GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Lake Superior State (LSSU) track and field program competed in the final day of competition at the 2023 GLIAC Outdoor Championships on Friday.
Ryan Reiniche (Hillsdale, Mich.) and Jared Christensen (Orleans, Mich.) got the day started for the Lakers in the men's shot put with Reiniche able to score a point for his team with an eighth place finish after a 14.76m toss in his opening throw of the finals.
True freshman Janelle Docter (Howard City, Mich.) competed in the women's discus throw with a top mark of 29.07m on the day,
Meanwhile, freshman Avery Timm (Petoskey, Mich.) closed out the morning section of field events on a high note after leaping 12.02m in the triple jump which was good enough for an eighth place finish, securing another point for his team.
Later that afternoon, Maddi Gould (Sanford, Mich.) was able to reach a distance of 9.12m in the women's shot put, only 15 centimeters shy of her personal record.
In the men's discus throw, freshman John Kulhanek (Owosso, Mich.) threw for a distance of 31.98m, and senior Timothy Howes (Hartland, Mich.) narrowly missed the finals with a toss of 36.05m. However, Reiniche was able to dig deep for a distance of 44.22 on his final throw to place fifth overall and score four more points for the Lakers.
The women's 4x100-meter relay would also find themselves earning points for their team as Kara Mosher (Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.), Breanyl Baker (St. Catherine, Jamaica), Sofia Salazar (Valle del Cauca, Columbia), and Lindsey Tonello (Cadillac, Mich.) combined for a time of 51.21.
In the men's 4x100-meter relay, were also able to put together a strong showing. However, it was the effort of Andrew Giddens (Cadillac, Mich.) on the anchor leg that truly stole the show. Gettens received the baton at least ten meters behind the runner ahead of him, and by the time he crossed the finish line, he had come within 0.02 seconds of beating him anyway, bringing the unit's combined time to 43.37.
Giddens would then go on to pick up three more points for his team in the finals of the 110-meter hurdles after crossing the finish line in 15.04 seconds to place sixth.
Michael Sherman (Boyne City, Mich.) might not have been able to outdo his 400-meter run from the day prior, but he would still go on to secure a sixth place finish and three more points for the Lakers with a time of 50.36.
Reese Camp (Highland, Mich.) completed the 5,000-meter run with a final time of 17:07.22, and the team of Tonello, Sydney Kapushinski (Imlay City, Mich.), Mosher, and Salazar combined for a time of 4:21.12 in the women's 4x400-meter relay.
The men's 400-meter relay would close out the day. Blake Dunning (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.) started out strong, but despite dealing with pain late in his lap, he persevered to give his team a chance. Eric Somsky (Fenton, Mich.) would then hold his ground for the second lap, and Sherman was able to bypass the runner from Ferris State. Then, Giddens would have one more strong anchor leg left in the tank to secure a combined time of 3:26.85.
Click here for a full list of results.