Onekama qualifies 7 boys, 5 girls for state; Priest to run for Brethren

 
Manistee News Advocate Staff Report
Published: Monday, May 24, 2010
 
MARION — The track and field season was extended for 13 county athletes Saturday by their performances at a Division 4 Regional in Marion.

Onekama qualified seven boys and five girls for the state competition to be held in Jenison on Saturday, June 5, while Brethren will be represented by senior Becca Priest in two individual events.

While the Portager boys placed fourth as a team among the 14 schools competing, over half of the 13-member squad finished with places and times that earned them spots at state.

“With seven boys going, that’s half our team,” Onekama coach Mickey Story said. “I’m really happy about that. The kids worked really hard and it’s nice, because obviously it has paid off. And the reward is another two weeks of practice. And we’re going to really enjoy them.”

First year long jumper Matt Monroe qualified with a second-place leap of 19-10 while sophomore Tyler Fogarty earned a second consecutive trip to state in the pole vault, with a second-place vault of 12-3, and Chuck Schoedel, who made state two years ago, qualified in the 3,200-meter run in the second-place time of 10:43.70.

While the top two finishers in regional competition earn automatic bids to the state level, qualifying times and distances may also be met to move on, regardless of place. The Portager boys had one relay team and one individual athlete meet those requirements.

Onekama senior Patrick Spalding surpassed qualifying time with a fourth-place finish in the 300-meter hurdles in the time of 42.101 while Tyler Groenwald, Rease Heiler, Ryan Pienta and Schoedel qualified in the 3,200-meter relay, taking third in 8:31.50. Groenwald and Pienta were part of a state qualifying team in the same event a season ago.

After missing a large portion of the beginning of the season due to an injury suffered in basketball, Onekama sophomore Jaylee Brown bounced back and earned a return trip to state in the pole vault and as a team member of a 400-meter relay squad.

Brown took third in the pole vault with a height of 9-0, and with teammates Yumi Babinec, Danielle Ward and Breanna Fink, qualified in the 400-meter relay with a third-place time of 53.40.

 Also for Onekama, Yumi Babinec qualified in the 100-meter hurdles with a fifth-place time of 17.00 and Taylor Hagen took fifth in the pole vault with a qualifying height of 8-0.

“That was our goal — to send some kids to state — and we’re taking five,” said Portagers coach Bonnie Brown. “And we brought regional medals home in every event we had athletes in.”

While Jaylee Brown will be the only one of the five with experience in state competition, Bonnie Brown said the first timers will do just fine. “You just go out there and do the best you can,” she said. “They got nothing to lose. At a state meet, you just run your best.”

The Portagers finished eighth of 14 and despite missing state, senior Elizabeth Schoedel got a personal record in the 1,600-meter run in the time of 6:09.70.

While qualifying to state last season in the 300-meter hurdles, Priest accomplished the same feat and then some for her senior year at Brethren.

While the Brethren girls finished 14th, Priest took points and qualifying times in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles.

She finished sixth in the 100 with the time of 17.10 and eighth in the 300 in 49.70.

“She’s very excited. That’s been her goal all year and she’s worked hard to get there,” Bobcats girls coach Rob Isble said. “I think you could see, especially (Saturday) in regionals, the way she handles herself in getting ready for each race that she’s an athlete who has made it (to state) before.

“I think it will definitely help, because there’s a lot of excitement involved in going to state, and sometimes the first time you go, you can get pretty awestruck by it,” he added.

While the Brethren boys didn’t have any qualifiers over the weekend, the young Bobcats took 13th place and ran a lot of their best times, which has been a common theme throughout the season.

“It was the same story,” Brethren coach Travis Walker said. “A lot of guys had personal bests and I think the level of competition had something to do with that.”

Brethren’s Nathan Hobart medaled in the 1,600-meter run with an eighth-place personal best 4:59.80, John Cullar took eighth in the pole vault with the height of 9-2 and freshman Sanqua Cummings shaved two seconds of his personal best in the 110-meter hurdles while taking seventh place in the time of 18.40.

“All those guys really stepped it up yesterday,” Walker said. “I think they saw what it takes to be successful.”
Girls Results
  • 100-meter hurdles — 5, Babinec, OHS, 17.00; 6, Priest, BHS, 17.10.
  • 100-meter dash — 6, Fink, OHS, 13.40; 8, Karen Lewis, BHS, 14.00.
  • 300-meter hurdles — 8, Priest, BHS, 49.70.
  • 400-meter dash — 7, Taylor Anderson, OHS, 1:05.80.
  • 400-meter relay — 3, OHS, Babinec, Brown, Ward, Fink, 53.40; 9, BHS, Maribell Acosta, Priest, Brittannie Wiggins, Lewis, 56.70.
  • 800-meter run — 4, Tobi Schoedel, OHS, 2:31.80; 12, Jordin Wilks, BHS, 2:58.00.
  • 800-meter relay — 7, OHS, Brown, Hagen, Schoedel, Ward, 1:56.20; 9, BHS, Acosta, Wiggins, Priest, Lewis, 1:59.40.
  • 1,600-meter run — 6, Elizabeth Schoedel, OHS, 6:09.70; 8, Wilks, BHS, 6:26.10.
  • 1,600-meter relay — 7, OHS, Hagen, Brown, Schoedel, Anderson, 4:34.50.
  • Pole vault — 3, Brown, OHS, 9-0; 5, Hagen, OHS, 8-0.
  • Long jump — 13, Acosta, BHS, 13-0 1/4.
  • Shot put — 16, Carlee Broughton, BHS, 23-1 3/4.
  • Discus — 12, Broughton, BHS, 74-1.

 Boys Results
  • 110-meter hurdles — 4, Spalding, OHS, 17.10; 6, Danny Brown, OHS, 17.70; 7, Cummings, BHS, 18.40
  • 300-meter hurdles — 4, Spalding, OHS, 42.101; 14, Lewis Bartlett, OHS, 48.90; 9, Cummings, 45.501
  • 400-meter dash — 13, Hobart, BHS, 58.40; 17, Aaron Hillsamer, BHS, 1:02.30.
  • 400-meter relay — 5, OHS, Callaway, Monroe, Fogarty, Brown, 46.60.
  • 800-meter run — 7, Groenwald, OHS, 2:10.20; 11, Pienta, OHS, 2:13.70; 15, Hobart, BHS, 2:15.50; 22, Anthony Bence, BHS, 2:47.70.
  • 800-meter relay — 5, OHS, Brown, Fogarty, Chase Callaway, Monroe, 1:38.801.
  • 1,600-meter run — 3, Schoedel, OHS, 4:45.90; 7, Groenwald, OHS, 4:58.20; 8, Hobart, BHS, 4:59.80; 14, Zach Fairbanks, BHS, 6:16.60.
  • 1,600-meter relay — 8, OHS, Groenwald, Heiler, Pienta, Spalding, 3:57.50; 9, BHS, Cummings, Hillsamer, John Cullar, Hobart, 3:59.10.
  • 3,200-meter run — 2, Schoedel, OHS, 10:43.70; 10, Bobby Myers, OHS, 11.57.50.
  • 3,200-meter relay — 3, OHS, Groenwald, Heiler, Pienta, Schoedel, 8:31.50.
  • Pole vault — 2, Fogarty, OHS, 12-3; 8, John Cullar, BHS, 9-2.
  • Long jump — 2, Monroe, OHS, 19-10.
  • High jump — 6, Spalding, OHS, 5-7.
  • Shot put — 15, Bence, BHS, 25-5; 16, Kody Karash, BHS, 20-2 1/4.
  • Discus — 4, Callaway, OHS, 128-11; 20, Karash, BHS, 53-1.

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