It was a clean sweep for the Goodrich boys and girls track teams.
Both squads dominated the Genesee Area Conference Red Division track meet May 25, taking first place at the meet and clinching league championships in the process.
The Martians? boys team earned 167 points, outdistancing second-place Montrose (102). Goodrich, which finished 11-0 in GAC Red dual action, won its third straight division title.
The Goodrich girls team, which also finished 11-0 in dual meet action, was even more dominant, scoring 245 points to second-place LakeVille’s 89 points. They also won their third straight division crown.
Both teams are now headed to the Division 3 state meet Saturday, June 4. Goodrich coach Brad Rainwater expects good things for both the boys and girls squads. ‘I think the chances for both being competitive are pretty good,? he said.
‘The big thing with the boys is Frankenmuth ? they look to be the team that will be standing in our way,? he said. ‘I think Jeff (Decator) should do well in the long jump and Charlie (Richards) should do well in the hurdles.?
Meanwhile, the girls team is aiming for a repeat state championship. Rainwater said they are capable of getting the job done, but with a young team (there are only two seniors on the Martian squad), there’s an uncertainty about how they’ll handle the pressure of the state meet.
‘If they perform like they’re capable of, they’ll be in the hunt for another state title,? Rainwater said. ‘That’s the thing with a young team. You don’t know how they’ll react.?
The Goodrich boys won eight of the 17 events on their way to the league crown. Ryan Lopez won the discus (127?8?), while Andy Klumpp won the high jump (6?2?) and Jeff Decator took the long jump (21?1-3/4?).
The Martians were also successful in the relay events, winning three of four races. The winning teams were: Wayne Coulman, Charlie Richards, Kirk Elsworth, and Decator in the 800 relay (1:32.6); the 1600 meter relay team of Charlie Richards, Wayne Columan, Paul Burt, and Decator (3:32.9) and the 3200 meter relay team of Chad Marler, Billy Feldman, Jeremy Phan, and Ben Richards (8:46.26).
Charlie Richards capped off the Martians? effots by winning both the 110 hurdles (15.4) and the 300 hurdles (41.6).
The Goodrich girls captured first place in 11 of 17 events at the league meet. The Martians won four of five field events. Sarah Sweet won the shot put (32?2-1/4?); Jo Carter won the discus (99?7?); Michelle Elliott won the high jump (5?3-1/4); and Kortni Elsworth won the long jump (15?10?).
Elliott also won the 100 hurdles (15.4), while Elsworth won the 100 yard run (13.3, a meet record). Other Goodrich individual event winners were Janee Jones in the 1600 run (5:20.3), Kaitlin O’Mara in the 3200 run (11:45.3) and Christina Sweet in the 400 run (1:00.7).
Goodrich also took first place in two relay events. The 3200 relay team of Kaitlin O’Mara, Kayla O’Mara, Kelsey Meyers, and Mary Haiderer won in 10:07.72, while the 800 relay team of Casey Tubbs, Paige Plant, Elsworth and Christina Sweet won in 1:53.3.