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. Wonch 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.)

Truckey Paces Marquette's Run in UP Division 1

By John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com

June 6, 2021

KINGSFORD — Sophomore Baux Truckey had a hand in four firsts Saturday at Kingsford, helping the Marquette girls retain their Upper Peninsula Division 1 track title with 120 points.

They were followed by Sault Ste. Marie with 94 points and Menominee with 71 on a hot and humid day at Flivver Field.

Truckey anchored the 400-meter relay which set the UPD1 Finals record at 50.11 seconds, topping the previous best (51.22) by Gladstone in 2007.

She also anchored the 800 relay (1:47.14), won the 100 (12.79) and edged teammate Julia Ott on a lean in the 200 (26.58).

Menominee track“Our handoffs went real well,” said Truckey. “Going 1-2 in the 200 was fun, but the heat was a factor. It was a relief to get done today. We have a lot of competition in practice, which I think is very helpful.”

Ott won high jump at five feet and was clocked in 13.1 and 26.6 in the 100 and 200, respectively.

Kali McDonough captured pole vault (10-1), and Olivia Moffitt added a first in the 3,200 (12:00.03).

Sault senior Emily McLean set the UPD1 shot put record again, at 42-8½, topping her own mark (39-2) from two years ago.

The Central Michigan University recruit was crowned Straits Area Conference champion May 24 with a school-record toss of 46-8, then won at Tuesday’s Northern Michigan Meet of Champions at Gaylord (43-4).

“The heat was a factor,” she said. “It was kind of crazy. We were in the sun quite a while, although today’s weather forecast helped us mentally prepare for the heat. We knew what was coming.

Kingsford track“I had kind of an off day in discus, but Joanne (Arbic, of Sault Ste. Marie) had a nice throw. I’m definitely excited for her and about going to Central.”

Houghton’s Lillian Williston won discus (116-10). Arbic placed second (114-7) and McLean was fourth (106-3).

Menominee senior Makenzie Wellner became a four-event winner, taking the 100 hurdles (15.7), 300s (46.7), long jump (16-8) and anchoring the winning 1,600 relay (4:11.6), which previously had set the school record at 4:09.01 in Marinette, Wis., on May 25.

“Our coach (Scott Melchoir) helped me with my approach and helped me jump a little further,” said Wellner, who plans to run track at Wayne State next season. “I was feeling good today. It was hard to find space under the bleachers today (due to the heat).”

Hayden Buck added a first in the 400 in a school-record 59.77 seconds.

In the 1,600, Houghton sophomore Ingrid Seagren ran second nearly the whole race before sneaking past Marquette’s Guinn Wuorinen for the victory. Seagren was clocked in 5:34.49 with Wuorinen at 5:34.59.

In another tight race, Kingsford’s Melanie Wenzel won the 800 (2:29.55), edging Sault senior Haleigh Knowles on a lean.

Click for full results.

PHOTOS: (Top) Marquette's Baux Truckey anchors the 400 relay and crosses the finish line first Saturday at Kingsford. (Middle) Menominee's Hayden Buck crosses the finish line first in the 400. (Below) Kingsford's Melanie Wenzel, left, beats Sault Ste. Marie's Haleigh Knowles to the finish line. (Photos by Cara Kamps. Click to see more at RunMichigan.com.)