Olivet Girls Continue Reign as Peters Closes Championship-Filled Career

By Todd VanSickle
Special for MHSAA.com

May 30, 2026

KENT CITY – After winning its first Finals championship in girls track & field a year ago by just five points, Olivet extended its title reign with another close finish Saturday at Kent City.

The Eagles scored 82 points at the Lower Peninsula Division 3 championship meet to outpace Lansing Catholic (76), with Pewamo-Westphalia (61.5) third.

“I am an alumni of the school, so to come back and do this is, is awesome,” Olivet head coach Brian Lincoln said. “We knew going in that it is was going to be a battle with Lansing Catholic. Our girls stepped up, like they have all season and for the past four seasons.”

Olivet senior Emily Peters claimed her fourth 300-meter hurdles title in 44 seconds. She qualified for this meet in seven events.

“It is pretty crazy,” said Peters said, who plans to run track for Northwood University next season. “Going into my freshman year, I knew I was pretty fast, but I never expected to have this kind of success.

“This is a perfect ending. It is the culmination of all my hard work. I am so grateful for this.”

Peters also took second in the 100-meter hurdles with a personal best of 14.83 seconds as the Eagles had success in several events.

Celina Sinclair won the 200 meters with a personal best of 24.91 seconds after finishing second in the prelims. The Eagles’ 400 relay team of Bailey Powell, Lola Miars, Peters and Sinclair took first place (49.51) over Kingsley (49.53) and Traverse City St. Francis (49.77). Olivet’s 800 relay team (Peters, Sinclair, Miars and Kendall Eggerstedt) also found the top spot on the podium (1:44.67).

Pewamo-Westphalia won the 3,200 relay (9:40.94) with Julia Paxton, Katherine Schafer, Adelyn Thelen and Calista George. Lansing Catholic was second and Saugatuck finished third.

Montrose's Addyson Stiverson launches the shot; she set the all-Finals record in the event. Montrose’s Addyson Stiverson won the shot put with an all-Finals record of 55 feet, 6½ inches. The previous record (50-9½) was set in 2021 by Bryon’s Sarah Marvin.

Second place went to Pewamo-Westphalia’s Jenna Spitzley with a toss of 38-1¾. “If you would have asked me a week ago, I didn’t think I would have been in the 38 range,” Spitzley said.

The Pirates senior also won the discus with a throw of 136-7. She credited her family for her success.

“I had my brother there,” Spitzley said. “He has been coaching me a lot and helping me.”

She will attend Hillsdale College in the fall and plans to throw the shot put, discus and the hammer at the collegiate level.

Olivia Beaudrie, of Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central, won the high jump with a leap of 5-4. Julia Sergeant, of Houghton Lake, took first place in the pole vault clearing 11 feet after finishing sixth in the event last spring.

“I am really happy with my progress this year,” Sergeant said.

Despite being the top seed, she was a little nervous coming into meet.

“There were a few girls I was a little intimidated by,” Sergeant said. “There were two girls I have never seen vault before, but I knew what I was capable of and I did it.”

Novella DeGraff, of Saugatuck, had a personal best of 10-9 in the pole vault to finish second. She also finished third in the long jump with a personal best of 17-2. Smantha Hopkins, of Harrison, was first with a leap of 17-4¾.

Both of DeGraff’s marks in the field events set school records. It was the second year DeGraff had competed at the Finals, although she missed last season’s meet due to a torn knee ligament. She also ran a personal best in the 100-meter hurdles for third place (14.83).

“Today has been pretty chaotic,” DeGraff said. “I planned to try my best, but I didn’t expect I would do as good as I am. My mentality was to have a good time.”

Lansing Catholic’s Grace Wonch (4:58.84) and Josie Bishop (4:58.89) took first and second, respectively, with personal bests in the 1,600 meters. Bishop won the 800 meters (2:16.07), while Wonch took the bronze. Bishop also claimed the 3,200 meters (10:53.12) and Tiya Feldpausch, of Olivet, was second. (10:58.84).

The reigning 100 hurdles champion Julia Hughes repeated with a run of 14.55 seconds. She took third in the 300 hurdles.

Erie Mason senior Giuliana Nastale repeated as the 100 champion in 12.11 seconds. Sinclair, of Olivet, was second. Ella Clause, of Clinton, ran a personal best (57.99) to claim the 400. Centreville's Diannah Schwartz finished first in the 100, 200, 400 and shot put adaptive events.

Click for full results.

PHOTOS (Top) Olivet's Emily Peters, center, clears a hurdle on the way to a runner-up finish in the 100 hurdles race Saturday. (Middle) Montrose's Addyson Stiverson launches the shot; she set the all-Finals record in the event. (Click for more from Mary Wilson and John Willoughby/RunMichigan.com.)

Record Books Rewritten as Negaunee Girls Bring Their Best at Power-Packed Final

By John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com

May 31, 2026

KINGSFORD — Doing as expected can sometimes be challenging.

The Negaunee girls did that in convincing fashion here Saturday by retaining their Upper Peninsula Division 1 Track & Field Finals title with 173 points.

Marquette earned the runner-up honor with 123, and third-place Gladstone scored 61.

“We thought we had an outstanding season, although you’re still a little nervous coming in,” Miners coach Vickie Paupore said. “The girls worked hard. They believed in themselves and each other. All of our throwers showed up today and got personal bests. All of the girls performed very well.”

Negaunee junior Sadie Rogers set the U.P. Division 1 Finals record in the 300-meter hurdles in 45.04 seconds, topping the previous record (45.4) run by Sault Ste. Marie’s Selena Moser in 2010.

That also marked a school record for Rogers, who also won the 100-meter dash in a season-best 15.96 and placed second in the 200 in a school-best 26.21 on this sunny and warm afternoon.

Marquette freshman Jordyn Anthony tied the UPD1 Finals record in the 100 at 12.55, which she shares with Calumet’s Chelsea Jacques from 2012.

Anthony also won the 200 in a personal-best 26.11 and helped the Sentinels sweep the sprint relays.

“She’s a very talented runner,” Rogers said.

“It’s so relieving to set the school record in the 300 hurdles. It was just so hard to get here, and it feels so good to get the school record in the 200. This is a confidence builder for sure. Having good weather also helped. These were perfect conditions.”

arquette's Jordyn Anthony, center, gets ready to lean for the finish line during a Sentinels relay victory. Classmate Keira Waterman added a Negaunee school record while winning the 800 (2:19.78), followed by Marquette senior Ella Fure in a personal-best 2:21.14 and freshman Emma Ziegler (2:33.82).

Waterman also won the 400 in a personal-best 58.5 and placed third in long jump (15-3¼).

Sophomore Elvera Coyne provided the Miners with yet another school record while placing second in the 100 (12.61), followed by junior teammate Izzy Francisco (12.9).

Coyne’s season-ending effort in the 100 topped the previous record (12.62) by Macyn DellAngelo set a year ago.

“It felt amazing,” Coyne said. “It’s an awesome feeling to do it as a sophomore. Macyn was a good friend of mine.”

Negaunee junior Priya Morey added a first in discus at 110-5.

Fure, who anchored the winning 3,200 relay, later set a meet record in the open 3,200 (11:21.58), which surpassed the previous best from seven years ago (11:25.52) by Emily Paupore of Negaunee.

“The 3,200 is my race,” Fure said a week after running a 10:49.17 at Grand Rapids. “I was real confident because all three of us PR’d downstate. I knew I could run a sub-11. Emma Ziegler had a good, strong finish and Ava Cantway ran real well.”

Junior Taylen Todd, also part of Marquette’s sprint relays, added a first in long jump (16-8½). Kingsford junior Mylee Kreider was runner-up (16-6¾).

Manistique set a school record while placing third in the 800 relay (1:50.42), and senior Gwen Brewster took first in shot put (33-1½).

“I just kept pushing myself,” freshman Harper Andersen said after anchoring Manistique’s record-setting relay. “Our handoffs went well. This makes me feel I can accomplish a lot because I’m a part of this.”

Also winning championships were Escanaba’s Rayne Martin in the high jump and Gladstone’s Maggie Karl in the pole vault. Houghton’s Amy Sziber finished first in the 100, 200 and shot put adaptive events.

Click for full results.

PHOTOS (Top) Negaunee's Sadie Rogers, center, leads and eventually wins the 100 hurdles Saturday. (Middle) Marquette's Jordyn Anthony, center, gets ready to lean for the finish line during a Sentinels relay victory. (Click for more from Cara Kamps/RunMichigan.com.)