By By SCOTT NOVAK / Niles Daily Star
ST. JOSEPH - For the second straight year, the Niles boys' track team came home the Division 2 regional champions.
A year ago, the Vikings came into the regional meet as the team to beat. On Friday night, Niles opened a few eyes in what was expected to be a rebuilding season.
The Vikings edged South Haven to win the championship 78.75-66.25. Niles won the title by winning the final event of the night - the 1,600-meter relay.
The Vikings' squad of Craig Rumpf, Isaiah Glaze, Lew Delmuro and Nick Schuck ran a time of 3:28.6 to finish ahead of South Haven, which ran a 3:30 .3.
Sturgis finished third with 59 points, while Otsego was fourth with 51 points and Three Rivers fifth with 49.25 points.
Vicksburg was sixth, Edwardsburg seventh, Lakeshore eighth, Mattawan ninth and host St. Joseph 10th. Dowagiac finished 13th.
Otsego won the girl's portion of the meet with 96.33 points, while St. Joseph was second with 86 points. Allegan finished third with 59 points, while Lakeshore and Vicksburg rounded out the top five with 53 and 48.33 points respectively.
Plainwell was sixth, Sturgis seventh, Three Rivers eighth, Niles ninth and Gull Lake 10th. Dowagiac finished 11th and Edwardsburg 13th.
Niles' Glaze had a huge night for the Vikings as he won the 100- and 200-meters. Glaze also was a part of the winning 1,600-meter relay team and was a member of the 800-meter relay team that took second and also qualified for the state meet.
Glaze ran 10.9 in the 100-meters and 22.7 in the 200-meters. The 800-meter relay team ran 1:33.1.
Joining Glaze on the 800-meter relay were Rumpf, Delmuro and Alex Zanders.
Also claiming regional championships for the Vikings were Kurt Poehlman, who won the high jump with a height of 6-feet-6; and Rumpf, who won the 400-meters with a time of 51.3.
The 3,200-meter relay team of Andy Wuthnow, Steven Scally, Dan Geiger and Schuck finished second with a time of 8:13.7.
Other placers for the Vikings were Paul Depoy in the shot put (sixth), David Davis in the long jump (sixth) and pole vault (fifth), Ricky Phillips in the high jump (third) and Lew Delmuro in the 400-meters (third).
Dowagiac's Elijah Caldwell finished second in the 200-meters with a time of 23.2 to qualify for the state meet, which will be held on June 3 at Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern High School.
The Chieftains' 400-meter relay team of Kevin Mitchell, Jamere Bacon, Neico Brown, Caldwell finished second with a time of 44.7 to move on to the state finals.
The Lady Vikings had one regional champion.
Kaylynn Stephenson captured the 200-meters with a time of 26.4.
Also qualifying for the state finals was Ashley Austin in the shot put with a toss of 34-7. Austin finished fourth, but was an additional qualifier by distance.
Stephenson also finished fourth in the long jump, while Tasha Webster was sixth in the 100-meters. Samantha Brawley finished fifth in the 1,600-meters, while the Lady Vikings' 800-meter relay team was fourth.
Dowagiac had just one state qualifier as Ann O'Keefe defended her regional championship in the pole vault with a height of 10-feet.
Sada Nealey finished fifth in the long jump, while the 400-meter relay team was fifth.
Division 2
Track Regional
Boys results
Team scores
Niles 78.75, South Haven 66.25, Sturgis 59, Otsego 51, Three Rivers 49.25, Vicksburg 49, Edwardsburg 29.25, Lakeshore 29, Mattawan 26, St. Joseph 22, Allegan 19, Gull Lake 17, Dowagiac 16, Plainwell 13.5, Comstock 2
Individual results
(Top two finishers in each event advance to state meet)
Denotes local additional qualifier by time, height or distance
Shot put: 1. BenVonKoenig (L) 52-7.75, 2. Brad Wentzel (A) 49-2; Discus: 1. Brad Wentzel (A) 169-11, 2. Ben VonKoenig (L) 153-3; Long jump: 1. Dale Norman (S) 21-8.5, 2. Jack Babuska (V) 20-11.75; High jump: 1. Kurt Poehlman (N) 6-6, 2. Matt Gregory (GL) 6-2; Pole vault: 1. Matt Playford (O) 11-10, 2. Andres Diaz (SH) 11-10; 3200 relay: 1. Three Rivers 8:13.3, 2. Niles 8:13.7; 110 hurdles: 1. Jesse Whitman (SJ) 14.8, 2. Evan Kuk (V) 14.9, 4 David Daniels (E) 15.1; 100: 1. Isaiah Glaze (N) 10.9, 2. Larnell Wroten (SH) 11.0; 800 relay: 1. South Haven 1:32.2, 2. Niles 1:33.1; 1,600: 1. Austin Brown (S) 4:31.9, 2. Nathan Martin (TR) 4:34.4; 400 relay: Mattawan 44.3, 2. Dowagiac 44.7; 400: 1. Craig Rumpf (N) 51.3, 2. Jake Mitchell (SH) 51.5; 300 hurdles: 1. Evan Kuk (V) 40.6, 2. David Daniels (E) 40.8; 800: 1. Austin Brown (S) 1:59.5, 2. Tom Brinn (O) 1:59.9, 3. Jake Roberts (E) 2:00.6; 200: 1. Isaiah Glaze (N) 22.7, Elijah Caldwell (D) 22.7; 3,200: 1. Bryan Principe (M) 9:52.6, 2. Will Dresseer (S) 10:09.9; 1,600 relay: 1. Niles (Rumpf, Glaze, Delmuro, Nick Schuck) 3:28.6. 2, South Haven 3:30.3, 4. Edwardsburg 3:31.7
Girls results
Team scores
Otsego 96.33, St. Joseph 86, Allegan 59, Lakeshore 53, Vicksburg 48.33, Plainwell 45.33, Sturgis 35, Three Rivers 27, Niles 25, Gull Lake 17, Dowagiac 16, Mattawan 9, Edwardsburg 8, Comstock 2, South Haven 2
Individual results
(Top two finishers in each event advance to state meet)
Denotes local additional qualifier by time, height or distance
Shot put: 1. Dwana Jones (S) 37-1, 2. Rachel Denison (S) 36-2.75, 4 Ashley Austin (N) 34-7; Discus: 1. Christina Edwards (GL) 117-9, 2. Sana Labra (A) 117-0; Long jump: 1. Erika Schroll (TR) 16-4.5, 2. Nikki Meyers (P) 16-3; High jump: 1. Erika Schroll (TR) 5-3, 2. Alyse Pallas (SJ) 5-1; Pole vault: 1. Ann O'Keefe (D) 10-0, 2. Devan Irvin (SJ) 9-6; 3,200 relay: 1. Allegan 9:52.7, 2. Otsego 10:15.2; 100 hurdles: 1. Emily Laukus (SJ) 15.6, 2. Jessica Oesterle (V) 15.6; 100: 1. Sarah Myles (P) 12.2, 2, Kristle Davis (SJ) 12.6; 800 relay: 1. St. Joseph 1:49.6, 2. Plainwell 1:49.9; 1,600: 1. Jenna Matthews (O) 5:17.9, 2. Ylva Elhammer (O) 5:18.4; 400 relay: 1. St. Joseph 51.4, 2. Lakeshore 52.0; 400: 1. Katie Rierkerk (O) 1:00.5, Megan Mejeur (SJ) 1:00.9; 300 hurdles: 1. Carly Stone (A) 48.5, 2. Ashley Counterman (O) 49.1; 800: 1. Kristin Forstner (A) 2:23.2, 2. Jenna Matthews (O) 2:24.9, 200: 1. Kaylynn Stephenson (N) 26.4, 2. Katie Rierkerk (O) 26.8; 3,200: 1. Ylva Elhammer (O) 11:34.2, 2. Jenna Matthews (O) 11:46.9; 1,600 relay: 1. Allegan 4:07.9, 2. Vicksburg 4:16.3.