Saugatuck girls race to regional title with legion of state qualifiers
SAUGATUCK - The Saugatuck girls track and field team ran away from the field to claim a regional title.
The Trailblazers scored 163 points to win the Division 4 regional championship on Friday at home, outdistancing Gobles (129.5) and the rest of the field.
Mazie Robison won the regional title in the 100-meter hurdles (15.46), going 1-2-3 with Novella DeGraaf (15.78) and Vivian Vallarsa (16.78). All three qualified for the state finals. Vallarsa also won the 300 hurdles (51.86).
More: Saugatuck girls track and field a unique and well-rounded squad heading into regionals
Brook Simpson won the 200 meters (26.90), 400 meters (59.16) and finished second in the 100 meters to qualify for state (13.19).
Kamryn Sixberry took third in the 800 (2:31.19) and Layla Vinten-Johansen took fifth (2:32.81). Both qualified for state. Sixberry was second in the 1,600 meters (5:34.70) to qualify. Sixberry also qualified in the 3,200 (12:21.15) as did teammate Lyvia Curtis (12:44.02).
DeGraaf, Robison, Vallarsa and Simpson won the 4x100 (50.22). Vinten-Johansen, Mylah Simpson, Robison and Vallarsa took second in the 4x200 (1:53.04) to also qualify for state. The 4x800 team of Curtis Sixberry, Vinten-Johansen and Mylah Simpson took fourth (10:24.79) and qualified for state.
Niki McNeil won the discus (106-3) to qualify for state. DeGraaf won the pole vault (10-0) and the long jump (16-2).
The Saugatuck boys finished third with 77 points, finishign behind Kalamazoo Hackett (144.5) and White Pigeon (90), but ahead of the rest of the field.
Saugatuck's Cass Stanberry won the long jump (21 3 1/2), finished second in the 110-meter hurdles (16.91) and 300 hurdles (43.17) to qualify for state.
Stanberry teamed with Jaxon Green, Will Doucette and Chris Foley to take fourth in the 4x100 (45.73) to qualify.
Saugatuck's Marcus Silva finished fifth in the 1,600 meters but reached the state qualifying mark (4:42.24) for state. Silva also qualified in the 3,200 (10:19.74), finishing fourth, just behind teammate Sawyer Monroe (10:09.46).
Sammy Gamboa, Brennan Nor, Grant Rehkopf and Silva took third in the 4x800 (8:48.70) and qualfied for state.
Luke Barde took fourth in the discus (124-11) and qualified.
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: Saugatuck girls race to regional title with legion of state qualifiers
