Saline Track Teams Debut With Victories at Huron Relays

The Saline Hornets had a field day at the 57^th Annual Huron Relays at Eastern Michigan University Saturday.

Saline’s boys and girls teams both easily won their events.

The boys finished with 98 points, 58 better than second place Oak Park. Rival Ann Arbor Pioneer was fourth with 22 points.  The girls’ team finished with 68 points, 30 points better than second place Pioneer and 42 points better than sixth place Ann Arbor Huron.

Both sides crowned individual champions.

Senior Steven Bastien won in the long jump, leaping 22-05.5. He won the pole vault, clearing 14 feet.

Freshman Logan Wetzel to first in the 1600-meter race, finishing in 4:28.40, five seconds faster than second place Andrew Kitto, also of Saline.

In the girls’ events, junior Randi Bennett was first with a throw of 33 feet, one inch.

The Hornet girls also had strong finishes in the relays.

The distance medley team of Gloria Park, Kelly Hall, Natalie Wysocki and Alyssa Cummings was first in 12:52.3. A second Saline team was eighth in the event.

The 3,200-relay team of Kristin Green, Amy Creutz, Lauren Green and Abby Rentschler was second in 9:42.49. The team of Emily Reyst, Kelly Richart, Lindsay Walter and Mara VanSickle was 10^th.

The 1,600 relay team of Jacqueline Marchidon, Quenee’ Dale, Samantha Richart and Kristin Green was fourth in 4:19.49. A second Hornets team took sixth. The 800-relay team of Dale, Alexa Ross, Samantha Richart and Luurtsema was fifth. A second Saline team took 11^th.

Individually, Dale was second in the 60-meter hurdles (9.0 seconds). Wysocki (9^th, 9.87) and Wendy Szuminski (14^th, 10:41) also made the finals.

Abby Rentschler and Lauren Green finished 2-3 in the 1,600-meter race. Rentschler was second in 5:14.12 while Green was third in 5:15.3. Alyssa Cummings was sixth (5:18.65). Also placing for Saline were Lindsay Walter (14^th, 5:35.65), Jenny Kise (15^th, 5:44.05), VanSickle (18^th, 5:47.89) and Ross (20^th, 5:54.67).

In the 60-meter dash, Dale finished fourth in 7.89 seconds. Luurtsema was 11^th in 8.25 seconds.

Marchidon leaped 16 feet and two inches to take fourth in the long jump. Wendy Szuminski was 19^th (13-09.75), Samantha Szuminski was 24^th (13-06.75) and Sara Palmerton was 37^th (12-06.5).

In the pole vault, Wendy Szuminski finished fifth, clearing nine feet, six inches. Samantha Szuminski was 11^th, clearing eight feet, six inches.

Samantha Richart was Saline’s best high jumper, clearing 5 feet to take sixth. Marchidon was seventh, clearing 4-10. Rachel Paxton and Kelsey Flannigan tied for 26^th, clearing 4-04.

The boys’ relay teams had a huge day.

The distance medley relay team of Spencer Bishop, Ryan Gauche, Matthew Elms and Andrew Kitto won their event in 10:48.56. The team of Jonathan Parker, Christopher Slattery, Terrell McGee and Anthony Lamus was eights in 11:06.36.

In the 3,200 relays, the two Saline teams finished 1-2.

The winning team of Bishop, Parker, McGee and Elms finished in 8:06.71. Garrick Roemer, Wetzel, Lamus and Gauche were second in 8:18.71.

In the 1,600 relays, Bastien, Remer, Bishop and Elms teamed to win the event in 3:29.37, seven seconds faster than the second place team. A second Saline team was fourth.

The 800-relay team of Roemer, Bastien, Roel Galinato and Matt Goeman was third in 1:35.17.

Individually, Wetzel and Kitto went 1-2 in the 1,600 meter run. Also placing for Saline were Grant Praschan (6^th, 4:42.37), Kevin Allport (7^th, 4:42.77), Dylan Jennings (14^th, 4:46.15) and Evan Park (35^th, 4:58.70).

In the pole vault, Vincent Olsen finished third place, clearing 12 feet and six inches. Kaj Althaus was eighth, clearing 11 feet.

Matt Goeman was 18^th in the long jump, with a leap of 18 feet and two inches.

In high jump, Roemer cleared six feet to take third. Joey Leptich and Michael Smutny tied for ninth with jumps of 5’10.