Vicksburg Boys Track Wins Big

vix lovell
Deondre Lovell is a multi-threat track man running the 4×200 meter relay and won the chance to compete at state with a winning long jump.

By Travis Smola

The Vicksburg boys track team came away with second in conference and third in regional championship competition this month.

In a chaotic Wolverine Conference championship that saw field events delayed by rain until the following morning, the Bulldogs finished just six-and-a-half points behind eventual winner Sturgis. “It was awesome; our kids were so focused,” said co-head coach Jon Kachniewicz. “We’re really proud of our team.”

Among the bigger finishes of the meet was senior Riley Skrzypek, winning the high jump after clearing 5 feet 11 inches. Vicksburg also excelled in the long jump with a second place finish by sophomore Deondre Lovell. Senior Eric Babcock also made a splash in the event by picking up a fourth place finish when he was seeded eleventh. “He’s the type of kid you can move around,” said co-head coach Dave Smith.

The Bulldogs also had a strong finish in discus with Zach Bowman coming in second. Junior Jude Wisser ran strong in the hurdles, coming in second in the 110m and fourth in the 300m. Another second place finish in the 800m dash was turned in by junior John Hughes. Bowman put in a huge throw in discus to pick up second place. In one of the more thrilling races of the meet, Babcock, Mark Batican, Jacob Root and Lovell came in a close second in the 4×200 meter relay.

The coaches were pleased with the efforts of a team that is still fairly young. The only event in which the Bulldogs entered and did not place was pole vault. “Our conference finish was impressive for how young we are,” Kachniewicz said. “Placing high with a young team is big.”

The following week in Regional competition, four Bulldogs qualified for state competition. Vicksburg ended with 84 points and a strong third place finish behind Sturgis and winner Niles. “Field events were strong; we got the early momentum,” Kachniewicz said.

The highlight of the afternoon was a thrilling win in the high jump by Skrzypek, who qualified for state with a 6 feet 4 inch jump that elicited a roar from the crowd in attendance. He also came extremely close to clearing the 6 feet 6 inch mark. Wisser came in fourth in the high jump, also qualifying for state. Lovell punched his ticket to state after winning long jump. Bowman was the Bulldogs’ final state qualifier with another second place finish in discus.

Coaches Smith and Kachniewicz were extremely pleased with the results from everyone on the team. “We’re pleased and proud of them; we have a good group of kids and that’s what pulled us through,” Kachniewicz said.

Additional strong finishes were put in by Hughes with a third place finish in the 800 meter finals. Junior Tyler Lewis turned in a fifth place finish in the 1600 meter final, and Wisser turned in a strong third place in the 110 meter hurdles. Relay events saw a fifth place finish in the 4×100 by Matthew Klingele, Batican, Root and Tanner Mendham and a fourth place finish in 4×200 by Lovell, Batican, Root and Mendham.

The number of returning competitors next year means the Bulldogs should be right in the thick of things. “Our kids have elevated their effort; we couldn’t ask for more,” Kachniewicz said. “We’re pleased and proud of them.”

2015 Wolverine Conference Results-Men’s

100 Meters

  1. Jacob Root- 11.91
  2. Mark Batican-11.96

200 Meters

  1. Deondre Lovell-23.74
  2. Jacob Root-24.57

400 Meters

  1. Eric Babcock-53.99
  2. Gary Corsaut-56.07

800 Meters

  1. John Hughes-2:05.59
  2. Jacob Klimp-2:17.30

1600 Meters

  1. Tyler Lewis-4:48.71
  2. Zachary Fenwick-5:03.09

3200 Meters

  1. Tyler Lewis-10:42.80
  2. Zachary Fenwick-11.16.54
  3. Collin Eager-11:23.92

110 Meter Hurdles

  1. Jude Wisser-16.37

300 Meter Hurdles

  1. Jude Wisser-43.90
  2. Seth Benson-47.35

4×100 Relay

  1. Tanner Mendham, Matthew Klingele, Mark Batican, Jacob Root – 45.96

4×200 Relay

  1. Eric Babcock, Mark Batican, Jacob Root, Deondre Lovell – 1:34.86

4×400 Relay

  1. Gary Corsaut, Deondre Lovell, John Hughes, Jude Wisser – 3:42.63

4×800 Relay

  1. John Hughes, Tyler Lewis, Nick Richards, Jacob Klimp – 8:52.20

Shot Put

  1. Zach Bowman-40-11.00

Keegan Frisbie-33.04.00

Discus

  1. Zach Bowman 130-05
  2. Andras Antal-107-11
  3. Keegan Frisbie-92-02

High Jump

  1. Riley Skrzypek-5-11
  2. Jude Wisser-5-06

Pole Vault

  1. Noah Burton-10.00.04
  2. Ashur Ellsworth-9-00

Long Jump

  1. Deondre Lovell-19-05.25
  2. Eric Babcock-18-06.75
  3. Noah Burton-17.00

MHSAA LP Regional

200 Meters

  1. Jacob Root-24.01
  2. Deondre Lovell-24.02

400 Meters

  1. Eric Babcock-53.27

800 Meters

  1. John Hughes-2:03.52
  2. Jacob Klimp-2:15.15

1600 Meters

  1. Tyler Lewis-4:52.01
  2. Zachary Fenwick-5:05.87

3200 Meters

  1. Tyler Lewis-10:40.40
  2. Kyle Strong-11.28.89

110 Meter Hurdles

  1. Jude Wisser-16.30

300 Meter Hurdles

  1. Jude Wisser-43.35
  2. Caleb Kudary-44.71

4×100 Relay

  1. Matthew Klingele, Mark Batican, Jacob Root, Tanner Mendham – 45.93

4×200 Relay

  1. Deondre Lovell, Mark Batican, Jacob Root, Tanner Mendham – 1:35.07

4×400 Relay

  1. Jude Wisser, John Hughes, Eric Babcock, Deondre Lovell – 3:39.72

4×800 Relay

  1. John Hughes, Tyler Lewis, Zachary Fenwick, Jacob Klimp – 8:43.93

Shot Put

  1. Zach Bowman-42.08.75
  2. Curtis Shackelford-41.00.00

Discus

  1. Zach Bowman-133-11
  2. Andras Antal-124-00

High Jump

  1. Riley Skrzypek-6-04.00
  2. Jude Wisser-6-02.01

Long Jump

  1. Deondre Lovell-20-10.75
  2. Eric Babcock-18-11.00

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