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.)

Jokela Stars Again, Lake Linden-Hubbell Reigns This Time as Outright Champ

By John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com

June 2, 2024

KINGSFORD — Lake Linden-Hubbell junior Emily Jokela had quite a workout here Saturday and has three individual victories to show for it.

The Lakes also benefitted from her effort as they earned the Upper Peninsula Division 3 track & field team championship.

LL-H, which shared the title with Stephenson a year ago, scored 72 points this time. Newberry edged Stephenson 64-62 for the runner-up trophy.

“Our Regional has been tough since 2016,” Lakes’ coach Gary Guisfredi said. “Since that time, teams from our Regional have won the U.P. Finals eight times. Emily scored 38 points alone today. Our shot putter (sophomore Maddy Dudenas) taking third and our girl (sophomore Cleo Milkey) taking fourth in long jump were big points. We knew Newberry and Stephenson were going to be tough.”

Jokela opened with a victory in the 100-meter dash in 13.04 seconds. Later, she set UPD3 Finals records in back-to-back races, taking the 400 (58.61) and 300 hurdles (44.8) prior to placing second in the 200 (27.03).

“My starts were better than usual,” she said. “Those (open 400 and 300 hurdles) are tough races, but you just got to push through that. You always try to prepare for that in practice. I just try to beat everybody to the next hurdle.”

Her effort in the 400 topped the old mark (58.7) by Superior Central’s Lauren Spranger in 2011, and in the hurdles she bested her own record (45.63) from a year ago.

The Lakes, who finished undefeated this year, also won the 800 relay at 1:52.52.

Stephenson's Faith Cappaert (11) takes the lead and doesn't relinquish it while winning the 800. “I think our handoffs were good,” senior Rebecca Lyons said. “It feels great to be U.P. champions. We were really excited about this meet. We knew Newberry and Stephenson were pretty good.”

Dollar Bay got a first on sophomore Kiera Isaacson’s leap of 5-3 in high jump.

Newberry, coming off a solid cross country season from last fall, showed its strength in the distances. Sophomore Samantha Taylor set the meet record in the 1,600 (5:14.9), topping the previous best (5:17.2) by Amy Kerst of Munising in 2011. She was followed by freshman Abby Taylor (5:22.7), Stephenson sophomore Faith Cappaert (5:36.7) and Newberry senior Kaylen Clark (5:37.49), who will run at Davenport University this fall.

Clark added a first in the 3,200 (12:33.7), withstanding a challenge from North Dickinson’s Mya Grunlund (12:43.65).

“I knew I had my kick and had to use it today,” Clark said. “I just wanted to defend my title one more time. I think my conditioning from cross country helped me. I missed three meets because of bronchitis. Once I got over that, I did a lot of slow miles. It was a struggle.

“I’ll get to run against Lola (Korpi) again in college. I’m real excited about that. It will also be exciting to do something new.”

Newberry also overcame a slow start to win the 3,200 relay (10:24.16).

“We weren’t too worried,” Abby Taylor said after anchoring that relay. “We knew Kaylen and Sam would close it. I felt pretty relaxed and confident in the final leg.”

Cappaert won the 800 (2:25.91), followed by Abby Taylor (2:33.34) and Clark (2:35.52), and senior Kayela Putnam added a first for the Eagles in pole vault (10-0).

Fourth-place Carney-Nadeau got the bulk of its points in the field events where senior Samantha Kedsch set a meet and school record in long jump at 16-11. Her effort also topped the previous best jump of 16-7½ by Ontonagon’s Olivia Suomis in 2012.

Junior teammate Mariska Laurila won discus with a school-record throw of 114-1 and added a first in shot put (33-1¼), with senior Kelsie Smith taking second (32-5).

Big Bay de Noc got a first from Destiny Bleau, who was clocked at 26.73 in the 200.

Click for full results.

PHOTOS (Top) Lake Linden-Hubbell's Emily Jokela sets a meet record in the 400 with a winning time of 58.61 on Saturday. (Middle) Stephenson's Faith Cappaert (11) takes the lead and doesn't relinquish it while winning the 800. (Click for more from Cara Kamps/RunMichigan.com.)