Prep roundup: Flynn wins state championship, nearly sets state record
Jun. 4—ROCKFORD — Another state finals and more championship gold for Traverse City Central's Julia Flynn.
The Trojans' distance runner pulled off the double championship, winning the 800-meter and 1600-meter races at the Divison 1 state finals meet in Rockford High School. The senior even came back and placed fifth in the 3200.
She won the 1600 in 4:39.75 and the 800 in 2:08. In the 800, she took control of the race about 250 meters in, and never relinquished her lead.
"I wanted to go out in my first lap, not crazy, crazy, crazy fast," Flynn said. "I let myself ease into the competition a little bit, had girls in front of me. Then, I had the fear of getting boxed in, so then I just peaced out."
Flynn said she was trying to use her competition as motivation.
"I wanted to stay with them a little longer than I did, but I started to get in that inner lane, and I was like, 'I don't want to misstep and get DQ'd,'" the two-time champion said.
Flynn missed the state record in the 800 by half a second and now holds the seventh-best time in the entire country for 2022.
On the boys' side, Traverse City West's Jonah Hochstetler set a school record in the 800-meter run with a 1:54.36, good for fifth place. Traverse City Central's Luke Venhuizen made it to the podium in the 1600, running a 4:09.4 for third place. Venhuizen was just a few seconds shy of a second podium, placing fifth in the 3200 with a 9:11.4.
Kadyn Warner was mere inches away from making the podium in the shot put for the Trojans. The senior hurler launched a 52-1.75 for fourth place. Midland's Merrick Hocking took third at 52-10.
In the long jump, Titan teammates Will Gaston and John O'Connor took 11th and 12th, respectively, with jumps of 20-7.25 and 20-6.5. Central's Dante Williams placed 19th at 20-0.5.
The Traverse City West 4x200 relay team of Ayden Totten, Michael Schermerhorn, Remy Schulz and O'Connor took 12th at 1:30.12. The Titans' 4x400 team of Ben Habers, Josh Hirschenberger, Isaac Stone and Hochstetler finished 19th at 3:28.19.
For the girls, Central's Addison Swanson placed ninth in the 400 with a personal-best time of 58.21. Fellow Trojan, Kathleen Venhuizen, took 10th in the 800 at 2:17.49. Flynn took fifth in the 3200, running a 10:29.19.
West's Becky Lane finished in the top 10 in the pole vault, finishing 10th with a vault of 10-9. Fellow Titan Avery Lahti was 22nd in the long jump at 15-8.
The Titans' 4x100 team of Arianna Stallworth, Sara Schermerhorn, Madelen Ferrill and Rylee Herban finished 22nd at 50.78. The West 4x200 team of Stallworth, Schermerhorn, Herban and Anna Curry placed ninth at 1:45.35.
Central's 4x400 team of Flynn, Lola Reimers, Venhuizen and Swanson took fourth at 3:59.48. The Trojans 4x800 team of Ella Kirkwood, Alexis Ball, Reimers and Venhuizen placed 10th at 9:30.38.
In the Division 2 finals, Petoskey's Shane Izzard placed 10th in the 800, running a personal-best time of 1:58.88. Fellow Northman Avery Timm took 14th in the 110-meter hurdles at 16.26. Gaylord's Russell Hush, who qualified as a sophomore, placed 20th in the 300 hurdles with a time of 43.74.
Kingsley hurler Riley Brock made the podium in the shot put, throwing a 50-1 for third place. Brock was 14th in the discus at 132-10. Fellow Stag Gage Hessem placed sixth in the high jump with a leap of 6-4.
The Petoskey 4x100 relay team of CJ Hibbler, Gavin Wargel, Rippin Vining and Kendall Pederson were 18th at 44.3. The Northmen 4x200 squad of Cam Adams, Vining, Wargel and Hibbler took fifth at 1:30.93. In the 4x400, Hibbler, Brady Ewing, Izzard and Samuel Smith were ninth at 3:30.05. Cadillac's 4x400 team of Carter Harsh, Teegan Baker, Matteo Letizio and Caden Windover took 12th at 3:32.37. In the 4x800, it was Izzard, Reese Marvin, Cooper Rokop and Smith finishing 20th in 8:33.68 for Petoskey.
On the girls' side, Petoskey's Noel Vanderwall medaled in the 1600, running a personal-record time of 4:55.23 for third place. Cadillac's Kendall Schopieray finished in 5:13.22 for 12th.
Vanderwall also took third in the 3200, once again setting a personal best and running a 10:55.81. Teammate Caroline Farley was eighth at 11:06.68.
Kingsley's Lauren Wooer took 10th in the 300 hurdles, running a PR time of 47.74. Fellow Stags Kelsey Saxton and Kati Smith finished ninth and 12th, respectively, in the pole vault at 10-3 and 9-9. Cadillac's Madisyn Lundquist was 15th at 9-3.
Cadillac's Makenzie Johns placed 17th in the shot put at 33-6.5. Fellow Viking Lindsey Tonello grabbed sixth place in the long jump at 16-9.5.
Petoskey's 4x200 relay team of Gretchen Woodbury, Claudia Whitmore, Isabel Habecker and Alison Bailey placed 13th in 1:48.05. The 4x400 team of Woodbury, Faith Bailey, Madeline Loe and Alison Bailey was 12th in 4:11.04. The 4x800 team of CamBrie Corey, Farley, Loe and Vanderwall took fourth at 9:38.21.
TRACK & FIELD STATE FINALS
Benzie Jones dominates in D3, sets state records
KENT CITY — Hunter Jones sets the mark and then continues to pass it each time.
The Benzie Central junior captured championships in the 800 (1:52.68) and 1600 (4:10.68), setting state records in both events and topping the mark in the 800 he set just last week. Jones just missed the clean sweep of state gold in the distance races, finishing second in the 3200 (9:25.87) to Manton's Noah Morrow.
Morrow blitzed the competition in the longest race of the day, winning by more than eight seconds at 9:17.84.
Jones now has three MHSAA track state titles under his belt, as well as three Division 3 cross country state championships. He won the 1600 in last year's track state finals.
"I was comfortable for the mile and the 800 I was strong, but after the 800 I was at the trash can — I wasn't feeling well," said Jones, who is close to announcing his college commitment to a Division I school but is keeping that announcement close to the vest.
The elite runner is coveted by schools across the country. He said he owes much of his success to those around him.
"My coaches, they helped me out," he said. "They helped me gain confidence and I threw myself on the track, got around eight laps and got runner-up (in the 3200)."
Benzie Central had another state champion on the day as well. Gloria Stepanovich won the long jump by 4.5 inches with a leap of 17-4.25. Grand Traverse Academy's Katelynn Dix took the bronze with a third-place jump of 16-8.75. Traverse City St. Francis' Maya Padisak was fifth at 16-5.5.
St. Francis's 4x800 relay team won the state gold for the second year in a row. Thomas Richards, Connor Donahue, Josh Kerr and Jacob Heeringa finished in 8:10.56.
Lake City's Gavin Bisballe was champion in the high jump, leaping a 6-5 to take the gold.
In the 800, Charlevoix's Samuel Peterson was fifth at 1:58.71, and St. Francis' Thomas Richards was ninth at 1:59.69.
Peterson was five seconds behind Jones in the 1600 to take second place at 4:15.16. In the 3200, Guggemos was seventh at 9:43.72 (a personal record).
St. Francis'Brendan Endres placed second in the pole vault, returning from an injury. He cleared 14-3. Fellow Gladiator Joe Andrews was third in the long jump at 21-5.75.
In the 110-meter hurdles, Benzie's Tyrone Brouillet was eighth at 16.44. Kalkaska's Brad Elkins was 14th in the 300 hurdles at 43.75 followed by East Jordan Logan Shooks in 15th at 43.83.
Grayling's Sparty Skillern was 13th in the shot put with a throw of 45-9.75. He took ninth in the discus at 138-7.
St. Francis 4x200 relay team of Cam Sellers, Brenden Endres, Burke Flowers and Joey Andrews took 10th at 1:33.29. Manton's team of Lucan McKernan, Nolan Moffit, Kyle Hudson and Morrow was 12th in the 4x400 at 3:32.87.
On the girls side, Manistee's Audrey Huizing took eighth in the 400 at 59.71 (a personal record). Elk Rapids' Sarah Zamaites was 11th at 1:00.95. Petra Foot of GT Academy was the area's top finisher in the 800 in 17th place at 2:28.84.
Benzie's Mylie Kelly was 13th in the 1600 at 5:16.51. She was also eighth in the 3200 at 11:22.01. In the 100 hurdles, Dix placed fourth at 16.01. Huizinga was ninth at 20 seconds flat. Huizinga did take third in the 300 hurdles with a PR time of 46.91. Dix was fifth with a PR time of 47.08.
Benzie's 4x100 relay team took third. Elise Johnson, Adrian Childs, Kara Johnson and Stepanovich ran a 51.01. St. Francis' team of Padisak, Megan Arntz, Gwyneth Passinaul and Sophia Ellalasingham was seventh at 51.87 followed by Elk Rapids' team of Hunter Shellenbarger, Aleah Manley, Paige Fosdick and Nevada Molby in eighth at 51.96.
The Gladiators 4x200 team of Padisak, Passinaul, Arntz and Ellalasingham grabbed fifth at 1:49.13. Elk Rapids was right behind again in sixth with Molby, Fosdick, Shellenbarger and Manley running a 1:49.58.
Benzie's Lithiano Ramirez took fifth in the shot put at 36-11.5, a person best. Charlevoix's Leah Rohrer was the area's top discus thrower, placing seventh with a PR of 107-11.
Buckley's Harrand nabs 2 D4 titles; Frankfort girls finish 3rd overall in D4
HUDSONVILLE — A Bear and a Panther left Baldwin Middle School with some state gold Saturday.
Buckley sophomore Aiden Harrand had an impressive day, as she took home titles in the 800 and 1600 runs. In the 800, Harrand had a PR of 2:19.25, while she finished the 1600 in a PR of 4:56.38. She was fourth in the 3200 at 11:21.83, a personal best.
Frankfort finished third on the day with 39 points, thanks largely to senior Tara Townsend.
Townsend collected her third pole vault state title with a leap of 11-6. She attempted to set a new D4 finals record of 12-1, but just couldn't quite get over the bar.
"It was a little disappointing because I went 12 last year and I wanted to go higher, but I can't really be too disappointed," Townsend said of her vault performance. "I just took a deep breath on the last one and gave all I had."
Townsend followed up her pole vault title by winning the 100 dash championship in a time of 12.79. She also was the anchor leg of the winning 4x100 relay team (51.87), while placing third in the 200 dash. Not bad while dealing with a hamstring injury in the process.
The Buckley boys 4x400 relay team of Jeremiah Pasbjerg, Jackson Kulawiak, Nick Simon and Kyle Deshasier won the state championship with a final time of 3:30.71.
On the boys' side, Mesick's Colton Eckler took eighth in the 100 with an 11.6. He was also seventh in the 200 at 23.66 behind Buckley's Simon in sixth at 23.65. Suttons Bay's Dashel Courson was 10th in the 400 at 52.75. Kulawiak grabbed fifth in the 800 with a PR time of 2:02.44. Johannesburg-Lewiston's Malaki Gascho nabbed sixth in the 3200 at 10:00.7. Fellow Cardinal Josiah Hall was third in the 110 hurdles with a PR time of 15.55. Hall took fifth in the 300 hurdles, once again with a PR in 41.41. Mesick's Deven Pawlowski was sixth at 41.6. Glen Lake's Caleb Glase took ninth in the discus with a throw of 133-11. Buckley's Kyle Kaczanowski grabbed fifth in the high jump with a leap of 6-1.
On the girls' side, Central Lake's Liberty Perry was seventh in the 100 at 13.4 and seventh in the 200 at 27.74. Joburg's Natalie Zochowski took eighth in the 400 at 1:03.3. Glen Lake's Ruby Hogan was sixth in the 800 at 2:25.47, and Leland's Ella Knudsen was 10th at 2:30.06. Glen Lake's Makenna Scott was third in the 1600 at 5:06.8 followed by Manistee Catholic Central's Lauren Niedzielski in sixth at 5:22.89. Scott grabbed silver in the 3200 with a time of 11:08.27. Suttons Bay's Emily Grant was 10th in the discus at 99-9. Frankfort's Grace Wolfe was tied for 10th in the high jump at 4-10. Glen Lake's Grace Bradford finished in fourth in the pole vault at 8-9. Joburg's Allie Nowak tied for seventh at 8-0. Wolfe took sixth in the long jump for Frankfort, leaping 15-10.25.
TENNIS STATE FINALS
Elks take 4th, Gladiators finish 11th in Division 4
ANN ARBOR — The only area tennis players left on the court for action Saturday were out of Elk Rapids and Traverse City St. Francis. Unfortunately, none would leave Ann Arbor with any individual state gold.
Elk Rapids's two semifinalists, Ella Croftchik and Anneka Croftchik, made it to the championship match in their respective flights, but both fell in straight sets. Ella, the second seed in 2-single, defeated North Muskegon's Gabby Gaston 7-5, 7-6(5) to move on. She lost to Ann Arbor Greenhills' Shangyang Xia, the bracket's top seed, 6-2, 6-0. Anneka needed three sets to get past her 3-singles semifinal competitor, defeating Jackson Lumen Christi's Michaela Hauer 4-6, 6-1, 6-1. Ann Arbor Greenhills would get the championship again, however, as Sophie Chen defeated Anneka 6-1, 7-6(1) in the finals.
Traverse City St. Francis' Audrey Lee bowed out in straight sets in the 4-singles semifinal match against Grand Rapids Catholic Central's Hannah Lourido, 6-4, 6-4. Lourido, the No. 1 seed, went on to win the championship. The St. Francis 4-doubles pair of Lizzie Frederick and Caroline Knox was also bounced in two sets in the semis, losing to top-seeded Sabeen Malicki and Meera Tewari of Ann Arbor Greenhills 6-0, 6-1.
Greenhills won the team title with 35 points. Elk Rapids was fourth with 14, and St. Francis was 11th with nine.
SOCCER DISTRICTS
Cadillac 3
Petoskey 0
Cadillac: Vikings win Division 2 district championship. Lindsay Meier goal; Abby Kovacevich assist; Avery Mickelson goal; Jenna Stahlecker goal; Lindsay Meier assist; Jazmin Angell 6 saves.
UP NEXT: Cadillac (16-3-4) battles Spring Lake in the regional semifinals Tuesday.
Prep roundup
— The MHSAA contributed to this report
— The MHSAA contributed to this report
