All-Area girls’ track team selected

TRI-CITY AREA — Suffice it to say that there certainly was no shortage of talent among Tri-City Times girls’ track teams this fall.

Here is a look at who earned a spot on the 2024 edition of The Tri-City Times All-Area lineup and the credentials they amassed en route to those accolades.

Name: Lauren Webster
School: Almont
Year: Junior
Event: High jump

Best effort: Webster cleared 4 feet 11 inches for third at a Stockbridge-based Division 3 regional on Saturday, May 18.

Top finishes: She took first at the Cardinal Classic in Dryden; generated a second at the Cass City Invitational; obtained thirds at the Marlette Invitational and at a Stockbridge-based Division 3 regional; supplied a fifth at the Blue Water Meet of Champions in Marysville; managed a seventh at the North Branch-based Lapeer County Press Invitational; plus provided a 23rd at the Division 3 state finals hosted by Kent City High School.

Name: Madison Niedermaier
School: Almont
Year: Junior
Event: Pole vault

Best effort: Niedermaier posted a clearance of 8 feet 9 inches en route to a first Friday, May 3 at the Cardinal Classic in Dryden.

Top finishes: She claimed firsts at the Cass City Invitational, Yale-based Blue Water Area Conference League Meet and Davison Twilight Classic; collected a second at the Marlette Invitational; registered a fourth at the Lapeer County Press Invitational in North Branch; plus added an 11th at the Marysville-based Blue Water Meet of Champions.

Name: Madison Niedermaier
School: Almont
Year: Junior
Event: Long jump

Best effort: Niedermaier leaped 15 feet 1/2 inch for second in a meet with BWAC rivals Armada and host North Branch on Tuesday, April 30.

Top finishes: She took second at the Cass City Invitational; supplied thirds at the Dryden-based Cardinal Classic and at a Division 3 regional in Stockbridge; contributed fourths at the Yale-based Blue Water Area Conference League Meet and Davison Twilight Classic; wound up fifth at the Lapeer County Press Invitational in North Branch; furnished an eighth at the Marlette Invitational; plus added a 12th at the Marysville-based Blue Water Meet of Champions.

Name: Morgan Robertson
School: Imlay City
Year: Sophomore
Event: Shot put

Best effort: Robertson uncorked a toss measuring 30 feet 7 1/2 inches en route to a fifth Friday, May 24 at Blue Water Meet of Champions in Marysville.

Top finishes: She notched fifths at the Lapeer Lightning Invitational, Yale-based Blue Water Area Conference League Meet, Bad Axe Hatchet Invitational and Marysville-based Blue Water Meet of Champions; obtained an eighth at the Lapeer County Press Invitational in North Branch; registered a 10th at the Cass City Invitational; plus tacked on a 13th at a North Branch-based Division 2 regional.

Name: Ava DeVlaminck
School: Dryden
Year: Senior
Event: Discus
Best effort: DeVlaminck managed a school-record setting performance of 104 feet 10 inches for second at the North Central Thumb League Meet on Wednesday, May 14.

Carsonville-Port Sanilac High School is where the meet was contested.

Top finishes: DeVlaminck provided seconds at the Second Annual Cardinal Classic in Dryden, 15th Annual Davison Twilight Classic and North Central Thumb League Meet hosted by Carsonville-Port Sanilac; placed third at a Division 4 regional in Dryden; generated fifths at the 10th Annual Shake Off the Rust Invitational in Davison and the Vassar-based Hurd Invitational; furnished a 10th at the Marlette Invitational; plus added a 15th at the Division 4 state finals in Hudsonville.

Name: Penelope McNutt
School: Imlay City
Year: Freshman
Event: 100-meter dash

Best effort: McNutt turned in a time of 12.76 seconds en route to a second Saturday, May 18 at a North Branch-based Division 2 regional.

Top finishes: She placed first at the Bad Axe Hatchet Invitational; claimed seconds at the Second Annual Cardinal Classic in Dryden, a Division 2 regional in North Branch and Marysville-based Blue Water Meet of Champions; obtained a third at the Blue Water Area Conference League Meet in Yale; collected a fourth at the Cass City Invitational; supplied a fifth at the Caro-based Thumb Meet of Champions; furnished a 10th at the Lapeer Lightning Invitational; contributed an 11th at the Lapeer County Press Invitational in North Branch; plus tacked on the 27th quickest preliminary heat clocking at the Division 2 state finals in Hamilton.

Name: Sophia Peter
School: Dryden
Year: Senior
Event: 100-meter hurdles

Best effort: Peter, who has signed with Trine University, furnished a school record-setting clocking of 17.04 seconds en route to a first at a quad hosted by Deckerville on Tuesday, April 9.

Top finishes: She earned firsts at the Marlette Invitational, Get On Track Invitational in Marlette; 15th Annual Davison Twilight Classic, 10th Annual Davison-based Shake Off the Rust Invitational, North Central Thumb League Meet hosted by Carsonville-Port Sanilac and Dryden-based Division 4 regional; registered a fifth at the Second Annual Cardinal Classic in Dryden; obtained an eighth at the Vassar-based Hurd Invitational; plus added a 12th at the Division 4 state finals in Hudsonville.

Name: Olivia Reynolds
School: Dryden
Year: Senior
Event: 200-meter dash

Best effort: Reynolds was timed in 26.62 seconds, the fifth quickest preliminary heat clocking, at the Hudsonville-based Division 4 state finals on Saturday, June 1.

Top finishes: She claimed firsts at the Second Annual Cardinal Classic in Dryden; North Central Thumb League Meet hosted by Carsonville-Port Sanilac; a Dryden-based Division 4 regional and the Get On Track Meet in Marlette; obtained seconds at the Marlette Invitational, 15th Annual Davison Twilight Classic and Vassar-based Hurd Invitational; placed third at the 10th Annual Shake Off the Rust Invitational in Davison; plus tacked on a fifth at the Division 4 state finals in Hudsonville.

Reynolds will continue to pursue her running career at Oakland University next school year.

Name: Sophia Peter
School: Dryden
Year: Senior
Event: 300-meter hurdles

Best effort: Peter supplied a school record-setting time of 48.43 seconds en route to a second at the Second Annual Cardinal Classic in Dryden on Friday, May 3.

Top finishes: She generated firsts at the Marlette Invitational, Vassar-based Hurd Invitational and 15th Annual Davison Twilight Classic; ranked second at the Second Annual Cardinal Classic in Dryden and a Dryden-based Division 4 regional; placed third at the North Central Thumb League Meet hosted by Carsonville-Port Sanilac; took fourth at the 10th Annual Shake Off the Rust Invitational in Davison; plus added a 14th at the Division 4 state finals in Hudsonville.

Name: Olivia Reynolds
School: Dryden
Year: Senior
Event: 400-meter dash

Best effort: Reynolds registered a school record-setting clocking of 59.14 seconds en route to a third at the Division 4 state finals in Hudsonville on Saturday, June 1.

Top finishes: She obtained firsts at the Marlette Invitational, Hurd Invitational in Vassar, the Second Cardinal Classic Invitational in Dryden, at the North Central Thumb League Meet hosted by Carsonville-Port Sanilac, the Marlette-based Get on Track Meet and at a Dryden-based Division 4 Regional; equaled those placings among Small School Division entries at the 15th Annual Davison Twilight Classic; provided a second among Small School entries at the 10th Annual Shake Off the Rust Invitational in Davison; plus furnished a third at the Division 4 state finals in Hudsonville.

Name: Charlotte O’Brien
School: Imlay City
Year: Junior
Event: 800-meter run

Best effort: O’Brien furnished a time of 2:43 for first in a Blue Water Area Conference meet Tuesday, April 9 versus North Branch and host Algonac.

Top finishes: She managed a fourth at the Bad Axe Hatchet Invitational; placed fifth at the Yale-based Blue Water Area Conference League Meet; generated a sixth at the Blue Water Meet of Champions in Marysville; supplied a sixth at the Second Annual Cardinal Classic in Dryden; obtained a 12th at the Lapeer Lightning Invitational; provided a 14th at the Lapeer County Press Invitational in North Branch; plus tacked on an 17th at a North Branch-based Division 2 regional.

Name: Laila Evola
School: Almont
Year: Sophomore
Event: 1600-meter run

Best effort: Evola furnished a clocking of 5:43.02 en route to a second at the Marysville-based Blue Water Meet of Champions on Friday, May 24.

Top finishes: She claimed a first at a Stockbridge-based Division 3 regional; generated a second at the Blue Water Meet of Champions in Marysville; collected a fifth at the Yale-based Blue Water Area Conference League Meet; supplied sixths at the Second Annual Cardinal Classic in Dryden and 15th Annual Davison Twilight Classic; obtained an eighth at the Marlette Invitational; furnished a 10th at the Cass City Invitational; plus added a 21st at the Division 3 state finals in Kent City.

Name: Laila Evola
School: Almont
Year: Sophomore
Event: 3200-meter run

Best effort: Evola posted a clocking of 12:57.71 for a fifth Friday, May 10 at the 15th Annual Davison Twilight Classic.

Top finishes: She wound up first at a Division 3 regional in Stockbridge; registered a fourth at the Cass City Invitational; generated fifths at the Marlette Invitational, Yale-based Blue Water Area Conference League Meet and 15th Annual Davison Twilight Classic; plus tacked on a 19th at the Kent City-based Division 3 state finals.

Team: Delaney Wolle, Sophia Peter, Caila Fitchett, Olivia Reynolds and Keira Miller.
School: Dryden
Years: Senior, senior, sophomore, junior and junior.
Event: 400-meter relay

Best effort: Dryden Coach Matt Cherry had a pair of lineups break the 53-second barrier this past spring.

The swiftest of those two groups saw a quartet consisting of Delaney Wolle, Sophia Peter, Caila Fitchett and Olivia Reynolds was timed in 52.03 en route to a first at Marlette-based Get On Track Meet on Tuesday, May 21.

Top finishes: A lineup of Keira Miller, Wolle, Fitchett and Reynolds claimed a first at a quad hosted by Dryden; plus a quartet of Wolle, Peter, Fitchett and Reynolds placed first at the Marlette-based Get On Track Meet.

Team: Delaney Wolle, Sophia Peter, Keira Miller and Olivia Reynolds.
Years: Senior, senior, junior and senior.
Event: 1600-meter relay.

Best effort: A Dryden team of Delaney Wolle, Sophia Peter, Keira Miller and Olivia Reynolds registered a season’s best clocking of 1:49.68 for first at a Division 4 regional hosted by Dryden on Friday, May 17.

Top finishes: A Dryden team of Wolle, Peter, Miller and Reynolds took first at the Hurd Invite in Vassar, Second Annual Cardinal Classic in Dryden; 15th Annual Davison Twilight Classic; NCTL League Meet hosted by Carsonville-Port Sanilac and a Dryden-based Division 4 regional; provided a third at the 10th Annual Shake Off the Rust Invitational in Davison; plus added an eighth at the Division 4 state finals in Hudsonville.

Team: Charlotte O’Brien, Gabby Douglas, Laela Bhatti Hannah Hayes and Alice Johnson
School: Imlay City
Years: Junior, senior, senior, junior and senior.
Event: 3200-meter relay

Best effort: Though the lineup Imlay City chose to utilize varied with each meet, they could always be counted on to deliver highly competitive results.

A team consisting of O’Brien, Douglas, Bhatti and Hayes pulled up 10th with a clocking of 10:57.71 Saturday, May 18 at a Division 2 regional in North Branch.

Top finishes: An Imlay City lineup of O’Brien, Douglas, Bhatti and Hayes took second at the Second Annual Cardinal Classic in Dryden; supplied a fifth at the Yale-based Blue Water Area Conference League Meet; obtained a sixth at the Blue Water Meet of Champions in Marysville; collected a seventh at the Caro-based Thumb Meet of Champions; and furnished a 10th during a Division 2 regional in North Branch.

An Imlay City quartet of Alice Johnson, Hayes, Douglas and O’Brien wound up fourth at the Bad Axe Hatchet Invitational; provided a fifth at the Lapeer Lightning Invitational; and placed sixth at the North Branch-based Lapeer County Press Invitational.

Imlay City also received a second from a lineup of Daniela DeLuca, Hayes, Johnson and O’Brien at the Cass City Invitational.

Second team– Allison Williams, pole vault, Almont; Isabella Irwin, high jump, Almont; Keira Smith, long jump, Capac; Ava DeVlaminck, shot put, Dryden; Ava Klink, discus, Capac; Lola Battaglia, 100 and 200 dash, Almont; Bella Wetter, 100 hurdles, Capac; Caila Fitchett, 200 dash, 300 hurdles and 400 dash, Dryden; Ayla Delaurier, 800 run, Almont; Cara Prusakiewicz, 1600 and 3200-meter runs; Almont’s 400 relay of Madison Niedermaier, Genesis Fisher, Lola Battaglia and Montserrat Coronel; Almont’s 800 relay of Montserrat Coronel, Genesis Fisher, Lola Battaglia and Haley Dempz, Imlay City’s 1600 relay of Laela Bhatti, Gabby Douglas, Hannah Hayes and Charlotte O’Brien; plus Dryden’s 3200 relay Lily Finnigan, Caila Fitchett, Audrey Napolitano and Cara Prusakiewicz.

Honorable mention– Kendal Donahue, pole vault, Imlay City; Montserrat Coronel, long jump, Almont; Ava Klink, shot put, Capac; Madison Miodowski, shot put, Almont; Samantha Miodowski, shot put and discus, Almont; Grace VanDyke, shot put, Almont; Addyson Mitchell, discus, Imlay City; Lily Finnigan, discus, Dryden; Morgan Robertson, discus, Imlay City; Bella Wetter, 100 dash, Capac; Laela Bhatti, 100 dash, Imlay City; Isabella Irwin, 100 and 300 hurdles, Almont; Penelope McNutt. 200 dash, Imlay City; Delaney Wolle, 100 and 200 dashes, Dryden; Bella Wetter, 200 dash, Capac; Hannah Hayes, 400 dash, Imlay City; Gabby Douglas, 400 dash, Imlay City; Cara Prusakiewicz, 800 run, Dryden; Charlotte O’Brien, 1600 and 3200 runs, Imlay City; Capac’s 400 relay of Cierra Helzer, Keira Smith, Bella Wetter; Imlay City’s 800 relay of Gabby Douglas, Hannah Hayes, Rylee Tyack and Penelope McNutt; Almont’s 1600 relay of Lillian Longo, Haley Dempz, Montserrat Coronel and Ayla Delaurier plus Almont’s 3200 relay of Jenna Kline, Ayla Delaurier and Laila Evola.

Coach of the Year– For directing his team to a first at the Marlette Invitational and North Central Thumb League Meet hosted by Carsonville-Port Sanilac High School; a second at a Dryden-based Division 4 regional; thirds at the Vassar-based Hurd Invitational and Second Cardinal Classic in Dryden; as well as four-way tie for 16th at Hudsonville-based Division 4 state finals, Dryden Coach Matt Cherry earns Tri-City Times All-Area Coach of the Year accolades.