Connect with us

Track

Hart boys and girls run away with 2023 WMC Rivers Division meet titles at Holton

Next on the list of goals for the Pirates is the MHSAA regional, followed by a state finals double-dip.

Hart’s girls and boys track and field teams pose for a group photo after winning their respective West Michigan Conference Rivers Division meets Friday, May 12, 2023, at Holton’s Red Devil Stadium. (Courtesy of Hart track and field)

Hart’s girls and boys track and field teams put a bow on their dominant 2023 regular seasons with runaway West Michigan Conference Rivers Division championships Friday at Holton.

Next on the list of goals for the Pirates squads is a pair of regional titles, followed by a state finals double-dip.

Hart easily won WMC Rivers crowns at Red Devil Stadium. The Pirates’ girls squad amassed 240 points to beat the rest of the field by 139 points, while the boys team racked up 175 points to also win going away.

On the girls side, Ravenna was runner-up (240 points), followed by North Muskegon (93), Mason County Central (32), Shelby (21), Hesperia (18) and Holton (15). On the boys side, North Muskegon placed second (111), followed by Ravenna (105), Mason County Central (89), Shelby (21), Hesperia (12) and Holton (7).

“Our Hart boys and girls ran super tonight. Both the teams seem to be peaking at the right time,” Hart co-coach Ken Kimes said. “As a coach, it makes me feel really good to see how our training is coming together at the right time.

“It’s also neat to see how our team supports each person, both boys and girls at the same time. The close-knit community of athletes we have right now on the track helps us see we have something special going on here in Hart.”

The MHSAA Division 3 regional where Hart will be competing is set for Saturday, May 20, at Manton. The MHSAA Division 3 state finals meet is Saturday, June 3, at Kent City. In between those meets is the MITCA Division 3 team state finals Saturday, May 27, at Clare.

Hart’s girls team captured the MHSAA Division 3 state title last season, while the Pirates’ boys squad was fifth. Hart’s boys cross country team claimed its first-ever state championship in the fall and the Pirates’ boys track and field squad is looking for a state title to match this spring.

Below are details on the respective WMC Rivers Division girls and boys meets at Holton:

GIRLS MEET

  • Stealing the show was Hart high jumper Addi Hovey. The 5-foot-10 sophomore shattered her personal and school record of 5 feet, 5.5 inches, with a leap of 5-11. That places her in a tie for fifth for top girls high school high jump efforts this season, according to Athletic.net. Hovey also ran legs on Hart’s first-place 4×100 and 4×200 relay teams.
  • Ravenna senior all-stater Kendra Postema was a double-winner in the sprints. She raced to first place in the 100 dash (12.98 seconds) and edged North Muskegon junior Abbie Wiegers for top honors in the 200 dash (27.39).
  • Wiegers took first place in the 400 dash (1:00.07).
  • Hart sophomore phenom Jessica Jazwinski cruised to victories in the 800 run (season-record 2:16.96) and 1600 run (season-record 4:56.47).
  • Hart junior Alyson Enns took first in the 3200 run (11:09.95).
  • Hart junior Jasmyne Villanueva won both hurdles events, running a 17.30-second PR in the 100 and 50.35-second PR in the 300.
  • Hart’s 4×100 relay team of Hovey, Aspen Boutell, Savanna Owens and Addison Hain took first place with a time of 51.53.
  • Hart’s 4×200 relay quartet of Hovey, Boutell, Hain and Lilly Hopkins finished first with a time of 1:52.33.
  • Hart’s 4×400 relay foursome of Jazwinski, Laura Bitely, Owens and Abigail Pretty finished first in 4:20.86.
  • Hart’s 4×800 relay team of Jazwinski, Enns, Abigail Pretty and Lexie Beth Nienhuis dominated the competition with a time of 10:28.38.
  • Ravenna junior Ellerie Moy took first in shot put (28 feet, 3 inches).
  • Hart freshman Shelbie Choponis took first in discus with a personal-best 100-4.
  • Hart’s Nienhuis won the pole vault with a PR of 8-9.
  • Hart’s Bitely took ifrst in long jump with a personal-record leap of 15-7.5.

BOYS MEET

In this file photo, Hart senior thrower Kellen Kimes is seen competing at the 8th annual Kent City Elite Invitational track and field meet Friday, April 28, 2023, in Kent City, Mich. (Scott DeCamp | CatchMark)
  • Ravenna senior Hunter Hogan took first place in the 100 with a PR of 11.45 seconds.
  • North Muskegon junior Jerry Wiegers won the 200 with a PR of 22.77. He also won the 400 with a PR of 50.07.
  • Hart senior Wyatt Dean took first place in the 800 with a time of 2:01.87.
  • Hart senior Clayton Ackley cruised to victory in the 1600 with a time of 4:37.60.
  • Hart senior Seth Ackley edged Clayton Ackley for first place in the 3200 with a time of 10:38.51.
  • Mason County Central senior Max Nichols won the 110 hurdles with a PR of 15.51.
  • Hart junior Caleb Westbrook captured first place in the 300 hurdles with a PR of 43.00.
  • Hart’s 4×100 relay team of Revin Gale, Eman Hertzler, JoseLuis Andaverde and Payden Stone took first place with a time of 44.79.
  • Mason County Central’s 4×200 relay quartest of Nichols, Quentin Lange, Kenton Spyker and Kaiden Cole finished first with a time of 1:36.66.
  • Hart’s 4×400 relay team of Dean, Gale, Guillermo Ortega and Clayton Ackley won in a time of 3:32.01.
  • Hart’s 4×800 relay foursome of Seth Ackley, Caleb Bitely, Dean and Jack Slotman ran away from the competition with a winning time of 8:26.78.
  • Hart senior Kellen Kimes continued his mastery in the throws. He won going away in the shot put with a heave of 56-6, and he dominated in discus with a winning toss of 164-9.
  • Mason County Central’s Lange, a sophomore, won high jump by five inches with a leap of 6-3.
  • Mason County Cental sophomore Hunter Sanford took first in pole vault with an effort of 11-6.
  • Mason County Central’s Cole, a senior, established a PR in long jump of 20-6 en route to winning the event.

RELATED CONTENT

Hart’s Addi Hovey soars to 5 feet, 11 inches in high jump: Tied for fifth nationally in 2023

Whitehall boys, Manistee girls capture WMC Lakes Division track and field titles

Lead writer for CatchMark SportsNet and Web Services leader for CatchMark Technologies.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Must See

More in Track