Frankenmuth just had too much firepower when it came to the Division 3 MHSAA Lower Peninsula Girls Track & Field finals meet at Comstock Park.
The Eagles scored 96 points to get past defending state champion Pewamo-Westphalia, which had 72.
Sydney Bronner, a junior, tied a meet record under hot conditions when she won the high jump at 5’6″. She also took first in the 100-meter hurdles in 15.08 seconds.
“It’s definitely hot, but I pushed through it,” she said. “I’m really happy with my season. This was a goal from the beginning. I wanted first. It was confidence and form, for sure. I’ve tried 5’6″ about seven or eight times. I finally got it. I was pretty happy.”
Her previous best was 5’4″.
Angie Ritter, as expected, had a big meet that included first place finish and a new meet record of 12.09 seconds in the 100-meter dash, and first place and a new meet record of 24.72 seconds in the 200-meter dash.
Ritter, like the other athletes, acknowledged that it was a warmer day than normal. “I had a good feeling; I knew I could do it,” she said after the first race. “This is not what it’s usually like. It’s pretty hot.”
Sara Beulla was second in the 200-meter dash in 25.97 seconds for the Eagles. Beulla, Ritter, Bronner, and Cadi Palmreuter were on the 800-meter relay team, which set a meet record of 1:41.17. Frankenmuth took second in the 400-meter relay at 49.99. Ritter was also on the second-place 1,600-meter relay team that had a time of 4:04.59.
Stephanie Lambeth was third in the pole vault at 10’6″.
The Eagles won the state title in 2012 but were unable to grab the team trophy last season and finished fourth.
“We all performed up to par, like we were supposed to,” Ritter said. “Last year we had a few fallouts. This year we did what we were supposed to do, or even better. We came in with a positive attitude. We knew Pewamo was our competition. We knew they were pretty good. We were taking them seriously.”
Prior to the 1600-meter relay, Ritter could flash a smile. The Eagles had the meet in the bag.
“It was a good day,” she said. “In the 200, I improved by 0.3 seconds.”
Ritter, with three firsts, which were all personal bests for her, and one second, was happy. “The state championship says it all,” she said. “We were pretty happy with that. From the get-go, we knew we had a chance. We knew we had a solid team. We’re spread out in all of our events.”
Ritter will be taking her talents to Grand Valley State University.
“This was our hope, MITCA and the state,” said coach Michael Snyder. “When you start setting up state records and school records…three state records today and four school records. You know they did what they’re supposed to do. It’s something you don’t have words for. It’s pretty special.”
“We knew Pewamo was going to be there, and they were,” Snyder said. “The way our girls were performing, all they had to do is keep doing it.”
A week earlier, Frankenmuth won the MITCA meet, which was not attended by Pewamo-Westphalia. The Eagles had 957 points, compared to 877.5 for second-place Madison.
“The coaching staff we have, between the boys and girls, they specialize, so it helps with the 17 events,” Snyder said. “These ladies work every day. They work hard.”
The sprints and field events were key for the Eagles.
Ritter “is one of those incredible sprinters,” Snyder said. “When her sister Kelsey, who went to CMU, left, you didn’t know if we’d have another Kelsey. We did. And Angie broke Kelsey’s record today in the 100 meters. The seniors we have, we’ll miss them all. They’re role models. That’s a part of it.
“We bring our whole team [of 35 here], even though we have 10 girls that competed.”