Jackson, MI. – 18 local Jackson area High School Track and Field teams all showed out to compete at the 62nd annual James R. Selby Memorial Track and Field meet at Jackson High School. It serves as the premier showcase for Jackson-area track and field athletes, featuring the best of the best, with many of the athletes already on their way to compete at the State Championships this coming weekend.
The Napoleon Pirates team was well represented with some great athletes, and they did a wonderful job competing. In the field events for the boys, it was senior Jamison Swope finishing 9th in the long jump. Drew Norman finished third in the pole vault with a jump of 13 feet, while fellow Pirate Bryce Bailey finished 8th with a jump of 12 feet, 6 inches. Senior Lucas Rowley did an excellent job against some tough competition, finishing sixth in the shot put with a personal record (PR) of 42 feet, 11.5 inches.
“I could have placed higher, but a pr is always a good way to end the season,” Rowley stated.
For the girls’ field events, it was Junior Myla Hasegawa finishing third with a jump of 15 feet, 10 inches, while sophomore Ayva Reynolds finished fifth just 8 inches off her teammates’ jump. In the girls’ pole vault, Pirate sophomore Maci Straub finished tied for third with an 8-foot jump. In the girls’ discus, Senior multi-athlete Elle Van Poppel finished second with an 88-foot, 6-inch throw.
In the high jump, it was a battle that came right down to the end, with Ayva Reynolds taking third place with a 5-foot jump, just two inches off the first-place finisher’s jump. It was a battle to the very last jump. Van Poppel finished with a 4-foot-6-inch jump.
In the hurdle events, Hasegawa took third in the 100 hurdles with a time of 16.93, less than 7/10 of a second off first place. In the boys’ 330-meter hurdles, it was Swope finishing third with a 43.25 time.
In the sprints and relays, the Pirates girls’ team took third place in the 4×800 with a team of Makenzy Lindemann, Madi Lindemann, Presley Greep, and Grace Nykamp. In the girls’ 100, freshman Emme Naylor finished 8th, while in the 1600, it was Madisyn Lindemann finishing 9th. In the girls’ 4×100, it was a team of Straub, Hagesawa, Lily Eagen, and Emme Naylor finishing fourth, only a little over a second from finishing first. In the 4×200, the team of Claire Beer, Straub, Naylor, and Hasegawa finished 4th.
For the boys, sophomore Blake Fish finished sixth in the 3200. There were not as many Pirate boys competing at this event in relays or sprints.
10 Pirates were named to the All-County team. Jamison Swope in the 300 Hurdles, Drew Norman, Pole Vault, Elle VanPoppel, Discus, Maci Straub, Pole Vault, and in the 200. Also named were Myla Hasagawa in the Long Jump and 100 Hurdles, Ayva Reynolds, Long Jump and High Jump, and the 4×800 team of Makenzy Lindemann, Madisyn Lindemann, Presley Greep, and Grace Nykamp.
Many of the Pirate track and field team will be representing Napoleon at the Division 3 state championship this Saturday, the 30th, at Kent City High School, Ward Memorial Field, 351 N. Main St., Kent City. Admission is $11.00. All tickets must be purchased through GoFan. The link to purchase tickets is available on the MHSAA website. No passes are accepted. Parking is $5 per vehicle. Gates open at 7:45 a.m. with first events starting at 9:30.
Good luck, Pirates, and to everyone competing and to those attending, safe travels to you all.
