HUDSONVILLE — The Frankfort girls track team had a day to remember as the 4×100-relay team of Alice Luther, Riley LaVack, Addison Jarosz and Sofia Alaimo Schindler defended their title for the fifth straight season with a state championship.
Frankfort finished third overall to lead area girls teams.
“I really think it shows how far we’ve come, just putting in a bunch of work, and using the facilities we have, and the few people we have, just showing everyone what Frankfort can do,” Frankfort junior Alice Luther said.
Relay teams have been a strong suit for the Panthers all season long, but this kind of state dominance is unhear of. Frankfort finished third, behind Kalamazoo Hackett and Hudson in the team competition. Buckley finished ninth overall.
“This is my first time ever winning a state championship (in an event), so it’s pretty amazing. We put in a lot of work for this, and we’re just a really good team, and we know how to get things done,” Frankfort sophomore Riley LaVack said.
The Panthers 4×200-relay team of Luther, LaVack, Jarosz and Will Roth finished third, and the 4×400-relay team finished fifth with a time of 10:09.
“It feels really good to win (the 4×100-relay) and especially since it was all four years of high school for me to just end the season with a great finish and time to be able to keep our record going of winning a state championship,” Frankfort senior Addison Jarosz said.
Alaimo-Schindler also pulled impressive performances in the 100 and 200 to cap of her illustrious Panther career with times of 12.41 and 25.43.
The Buckley Bears girls squad was competitive every time they stepped on the track.
Buckley senior Brooklynn Frazee won a state championship in long jump with a leap of 18’1.25″.
“After coming off junior year not being able to run, I’m just so thankful for the opportunity to be back here at state finals, and to be competing at the level that I am,” Frazee said.
She also finished fifth in the 100-meter dash and led the 4×200 relay team to second place finish along with teammates Addisen Harrand, Brooklyn Griffin and Mikayla Kulawiak. The 4×100 relay team finished ninth and the 4×400 relay took eighth with a time of 4:15. Kulawiak finished tied for sixth in the high jump with a leap of five feet.
Mancelona junior Leilia Frollo took home top honors in pole vault with a jump of 11 feet to win her first state championship. Despite attempts being hours apart, Frollo remained focused.
“It was kind of slow because people were checking out for an event, so I waited hours between my jumps, which is really different for me,” Frollo said. “I was just really glad that I had my coaches and family supporting me. I am super excited. I’ve been wanting this for a while, and I worked so hard, so I feel so proud of myself that I was finally able to accomplish that.”
Leland sophomore runner Sophia Grinage had herself a day in the 800, mile and two-mile, earning all-state honors in each.
The sophomore ran her fastest when it mattered the most in the two-mile.
“I’m very happy with my performance because it’s really hot,” Grinage said. “I earned a PR by a lot in the two-mile against really good competition and I’m grateful.”
Lakers finish fifth; Harrand wins pole vault
Glen Lake senior Jacob Plamondon finished his career with an exclamation point after a six feet, two inch high jump to capture a state championship. It wasn’t easy, as the senior got down to his third jump multiple times before winning the championship.
“I know if I didn’t get over it, it was my last time,” Plamondon said. “If you told me that I would be a state champ, I don’t know if I’d believe it too much. … Being a state champ is really cool, not a lot of people can say that.”
Plamondon almost didn’t even compete because of knee discomfort.
The Glen Lake boys 4×100 relay team took second with a time of 43.99.
Buckley freshman Easton Harrand proved that he is going to be a problem for many years to come as the freshman easily won the pole vault competition with a leap of 13 feet, nine inches.
The Grand Traverse Academy boys relay teams capped off a historic year in their own right after breaking a school record earlier this season with an impressive fifth place 4×100 relay race at states.
“Coming into the season, we knew we had a fast team, but we knew that coming into states, we had to clean up some handoffs, and that’s exactly what we did,” Nate Dix said. “And we definitely had our best time in the season, so it felt really good.”
“This is a big moment for Grand Traverse Academy,” Eli Willoughby added. “We broke both our school record that’s been standing for a while. We put it together late in the season.”
Kade MacDonald (Frankfort) and Josiah Chellis (Central Lake) had valiant finishes in the 110 hurdles with times of 15.66 and 19.74 to finish fifth and seventh, respectively.
“It feels good. I didn’t make it last year,” MacDonald said. “I want to keep working and get better and come back next year and win.”
For Chellis, he’s finally stepping into his big sister Cameron’s shoes with his state finals performance.
“I’m finally filling into my older sibling’s shoes,” Chellis said. “I’m glad I can compete out here and make her proud. The opportunity to be able to race with a lot of good competition is amazing.”
Mesick junior Kyle Redman finished fifth in the two-mile with an impressive time of 9:49.
BOYS
Bear Lake: Easton Nowak (long jump, 19th, 18’9.25”).
Buckley: Easton Harrand (pole vault, 1st, 13’9”); Harrand, Chunn, Bentley, Proffer (4×400, 20th, 3:39.47).
Central Lake/Ellsworth: Josiah Chellis (110-hurdles, 8th, 19.74); Chellis (300-hurdles, 11th, 42.54); Hopp, Chellis, Zander Chellis, Henderson (4×100, 22nd, 45.93).
East Jordan: Harry Hague (400, 4th, 50.99); Jordan Fajardo (pole vault, 6th, 12’6”).
Frankfort: MacDonald (110 hurdles, 6th, 15.66)
Grand Traverse Academy: Dix (300, 10th, 42.20); Willoughby, Michel, Kinney, Dix (4×100, 15th, 45.34); Willoughby, Michel, Holcomb, Dix (4×200, 19th, 1:35.81); Whipple, Neff, Middaugh, Dennis (4×800, 20th, 8:40).
Inland Lakes: Tanner Howard (400, 8th, 51.63); Feagan, Copeland, Howard, Giordan (4×100, 25th, 46.34); Feagan, Kettel, Howard, Copeland (4×200, 22nd, 1:36); Feagan, Elliott, Robinson, Howard (4×400, 16th, 3:37).
Lake Leelanau St. Mary: Daniel Chaney (two-mile, 10th, 10:18).
Leland: Knudsen, Preneta, Graebel, Fedderman (4×800, 13th, 8:38).
Glen Lake: Plamondon (high jump, 1st, 6’2”); Galla, Dykstra, Nerg, Cox (4×100, 2nd, 43.99); Kemp, Cox, Nerg, Palmer (4×200, 5th, 1:32); Gavin Sheehan, Caden Sheehan, Nerg, Kemp (4×400, 17th, 3:37); Abraham Feeney, Maule, Christian Feeney, Bailey (4×800, 9th, 8:35).
Mancelona: Donavin Reist (800, 7th, 1:59).
Mesick: Landon Hall (400, 5th, 51.27); Kyle Redman (3200, 4th, 9:49); Hall, Abraham, Doty, Kemmerling (4×400, 27th, 3:46); Hallett, Kastl, Doty, Redman (4×800, 21st, 9:00).
Onekama: Dayne Sibo (400, 14th, 52.89); Klajda, Sedelmaier, Hrachovina, Sibo (4×200, 24th, 1:37).
Pellston: Joshua Grondin (300 hurdles, 17th, 43.55).
Petoskey St. Michael: Bradley, Chamberlin, Cadarette, Wesley (4×400, 28th, 3:48.06); Cody Bradley, Caleb Chamberlin, Cadarette, Wesley (4×800, 4th, 8:26.56).
Rogers City: Gabe Mina (shot put, 22nd, 41’).
GIRLS
Bear Lake: Hulinek, Rutherford, Artman, Brown (4×200, 24th, 1:58); Hulinek, Brown, Rutherford, Daugherty (4×400, 26th, 4:40).
Bellaire: Amelia Hoyt (800, 10th, 2:29); Hocking, Hoyt, Molski, Delange (4×400, 17th, 4:25.48); Busick, Hocking, Dewey, Hoyt (4×800, 13th, 10:35).
Buckley: Brooklynn Frazee (100, 5th, 12.64); Frazee (long jump, 1st, 18’1.25”); Mikayla Kulawiak (high jump, 6th, 5’0”); Harrand, Griffin, Kulawiak, Frazee (4×100, 9th, 51.51); Griffin, Breuker, Kulawiak, Frazee (4×200, 2nd, 1:47); Harrand, Kulawiak, Griffin, Breuker (4×400, 8th, 4:15).
Central Lake/Ellsworth: Ruby Pletcher (300 hurdles, 4th, 46.87).
East Jordan: Casey Prevo (long jump, 4th, 16’11.75”).
Frankfort: Schindler (100, 3rd, 12.41); Schindler (200, 2nd, 25.43); Ava Higley (3200, 17th, 12:49.); Luther, LaVack, Jarosz, Schindler (4×100, 1st, 50.03); Luther, LaVack, Jarosz, Roth (4×200, 3rd, 1:47.85); Luther, Roth, Schindler, Jarosz (4×400, 5th, 4:10.58).
Grand Traverse Academy: York, Patterson, Collier, Birdsong (4×200, 7th, 1:51); Collier, Birdsong, Stephen, McKinney (4×400, 10th, 4:20); McKinney, Collier, Patrzik, Stephen (4×800, 7th, 10:09).
Inland Lakes: Taglauer, Robinson, Lehre, Furman (4×400, 9th, 4:18); Cooper, Taglauer, Myshock, Robinson (4×100, 14th, 53.17).
Johannesburg-Lewiston: Harlie Fox (mile, 15th, 5:49).
Leland: Grinage (4th, two-mile).
Mancelona: Leili Frollo (pole vault, 1st, 11’); Payton Derrer (400, 8th, 1:02); Manning, Dishaw, Derrer, Morris (4×100, 18th, 53.53).
Glen Lake: Braden, Shimunek, Misner, Fosmore (4×100, 12th, 52.39); Braden, Flores, Shimunek, Misner (4×200, 13th, 1:52); Julian, Braden, Shimunek, Fosmore (4×400, 20th, 4:26.72).
Mesick: Alyssa Spicer (3200, 9th, 11:59); Buss, Radcliffe, Trowbridge, Spicer (4×800, 20th, 11:30).
Onekama: Callie Sinke (800, 5th, 2:22); Sinke (1600, 2nd, 5:13); Addy Zeller (800, 20th, 2:40); McKeough, McCarthy, Sedelmaier, Wagoner (4×200, 23rd, 1:56); Sinke, McKeough, Sedelmaier, McCarthy (4×400, 18th, 4:25); Zeller, Wagoner, McKeough, Bradford (4×800, 19th, 11:14).
Pellston: Adalynn Hendershott (long jump, 18th, 15’1.5”).
Petoskey St. Michael: Veronica Paga (400, 9th, 1:02); Mea Wesley (800-meter, 11th, 2:29); Paga (800, 14th, 2:33).