TRACK: Westland Lutheran sweeps MIAC titles
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
Dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
ROCHESTER HILLS — After finishing each distance race, Jenna Wisner hovered near the finish line, quickly shaking the hands of each competitor and sending a congratulatory message their way.
A classy act by to say the least.
Her school, Lutheran Westland, was a class act on Tuesday night at Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest as well. Wisner and the Warriors swept the team titles at the Michigan Independent Athletic Conference track and field league championships.
“She’s a very talented, humble and classy young girl,” said Westland coach Mike Gunther about Wisner. “She does whatever we need her to do. She ran four events today and even ran the two mile. She rarely runs that race. We didn’t know if we needed the points so she ran it.”
Lutheran Westland ended up with 98 points in the girls meet, well ahead of runner-up Birmingham Roeper’s 65 points in the 12-school field. Plymouth Christian (64), Southfield Christian (54), Auburn Hills Oakland Christian (52) and Lutheran Northwest (50) followed in a close contest for top five team finishes.
In the boys meet, Westland collected 151.33 points, showcasing its ability to spread the wealth around. Southfield Christian, led by its sprints core, finished second with 115.33 points, while Lutheran Northwest (92.33), Roeper (39) and Grosse Pointe Woods University-Liggett (36) rounded out the top five in the team standings.
“We scored in every event, which is what we try to do,” said Gunther. “We knew we couldn’t match Southfield Christian’s speed, but we can score in the sprints, hurdles and we scored a ton of points in the field events.”
Westland had the first or second place finisher in each of the field events and swept the top three places in the pole vault, which helped the Warriors secure their second title in three years. The Warriors were second to Southfield Christian on the boys track side last spring.
Newman Harper won the pole vault (10-6), Thomas Kruger the shot put (44-5) by some four feet and added a win in the discus (134-10) for Westland. Austin Olson broke the tape in the 100 hurdles (15.73) and Dan Roberts was second in the long jump, as the Warriors scored in all 17 events.
Southfield Christian’s Demarco White won the high jump (6-0), although the Eagles scored a bulk of their points in the sprints and sprint relays. Donald Parker’s anchor leg in the 1,600 relay staved off Westland and aided a 3:40.92 clocking. Mitchell Jones, Richard Fagan and Rodger Johnson joined Parker on the victories foursome.
Blake Washington won the 100 (11.80) and 200 (23.21) and Parker the 400 (51.95) for Southfield Christian. Nicholas Mitchell, Aldred Williams, Jones and Washington teamed up for a win in the 400 relay (45.01), while Parker, Williams, Mitchell and Washington joined forces for a victory in the 800 relay (1:34.97) for the Eagles.
Lutheran Northwest won four events on the day. Cameron Santangelo won the 1,600 (4:52.68) and 3,200 (10:40.97), the latter breaking the school record.
“That was my goal. The old record was 10:42 and I got it by two seconds,” said Santangelo. “It feels great to win them both. I thought I had a poor (showing) at last year’s league meet.”
Ontario McDonald, a first-year runner who set three school records this season for Lutheran Northwest, won the 300 hurdles (42.14) and finished second in the 100, 200 and 110 hurdles, running 10 races on the day including prelims and semifinals. Stephen Ennis had the top effort in the long jump (19-7) for the Crusaders.
Plymouth Christian’s Jacob Bailey the led from start to finish in the 800 (2:05.10), while University-Liggett’s unit of William Gilbert, Andrew Lohman, William Loner and Mason Demsey captured the crown in the 3,200 relay (8:51.86).
On the girls side, Wisner pulled the hat trick by winning the 800 (2:26.78), 1,600 (5:39.31) and 3,200 (12:18.03) and ran a leg on the fourth-place 1,600 relay quartet. Teammate Sabrina Morrison won the 100 hurdles (18.16) to give Westland four winners on the day.
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” smiled Wisner. “That is how I did it.”
Plymouth Christian’s Megan Mchugh, Terra Crown, Allie Crecelius and Rachel Smith topped the charts in the 3,200 relay (10:56.72), and Paige Perkey, Rachel Witkowski, Crecelius and Smith teamed up to win the 1,600 relay (4:30.52). Smith also captured the 300 hurdles (51.62) for Plymouth Christian.
Ann Arbor Greenhills’ Avery Jones crossed first in the 100 (13.44), Kelsey Mussio took the pole vault (10-0), while the unit of Onyekachi Nwaneri, Valerie Uduji, Brigid Cummings and Olivia Merchant won the 800 relay (1:55.25) for the Gryphons.
Southfield Christian’s Chloe Godbold, Allison Chau, Sarah Thomas and Sharon Patterson captured the 400 relay (54.17). Lutheran Northwest’s Molly Gulke pulled away for a win in the 400 (1:03.69) and Roeper’s Akwia Tilton won the 200 (26.99).
Novi Franklin Road Christian’s Elise Schmid won the high jump (4-8) and teammate Kristen Massey the long jump (15-8), Newport Lutheran South’s Kristi Smrcka had the best heave in the discus (93-11) and Oakland Christian’s Sam Durrant won the shot put (30-8) to round out the winners.
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