Portagers take 5th, 7th at Optimist
DYLAN SAVELA, Manistee News Advocate Sports Writer
Published: Friday, April 23, 2010 11:56
 
SCOTTVILLE — No expectations.

That’s what Onekama had going into the Scottville Optimist Invitational, as the Division 4 Portagers were seemingly small fish in the big pond that was Spartan Community Field Friday night.

Onekama stacked up against nine other schools, most of which classify as Division 1 and 2, but the Portagers proved there was no jump too long or vault too high while being outsized by the competition.

For the boys, Matt Monroe won the long jump with a personal-best 19-6, while the girls were led by Taylor Hagen’s victory in the pole vault, clearing 8-7. Add those victories to a slew of personal records and a roster now peppered with Optimist medals and what you get is an Onekama team that shattered all expectations--that is, of course, if they had any to begin with.

“It’s really cool,” Onekama boys coach Mickey Story said of the boys’ fifth-place finish with 55 points. “We had no expectations at all for this meet. Most of these are Division 1 and Division 2 schools. So, I’m just thrilled to be in the top five of this type of competition.

“This meet is a team meet, but we like to look at this as an individual meet and let the kids be in pretty much the events they want to,” he added. “Conference meets, we kind of like to control that into more of a team type thing.

“But we still had a lot of PRs and had all the kids in the field events place in the top eight. They’re just excited to know that they finished in the top five amongst all these big schools.”

The girls had the same strategy heading into Friday night, and while mainly striving for personal marks, the Portagers still managed 44 team points for a seventh-place finish.

Onekama’s Raul Torres took seventh in the shot put at the Scottville Optimist on Friday at Mason County Central. (Dylan Savela/News Advocate)

“It’s amazing,” Onekama girls coach Bonnie Brown said. “We had medals in places that I didn’t think we were going to get medals in. I can’t believe how many we’re coming home with.

“This meet works out a lot better ... because I make sure the kids get in four events each in the conference meets,” she added, “but for this one we don’t come to win the meet, we come with PRs in mind. We come in with fresh legs.  And we did very well today.”

Among the notables for the girls, Onekama’s Tobi Schoedel set a personal best in the 800-meter run with 2:31.40, which  landed her in fifth place, Yumi Babinec and Breanna Fink each took third place in 110-meter hurdles and 200-meter dash respectively while Nicole Slater took fifth in the long jump and fourth in the 200-meter dash.

For the boys, Patrick Spalding finished in second in the high jump with a leap of 5-9 while also taking a fourth-place finish in the 300-meter hurdles. Onekama had two bronze medal relay teams as well in the boys’ 3,200-meter squad and the girls’ 400.

Traverse City Central swept both top spots in overall team standings.
 

Onekama boys results
  • High jump — 2, Spalding, 5-9.
  • Long jump — 1, Monroe, 19-6 1/2.
  • Pole vault — 8, Tyler Fogarty, 10-9.
  • Shot put — 7, Raul Torres, 39-7 1/4.
  • 3,200-meter relay — 3, Jesse McIntyre, Parker Sternberger, Bobby Myers, Rease Heiler, 8:46.39.
  • 110-meter high hurdles — 5, Spalding, 16.82.
  • 800-meter relay — 6, Danny Brown, Ryan Pienta, Tyler Groenwald, Spalding, 1:39.02.
  • 1,600-meter run — 5, Groenwald, 4:44.47.
  • 400-meter relay — 8, Brown, Matt Monroe, Chase Callaway, Fogarty, 48.01.
  • 300-meter hurdles — 4, Spalding, 43.71.
  • 800-meter run — 6, Pienta, 2:10.12.
  • 3,200-meter run — 4, Chuck Schoedel, 10:40.49.
  • 1,600-meter relay — 6, Heiler, Pienta, Groenwald, Lewis Bartlett, 3:54.74.
 Onekama girls results
  • Long jump — 5, Nikki Slater, 14-3 1/2.
  • Pole Vault — 1, Taylor Hagen, 8-7.
  • 100-meter hurdles — 3, Yumi Babinec, 17.66.
  • 100-meter dash — 3, Breanna Fink, 13.77.
  • 800-meter relay — 5, Hagen, Miranda Hengy, Kailani Buckner, Fink, 1:59.89.
  • 400-meter relay — 3, Danielle Ward, Hengy, Babinec, Fink, 54.71.
  • 800-meter run — 6, Tobi Schoedel, 2:31.40.
  • 200-meter dash — 4, Slater, 29.16.

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