Six girls from the Clarkston High School track team had an impressive showing at the Nike Indoor Track and Field Nationals Meet in Maryland.
“The girls ran real well,” track coach Jamie LaBrosse said. “This puts us in good shape going into the high school season. We should be able to compete at a state level.”
Two of the runners LaBrosse was proud of were freshmen Lyndsey Smith and Beth Hoekstra. Smith placed fifth in the freshman mile, while Hrekstra took ninth place.
“It was really fun,” Hoekstra said. “I ran faster than I expected. I just tried to listen to coach and he told me to take the last two laps hard so I gave it my all.”
The fifth place finish for Smith was good enough to earn her all-American status.
“I was expecting to run a 5:30 but I ran a 5:22. I gave it my all and was not going to leave without being an all-American,” Smith said.
In addition to the freshmen, Ann Eoltman, Mo Kuhta, Liz Mengyan and Gillian Nordquist also participated in the meet. The group finished third in the 4xmile and fourth in their heat in the 4×800. Their finish in the 4xmile was good for all-American status.
“There are not many athletes that get all-state honors, much less all-American honors,” LaBrosse said. “There was a lot of competition and they all performed great. It was a beautiful facility and a great trip. I want to thank those who sponsored us including Runnin’ Gear and the Cardiology and Vascular Associates in Rochester Hills. I also want to thank the parents who arranged the entire trip.”