Local Sports: Ida's Carsten off to fast start after regaining health
NAPOLEON – Kirby Carsten was part of Ida’s track and field team last spring, but he wasn’t himself.
“He was still coming off an injury from basketball,” Ida coach Brad Lorenz said. “He was still going to rehab throughout the track season. He would come to practice, then go to rehab.”
Lorenz knew the 2023 season would be different for Carsten right from the start. The senior hit personal bests in both the 100 and 200-meter dashes in the first meet of the season.
He now is a fraction of a second away from school records and ranked No. 1 in Division 3 in both events.
Carsten added some more laurels Friday as he won the 100 and 200 and anchored a winning relay at the Napoleon Invitational.
Is Lorenz surprised that Carsten has been so fast so early?
“Yes and no,” the coach said. “You’re not surprised when you know how talented he is.”
Carsten won the 100 in :11.39 and the 200 in :23.01 while also anchoring the runner-up 800 relay with teammates Wyatt Dirkmaat, Grantham Nelson, and Donovan Lutz.
He helped the Blue Streaks take fifth place.
Ida had second-place finishes from Reid Benware in the discus and Jaxon Bolster in the pole vault.
The girls finished in 11th place led by top-five performances from Kaylee Stein, Katelyn Bydlowski, and Mackenzie Dillon.
TRACK AND FIELD
Dundee impresses
WHITMORE LAKE − Dundee had two winners and 15 top-3 finishes at Friday's Whitmore Lake Relays.
The Vikings team of Johnny Swisher, Kristopher Breitner, Colton Bordine, and Daniel Kreger were first in the 800-meter relay, and Logan Johnson was the champion in the high jump.
Other strong performances came from Caden Bellaire, Dallas Bensch, Adam Gerweck, Zachary McMahan, Noah Nieman, Brennan Graham, Isaak Rubley, Brayden Ratliff, Jacob Fenbert, and Ruben Rivera.
Standouts for the girls were Lia Parry, Brook Hester, Maddie Salenbien, Natalie Swisher, Joslyn Ball, and Lily Ratliff.
Monroe distance shines
BELLEVILLE − Monroe's distance runners had a strong day at the Belleville Tiger Relays Friday.
The team of Luke Butler, Andrew Foshag, Kyle Hoffner, and Daniel Rhoades took first place in both the 3,200-meter relay and the distance medley relay.
Brayden Richard was runner-up in both throws as Monroe's boys placed fifth overall with 84.01 points.
The girls were sixth with 69.02 points, led by a third-place finish in the 6,400 relay from Viktoria Bloniarz, Morgan Kay, Grace Finley, and Anna Coury.
Huron fifth, sixth
CHELSEA − New Boston Huron's girls placed fifth with 36 points and the boys were sixth with 22 Friday at the Chelsea Relays.
Huron's girls finished first in the sprint medley relay with Madelyn Barbour, Neena Hale, Avery Turk, and Elizabeth Anderson, and second place in the 1,600 relay with Barbour, Turk, Anderson, and Breeann Roupe.
The boys were third in both the distance medley relay with Luke Dulecki, Drew Slane, Lucas Kuhn, and Ryan Morris, and the 400 relay with Xander Scannell, Alton Taylor, Ryan Anderson, and Salvator Farrugia. Jordan Stasak was third in the high jump.
PREP SOFTBALL
Summerfield offense booms
PETERSBURG − Summerfield rolled to a 14-4 win over Toledo Emmanuel Christian in the first game of a doubleheader Friday.
The second game was tied 6-6 when it was called due to darkness after five innings.
Kestrels triumphant
WYANDOTTE − St. Mary Catholic Central defeated Wyandotte Roosevelt 8-6 Friday.
PREP SOCCER
Ortega powers Jets
LINCOLN PARK − Cecilia Ortega scored three goals and added an assist to lead Airport to a 6-0 shutout against Lincoln Park on Friday.
Marlie Lozon-Liggett added 2 goals and 2 assists, Olivia Bucki had a goal with 2 assists, and Rylee Johnson tallied an assist.
Goalkeeper Madilynn Daniels made 11 saves to record her first shutout of the season.
Dundee stunted
DUNDEE − Brooklyn Columbia Central took advantage of a short-handed Dundee squad Friday, winning 5-1.
The Vikings were playing with just two substitutes due to injuries and other commitments.
Hannah Fowler scored the only goal for Dundee.
PREP TENNIS
Doubles lead Monroe
CARLETON − Monroe swept the doubles matches to defeat Airport 5-3 Friday.
Bella Cicero-Melanie Zanger (No. 1 doubles), Mara Bica-Emma Middleton (No. 2 doubles) Emiliy Casey-Allie Wells (No. 3 doubles), and Cameryn Jenkins-Allison Casey (No. 4 doubles) won for the Trojans.
Monroe's Marisa Rostash won 6-1, 6-1 at No. 1 singles.
Winners for Airport were MaKayla Rioher (No. 2 singles), Hannah Roof (No. 3 singles), and Ella Geckle (No. 4 singles).
PREP GOLF
Milan wins Murdock
Milan took first place in the gold division of the annual Larry Murdock Invitational Friday at Green Meadows.
The Big Reds scored 115 points, followed by Ypsilanti Lincoln 106, Flat Rock 106, Dundee 104, Ida 82, Onsted 67, Summerfield 50, and Ida B 39.
Tecumseh was champion in the upper Blue Division with 171 points, ahead of Bedford 163, Bedford B 156, Adrian Madison 131, Blissfield 122, Hudson 117, Napoleon 105, and Hillsdale 96.
Milan's Tyler Denham and Max Jenness tied for second overall in their division with 39 points. Laran Rogler led Flat Rock with 31 points, Dundee's Carter Bahn was fourth overall with 25, Ty Robertson had 25 for Ida, and Eli VanHuysen paced Summerfield with 21.
Bedford's Carter Klawonn took overall medalist honors and broke the tournament record with 53 points. The previous record was 51 by Ida's Dan Sortor in 2009.
Other Bedford standouts were Evan Campbell (44), Jayce Yarad (39), Camden Price (39), Taleon Guess (39), and Spencer Eighmey (39).
The tournament uses a modified scoring that awards one point for bogeys, three for par, five for birdies, and eight for an eagle.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Local Sports: Ida's Carsten off to fast start after regaining health
