It was the most dominant regional track and field performance by a Livingston County school in at least 30 years.
Pinckney’s boys won eight events to capture the Division 2 championship at Dearborn Divine Child with 162 points.
The Pirates’ girls placed second with 151 points, a total that would easily win most regionals. Divine Child won with 173.5.
In records going back to 1994, those are the highest point totals by a county team at regionals. Pinckney’s boys eclipsed the 138 points scored last year when Brighton won the Division 1 regional at Grand Ledge. The Pirates’ girls surpassed Brighton’s total of 115 in 2008.
It was the third regional championship in the past four seasons for Pinckney’s boys, who had state qualifiers in 11 of 17 events. The girls had their best finish since placing second in 2004 at Milford.
“The kids really stepped up,” Pinckney boys coach Jim Wicker said. “It was a complete team effort. We had a lot of kids who came to compete and performed really well.”
Wicker isn’t sure how the Pirates’ dominant regional performance will translate at the state meet June 1 at Hamilton High School.
“In that regional, Divine Child is a really good program,” Wicker said. “Their girls are unbelievable. There’s a lot of good individuals and relays. I don’t think other teams had the depth that we had.”
Senior Paul Moore and sophomore Sam Burtts had exceptional performances for Pinckney’s boys, who won by 40 points over Divine Child.
Moore pulled off the most difficult triple on a hot day, winning the 1,600-meter run in 4 minutes, 18.91 seconds, the 3,200 in 9:32.59 and anchoring a first-place finish by the 3,200 relay. Zach Newman, Parker Hays and Ethan Sandula were also on that relay team, which finished in 8:01.39.
Burtts swept the hurdles, winning the 110 highs in 15.48 seconds and the 300 in 41.44. Burtts also took second in long jump with a leap of 19 feet, 1.5 inches.
Newman had a hand in three first-place finishes, winning the 800 in 2:01.63 while running on the winning 3,200 and 1,600 relay teams. Also running on the 1,600 relay, which had a time of 3:34.44, were James Uphouse, Hays and Jim Rochowiak.
Uphouse won the 400 in 51.97.
Evan Loughridge ran additional-qualifying times with his third-place finishes in the 1,600 (4:22.75) and 3,200 (9:35.86). The top two finishers and athletes who met a qualifying standard advanced to the state meet.
Placing second for the Pirates were Jacob Duncan in discus (134-9) and Colton Spinelli in pole vault (11-8).
Pinckney freshman Jaelyn Ray became the first county girl to sweep the 1,600 and 3,200 at regionals since Brighton’s Elizabeth Kinneer in 1999. Ray won the 1,600 in 5:22.76 and the 3,200 in 11:40.82.
Another freshman, Davea Crowe, won the 300 hurdles in 47.90 and was on two second-place relay teams. Senior Brielle Reason won the long jump with a leap of 17-4 and was on three second-place relays.
Reason, Madison Cooke and CeCe Thorington were on runner-up teams in the 400 relay (50.73), 800 relay (1:45.36) and 1,600 relay (4:15.73). Crowe ran on the 400 and 800 relay teams, while Brooklyn Reason was on the 1,600 team.
Pinckney used its top sprinter, Thorington, to help get relays to the state meet. She has a conflict with softball districts in Chelsea the same day, but can be replaced on a relay team.
Nadia Jacobs won pole vault with a 10-foot performance.
Qualifying with second-place finishes were Maddie Karsies in the 3,200 (12:33.59), Mya Karolak in high jump (4-11) and Brianna Wheaton in pole vault (9-0).
Division 3 at Stockbridge
Charyl Stockwell’s girls matched their best regional finish in program history, placing third with 93 points.
Winning championships for the Sentinels were Rachel Lanning in the 400 in 1:03.36, Ella Heffner in the 800 in 2:33.26 and Becka Lethorn in pole vault at 8-3. Lethorn was also second in long jump at 14-4.75.
Freshman Bailey Yates was second in the 300 hurdles in 52.31.
Stockwell’s 1,600 relay of Lauren Hammond, Heffner, Lanning and Ellie Ulman took second in 4:34.58. The 3,200 relay of Heffner, Abigail Pick, Ciera Geary and Maecy Zarate was second in 11:51.06.
In the boys meet, Nathan Vaske won pole vault at 13-6 and Anthony Urbaniak captured the 3,200 in 10:43.17 for the Sentinels, who were fourth with 81 points.
Teddy Gottbreht was second in shot put at 40-9 and Owen Carlson’s third-place time of 42.70 in the 300 hurdles reached the additional-qualifying standard.
The 3,200 relay team of Beckett Fitch, Elijay Killinger, Urbaniak and Alex Pick was second in 9:03.11.
Division 2 at Corunna
Fowlerville senior Adam Aeschliman won pole vault with a leap of 13-2.
The Gladiators’ only other state qualifier was senior Owen Presley, who was fourth in the 100 in 11.24.
The best finish by a Fowlerville girl was a third-place showing by Fiona Gitulli in long jump (15-11.5).
Fowlerville’s boys tied for eighth with 28 points, while the girls were 14th with 10.
Division 4 at Lutheran Westland
Sophomore Taylor Wiegand became the first Livingston Christian girl to qualify for the state meet, winning the 800 in 2:25.50 and placing fifth with an additional-qualifying time of 5:33.46.
A one-girl team, Wiegand is the only Falcon to compete in track and field since Paxton Titus won state Division 4 championships in shot put and discus in 2017.
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on X @BillKhan
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