The Hopkins boys’ and girls’ track teams opened their seasons indoors Friday night by competing in the annual Grand Valley State University Laker Challenge.
There were several Viking performances that placed them among the top 10:
Boys
- Senior Jacob Sytsma, who went 5-8 to claim third in the high jump. Freshman Hunter Lewellyn went 5-4 to take 10th.
- Senior Michael Heppe, who cleared 10-6 to finish third in the pole vault.
- Junior Logan Blank crossed the finish line in 9.55 seconds to take fifth in the 60-meter hurdles.
- Carson Timm, Jacob Pastoor, Nick Belka and Daniel Rausch turned in a time of 6:34.86 to finish 10th in the 2400-meter relay (each leg 600 meters).
Girls
- Senior Julia Forbes was fifth in the 60-meter dash with a time of 8.32 seconds. Junior Lexi Merren was seventh in 8.42 and sophomore Brittney Houseman 11th in 8.64.
- Freshman Laura Velderman fifth in the open 400 meters at 66.45 seconds and senior Josie Freybler sixth in 67.14.
- Freshman Jasmine Fisher was fourth in the 800-meter run at 2:39.5 and sixth in the 1600 with a time of 5:50.9.
- Senior Bailey Ballard was sixth in the 60-meter hurdles at 11.02 seconds.
- Fisher, Emma Helder, Freybler and Velderman combined efforts on a second-place finish in the 2400-meter relay.
- Forbes, Merren, Freybler and Velderman hooked up for a third in the 1200 relay.
- Sophomore Meghan Schulz was sixth in the shot put at 30-7 and senior Shelby Henshaw was seventh at 30-5.
- Forbes was seventh in the long jump at 14-6.
- PHOTO: (From left) Julia Forbes, Lexi Merren, Josie Freybler and Laura Velderman finished third in the 1200-meter relay at GVSU.
