ZEELAND – Distance was on display at the Division 1 regional – both long runs and long throws that dominated the day from Holland-area teams looking to qualify for the state finals.
The Zeeland East girls track and field team finished second at the Division 1 regional with 94 points. West Ottawa was third with 84, one ahead of Grand Haven. Rockford won with 162. Hudsonville was fifth with 52.5. Holland was 10th (19) and Zeeland West was 11th (11) in the 15-team event.
The top two in each event automatically qualified for state as well as anyone else who hit a qualifying standard set by the MHSAA.
West Ottawa’s Collette Wierks won the 800 meters in 2:11.31, while sister Ella Wierks was second in 2:15.12. Both qualified for state as did Zeeland East’s Adalyn Raab (third, 2:17.09) and Zeeland West’s Avery Towne (2:17.74).
The Wierks sisters teamed with Chloe Powers and Mary Dolbow to win the 4×400 relay in 3:57.30. Raab teamed with Meredith Cook, CC Kuras and Emily Graves to finish second (3:58.94).
Raab won the 1,600 meters in 4:58.59.
Three Holland-area teams qualified in the 4×800 relay as West Ottawa’s Ella Wierks, Lyla Dowling, Dolbow and Collette Wierks won in 9:27.48.
Raab, Libby Post, Taryn DiLaura and Cook took third in 9:32.99 and West’s Towne, Samantha Koppenol, Evie Kleinheksel and Rowan Sloothaak were fifth in 9:37.13.
Holland’s Johanna Mulder took third in the 3,200 in the 11:17.34 and Olivia Weiss was fourth in 11:17.79, both earning state qualifying times.
West Ottawa’s Kelsey Simpson took second in the 100-meter hurdles (15.42). The Panthers took third in the 4×100 with Isabella Rondon, Alyssa Danek, Chloe Powers and Ayla Miller qualifying for state in 49.62.
East’s Brienna Cole, Kamilla Munoz, Skyla Kuras and Terra Schuberg took fourth in the 4×100 in a state cut time of 49.77.
In the throws, Zeeland East’s Lily Huizenga (40-7) and Laura Maartense (38-0 3/4) went 1-3 to qualify for state along with runner-up Elizabeth Watkin of West Ottawa, who finished in 38-9 3/4.
Watkin won the discus in 133-4.
Cole took second in the high jump (5-4). Zeeland East’s Kate Murphy took fourth in the pole vault with a qualifying height of 10-6. Rogue Kraker was sixth in the long jump in a state-cut distance of 170-2.
In the boys event, Zeeland West was third with 75 points, two ahead of Zeeland East. Grand Haven won with 107, just ahead of Rockford (103.5). West Ottawa took ninth (39) and Holland was 13th (7) in the 14-team field.
Zeeland West’s Rob Dodd took second in the 800 meters to qualify for state in 1:56.07.
Dodd teamed with Keagan Smith, Reid Cousins and Ethan Dalman to qin the 4×800 relay (7:54.75).
Zeeland West’s Brandon Holman, Dalman, Xane Herrygers and Garrett Kapenga took fourth in the 4×200 but their 1:29.42 was fast enough to qualify for state. Dalman, Kapenga, Smith and Dodd took third in the 4×400 with a 3:24.38 state-qualifying time.
Holman finished second in the long jump to qualify for state in 21-7 3/4.
West’s Clayton Ramsdell took second in the high jump (6-6). Zeeland East’s Bennett Bing was third (6-4) and East’s Karson Lamer was fifth (6-2), all hitting the state qualifying mark.
Zeeland East’s Sam Sietsema won the shot put in 51 feet, 5 inches, to finish just ahead of Zeeland West’s Jonah Leslie (50-8 1/2) as both thrower qualified for the state meet. Sietsema also won the discus in 153-6.
The Chix went 1-2 in the pole vault with Austin Lee winning in 15-3 and Andrew Macy taking second in 14-3. West’s Liam Hallack cleared 13-3 to qualify for state and take fifth.
West Ottawa’s Christian Lewis cleared 21-6 3/4 in the long jump to finish third and qualify for state.
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: West Ottawa, Holland, Zeeland send 47 track athletes to state finals
