By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
KELLOGGSVILLE—The Saugatuck boys track team won four events in the White Division of the Kelloggsville Rocket Invitational on Friday, April 15.
Benny Diaz accounted for three of those victories.
Diaz won the 100-meter dash (11.1 seconds), the 110 hurdles 14.14 and the 300 hurdles (39.27) to lead the Trailblazers to the team championship with 201 points.
Fremont was second with 190 points, followed by Fruitport with 170.
“It was a good day for us,” Saugatuck coach Rick Bauer said. “Benny is obviously great, but we also had other guys perform really well.”
Diaz’s time in the 110 hurdles set a new school record, breaking the old mark set by Blake Dunn six years ago.
Saugatuck’s other event win came in the 3,200, as Adam Martinson posted a personal-best time of 9:54.36, with teammate Tristan Ashley also running a personal best to second at 10:05.45.
Martinson also had the best time of his career in the 1,600, crossing the finish line at 4:31.88 to take third place.
Bauer also praised the performance of Kurtis Bronz, who placed third in the 200 at 23.69—a new personal record—and fourth in the 100 at 11.88.
“Kurtis is becoming a force in the sprints,” Bauer said. “We all knew Benny was going to be a special sprinter, but Kurtis is showing that we are not a team with just one sprinter.”
Other top-five finishes for Saugatuck included: Casey Mathieu in the high jump (5-8); Cayden Schrekengust and Carter Miller in the shot put (third and fourth, respectively, at 38-6 and 36-1); Will Ayers in pole vault (third at 9-0); the 4×400 relay team of Ayers, John Roberts, Max Sharnas and Mathieu (third at 3:44.11); the 4×100 relay team of Bronz, Nicola Leoni, William Doucette and Roberts (fifth at 47.28); and the 4×200 team of Carter Miller, Landon Miller, Leoni and Doucette (fifth at 1:43.77).
The Saugatuck girls, meanwhile, placed fifth with 120 points.
Freshman Mazie Robison led the way for the Trailblazers, winning the 100 at 13.41 and taking second in the 200 at 27.8. She was also part of two third-place relay teams: the 4×100 that also included Catherine Pond, Aerin Baker and Alexis Warren (55.43) and the 4×200 that included the same girls (1:58.81).
Pond won the pole vault at 8-6, while Baker was third in the long jump (14-11) and the 100 hurdles (18.73).
Elsa Nor (fourth in discus at 82-0) and Samantha Sixberry (fifth in the 800 at 2:54.23) also had top-five showing for Saugatuck.
On Tuesday, April 12, the Trailblazers ran against Fennville. The Saugatuck boys won 104-31, while the Saugatuck girls prevailed 108-25.
The Trailblazers won all but two events on the boys’ side, led by three event wins by Diaz: the 100 (11.33), the 400 (56.6) and the 110 hurdles (14.38).
Martinson also had multiple first-place finishes, taking the top spot in the 800 (2:22.09) and the 3,200 (11:26.21). He was second in the 1,600 (5:04.7) to Ashley (5:04.69).
The Saugatuck boys also won all four relays.
John Gardea (41-3 in the shot put) and Carter Mokma (17-6.5 in the long jump) picked up victories for Fennville.
For the girls, Sixberry won the three longest races, as she placed first in the 800 (3:03.37), the 1,600 (6:18.94) and the 3,200 (14:48.01).
Baker and Robison also won multiple events: Baker won the 100 hurdles (21.22), the 300 hurdles (59.57) and the long jump (14-5.5), while Robison won the 100 (13.53) and the high jump (4-6).
Fennville’s Carmen Tencate took the 200 at 28.12.