Four-peat: Stephenson girls collect another Regional title

FELCH, Mich. — One streak lived on while another came to an end at the MHSAA U.P. track and field Regionals at North Dickinson on Friday.

For the fourth consecutive year, the Stephenson girls captured the Division 3 Regional championship after edging Forest Park by 10 points.

Stephenson has won seven of the last 12 girls’ Regional championships.

“We knew this year would be a tough fight for first because there are a lot of talented girls in our region,” Stephenson coach Kate Kuntze said. “Our girls have been working so hard and putting in a lot of work. They really wanted this one today. It was not easy, but they fought hard. I’m just so happy for them and proud of each and every girl’s effort today.”

While the Lady Eagles basked in the afterglow of their accomplishment, the Stephenson boys saw their four-year reign as the Division 3 Regional kings come to an end.

Forest Park, who finished runner-up to the Eagles last season, won the boys’ Regional title with 71.5 points, well ahead of second-place North Dickinson (33) and third-place North Central (31.5).

Stephenson finished fourth with 21 points.

Stephenson had 16 athletes qualify for the U.P. Finals by finishing in fourth place or better in any event that they competed in. U.P. Finals take place June 1 in Kingsford.

Canon Kuntze was one of seven Stephenson boys to qualify for the U.P. Finals after capturing the Regional crown in the 1,600-meter run by breaking the tape in 5:06.70.

Kuntze add a pair of runner-up finishes in the 800-meter run (2:25.14) and the 3,200m run (12:23.68) before teaming with Oren Marcoe, Dusty Gallop and Asher Priebe to take fourth in the 1,600m relay (4:12.65).

Priebe qualified for U.P. Finals in both the 100m dash (12.39) and the 110m hurdles (18.16), finishing fourth and second, respectively.

Priebe, Gallop and Marcoe joined Ashton Grinsteiner to run the 400m relay with a third-place time of 50.94.

Gallop also nabbed fourth place in the 300m hurdles with a time of 49.52.

In the field events, Dahlton Berg punched his ticket to the U.P. Finals in the shot put with a new personal-best throw of 36 feet and a half-inch, good for third overall.

On the girls’ side, Faith Cappaert defended her Regional title in the 1,600m run by posting a first-place time of 5:42.14. Cappaert also ran the 400m and placed third with a time of 1:03.79.

Jada Kuntze won the 800m Regional championship in 2:47.31, while Cappaert was close behind in third at 2:49.07.

Kuntze and Cappaert paired up with Joelle Beaudo and Kayela Putnam to win the 3,200m relay in 11:06.07, while Kuntze joined Madalynn Vista, Adria Ruleau and Mattie Prestin to capture first place in the 1,600m relay with a time of 4:38.82.

Prestin, Vista and Ruleau, alongside Lilliana Revall seized second place in both the 400m (56.51) and 800m (1:58.30) relays.

Putnam also shined in solo competition after winning the pole vault with a vault of 9’ 6” and placing second in the 3,200m run (14:01.90).

Kuntze also picked up a second-place finish in the high jump with a leap of 4’ 8”, putting her two inches ahead of teammate Veronica Van, who finished third at 4’ 6”.

Alayna Strahl topped the field in the discus with a toss of 91’ 4” and was third in the shot put with a toss of 29’ 1”.

Carney-Nadeau’s Mariska Laurila edged Strahl for the top spot in the shot put after recording a first-place heave of 33’ 7”. Laurila also competed in the discus and finished second with a throw measuring 91’ 0”.

Laurila’s teammate, Kelsie Smith picked up third place in the discus (83’ 5.75”).

Samantha Kedsch repeated as Regional champ in the long jump after posting a first-place leap of 16’ 0.5”.

Kedsch also anchored C-N’s first-place 400m relay team consisting of Laurila, Smith and Ashlie Topper, who ran the event in 55.69.

The Carney-Nadeau girls finished third overall for the second straight year after accumulating 32 points.

Cullen Kasbohm and Sam Salo represented the C-N boys. Kasbohm’s best finish came in the 300m hurdles, where he finished sixth overall in 1:00.97.

Salo placed seventh in the long jump after covering a distance of 14’ 8”.

U.P. Division 3 Region 48 championships

Team scores

Boys —Forest Park 71.5, North Dickinson 33, North Central 31.5, Stephenson 21, Norway 19, Wilson-Hannahville-Nah Tah Wah 5

Girls — Stephenson 50.5, Forest Park 40, Carney-Nadeau 32, North Dickinson 31, Norway 25, North Central 3.5

Stephenson results

Girls

100m — 4. Mattie Prestin, 14.25; 6. Tiffany Kurz, 15.20; 8. Addison Olson, 15.51

200m — 5. Lilliana Revall, 30.97; 10. Olson, 33.55

400m — 3. Faith Cappaert, 1:03.79; 7. Joelle Beaudo, 1:11.98; 9. Kurz, 1:15.19; 10. Morgan Bergquist 1:15.70

800m — 1. Jada Kuntze, 2:47.31; 3. Cappaert, 2:49.07; 8. Bergquist, 3:13.42

1,600m — 1. Cappaert, 5:42.14; 6. Katela Putnam, 6:44.92; 7. Gabriella Putnam, 6:59.09; 8, Layla Engel, 16:49.36

400m relay — 2. Prestin/Madalynn Vista/Revall/Adria Ruleau, 56.51

800m relay — 2. Prestin/Vista/Revall.Ruleau, 1:58.30

1,600m relay — 1. Kuntze/Vista/Ruleau/Prestin, 4:38.82

3,200m — 1. Kuntze/Beaudo/K. Putnam/Cappaert, 11:06.07

Shot put — 3. Alayna Strahl, 29’ 1”; 6. Caitlyn Johnson, 26’ 6”

Discus — 1. Strahl, 91’ 4”; 6. Johnson, 66’ 0.5”

High jump — 2. Kuntze, 4’ 8”; 3. Veronica Van, 4’ 6”; 5. Vista, 4’ 4”

Pole vault — 1. K. Putnam, 9’ 6”

Long jump — 6. Ruleau, 13’ 4.75”; 9. Kurz, 12’ 3”; 11. Revall, 11’ 11”; 14. Olson, 10’ 7”

Boys

100m — 4. Asher Priebe, 12.39; 6. Oren Marcoe, 13.00; 9. Ashton Grinsteiner, 13.70

800m — 2. Canon Kuntze, 2:25.14

1,600m — 1. Kuntze, 5:06.70

3,200m — 2. Kuntze, 12:23.68

110m hurdles — 2. Priebe, 18.16

300m hurdles — 4. Dusty Gallop, 49.52

400m relay — 3. Grinsteiner/Marcoe/D. Gallop/Priebe, 50.94

1,600m — 4. Kuntze/Marcoe/D. Gallop/Priebe, 4:12.65

Shot put — 3. Dahlton Berg, 36’ 0.5”; 6. Cooper Gallop, 34’ 3”; 6. Brock Berguist, 34’ 3”; 21. Nolan Strahl, 25’ 10”

Discus — 6. C. Gallop, 86’ 10.5”; 7. Berg, 79’ 10”; 13. Berguist, 69’ 11”; 15. Strahl, 65’ 2.75”

Long jump — 6. Marcoe, 14’ 9”

Carney-Nadeau results

Girls

100m — 2. Samantha Kedsch, 13.53; 7. Ashlie Topper, 15.39; 11. Addie Ross, 16.26; 12. Jamaica Roberston, 16.48

200m — 3. Kedsch, 28.57; 9. Ross, 33.00; 11. Robertson, 34.56

400m — 4. Kenna Thiry, 1:08.72

100m hurdles — 4. Thiry, 19.05

400m relay — 1. Kedsch/Mariska Laurila/Kelsie Smith/Topper, 55.69

Shot put — 1. Laurila, 33’ 7”; 2. Smith, 30’ 10.75”; 9. Madison Peters, 24’ 0.25”

Discus — 2. Laurila, 91’ 0”; 3. Smith, 83’ 5.75; 9. Peters, 52’ 0.5

Long jump — 1. Kedsch, 16’ 0.5”; 3. Laurila, 14’ 1.75; 8. Topper, 13’ 0”; 12. Thiry, 11’ 7.5”

Boys

800m — 9. Sam Salo, 2:49.97

1,600m — 7. Cullen Kasbohm, 5:57.02; 11. Salo, 6:08.76

300m hurdles — 6. Kasbohm, 1:00.97

Long jump — 7. Salo, 14’ 8”; 10. Kasbohm, 12’ 3”