On Monday, the Sault High Blue Devils track and field teams competed in the Cheboygan Invitational, and both teams finished at the top.
Eight different schools from northern lower Michigan and the eastern UP competed in the Invitational. The girls won with 210.5 points over Indian River Inland Lakes 152 and St Ignace 108.5. The boys' team finished with 160 points over hosts Cheboygan 144 and St Ignace 137.5. Several Blue Devil athletes had either personal records (PR) or season records (SR) on the day. The second member of the boys' track team broke the school record this season.
In the 100 m, Mackenzie Bell came in second place (13.37 - PR), and Bella Smith won the 200 m (28.02 - PR). Dayna Szabo was runner-up in the 400 m (1:05.58 - SR), and teammates Ava Mayer and Abigail Walther were right behind her, taking third (1:08.03 - PR) and fourth (1:08.52 - PR). The Lady Blue Devils placed four of the top five in the 1,600 m run. Cassandra Gallagher won the event (5:53.64 - SR), Elise Proulx took second (6:21.18 - PR), Calla Armstrong came in third (6:23.18 - PR), and Taylor Meilstrup rounded out the top five in fifth place (6:44.55 - PR). Armstrong and Meilstrup placed in the 3,200 m as well, coming in second (14:25.27) and fifth (16:17.81).
Annabelle Fazzari won the 100 m hurdles (17.31 - PR) and took fifth in the 300 m hurdles (55.34 - SR). Claire Erickson was runner-up in the 300 m hurdles (51.31 - SR).
The girls dominated the relays, taking second in the 4x100 with sprinters Tarynn Pratt, Bell, Isabella DeWildt and Smith (54.24). Bell, Erickson, Pratt, and Smith won the 4x200 (1:53.75) and DeWildt, Erickson, Szabo and Pratt won the 4x400 (4:26.94). The 4x800 relay team of Gallagher, Walther, Ella Marchand and DeWildt also outran their opponents (11:05.10), winning the event.
In the field events, Hannah Maurer came in second in the shot put (33’3), while Fazzari took third (32’9 - PR) and Ava Donmyer took fifth (29’10.5). In the discus, Katie Anderson was runner-up (93’5.5), with Fazzari (92’9 - PR) and Donmyer (84’3) taking third and fifth. DeWildt was runner-up on the pole vault (6’6), and Maddie McLean came in fourth in the long jump (13’10.5).
Carter Oshelski broke the school record for the 100 m dash. The record (11.09) was set by Ryan Jones in 2017, but Oshelski’s second-place finish (11.00 - PR) will put his name up on the leaderboard. Oshelski also won the 200 m (22.34 - PR). Logan Haskins easily won the 800 m (2:06.24 - PR), and long-distance standouts Gabe Litzner and Cody Aldridge finished first and second in the 1600 m and 3200 m runs. Litzner’s times were 4:35.24 (PR) and 11:51.15, and Aldridge ran 4:42.33 and 11:51.40. Isaac Niebuhr placed fourth in the 110 m hurdles (18.42 - PR) and fifth in the 300 m hurdles (47.99 - PR) while teammate Owen Rice was runner up in the 300 m hurdles (46.12).
In the 4x100 relay, Alex Jacek, Billy Menard, Donnivan Dykraaf, and River Perez finished in third place (48.90), and Jacek, Dykraaf, Perez and Oshelski won the 4x200 (1:37). The relay team of Caleb Klier, Noah Weber, Anthony Gerrish and Isaac Brindley took fourth in the 4x800 (10:06.56).
Evan Arbic won the shot put (37’8 - PR) and took third in the discus (111’2.5). Talon Thomas-Holm was runner-up in the high jump (5’8 - PR), and Nate Koepp took third (5’8). Rayce Rizzo took second in the pole vault (11’0), and Niebuhr took fifth in the long jump (15’9.5).
Boys head coach Jim Martin was thrilled with the teams’ success in Cheboygan and Oshelski breaking the school record.
“Also very proud of all the kids who have stepped up or have had to run extra races because of all the injuries we've had this year. I am sure the miserable weather has had a hand in it," Martin added.
The Blue Devils will head to East Jordan on Thursday to compete in their Invitational meet. This is the last meet before the Regional Qualifiers in Marquette next week.
