Ruhstorfer won
the 110-meter hurdles in a time of 17.26 seconds, McCallum won the shot
put with a personal best mark of 34-2.5, and Fraser won the high jump
with a leap of 4-11. The Panthers' 400-meter relay team of Zach
Loughridge, Dominick Rivera, Malakai Sellers and Andy Lopez-Garcia took
second to reach state (48.56).
In addition to those successes,
each team won medals in other events to celebrate. McGuire-VanGills
finished fourth in the 110 hurdles (18.70) and in the long jump (a
personal best 18-7.5), and eighth in the 200-meter dash (25.00). Tyler
Zimmer was third in the pole vault (8-6) and fifth in the 300 hurdles (a
personal best 49.02).
In the girls' meet, Lauren Davis capped
a strong Falcons career by winning three medals. She was fourth in both
hurdles events, with times of 18.64 in the 100 and 56.10 in the 300,
and helped the 400 relay team finish third along with Lila Merrill, Lexi
Smith and Karina Olivarez (56.84).
"Lauren has been the definition of leadership, toughness, and
dependability throughout her career and leaves behind an incredible
legacy," Pentwater coach Erika Fatura said.
More medals came
from Smith, fourth in the high jump (4-6); Bailey Case, fifth in the 800
(a personal best 3:29.9) and in the 1,600 (6:24.7); and Merrill, fifth
in the 200 (a personal best 29.84).
The Falcons also medaled
in the other three relays. The 800 team of Merrill, Khloe VanGunst, Emma
Werkema-Grondsma and Smith took sixth (2:03.2), as did the 3,200 team
of Case, Maggie Jorissen, Michelle Smith and Valerie Smith (13:48.96).
The 1,600 team of Case, VanGunst and both Smiths was eighth (5:38.2).
For
Hesperia's boys, Keegan Roberson finished fourth in the 300 hurdles
(47.72), with Mason Hren sixth (a personal best 49.86); Lopez-Garcia
finished seventh in the 100 (12.33), with Loughridge eighth (12.38);
Ruhstorfer was eighth in the 1,600 (5:05.98); Dain Kraus was eighth in
the discus (96-9); and Hren placed eighth in the 110 hurdles (20.83).
The
Panthers medaled in the other three relays. The 1,600 team of
Ruhstorfer, Brighton Mahoney, Rivera and Lopez-Garcia was fifth
(3:58.94), as was the 3,200 team of Hunter Tinkham, Laynce Smith, Kraus
and Zed Bierman (10:35.8). The 800 team of Malakai Sellers, Mahoney,
Tinkham and Lopez-Garcia was sixth (1:44.7).
Panther girls
medalists included Fraser, third in the 100 (14.07); Sophia Fraser,
third in the 300 hurdles (a personal best 52.62) and seventh in the 100
hurdles (19.01); Rokhaya Ruhstorfer, fifth in the 800 (2:58.5) and sixth
in the 3,200 (15:02.4); McCallum, seventh in the 200 (31.55); and Hanna
Rickard, eighth in the discus (69-9.5).
Hesperia medaled in
two relays. The 800 team of Chloe Rickard, Sophia Fraser, Jolie Kraus
and McCallum was fifth (2:03.1), and the 1,600 team of Mollie Craig,
Sophia Fraser, Kraus and Rokhaya Ruhstorfer was sixth (5:12.2).
Walkerville
medaled in two events at regionals, both in shot put. Isabel Babbin
placed third for the girls with a mark of 30-2.5, missing state
qualification by only four inches, and Hugh Tanner was sixth on the
boys' side, with a mark of 37-0.
