Highlights from the meet include sophomore Grant Johnson placing in back-to-back events, where he was 2nd in the 400m with a time of 54.38 and 4th in the 300m hurdles with a time of 43.60, which are both personal records (PRs). Senior Cody Branner took 6th in the disc and 8th in the shot put. Freshman Jayden Johnson took home a 7th-place finish in the 100m with a time of 11.93. He followed that up with an 8th-place finish from lane 8 in the 3rd heat in the 200m, which made this an impressive feat! Junior Nathan Fletcher took home a 7th-place finish in the shot put. Senior Carson Horky tied for 7th place in the high jump. The men’s 4x200m and 4x400m relays both took home 8th-place finishes.

On the women’s side, senior Eline Dumont in her first track meet took home a 3rd-place finish in the pole vault, clearing 7’! Sophomore Siera Jedele took 5th place in the 100m. The women’s 4x200m relay took home an 8th-place finish. This meet was filled with many PRs and improvements from all who ran.

On Tuesday, April 16, the Dutch once again traveled to Napoleon for a double dual meet with Napoleon and Michigan Center. The Dutch performed even better than at their first meet. Both teams took home victories over Michigan Center, who boasted a track team twice the size of Manchester! The women’s team defeated the Cardinals 77–57, and the men’s team won in dramatic fashion by dominating the 4x400m relay at the end of the meet to win 72–65!

Some of the meet highlights include: Nathan Fletcher’s two 1st places and a PR in shot put with a throw of 42’2. Cody Branner took 1st and 2nd in disc. Senior Landon LaVigne took home a 2nd and 3rd in disc with a PR of 110’. Sophomore Valorie Hieber took a 1st- and 2nd-place finish in the shot put with a PR of 26’7. Eline Dumont continued her success in the pole vault with two 1st-place finishes. Olivia Woods started her track season off on a good note with a 1st- and 2nd-place finish in high jump. Junior Tommy Johnson took home a 1st- and 3rd-place finish in the long jump. Siera Jedele took home a 1st- and 2nd-place in the 100m hurdles and 300m hurdles. Grant Johnson took home a 1st- and 2nd-place with a PR in the 200m with a time of 24.3. He also took a 1st- and 3rd-place in the 300m hurdles. Sophomore Ellie Marsh took a 1st- and 2nd-place finish in the 400m with a PR of 1:07.7. Senior Gianna Turek took a 2nd- and 3rd-place finish in the 400m to get her season started off on a good note. Carson Horky took home a 2nd- and 3rd-place finish in the high jump, as well as a much-needed 3rd-place finish in the 400 in his first running event of the season. Sophomore Cade Sayer finished with a 1st- and 2nd-place finish in the 800m. Senior Hunter Anderson delivered a great night, finishing 1st and 2nd in both the 1600m and 3200m. Freshman Caroline Mason took home a pair of 1st places in the 3200m, and a 1st and 3rd place in the 1600m along with a pair of PRs! Sophomore Lucy Baran took a 2nd- and 3rd-place finish in the 3200m run. Freshman Alec Dodak picked up a pair of key 3rd-place finishes with a PR in the 3200m run.

One of the brightest highlights of the night was the first relay to start off the meet with the men’s 4x800m relay, which included Hunter Anderson, junior Jesse Sangster, senior Morris Pengel, and Cade Sayer. The team not only took home two 1st-place finishes, they also cut their time from Friday by 22 seconds, with Cade highlighting the group with a split of around 2:10. The women’s 4x400m relay of Valorie Hieber, Ellie Marsh, Eline Dumont, and Gianna Turek took home two 1st-place finishes to cap off the meet. The men’s 4x400m relay of Mason Meyer, Cade Sayer, Harper Doyle, and Grant Johnson brought home the final points to clinch the meet on a perfect night for track! The women’s team lost to Napoleon 48–88, and the men’s team lost to state power Napoleon 41–96, but both teams put up a great fight. 

The Dutch traveled to the Royal Invitational in Blissfield on Saturday, April 20, and then will host a home dual meet against East Jackson on Tuesday, April 23, at 4:30pm. On Friday, April 26, the Dutch will travel to Leslie for the Blackhawk Invitational at 3:30pm. Come on out and support your team. There are a lot of great athletes looking to continue to improve their times as we progress into better weather and bigger meets. Go Dutch!

Grant Johnson