By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
PLAINWELL—Despite cold, breezy conditions that featured wind-chill temperatures in the low 30s, the Otsego track teams had a hot start to the season.
The Otsego girls took first place in 11 of the 17 events to post the 86-50 decision over archrival Plainwell at Streidl Field on Tuesday, March 29.
And the Otsego boys did the girls one better, winning 12 events and claiming the 91-46 victory.
Seniors Chase Brown and Jacob Zartman led the way for the Otsego boys, with each winning two individual events in addition to being on a winning relay.
Brown won the meet’s two longest runs, posting times of 4:38.25 in the 1,600-meter run and 10:06.78 in the 3,200 to edge out teammate Nick Cockerel in both events. Prior to those races, he anchored winning 4×800 relay team and also included Pierce Bentley, Cockerel and Mason Kolhoff and put together a time of 8:57.06.
Zartman, meanwhile, won the 200 dash (25.54) and the 300 hurdles (43.69). He nearly won a third individual event, but placed three-hundredths of a second behind Plainwell’s Zachary Miller in the 100 dash (12.74-12.77).
Zartman joined Tristan Canales, Seth Barck and Kolhoff to win the 4×400 relay at 3:48.64.
Other individual winners for the Bulldogs included Canales in the 400 (55.79), Saxton Vandervest in the 110 hurdles (19.4), Zachary Spence in the shot put (43-11) and Jalen Radke in the long jump (20-02).
The Otsego 4×100 relay team of Alex Foune, Barck, Gavin Devine and Radke won with a time of 48.5, while the 2×200 team of Radke, Alex Raseman, Devine and Gabe Cavazos won with a time of 1:42.8.
For Plainwell, Miller shined the brightest as he added wins in the high jump (5-10) and the pole vault (12-0) to his victory in the 100 dash. The other two events wins for Plainwell came in the 800 by Eli Veen (2:07.99) and Michael Griffey in the discus (132-06).
The Otsego girls, meanwhile, got multiple individual-event wins from Jada Bolhuis, Megan Germain and Madison Drouin.
Bolhuis posted winning times in the 100 dash (14.13) and the 200 dash (27.82); Germain took top honors in the 1,600 (5:35.33) and the 3,200 (12:07.78); and Drouin dominated throws by winning the shot put (38-3.25) and the discus (106-6.25).
Germain was also part of the 4×800 team along with Claudia Stachura, Taylor Klimp and Logan Brazee that won with a time of 10:43.97.
The Bulldogs also picked up victories from Adriana Morgan in the 400 (1:07.11), Joy Wolfe in the 800 (2:32.56), Olivia Dennis in pole vault (7-6) and the 4×400 relay team of Wolfe, Stachura, Brazee and Morgan (4:43.84).
Event wins for Plainwell included: Alexia Inquilla in the 100 hurdles (18.78); Raya Mergen-Henry in the 300 hurdles (54.12); Becca Wagner in the high jump (4-8); Kaylee Wright in the long jump (15-2); the 4×100 relay team of Natalie Anson, Wright, Inquilla and Alexis Poel (54.44); and the 4×200 relay team of Anson, Inquilla, Wagner and Jessica Barnes (2:00.31).