Heartbreak Pushes St. Francis to Finish Strong
June 1, 2013
By Chip Mundy
Special to Second Half
HUDSONVILLE – After finishing as runner-up last year, the Traverse City St. Francis girls track and field team did not need any emotional motivation Saturday at the MHSAA Division 4 Final at Baldwin Street Middle School in Hudsonville.
St. Francis got it, anyway. But it came in a painful way.
Senior Kaitlyn Hegewald tore her Achilles tendon in her left foot as she began the third leg of the 800 relay and could not return to action. With Hegewald sidelined, the Gladiators posted three victories and captured their first MHSAA championship in track and field.
“I got the hand-off and took a few steps, and I just couldn’t step on my foot anymore,” Hegewald said while sitting in a golf cart with her left foot wrapped in tape.
St. Francis coach Julie Duffing was watching from across the field and did not realize what had happened.
“I actually thought she got spiked, and then she kept trying to go,” Duffing said. “Coach finally yelled at her to stop, and that’s when she went down. We were expected to win that race, and we were ahead.”
It could have had devastating consequences, but the Gladiators regrouped.
Freshman Holly Bullough came through with victories in the 800 (2:16.53) and the 1,600 (5:07.37), while senior Lauren Buckel defended her Finals championship in the 400 in 59.54 seconds and was runner-up in the 200, which she won last year as well.
“We had one of our top runners tear her Achilles in the 800,” Buckel said. “I think it broke everyone’s heart.
“She’s a senior. It really kind of dampened the mood because we were hoping to come away with a state title in the beginning, then it kind of gave us a ‘let’s do this for Kaitlyn’ mentality.”
Buckel and Hegewald had a special bond that went beyond teammates.
“Lauren and Kaitlyn have done handoffs together since the seventh grade,” Duffing said.
Buckel’s title in the 400 was especially gratifying as that event has caused her both grief and happiness during her career. In fact, she calls the 400 “my beast.”
“That race has kind of been my beast, kind of something that I’ve struggled with,” she said. “It’s been a challenge for me. I’ve ran it now for nine years, ever since the fourth grade.
“It’s always been such a hard race.”
Duffing has seen first-hand how Buckel has struggled with the event.
“Last year she didn’t want to run it, so we did the whole ‘you’re not running it, and you don’t have to run it,’ thing until she asked me to run it,” Duffing said. “And when she asked, it was hers.
“She’s a beast, and the beast conquered the beast.”
Meanwhile, Bullough broke through in her first MHSAA Final in amazing fashion. She won the 800 by more than 5 seconds and took the 1,600 by more than 10 seconds. She also was runner-up in the 3,200 and anchored the 3,200 relay team that finished second.
“In the mile I was seeded first, and I won that, so it was very exciting,” Bullough said. “It wasn’t as close as I thought it would be, but they still pushed me as hard as I could go. In the 800, I was seeded second by like milliseconds, and that one was very hard – harder than I expected. But in the end I had extra power to pull through, and that’s what I did.”
And Bullough spoke of how the injury to Hegewald affected her during the meet.
“That was heartbreaking,” she said. “She’s a senior and everything, and that just made us so sad. But it also made us want to win more for her.”
Runner-up Reading, which finished second to Traverse City St. Francis by 14 points, won three events, including the 400 and 1,600 relays. Junior Michelle Davis won the 300 hurdles in 44.92 seconds, breaking the LP Division 4 record of 44.98 set in 2010 by Megan Heffner of Kinde-North Huron. Davis also ran on both winning relays, as did sophomore Jennifer Davis and freshman Sam Pfeiffer.
The other double winner was Miranda Johnson of Ottawa Lake Whiteford, which placed sixth. Johnson, a junior, repeated as champion in the long jump and also won the 200. Johnson broke the LP Division 4 meet record with a leap of 18 feet , 2 ½ inches, topping the previous record of 17-11¾ set by Amanda Weber of Portland St. Patrick in 2004.
Other repeat champions were senior Elizabeth Herriman of Sand Creek in the shot put, junior Addie Schumacher of Beal City in the high jump, senior Chantel Davenport of Athens in the 100 hurdles and junior Kirsten Olling of Breckenridge in the 3,200.
The other champions were junior Jade Madison of New Buffalo in the discus, junior Amanda MacDonald of Coleman in the pole vault and junior Ashley White of Detroit Edison Academy in the 100.
Royal Oak Shrine won the 800 relay, and Hillsdale Academy took the 3,200 relay.
PHOTOS: (Top) Sprinters approach the finish line during a 100-meter dash preliminary Saturday. (Middle) Ottawa Lake Whiteford's Miranda Johnson (middle) finished first in the long jump and 200 and second in the 100. (Photo by Carter Sherline. Click to see more photo coverage from RunMichigan.com.)
Preview: Historic Possibilities Await at Lower Peninsula Girls Track & Field Finals
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 30, 2025
While every championship result from Saturday’s MHSAA Lower Peninsula Girls Track & Field Finals will be considered historic for that athlete, her school and perhaps on a larger regional or statewide level, a few possibilities this weekend are especially notable.
From a team standpoint, Hart in Division 3 is seeking to become the fifth Lower Peninsula program to win a fourth-straight Finals championship in this sport. Individually, Onsted’s Emmry Ross could become only the second Lower Peninsula girl to win four individual events twice – joining Sami Michell from Reed City (2012 and 2013) – and Ross is seeded first in all four of her events. So is Addison’s Molly Brown as she seeks to follow Ross’ performance from a year ago and become the fourth Lower Peninsula girl to win four individual Finals titles.
All four LP Finals will begin with pole vault and long jump beginning at 9 a.m., followed by race semifinals and the 3,200 relay at 10 a.m. and the rest of the running finals starting at noon. Tickets cost $11 and are available digitally only via GoFan.
MHSAA.tv will live-stream all four meets beginning at 10 a.m., viewable with subscription. Check out the Girls Track & Field page for meet information for all four sites and lists of all qualifiers. Those described as "seeded" below have received those seeds based on Regional performances or meeting early qualification standards.
Below is a glance at team contenders and individuals to watch in all four divisions:
Division 1 at East Kentwood
Team forecast: Oak Park has won the last two Division 1 titles and eight of the last 10, and the Knights potentially could win all four relays Saturday plus open hurdles and sprint races. Detroit Renaissance has been a strong contender the last several seasons, winning in 2022, and could make another nice push. Holland West Ottawa is another team to watch.
Valerie Beeck, Grand Haven senior: After running relays and the 800 at last year’s Finals, she’s headed into this weekend as the top seed in the 800 (2:10.95) and 1,600 (4:48.03) and will run on both distance relays.
Nevaeh Burns, Oak Park sophomore: She debuted at the Finals last year with championships in the 400 and as part of the 800 and 1,600 relays with a sixth place as well in the 200. She’s seeded this time first in the 400 (54.91), third in the 200 (24.36) and will run on the top-seeded 800 (1:40.02) and 1,600 (3:48.42) relays.
Kamryn Tatum, West Bloomfield junior: The top seed in the 100 (11.78) and 200 (24.13) also is likely to run on two relays as she looks to add to her wins in the 200 the last two seasons and in the 400 as a freshman. She also ran on the runner-up 400 relay last season.
Lorelai Zielinski, Traverse City Central sophomore: After finishing runner-up in both the discus and shot put last season, she’s seeded first in both at 151-8 and 47-10¼, respectively.
Division 2 at Hamilton
Team forecast: Dearborn Divine Child broke East Grand Rapids’ two-year hold on the title last season as the top four teams finished within 13 points of each other at a low-scoring meet. Something similar Saturday wouldn’t be shocking, with individual stars potentially putting up big points to carry their teams into contention. To that end, keep an eye on Sturgis – back from finishing 14th in Division 1 last season – and Saginaw Swan Valley, which placed fifth in Division 2 a year ago.
Sadie Dykstra, Yale junior: She’s returning after winning the long jump and 300 hurdles and finishing second in the 100 hurdles last season, and enters this weekend seeded fourth in long jump and qualified to run both hurdles races, compete in both jumps and run on the 1,600 relay.
Bella Friddle, Hastings sophomore: She won the high jump and finished eighth in the long jump as a freshman, and is expected to compete in both again while entering tied for the second seed in the high jump (5-6).
Emma Hoffman, Otsego junior: After finishing ninth in the 1,600 and sixth in the 3,200 last season, she’s top-seeded in both at 4:54.21 and 10:19.98, respectively.
Layla Jordan, Goodrich senior: The reigning champion in the 800 is seeded second in that race (2:16.27) and also set to run the 400, 1,600 and potentially on the top-seeded 3,200 relay (9:20.19).
Sydney Kuhn, Saginaw Swan Valley senior: She’s capping a standout career seeking to repeat in the 200 and 400, seeded first this time in the 400 (53.90) and 300 hurdles (43.33), second in the 200 (24.55) and running on the top-seeded 1,600 relay (3:56.32).
Kaila Monroe, Eastpointe senior: The reigning champion in the shot put and seventh-place finisher in the discus will throw both again and is seeded second in the shot (43-2).
Keyanna O’Tey, Sturgis senior: She won the 100 in Division 1 last season and the 100 and 200 in Division 2 as a sophomore, and could carry Sturgis into team title contention seeded third in the 100 (12.02), fourth in the 200 (24.80) and running on top-seeded 400 (48.35) and 800 (1:42.28) relay teams.
Ava Schafer, St. Johns sophomore: She claimed the 3,200 title as a freshman and is seeded third in that race (10:43.80) and second in the 1,600 (4:57.61).
Aubrey Wilson, Dearborn Divine Child sophomore: She debuted with a championship in the 100, runner-up finish in the 200 and running on second and fifth-place relays in helping Divine Child to last year’s team title. She could pile up points again as the top seed in the 100 (11.82) and 200 (24.08) and running on the fourth-seeded 800 and second-seeded 1,600 (3:56.56) relays.
Division 3 at Kent City
Team forecast: Hart will pursue history with competitors in all four relays and five individual events. Onsted finished second last season, 13 points back, thanks to 40 points from Emmry Ross – and this time might add some relay points as well. Olivet (third last year) and Erie Mason (tied for sixth) also look like strong contenders.
Sohanny Gonzalez-Castillo, Wyoming Potter’s House Christian senior: Last season’s long jump champion also finished 13th in the high jump and will compete in both – tied for the third seed in the long jump (17-2½) – and run on two relays.
Addison Hovey, Hart senior: She claimed the 100, 200 and high jump titles last season and also ran on the third-place 400 relay. She enters her last Finals set to compete in the 100, high jump and run on the third-seeded 400 (50.63) and fourth-seeded 800 relays.
Giuliana Nastale, Erie Mason junior: She’s expected to score big after finishing fourth in the 200 and also running the 100 last season, as she enters this meet seeded first in the 100 (12.32) and 200 (25.23) and likely to run on two relays.
Emily Peters, Olivet junior: The reigning 300 hurdles champion also ran on the winning 800, second-place 1,600 and fourth-place 400 relays last season. She’s slated to run both hurdles races, seeded second in the 300 (45.99), and on two relays including the top-seeded 1,600 (4:06.05).
Emmry Ross, Onsted senior: She became the third Lower Peninsula athlete to win four individual events at a Finals last season, finishing first in the 400, 800, 1,600 and 3,200, and total she’s won the 400 three times, the 800 twice and also earned a 1,600 relay title as a freshman. She’s seeded first in her four races again, with a 54.48 in the 400, 2:03.84 in the 800, 4:46.11 in the 1,600 and 10:44.44 in the 3,200.
Addyson Stiverson, Montrose sophomore: She won the shot put and placed second in the discus at her first Finals and is seeded first this weekend by solid margins in both at 52-10¾ and 153-5, respectively.
Elli VanDusen, Kalamazoo Christian sophomore: She also impressed as a freshman winning the 100 hurdles and taking second in high jump, and this weekend she’s tied for the top seed in high jump (5-6) and set to run both hurdles races and a relay.
Emma Wildt, Homer senior: The reigning pole vault champion is tied for the top seed (10-6) and also will run a relay.
Division 4 at Hudsonville Baldwin Middle School
Team forecast: Fowler regained the championship last season for the first time since 2019, and with league rival Portland St. Patrick finishing second for the second-straight year. The Eagles have competitors in every event but one Saturday and could especially thrive in relays. Hillsdale Academy has some intriguing points possibilities, as do Gobles and Frankfort.
Layla Bolzman, Unionville-Sebewaing junior: The reigning champion in the 100 and 200 is seeded second in the 100 (12.42), third in the 200 (25.98) and fifth in the 400, and will run a relay as well.
Molly Brown, Addison senior: She’s won the 100 hurdles the last two seasons and added the 300 hurdles title and a seventh in the 100 dash last season. She will attempt to join the exclusive four-event champions list seeded first in the 100 dash (12.10), 100 hurdles (14.05), 300 hurdles (44.83) and long jump (17-4).
Payton Haynes, Mason County Eastern senior: The reigning pole vault champion is top-seeded in that event (11-0) and fifth-seeded in the 100 hurdles.
Eliza Keith, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian senior: She finished fourth in the 800 and ran on two relays last season, and this time is seeded second in the 400 (59.06) and first both in the 800 (2:15.48) and 1,600 (4:58.51)
Allie Nowak, Johannesburg-Lewiston senior: Last season’s champion in the 800 is seeded third in that race (2:22.11) and will run a relay as well.
Kaylie Livingston, Whitmore Lake sophomore: She opened her Finals career in this sport with 3,200 open and relay championships and a runner-up finish in the 1,600 run, and Saturday she’ll be seeded first in the 3,200 (10:58.93), third in the 1,600 (5:01.26) and will run on the top-seeded 3,200 relay (9:57.18).
PHOTO Onsted's Emmry Ross runs to one of her four championships during last season's Lower Peninsula Division 3 Finals. (Photo by Jamie McNinch/RunMichigan.com.)