Hopkins junior M
eghan Schulz continues her climb up the ladder among the best Division 3 throwers in West Michigan and her team continues to throttle competitors in dual meets and invitationals.
The Lady Vikings finished as runner-up Saturday, this one on their own turf, touching out 11 of 12 other teams. They were second to Class A Lowell, which had 138.5 points to Hopkins’ 132.5. Wayland checked in fourth with 85.
The Wayland boys, meanwhile, finished second to Lowell in the boys’ competition with 108.5 points to the Red Arrows’ 115 while the Hopkins guys placed fifth with 65.5, only a half point away from fourth.
Schulz, who has only rarely been beaten in throwing events this season, had her personal bests while winning the shot put at 36-6½ and the discus with a 110-3.
Another highlight for the day was a dual between two of West Michigan’s best female quarter-milers in Wayland’s Maggie Whitney and Lady Viking Laura Velderman. Whitney prevailed, crossing the finish line in her best time ever at 1:02.40 while Velderman checked in at 1:03.13, just 33-hundredths of a second slower.
The two neighboring rivals were back at it in the 800-meter run, with Whitney winning in 2:28.58 and Velderman finishing in 2:33.04.
But Velderman made her way into the winners’ circle with her buddies in the relays. She anchored the winning 1600 relay, hooking up with Madeline Krcatovich, Gracie DeZeeuw and Cassidy Finney in 4:27.59 and she joined Jasmine Fisher, Madison Snoeyink and DeZeeuw in placing first in the 3200 relay in 10:37.84.
Lady Wildcat freshman Corrina Courser had a petty good day as well, taking first in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles in 50.57 seconds, taking second in the 100-meter high hurdles, fourth in the 200 dash and anchoring the 1600 relay quartet that finished fourth with Whitney, Abigail Hasse and Hannah Damveld.
Lady Viking Brittney Houseman turned in her best-ever performance in the 100-meter dash at 12.9 seconds in the prelims, but she settled for second in the finals.
Fisher had a disappointing fift
h in the 1600-meter run, edged by two Ottawa Hills sisters and two runners with the Grand Rapids Track Club, but turned in a more than respectable of 5:44.99, just ahead of freshman Rylee Cronkright of Wayland. Wildcat sophomore Zoe Antel broke the six-minute barrier with her season best. Fisher later took all the marbles in the 3200 with a season best 12:15.42 and Cronkright was fourth.
Houseman, Krcatovich, Alyssa Rausch and Natasja Terpstra took third in the 800-meter relay.
The Hasse sisters, Abigail and Grace, Cronkright and Whitney finished third for Wayland in the 3200 relay.
Hopkins freshman Jessica Hortman surprised the competition by copping a third in the shot put at 28-02.25. Shannon Henshaw backed up Schulz with a runner-up posting the discus at 87-02 and Elizabeth Barnes went 82-01.5 for third.
Rounding out the Lady Vikings’ scoring were Cheyenne Miller with a fourth in the high jump and Savannah Emaus, second in the long jump.
Logan Blank, Wildcat quarter-milers, 1600 relay shine
Though the girls’ 400-meter run was a big draw, two Wildcat boys went 1-2, with sophomore Seth Sevenski-Popma breaking the tape first in 53.49 seconds and fellow soph Caleb Wolf just a shade behind in 53.82. Hopkins’ Dan Rausch was fourth and Wayland’s Anthony Muscarella edged his way into sixth.
The Wildcats’ other big score for the day was first in the 1600-
meter relay in 3:40.82, better than three-and-a-half seconds faster than Lowell. The foursome included Wolf, Lee Anderson, Muscarella and Sevenski-Popma.
Freshman Elijah Veldman cleared 10-0 to take second in the pole vault. Devin Jakey went 19-04.5 to finish third in the long jump and freshman Trey Collins was fourth for Hopkins.
Jakey, Muscarella, Sevenski-Popma and Wolf hooked up for a third in the 800 relay.
Logan Blank scored the Viking boys’ only first, in the 110-meter high hurdles in 16.04 seconds. Wayland’s Anderson placed third and later was runner-up in the 300 hurdles, missing first by just two-hundredths of a second at 42.61 seconds.
Nick Belka, Hunter Lewellyn, Brandon DeGroot and Dan Rausch placed third in the 1600 relay.
Nathan Roberts was third in the shot put at 42-01.75, Collins was fourth in the high jump at 5-6.
PHOTOS: Laura Velderman Meghan Schulz
Maggie Whitney Lee Anderson