By Travis Smola
The Vicksburg varsity track teams had a strong early season showing at the Paw Paw Invitational with the girls’ team running away with the win over five other teams.
The Lady Bulldogs scored 156 points, beating the next closest team, Harper Creek, by 28 points. They pulled off the win by dominating several events including the hurdles. Kinsay Riddle, Gracie Cornett and Mia Mulhearn took first, second and third in the finals of the 100-meter hurdles. They also dominated the 300-meter hurdles with Mulhearn finishing first, Riddle second and Cornett third.
The team picked up more key points in the 4×100 meter relay with the team of Grace Wile, Megan Kendall, Sam Richardson and Micayla Bozeman coming away with a first-place finish in the finals. In the 4×200 relay, Wile, Amelia Ruger, Riley-Ann Bierema and Cate Curtis finished second.
The team of Alyssa Thompson, Bierema, Ruger and Mulhearn also finished second in the 4×400 relay and the team of Sawyer Barton, Bierema, Avalee Goodman and Hannah Fenwick took third in the 4×800.
The Lady Bulldogs also did very well in the high and long jump event finals. Freshman Ella Mitchell won the event and set a new personal record by clearing 4 feet, 10 inches. Jaidyn Manier came in third and Kaytee Harvey fifth.
It was another Bulldog sweep in the long jump with Mulhearn, Madeleine Geiger and Riddle taking the first three spots in that order.
The boys’ team finished fourth in the event with 100 points even. The biggest win of the day came in the finals of the 4×100 meter relay, which was won by the team of Brian Roberts, Kevin Veld, Ben Welch and Casey Hall. The team of Kyler Dean, Shane Earl, Jacob Malocha and Casey Hall finished third in the 4×400 meter relay.
Welch also took second in the long jump finals and set a new personal record in the process. He also finished third in the 100-meter dash final. The Bulldogs had a strong showing at the pole vault with Shawn Knauer picking up third by clearing 9 feet.
Jonathan Perkins picked up a third-place victory in the discus with a 114 foot, 10-inch throw.
In the 400-meter dash, Malocha set a new personal record while coming in second. He also set a new PR in the 800 meters while finishing seventh. In the 200-meter dash, Veld set a new personal record of 24.50 while coming in second place.