After rough start, Howell's Sophie Daugard wins state shot put title

Sophie Daugard’s day ended considerably better than it began Saturday in the state Division 1 track and field meet in Rockford.

The day started with Daugard faulting on all three of her attempts in the long jump, an event she won in the regional meet 15 days earlier.

Once she shook off that disappointment, she went about the business of creating a place for herself in Livingston County track and field history.

Daugard won shot put with a toss of 41 feet, 7 inches, becoming only the fourth girl from Livingston County to win an individual state championship.

The only other girls from the county to win state titles were three-time champion Debbie Hughes of Fowlerville in 1974 and 1975, Howell’s Ellen Dempsey in high jump in 1974 and Brighton’s Julie Stowers in the 800-meter run in 1998.

Two Brighton girls relay teams and one from Pinckney have won state titles.

Girls have thrown shot put first and competed in long jump second all season, according to the MHSAA’s alternating system each year. In the state meet, however, there was an open pit for boys and girls to do long jump right away.

Daugard missed three attempts in the long jump before heading to shot put. She slipped on the board on her first jump, then was barely over on her final two.

“It was not a good jump day,” she said. “I came straight from long jump to shot put. I had my first two prelims throws, which were about 39, then I had to run off and go run the 100, then came back for my first prelim throw.”

Daugard ran a personal-best of 12.74 seconds in the 100, but it wasn’t good enough to advance to the finals.

Back at shot put, she nailed her winning throw on her next-to-last attempt.

“I started getting more hype, getting less sad from long jump,” Daugard said. “You’ve got to get it out of your head. I was trying to hype back up and really think about winning it. You have to have a belief in yourself if it was going to happen.”

Daugard won by 3.5 inches over Walled Lake Central senior Savannah Breitwiser and 6.5 inches over Allen Park junior Abigail Russell.

Hartland junior Aubree Meyer made all-state by placing fifth at 39 feet, 3.5 inches.

In pole vault, Brighton senior Liam Kinney became only the second Livingston County athlete to clear 16 feet. He hit 16 feet exactly to place second to Saline senior Dolan Gonzales, who won on misses after also clearing 16 feet. Fowlerville’s Max Babits still holds the county record of 16 feet, one-half inch set when he won the 2010 state Division 2 title.

The county’s only other all-state performer was Hartland senior Jaxson Wilson, who was fourth in shot put with a throw of 52 feet, 0.75 inches.

Breaking school records were Hartland junior Cameron Cheetam with a time of 10.97 seconds in the 100 and 21.95 in the 200, and Howell pole vaulter Kaitlyn Ward at 10 feet, 9 inches.

In Division 2, Pinckney had three all-state performances.

Brielle Reason made all-state for the second time, placing sixth in the long jump at 17 feet, 1.25 inches. The boys 3,200 relay team of Paul Moore, Zach Newman, Zach DeBeauclair and Ethan Sandula took sixth in 7:57.16. Evan Loughridge was seventh in the 1,600 in 4:18.51.

In Division 3, senior Mitchell Vaske became the first Charyl Stockwell boy to make all-state when he placed eighth in the 110 hurdles in 15.63. He was one-hundredth of a second from making all-state in the 300 hurdles, placing ninth in 41.60.

Livingston County state track and field results

DIVISION 1

Girls

100: 22. Sophie Daugard, Howell, 12.74.

100 hurdles: 17. Kaitlyn Ward, Howell, 16.14.

400: 20. Addison Payne, Brighton, 1:00.91.

800: 16. Juliet Lewis, Brighton, 2:18.59.

3,200: 26. Sarah Halliday, Howell, 11:31.47; 30. Carrigan Eberly, Brighton, 11:36.68; 33. Nikki Carothers, Brighton, 11:43.03.

1,600 relay: 19. Brighton (Addison Payne, Abby Smith, Gabrielle Bolitho, Stella Farmer) 4:08.47; 28. Howell (Sophie Daugard, Ella Koons, Lea MacGregor, Mackenzie Wright) 4:12.14.

3,200 relay: 12. Brighton (Juliet Lewis, Nikki Carothers, Gabrielle Bolitho, Carrigan Eberly) 9:27.27; 15. Howell (Ella Koons, Sarah Halliday, Lea MacGregor, Mackenzie Wright) 9:33.46.

Shot put: 1. Sophie Daugard, Howell, 41-7; 5. Aubree Meyer, Hartland, 39-6; 22. Emma Kanka, Howell, 33-4.

High jump: 13. Alexis Le, Howell, 5-4.

Pole vault: 16. Kaitlyn Ward, Howell, 10-9.

Discus: 16. Abigail Mainka, Brighton, 104-8.

Boys

100: 10. Cameron Cheetam, Hartland, 10.97.

200: 10. Cameron Cheetam, Hartland, 21.95.

3,200 relay: 9. Brighton (Brady Matuszewski, Ian Cox, Bode Cooper, Marek Alent) 7:56.65.

1,600: 25. Luke Campbell, Brighton, 4:38.67.

3,200: 13. Brady Matuszewski, Brighton, 9:38.46; 16. Tyler Langley, Brighton, 9:42.05; 29. Luke Campbell, Brighton, 10:13.26.

Pole vault: 2. Liam Kinney, Brighton, 16-0.

Discus: 16. Luke Eros, Howell, 143-10; 18. Hunter Harding, Brighton, 141-0; 26. Cade Riddle, Brighton, 133-8.

High jump: 19. TJ Fischhaber, Howell, 5-11.

Shot put: 4. Jaxson Wilson, Hartland, 52-0.75.

DIVISION 2

Boys

100: 32. Owen Presley, Fowlerville, 11.44.

400: 14. Colten Lumadue, Pinckney, 51.23.

1,600: 7. Evan Loughridge, Pinckney, 4:18.51.

3,200: 9. Ethan Sandula, Pinckney, 9:35.13.

800 relay: 21. Fowlerville (Evan Atkinson, Carl Neuman, Owen Presley, Lorenzo Wojcik) 1:33.30.

3,200 relay: 6. Pinckney (Paul Moore, Zach Newman, Zach DeBeauclair, Ethan Sandula) 7:57.16.

High jump: 18. Andrew Otberg, Pinckney, 6-1.

Pole vault: 11. Conor Trotter, Pinckney, 12-10; 16. Landon Aeschliman, Fowlerville, 11-8.

Girls

800 relay: 18. Pinckney 1:50.02.

Pole vault: 22. Nadia Jacobs, Pinckney, 9-3.

Long jump: 6. Brielle Reason, Pinckney, 17-1.25.

DIVISION 3

Boys

400: 22. Adam Surowiec, Charyl Stockwell, 55.95.

110 hurdles: 8. Mitchell Vaske, Charyl Stockwell, 15.63.

300 hurdles: 9. Mitchell Vaske, Charyl Stockwell, 41.60; 33. Joe Vance, Charyl Stockwell, 45.75.

1,600: 16. Raymond Rogers, Charyl Stockwell, 4:49.62; 19. Anthony Urbaniak, Charyl Stockwell, 5:00.93.

3,200: 22. Anthony Urbaniak, Charyl Stockwell, 11:03.02.

1,600 relay: 20. Charyl Stockwell (EJ Worden, Adam Surowiec, Joe Vance, Paul Brown) 3:43.26.

3,200 relay: 25. Charyl Stockwell (Raymond Rogers, Anthony Urbaniak, Raymond Shumaker, Sebastian Beskow) 9:07.26.

Long jump: 23. Adam Surowiec, Charyl Stockwell, 18-5.5.

Girls

400: 18. Rachel Lanning, Charyl Stockwell, 1:04.23.

800: 21. Ella Heffner, Charyl Stockwell, 2:50.14.

Pole vault: 17. Becka Lethorn, Charyl Stockwell, 8-6.

Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillKhan