The West Ottawa distance relay made its mark at the state meet, claiming the Division 1 state title.
The Panthers’ quartet made an even bigger mark on the national level, finishing national-runner up at the New Balance Outdoor National Championships at the end of June in Philadelphia.
The quartet of Ella Wierks, Emma Gunnett, Ava Porras and Collette Wierks finished second in the nation in the 4×800 relay in 8:59.64.
The same quartet finished third in the country (in a state record of 11:35.85) in the distance medley relay with Collette Wierks running the 1,200 leg, Gunnett the 400, Ella Wierks the 800 and Porras the 1,600. The group was ninth in the 4×1 mile relay as well.
“I would say the 4×8 and DMR were the two best relay races we ran all year,” West Ottawa coach Kyle Barnes said. “Not because we ran fast, but because we competed at a really high level and executed what we needed to do to be All-American (top 6). We didn’t go into it thinking we could be top two or three in either event, but the girls ran amazing. Every girl ran a PR on their respective legs of the DMR. We also only lost to one other public school in either of those races. We lost to IMG academy out of Florida in the 4×8 and union Catholic from N.J.”
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: West Ottawa track quartet finishes national runner-up in relay
Reporting by Dan D’Addona, Holland Sentinel / The Holland Sentinel
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