BY DAVE PEMBERTON
Clarkston News Sports Writer
The Clarkston sprinters continued their strong start this season and helped the girls track team earn two league victories.
The Wolves sprinters won the 100 hurdles, 800 relay and 400 relay to help Clarkston defeat rival Lake Orion 68-59 on April 27.
Two days earlier, the sprinters won the same three events to lead Clarkston to an 81-47 victory over Troy.
Autumn Touchstone won the 100 hurdles at both meets and was a member of the winning 800 relay teams. Touchstone was joined by Laura Kupe, Melissa Martinez and Erin Hoffman on the 800 team.
Kupe, Martinez and Hoffman, along with Megan Valley, made up the 400 relay team. Kupe anchors both relay teams and was pleased with how well her teammates ran. She had a lead to work with both times she was handed the baton against Lake Orion.
‘The relays are a team sport and I have to continue all the hard work my teammates put in the relay,? Kupe said. ‘I have to finish what they started.?
The Wolves are known for their strong distance runners, but the sprinters have performed well this season and are a big reason why Clarkston is 4-0.
The addition of Kupe paid off for Clarkston. Kupe did not run last season because of an injury. Kupe said the sprinters are a hard working group.
‘We are competitors out there,? Kupe said. ‘We work hard and we want to win. We know the distance girls are going to win. If we can win, it just makes the team stronger.?
Stephanie Thorstad also had a nice day against Lake Orion. Thorstad won both the long jump and the high jump. Lisa Sickman won the 1600 run and Stephanie Morgan won the 800 meters.
Clarkston took eighth place out of over 20 teams in the West Bloomfield Invitational on April 29. Clarkston finished with 24 points, two behind seventh place Pinckney. Milford won the event with 70 points.
The Wolves won three of the 16 events. Thorstad won the high jump with a jump of five feet and six inches, which was six inches ahead of the second place finisher.
Stephanie Morgan won the 1600 run defeating Milford’s Carlie Green by just over seven seconds.
The 3200 relay team of Tiffany Kincaid, Jenna Leach, Beth Hoekstra and Lisa Sickman edged the team from Saline by 0.7 seconds to win the event.
The Wolves next Invitational is on May 5 when they head to Ohio to take part in the Mitchell Roosevelt Invitational.
Clarkston’s dual meet with Pontiac Northern on May 2 finished too late for this edition of The Clarkston News.