Monroe County Region track and field teams showed off their depth.
Four teams cracked the top seven in Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association team state meets on Saturday, May 23.
Summerfield’s girls led the way with a third-place finish in Division 4. Erie Mason’s boys were fifth and Ida’s girls seventh in Division 3 and the Bedford boys claimed sixth in Division 1, their best finish ever.
It was the second consecutive top-3 finish for the Summerfield girls.
“It’s been a good 365 days or so for us,” Summerfield coach Dave Raymond said.
Raymond expected another good showing after taking second last spring.
“We were hoping to have a good run,” he said. “We finished really well. They ran hard. This is always a hard meet. A lot of girls were running four events to show off our depth.”
The Bulldogs finished with 1,105.5 points to challenge Hillsdale Academy (1,383.5) and Kalamazoo Christiian (1,203.5) for the top spot.
Nine Summerfield athletes posted top-10 finishes led by a second by Elena Miller in the shot-put.
Grace Raymond took fifth in the 800 meters and ninth in the high jump while Allison Ost claimed ninth in the 400 and 10th in the 1,600.
Others in the top 10 were Gabi Myshock (third discus), Makenzie Wolfe (sixth 1,600), Makenna Shipe (seventh discus), Abby Raymond (eighth low hurdles), Abby Zilka (eighth high jump) and Alice Van Camp (ninth long jump).
Wolfe, Abby Raymond, Ost and Grace Raymond placed third in the 3,200 relay and VanCamp, Sophia Stanger, Myshock and Abby Raymond were fifth in the 1,600 relay.
JT Lemert threw a personal-best 152-2 to take second in the discus and also placed fifth in the shot-put to lead Summerfield’s boys to a 12th-place finish. Colin Brown claimed eighth in the 800 and Brendan Pease was 10th in the low hurdles.
Lincoln Murbach of Erie Mason was the Division 3 champion in the low hurdles at :40.53 and placed fourth in the highs.
Logan Doom also had a big day for the Eagles, placing in two individual events (eighth pole vault, 10th 1,600) and running with Joseph Colaluca, Caleb Healey and David Mills on the fifth-place 3,200 relay.
David Sweeney captured fifth in the pole vault and Colaluca was ninth in the 800.
“I am very proud of this team,” Mason coach Alex Russeau said. “To bounce back from graduating 80-percent of our point scoring from last year to being right at the top again is a coach’s dream. Hard work and a definitive goal have driven them to an incredibly successful season.”
Julia Hughes was the star for Ida’s girls. She won the high hurdles in :15.02, finished second in the lows and anchored the fourth-place 400 relay with Holly Clifton, Kaidence Weaver and Claire May.
Lana Benware was fourth in the high jump and ninth in the hurdles and May wound up fourth in the pole vault.
Cassandra Gensler (fifth high jump), Addyson Wilt (seventh discus) and Alayna Markey (10th shot) also cracked the Top 10.
Relays were the key for Bedford in Division 1.
The Mules won the 3,200 with Cameron Varner, Logan Thomas, Dane Hieronimus, and Maddi Duke. Their time of 7:57.17 was second-best in school history.
The ninth-place 400 relay of Trenton Smithson, Bryce McCloud, Brandon McCloud and AJ Varner broke the school record set last year with a time of :43.92. Varner was part of the record-setting team last year.
Brandon McCloud, Logan Thomas, Bryce McCloud and Duke was second in the 1,600 relay with a season-best 3:25.35.
All four Bedford relays now have the first or second-best time in school history.
“They performed exceptionally well,” Bedford coach Stefan Wilkerson said. “I am proud of the way they competed in all their events.”
Maddi Duke placed second in the 800, Varner third in the high hurdles, Masyn Moran fifth in the discus, Dane Hieronimus ninth in the 3,200, Alex Mapes ninth in the low hurdles and Smithson 10th in the high hurdles.
FRIDAY’S TOP PERFORMANCES
BASEBALL
Aaron Fowkes, SMCC: Delivered the game-winning hit in a 6-5 victory over Ann Arbor Greenhills. Freshman Zeke Boggs drove in the tying run with two outs in the seventh inning before Fowkes came through with the winner. Ryan Hayden joined Fowkes and Boggs with two hits to support winning pitcher Blake Lechy. Hayden stuck out 10 as the Falcons won the second game 7-3. Lukas Linzell and Brock Cousino each drove in two runs for the 21-7 Falcons. “I am really proud of this senior group,” SMCC coach Jared Janssen said. “They have led us to our most victories in a season since 2016.”
Reece Kalb, Summerfield: Rang up eight hits (including a double and two triples), drove in 11 runs and tossed a four-inning no-hitter with 10 strikeouts in a 21-0, 16-6 sweep of Britton Deerfield. Clark Ciacelli added five hits and Russell LaRocca logged four hits in the second game. Jude Flowers and Rylee Schiffler combined to strike out 13 in the nightcap for the 13-7 Bulldogs.
Braylen Crump, Flat Rock: Stole home to spark a 4-3 win over Wyandotte Roosevelt. The Rams stole eight bases in the game including two each by Crump, Evan Szalay and Breyden Sutherby. Brady Beatty earned the pitching win.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Summerfield, Mason, Bedford, Ida finish in top seven at team track finals
Reporting by Niles Kruger, The Monroe News / The Monroe News
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