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Middle school wraps up track season with victories, new school record

'They brought leadership, determination, and drive to this season, which was awesome for our seventh graders to see,' says coach

The Sault Area Middle School Track Team wrapped up their track season with a Straits Area Conference Meet in St. Ignace on Monday. The girls' and boys' teams, coached by Ginny Shadnaw, Kelly Beaumont, Noreen Sweet and Stephanie Vert, had a short but successful season. The girls' team won the Cheboygan meet, St Ignace Kiwanis Invitational, and the Straits Area Conference meet. The boys' team also won the St Ignace Kiwanis Invitational and was runners-up for the SAC meet. Coach Shadnaw spoke highly of the athletes’ efforts and leadership all season. “We had a large amount of eighth graders return this season. They brought leadership, determination, and drive to this season, which was awesome for our seventh graders to see. It's been fun to see the kids try something new and, for some of them, step out of their comfort zone. I've seen growth in this team as a whole and could not be more proud!“

The teams had an athlete as one of the top three finishers for most of the events. Many had personal records (PR) during the meet. In the girls' 70 m dash, Abrianna Spencer placed second (10.2 - PR) and won the 100 m (14.3 - PR). Teammate Natalie Prestien was runner-up in the 100 m (14.6 - PR) and won the 200 m (29.6 - PR). Grace Mayer was second in the 400 m (1:09.60 - PR), and Kadence Love was third in the 800 m (3:05.40 - PR). Isabelle McCord was third in the 3,200 m (15:32). The Sault girls swept the 55 m hurdles, with Ahnaka Oshelski not only winning the event but breaking the school record that had been in place since 1999 with a time of 8.8 seconds. Piper Bell was second (9.6 - PR), and Raelene Corbiere came in third (10.8). Bell broke her own record she set last year in the 200m hurdles, winning the event with a time of 30.4. 

The girls fared well in the relays. Mayer, Talyah Pace, Prestien and Spencer won the 4x100 with a time of 56.9. Bell, Natalie Heyrman, Oshelski and Kailyn Pierce broke a school record in place since 2009 in the 4x200 relay, with a time of 1:55.60. The girls also won the 4x400, thanks to Alyvia Coulard, Heyrman, Mayer and Pierce, with a time of 4:53.40. The 4x800 relay team of River Brey, Maddy Korson, Love, and Isabeau Woodard were runners up, with a time of 13:05.0. 

The girls had top finishers in all of the field events, with Korson winning the shot put (30’0.5 - PR) and Love taking third (29’6.5 - PR). McCord was second in the high jump (4’2), Heyrman (6’0) and Jada TenEyck (5’6) were second and third in the pole vault, and Oshelski won the long jump (14’1.5 - PR).

For the boys, Orran Fazzari won the 70 m dash (8.9) and was runner-up in the 200m (25.8 - PR), while teammate Aaron McLeod won both the 100m (12.5) and 200m (25.0 - PR). Colton McKechnie was third in the 100m (14.2 - PR). Ian Southwell won the 400m (59.1 - PR), took third in the 55m hurdles (10.8), and Chase Aldridge won the 3200m (12:31 - PR). Charles McDonald was runner-up in the 200 m hurdles (30.9 - PR).

The boys’ team also did well in the relays, with Ashton Izzard, McKechnie, McDonald and Tucker Quinn winning the 4x100 with a time of 53.5. McDonald, Izzard, Quinn and Fazzari won the 4x200, with a time of 1:50.3. McKinley Kavanaugh, Hayden Preston, Quinn and Southwell won the 4x400, with an impressive leg by Southwell, closing the gap on St Ignace and pulling ahead to beat them with a time of 4:26. The relay team of Anthony Abramson, Kavanaugh, Aldridge and Finley Johnson placed third in the 4x800 relay, with a time of 11:17.

In the field events, Izzard won the pole vault (8’6), and McLeod won the long jump (15’11 - PR).

Pictures below of the girls' team, boys' team, and top three finishers for the girls and boys. Photo credits: Ginny Shadnaw.