State Track: Athens girls chasing the ultimate prize — MHSAA state team title
The Athens girls track team has been collecting a lot of hardware recently.
The Indians are coming off a regional championship, and last weekend, they won the Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association Team State Meet.
The big prize comes next with the Michigan High School Athletic Association State Track and Field Finals on Saturday.
"A lot of coaches that I talked to on Saturday at MITCA seem to think we have a good chance to win this weekend also at states," Athens track coach Melissa Hamilton said.
Athens has one of the biggest groups heading to states this week among area schools, sending 10 athletes to the Division 4 meet in Hudsonville. Other big groups that will be busy this week are the Lakeview boys, who will have seven athletes going to the Division 1 meet in Rockford and the Harper Creek boys, with 11 going to the Division 2 event at Forest Hills Eastern.
The Athens girls squad is anchored by a senior class that has had this weekend in its sights for a few years.
"This has been a good group since they were freshmen," Hamilton said. "When they were freshmen, they won regionals. COVID hit, so they lost that year and then they were second last year and won it again this year.
"We have several girls who are ranked really high individually for this weekend, so we are hoping to continue our recent success at states."
Piling up the points at regionals on the way to first place were the sprinters for Athens as Sara Nobach won the 200 meters, the 400 and was also part of two first-place relays in the 400 relay and the 1,600 relay.
Kenneddi Cromwell took first in the 100 and was second in both the 200 and the 400 and was also on the 400 relay team.
Jocelyn Hall won the 100 hurdles for Athens, was on that 400 relay team and was part of a 1-2-3 finish in the 200 for the Indians.
"We are really deep in our sprint events, that's where a lot of our points come from," Nobach said. "We can get multiple places in our sprint and that's big in an event like states."
Overall, Cromwell, Nobach and Kylie Quist each qualified in four events at states for Athens. Emma Dexter was regional champ in the shot put and Abby Youmans is going to states in the discus. And the Indians contingent will also include several athletes on relay teams, including McKenzie Miller, Kamryn Parlin, Alina Sprung and Zoey Williams.
"We have people that can fill in pretty much in every event, that's what makes us good," Dexter said. "This weekend, we are just hoping to do our best. I think we are capable of doing well at states if we all do our best."
For several of the track athletes, this week has some added pressure as they are also a member of the Athens softball team getting ready for districts. Most district softball and baseball tournaments are on Saturday, opposite the state track meet. However, Athens will host its softball district on Friday, allowing their multiple-sport athletes to compete in both.
"That's a lot, but our athletes are used to it around here. We know how to recoup ourselves before a big event," said Hall, who is also the top pitcher for Athens. "It will be a big weekend for us; hopefully it will be a successful weekend for both sports."
Contact Bill Broderick at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on Twitter @billbroderick.
MHSAA State Qualifiers
Boys
Division 1:
Lakeview - Caleb Bost (800, 3,200 relay) ; Parker LaGro (3,200, 3,200 relay) ; Aiden Moore (3,200 relay) ; Kevin Grady (3,200 relay); Andrew Berryhill (shot put, discus); Gavin White (pole vault); Davis Barr (long jump)
Division 2
Harper Creek - Owen Gilbert (800, 1,600, 3,200 relay); Nehemiah Wert (400 relay); Will King (400 relay); Bronson Carpenter (400 relay); DaShawn Leslie (400 relay); Cristo Castellanos (1,600 relay, 3,200 relay); Ryan Wallace (1,600 relay); Cole Patty (1,600 relay); Logan Wood (1,600 relay); Samuel Torres (3,200 relay); Josh Maurer (3,200 relay)
Marshall - Carson Tucker (800)
Gull Lake - Haidyn Garrison (shot put)
Division 3
Homer - Diego Lebron (high jump)
Union City - Logan Cole (Discus)
Division 4
St. Philip - Ryan Casterline (3,200 relay); Max Shugars (3,200 relay); Jacob Thome (3,200 relay); Luke Sprague (3,200 relay); Hans Strenge (shot put)
Climax-Scotts - Miles Shannon (high jump)
Athens - Landon Bennett (300 hurdles, high jump); Brock Milam (long jump)
Girls
Division 1
Battle Creek Central - Samya Fisher (100, long jump); Bailey McCulloch (400)
Division 2
Pennfield - Natalie Hensel (400)
Division 3
Homer - Paige Austin (100, 200, 400 relay); Jaelynne Williams (400 relay), Emiley Baxter (400 relay), Emma Wildt (400 relay); Emma Wildt (pole vault)
Union City - Nevada Gillons (100 hurdles)
Division 4
St. Philip - Emma Shugars (3,200 relay); Alex Kersten (3,200 relay); Mimi Hibbard (3,200 relay); Therese Campos (3,200 relay)
Athens - Sara Nobach (200, 400, 400 relay, 1,600 relay); Kenneddi Cromwell (100, 200, 400, 400 relay); Kylie Quist (800, 1,600, 1,600 relay, 3,200 relay); Jocelyn Hall (100 hurdles, 400 relay) ; Kamryn Parlin (400 relay); McKenzie Miller (1,600 relay, 3,200 relay); Zoey Williams (1,600 relay, 3,200 relay); Emma Dexter (shot put); Abby Youmans (shot put); Alina Sprung (3,200 relay)
This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: State Track: Athens girls chasing a MHSAA state team title
