JACKSON — The Sturgis girls earned a second-place team finish as the annual Charlie Janke Invitational in Jackson on Friday.
Sturgis posted 112 team points at the event, which saw East Lansing claim first place with 144. Senior Angela Cary won the high jump event, clearing 5-2 feet. This met the qualifying leap as an early qualifier for the MHSAA state finals. The Sturgis boys finished fifth overall as a team with 51 points.
Like Cary, Sturgis’ Caleb Hohn also locked in a state early qualifying run. His came in the 200 meters, where he won the race with a time of 22.24 seconds.
“So super proud of our boys tonight, they fought against delays and bad weather to step up and compete against higher level competition than we can find in the Wolverine Conference which is why we travel so far to come to these types of invitationals,” Sturgis boys coach JB Starkey said.
Hohn’s run moves him to seventh-best in the state and second-best in the history books at SHS.
Benji Morales put in a third-place finish in the 800, he ran 2:08.39.
Gavin Lewis also had a solid night. He improved his shot put by five feet. His distance was 45-6 feet, which was good for third place. Lewis also finished fourth in the discus at 114-2.
Wyatt Miller cleared the 10-foot mark in the pole vault, good for second place.
SHS finished third in a pair of relays as well. The 400 relay saw Drake Fisher, Beckett Lamb, Jason Stutzman and Lukis Bir post a time of 44.85 seconds. In the 800 relay, the Sturgis team of Fisher, Lamb, Hohn and Stutzman logged 1:33.79.
Coach Lesley Starkey said the team was pleased with their overall performance against some solid competition.
“We have gone to Jackson the past four years with the intent to put ourselves up against stiff competition and we have stepped up yet again this year,” she said. “Watching these girls compete and not shy away from teams who have faster seed times is a testament to how hard they work and the confidence they have in themselves and their teammates.”
Madelyn Oswald also took first place in the pole vault, posting 8-6.
Berkley Holtz ran to first in the mile run, her time was 5:11.92, which was a lifetime best.
Sturgis felt good about its overall performances and the Trojans are looking forward to another tough competition next week.
“We beat Division 1 schools as a result of incredible commitment and trust in the process,” Starkey said. “We will be tested next weekend at East Kentwood so I am excited to see what they have taken away from this meet and how they apply the lessons to the next meet.”
The Sturgis relay teams continued to shine. The mile relay team of Kinder Smith, Holtz, Olivia Green and Sydney Bir won at 4:10.01. The two-mile relay saw Bir, Tessa Hatt, Smith and Holtz run a time of 9:46.22 for first.
Addison Eicher, Cary, Bir and Smith placed second in the 800 relay at 1:47.21. For the 400 relay, the team of Eicher, Smith, Oswald and Cary ran a time of 50.87 for second.
Bir ran a time of 1:00.20 in the 400 for second. Hatt’s time in the 800 of 2:29.85 was good for second as well.
Kimora Parker finished third in the shot put. Her distance was 27-8 feet.
Contact Sports Editor Brandon Watson at bwatson@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @BwatsonSJ.
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Cary, Hohn register early state qualifying marks at Charlie Janke invite
Reporting by Brandon Watson, Sturgis Journal / Sturgis Journal
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