As the outdoor track and field season has officially started, the Blue Water Running website will feature a compiled “Blue Water Area Top-10 Performance List” that will include the top ten performances from the schools/athletes we cover in all standard high school track and field events. This list will be updated each weekend following the previous week’s competition (based on posted athletic.net results). With many schools and athletes yet to compete, the list will change frequently. Below is a report of each of the notable performances from outdoor meets in the past week that included athletes from our area. You can find this list at the bottom of the www.bluewaterrunning.org homepage. Blue Water Running also has a podcast you can listen to, so check it out here https://www.buzzsprout.com/2341667/share(also linked to the homepage) or on players like Spotify, etc.
Lapeer Scrimmage: Thursday, April 4
At the Lapeer Scrimmage on Thursday, April 4, the Almont and Lapeer teams met on the track with temperatures hovering in the mid-thirties. Despite the near-freezing weather, there were plenty of performances to heat things up for the start of outdoor track and field season competition.
Almont’s Matthew Bacholzky ran his personal best in the 100-meter dash (12.33), taking fourth place and earning a spot on this week’s Blue Water Area top-10 list in the event. Another Raider jumping into the top 10 in the long jump was Nolan Maxlow, also taking fourth place in 17’-07”. This was also a personal best for Maxlow. Other notable performances on the boys’ side were Tim Miller taking third in the 200-meter dash (25.98) and the trio of Dustin Claeys (31’-09.75”), Gordon Stolecki (29’-09”), and Kaden Trumpour (23’-09.5”) taking third, fourth, and fifth in the shot put. Stolecki was then second in the discus in 82’-11”, his best throw yet.
On the girls’ side of the competition, Montserrat Coronel was third in the 100-meter dash for Almont in 14.80. She also won the long jump in 14’-00.75”. Coronel is on the Blue Water Area top-10 performance list currently in both events. Grace VanDyke won the shot put (26’-05.75”) and Erin Maxinoski was third (24’-2.25). These two ladies then went one-two in the discus as well, with VanDyke winning in 71’-06” and Maxinoski taking second with a throw of 65’-09”. VanDyke also has top-10 throws in the Blue Water Area for shot put and discus.
Algonac vs Mott/Univ. Liggett/GP South: Thursday, April 4
At Grosse Pointe South High School, Algonac met up for a quad meet on Thursday, also competing in the chilly temps. David Clemons was fourth in the 400-meter dash, running 57.26, which places him seventh on this week’s top-10 performance list. Clemons teamed up with Griffin Melrose, Emmanuel Lenkiewicz, and Nathan Clemons in the 4x800-meter really and currently sits in sixth place on the area performance list with a time of 10:04.75.
For the Lady Muskrats, Jasmine Walker was third in the 3200-meter run (and also third on the top-10 performance list) with a time of 13:52, her personal best. She then teamed up with
Evelyn Osterbeck, Olivia Pastrone, and Lilly Steck immediately afterward to run in the 4x400-meter relay, placing fifth in 5:45. Charlie Harms, Olivia Pastrone, Evelyn Osterbeck, and Walker also were fifth in the 4x800-meter relay (13:07).
Cass City Track Invitational: Friday, April 5
Almont, Imlay City, and North Branch competed at Cass City High School on Friday.
BOYS
Chase Battani of Almont was four-for-four, claiming victories in every single event he entered: the 100-meter dash (11.38), 110-meter hurdles (15.75), 300-meter hurdles (46.45), and pole vault (14’6”). He tops the Blue Water Area top-10 performance list multiple times thanks to his finishes on Friday. A pair of seconds were earned by Nolan Malox in the 200-meter dash (24.37) and Matthew Bacholzky in the 400-meter dash (55.53) for the Raiders. Bacholzky was also third in the long jump with 18’-5”. These two paired up with Brody Corneau and Cole Walton to take another runner-up finish in the 4x400 relay with a time of 3:52.
Kade VanDerPloeg of Imlay City tops this week’s performance list with his winning long jump of 19’2.5. The 4x200 relay team of Enrique Cardenas, Brett Lestage, Ethan Everhart, and Alan Valdovinos was also victorious for the Spartans in a time of 1:39.13, while the 4x100 meter team of Lestage, Jovani Pena, Tyler Kanai, and Valdovinos was third (48.93). Not to be outdone, their thrower’s 4x100 relay of Alex Pettke, Josue Zepeda, Christopher Madrid, and Kade VanDerPloeg were second in their race at 53.86. Isaac Sommer was fourth in both the 1600 and 3200 in 2:14 and 5:06, respectively. Conner Wildie was also third in the 110-meter hurdles (18.28) and fifth in the 300-meter hurdles (49.04) to round out the top finishers for Imlay City.
Ethan Dinanath of North Branch had a stand-out day as well, taking third in the 100 (11.65), and then first in the rest of his remaining events: the 200 (23.51), 400 (54.12), and 4x400 meter relay (3:45), where he paired up with Thomas Kann, Bryce Barkowska, and Valentino Castaneda. Michael Gorman was fourth in the 100 for the Broncos (11.88) and part of the second-place 4x100 meter relay team (48.63) along with Wyatt Muxlow, Dalton Perkett, and Isaac Armstrong. He teamed up again with Muxlow, Perkett, and Thomas Kann in the 4x200 for another runner-up relay in 1:41.35. Kann was the winner in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:12.
In field events, Eli Bickel won both the shot put (46’-0.75”) and the discus (132’-3”), outthrowing his competitors by large margins. He stands atop the Blue Water Area performance list in both events. Only a sophomore, Bickel looks poised to be one of the area’s best throwers for years to come. In the high jump, Valentino Castaneda took second in 5' 8 and Liam McIntyre was third in 5' 6.
GIRLS
Grace Clemens of North Branch was back in winning form at the Cass City Invitational, taking first in the 100-meter dash (12.99), the long jump (by three feet) in 17’-6”, and second in the 200 (27.38). She teamed up with Aubree Deshetsky, Rowan Conley, and Lily Hurd to win the 4x200-meter relay in 1:55.01. Deshetsky also had a great showing, winning the shot put (35’-9”) AND discus (110’), and taking third in the 200 (28.26). Katie Gill and Caleigh Goss were third and fourth in the discus, with 84’-1” and 82’-2”, respectively. Emma Sauer was runner-up in the 100-meter hurdles in 18.43. Rowan Conley, Tracy Ludescher, Emma Looney, and Isabelle Hunt won the 4x800-meter relay in 11:44.
For the Imlay City Spartans, Charlotte O’Brien won the 3200-meter run in 14:02. She joined
Hannah Hayes, Alice Johnson, and Daniela DeLuca, taking second in the 4x800-meter relay (11:48).
For the Lady Raiders, Madison Niedermaier was victorious in the pole vault at 8’3” and second in the long jump (14’-4”). Montserrat Coronel, Christy Trisler, Lola Battaglia, and Lauren Webster were second in the 4x100-meter relay with a time of 56.90. The thrower’s relay also took second in their event with a time of 1:06 (Samantha Miodowski, Madison Miodowski, Isabel Betker, and Grace VanDyke). Lauren Webster was second in the high jump, clearing her best of 4’-8”.
Spring Break Classic: Sat. April 6
Macomb Dakota hosted the Spring Break Classic and included a track event rarely seen at a high school meet: the steeplechase. Zachary Rubicz of Anchor Bay won the 2000-meter race in 6:38, while his teammate Aidan Leslie was close behind in third (7:18).
Other notable performances:
GIRLS
200-meter dash: Liani Martoni of Macomb Lutheran North, third in 29.03.
800-meter dash: Samantha Whitlam of MLN, second in 2:35.
200-meter hurdles: Autumn Pratt of MLN, third in 34.18.
4x100 relay: Estella Avolio, Natalie Korich, Annalise Scollin, and Liana Martoni of MLN, third in 57.43 (all freshmen).
4x200 relay: Samantha Whitlam, Jessica Probst, Emma McGrath, and Liana Martoni of MLN, first in 1:57.81.
(all freshmen, too).
4x400 relay: Natalie Pipitone, Jamie Boright, Samantha Whitlam, and Katya Anderson of MLN, first in 4:43.17.
Shotput: Takrise Wargo of MLN, first in 27' 10”.
Pole Vault: Autumn Pratt of MLN, first in 7”. Addison Horvath of MLN, third in 6’.
High Jump: Autumn Pratt, third in 4’6”.
Long Jump: Samantha Whitlam of MLN, second in 14'-0.5”. Jamie Boright of MLN, third in 13'-11.75”.
BOYS
4x400: Joseph Avolio, Paul Jimenez, Grant Garner, Nino Biondo of MLN, second in 4:03.
4x800: Nino Biondo, Oliver Alef, Xavier Roman, Grant Garner of MLN, first in 9:27.
Discus: Taiku Wargo of MLN, second in 95'-11”.
High Jump: Greg Glaser of MLN, first in 5’-8”. Freshman*
Pole Vault: MLN Malachi Horvath 7'-6”/Cole Bobcean 7'-6”, first and second.
Allen Park Co-Ed Relays: Sat. April 6
Marysville High School headed to Allen Park High School for Saturday’s competition. However, the results on athletic.net were not finalized or complete at the time of this article.
Lady Viking thrower Janae Hudson had a great day, setting a new school record in the shot put, finishing second in 43’-09”. She was also fourth in the discus in 129’-06”.
On the boys’ side, Brennan Francek high jumped 5’-9” to technically finish second in a five-way tie.