KENT CITY — Entering the Division 3 track and field state championships, Charlevoix senior Sam Peterson has put in a memorable season.
After Saturday’s Kent City High School session, Peterson has no doubt he will remember the conclusion of his stellar 2022 campaign and career.
The Charlevoix distance runner finished state runner-up in the 1,600-meter run, one of the best results in the state, regardless of division, and a new record for the Charlevoix school’s 1,600-meter run.
Peterson finished in 4:15.16, just behind the NSW record of Benzie Central’s Hunter Jones (4:10.68).
It was also a new personal record for Peterson at the event, where he nearly set a new PR in the 800m and fifth place (1:58.71).
East Jordan’s Preston Malpass was fifth in the high jump (6-foot-3).
Also from Boys: Charlevoix: Dominic Schwein, 3200, 12th 10:02.81; Richard Cunningham, shot put, 19th hole, 42’5.75″. East Jordan: Logan Shooks, 300 Hurdles, 15th 43.83; 400-meter relay (Caleb Ziebarth, Logan Shooks, Braylan Grybauskas, Carter Sherman), 16th 45.35; Lee Nemecek, Discus, 18th 123’8″. Harbour Springs: 3200m relay (Cal Benjamin, Jacob Drayer, Luke Smar, Lance Smar), 9th 8:26.29; 1600m relay (Luke Smar, Jack Clancy, Benjamin, Lance Smar) 23rd 3:40.91. Boyne City: Philip Banner, 200m dash, 12th 23.22.
Like Peterson on the boys side, Leah Basil of Charlevoix scored points in the women’s discus, where she finished seventh with 107-foot-11 pitching.
Also for regional women’s teams: Charlevoix: Katie Rohrer, 1600m, 21st 5:27.26; Laina Sladics, 3200m, 12th 11:40.68. Boyne City: Grace Dawson, high jump, 10th 4’11”; Ava Maginity, 400m, 17th 1:04.12; Ava Maginity, 1600m, 23rd 5:31.50. East Jordan: Tyler Sheridan, 300 Hurdle, No. 14, 50.65; Grace Nemecek, Shot Put, No. 10, 33’9.5″. Harbour Springs: 3200m relay (Maye Burns, Claire Ranney, Claire Hayhurst, Grace Thorpe) 12th at 10:17.56; 800m relay (Tara Shouldice, Ranney, Savanah Maki, Thorpe) 20th at 1:54.86.
part 2
ADA – There’s a lot more that a team needs to do to win a state championship in track and field.
The Petoskey women’s track and field team found this out a year ago, when they won the program’s first Division 2 state championship with a flawless performance.
The Petoskey girls made another run in the D2 final at Forest Hills Eastern High School on Saturday, but were unable to repeat it with a 12th-place finish.
Petoskey has had some great performances in every way, and the men’s team has had some great performances as well.
East Grand Rapids won the state championship with 66 points, followed by Grand Rapids Christian with 37.66 and Zeeland East with 30. Petoskey had 18 points, tied with Parma Western.
One of Petoskey’s leading scorers that day was, of course, senior long-distance runner Noel VanderWall, who finished her career with a time of 4:55.23 in the 1,600-meter run.
VanderWall also finished third with six points in the 3200m (10:55.81), while teammate Caroline Farley was eighth (11:06.68) and CamBrie Corey was 11th (11:24.02).
Petoskey sent three relay teams to the final, with the highest-ranked 3,200-meter relay team of Farley, Corey, VanderWall and Madeleine Lowe, who finished fourth overall (9:38.21).
Petoskey’s Faith Bailey, Alison Bailey, Gretchen Woodbury and Loe’s 1600m relay team were then 12th (4:11.04) and Woodbury, Alison Bailey, Claudia Whitmore and Isabel Habecker’s 800m relay team were 13th (1:48.05) .
On Petoskey’s boys side, all four points came from Cam Adams, Rippin Vining, Gavin Wargel and CJ Hibbler’s 800m relay team finishing fifth in a time of 1:30.93.
Petoskey, who also had a 1600m relay team consisting of Hibler, Sean Izzard, Brady Ewing and Sam Smith, finished ninth (3:30.05), with Izzard himself in the 800m 10th in running (1:58.88).
Avery Timm failed the 110m hurdles heats to finish 14th (16.26), Hibler, Wargel, Vining and Kendall Pederson’s 400m relay team finished 18th (44.30) and Izzard’s 3200m relay team Reese Marvin, Cooper Rokop and Smith 20th (8:33.68).
Part 4
HUDSONVILLE — The St. Michael’s College men’s track and field team in Petoskey clinched the best finish in program history at the weekend’s Division 4 state finals.
The Guardians’ top 10 was largely helped by senior distance runner Sam Paga, who scored 17 points in the final alone.
“We couldn’t be more proud of Sam,” said St. Michael coach Larry Rudnicki. “He put on a great show and ended his high school career with four podium finishes, all in the top five.
“While his time was solid, it’s hard, if not brilliant, to express how difficult it is to effectively compete in four long distance races in one day of form competition. The mental and physical tenacity required for such a performance is a testament to The tireless work ethic that Sam has shown us at St Michael’s for the past four years.”
As a team, St. Michaels scored 22 points while Kalamazoo Hackett scored 64 for the state championship.
Paga finished runner-up in the 800-meter run in 2:1.35, just 1.33 seconds from the state championship.
Paga also finished fourth in the 1600m (4:30.29) and fifth in the 3200m (9:58.99).
Also for St. Michael, Zachary Meaendel finished 15th in the 3200 (10:28.37), while the St. Michael 3200m relay team of Macartan Moore, Russell Vandermus, Maendel and Paga finished fourth with five points (8: 29.16) .
Looking at the surrounding area, Pellston’s Leth Griffith is also 14th out of 400 (53.11).
On the women’s side, Mackinac City junior Larissa Hoffman helped the Inland Lakes women’s team finish seventh in the state with 24 points.
Hoffman finished third in the 100 hurdles (16.37) and then seventh in the 300 hurdles (49.09). She also helped the 1600-meter team to finish eighth (4:22.61) and fourth in the high jump (5-foot-1).
The Petoskey St. Michael Women’s 3200m Relay Team, consisting of Jane Manthei, Anna Zielinski, Sydney Feagan and Emma O’Neil, also finished 19th (11:05.17).
Contact Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com.Follow him on Twitter, @DrewKochanny and Instagram, @drewkochanny