The Hopkins girls’ varsity track team opened its O-K Silver Conference season Tuesday with a 77-59 dual meet victory over Belding, but the boys’ league debut resulted in 73.5 to 63.5 defeat.

The boys were hurt badly in throwing events and only Logan Blank was able to win a field event by taking the long jump at 18-5. The Vikings also picked up only a second and a third in the individual sprints with Carson Timm.

The Lady Vikings, by contrast, were strong in sprints and running events by Laura Velderman scoring firsts in the 200 and 400 meters, Brittney Houseman in the 100, Emma Helder in the open 800 and Jasmine Fisher in the 1600- and 3200-meter runs.

It has been reported that the Belding girls’ team had not lost a dual meet since 2012.

However, the girls suffered their first loss in a relay this season, in the 400. They came to take the 800 relay with Houseman, Madeline Krcatovich, Cassidy Finney and Velderman; the 1600 relay with Krcatovich, Finney, Helder and Velderman, and the 3200 relay with Fisher, Helder, Madison Snoeyink and Gracie DeZeeuw. They also failed to score a point in the hurdling events.

Junior thrower Meghan Schulz continued to dominate the shot put and discus with winning tosses of 33-10 and 101-5. Shannon Henshaw and Cheyenne Miller went 2-3 to enable a sweep in the discus.

Savannah Emaus and Houseman went 2-3 in the long jump, Cheyenne Miller pulled out a second in the high jump, Emmaus was runner-up in the pole vault, and Fisher added a second in the 800, a little more than second off Helder’s pace of 2:50.

The Viking boys performed reasonably well in running events. They won three of the four relays with Michael McKenzie, Timm, Jon Blake and Cole Bergam in the 400; Nick Belka, Adria Serrano, Brandon DeGroot and Dan Rausch in the 1600, and Belka, Jacob pastor, Serrano and DeGroot in the 3200.

Blank was first in the high hurdles and second in the lows. Freshman Todd Henley had a good day, winning the 1600 in 5:07.5 and the 3200 in 10:58.6. Sophomore Dan Rauch won the open 400 with a time of 54.4 seconds and the 800 meters. Elliott Fair and Hunter Lewellyn went 2-3 in the high jump.

There’s no rest for the Vikings, as they travel to Godwin Heights Thursday for their second league dual meet of the season.

PHOTO: Madison Snoeyink (right) in a relay last season. (File Photo)