Dryden’s Erin Boettcher (R) battles a 200 dash foe Thursday at regionals.
DRYDEN — The Dryden girls’ track squad generated a second-place finish last Thursday at a Division 4 regional hosted by Flint Beecher High School.
Austin Catholic edged Dryden, 110 points to 106, for team honors. They were followed by Clarkston Everest Collegiate (85), Parkway Christian (76), Flint Beecher (60), Birmingham Roeper (46), Genesee (20), Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes (nine) and Marine City Cardinal Mooney (five).
The top two placewinners in each event plus anyone who equals or improves on a state set time, height or distance moves on to the Division 4 state finals. That meet will be contested June 4 in Hudsonville.
Erin Boettcher, 200 dash, 27.8 seconds; Olivia Stickler, 400-meter dash, 1:04.89; plus Ella Kage, 1600 (5:43.96) and 3200 (a school record setting time of 12:30.87) runs; led Dryden with individual event wins.
The Dryden 1600 (Ava DeVlaminck, Stickler, Kage and Boettcher) and 3200-meter (Audrey Napolitano, Lily Finnigan, DeVlaminck and Kage) relays also prevailed. They were timed in 4:45.2 and 12:52.96, respectively.
Boettcher, 100 dash, 13.36 seconds; gave Dryden a second.
Boettcher, high jump, 4 feet; DeVlaminck, discus, 78 feet 8 inches; and Stickler, 100-meter dash, 13.61 seconds; furnished Dryden’s thirds.
DeVlaminck, shot put, 24 feet 1/2 inch; Finnigan, discus, 72 feet 2 inches; and Napolitano, 800 run, 2:58.82; supplied Dryden’s fourths.
Lily Finnigan, 800-meter run, 3:21.97; and Napolitano, 1600 run, 6:48.88; furnished Dryden’s sevenths.
Finnigan, shot put, 20 feet 11 1/4 inches; added an eighth to Dryden’s cause.
Kevin Kissane has been covering high school sports for the Tri-City Times since 1985. When not standing on a field or court with his camera and notepad, he enjoys golf, travel and family. Kevin is a 1980 graduate of Capac High School, and is also a grad of St. Clair Community College and earned a degree in journalism from Central Michigan University.
