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Division Three Finals at Comstock Park

Bad Axe: Despite having just a handful of athletes that qualified for the State Finals in 2006, the Lady Hatchets made a run at a State Title in D3 and finished fourth overall (Bad Axe scored 33 points, Kent City won with 42 points).

Bad Axe's success was the result of an outstanding effort from Stephanie Byrne who finished first in the 400 (57.29), second in the 200 (25.75) and fourth in the 100 (12.69). She was also part of a 400 relay team that finished fourth overall (50.77). Jackie Howard, who qualified in three events (the pole vault, 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles) placed seventh in the 300 hurdles (47:34).

With Byrne and Howard lost to graduation, Bad Axe's lone qualifier this year was their 400 relay team of Kristi Essenmacher, Danay Majeski, Kim Schenk and Kylee Schrader-Talaski. Their qualifying time of 52.52 was just over a second more than the qualifying time of the 2006 relay team (51.44) and ranked them 22nd amongst other D3 qualifiers in that event.

For the Hatchet boys, their lone qualifier was Aeron Grigg in the discus. His toss of 137-7 placed him 15th when compared to the throws of other qualifiers.

Cass City: Despite winning a Regional Title in Bad Axe recently, the Red Hawks qualified athletes in just seven events. That was a significant improvement from 2006, when their lone qualifiers were Scott Meeker in the shot put and Chris Zawilinski in the high jump (he tied for fourth with a jump of 6-1).

Zawilinski didn't qualify in the high jump this year (his teammate Chris Summersett did with a jump of 6-3 1/10), but will be part of a qualifying 1,600 relay team (3:35.96) that also includes Summersett, Austin Babich and Mark Koepf. Their time in the relay ranks them 22nd amongst D3 teams competing in the event and is over nine seconds more than top seed Saginaw Swan Valley (3:26.48).

Other Red Hawk qualifiers include Dennis Bowen in the shot put (48-11 1/2), Koepf in the pole vault (12-6), Babich in the 200 (23.02), as well as Lukas Varney in the 1,600 (4:38.46) and 3,200 (10:37.3). Of those athletes, Bowen has the best chance of placing at the State Finals, as his throw ranked ninth amongst other D3 qualifiers (Nate English from Hillsdale was the top seed with a 57-10).

For the Lady Red Hawks, Jennica Richards qualified in both the 110 hurdles (16.53) and 300 hurdles (49.43), while Brittany Loomis advanced in the 3,200 (12:34.31). Jennica's time in the 100 hurdles was the most competitive of the three times, as it ranked 17th amongst other qualifiers.

Ashley Puterbaugh was the lone qualifier last year for the girls in the shot put, but did not place.

USA: It will be an uphill battle this year for the USA boys, who finished eighth at the D4 finals last year. This year they qualified runners in just four events.

Leading the way will be Matt Eisengruber who was part of the 3,200 relay team that set a D4 meet record with a time of 8:01.17 (he teamed with Brennan Fischer, Matt Niziolek and Jared Fischer) last year. This year his teammates in the 3,200 relay will be Erik Kuhl, Isaiah Jackson and Jordan Vollmar (8:35.01).

Other qualifiers include Eisengruber in the 800 (1:58.38), Jackson in the 400 (51.74) and the 1,600 relay team of Travis Blunt, Joel Goodwin, Vollmar and Eisengruber (3:34.35).

For the Lady Patriots that won the GTW League title this season, they will be led by Sara Turschak who qualified individually in the pole vault (9-0), 1,600 (5:33.98) and 3,200 (12:24.63). Turschak placed seventh in the 1,600 (5:19.53) in last year's finals.

Turschak will also be competing as part of the 3,200 relay (10:24.86) along with Jordan Hessler, Mercy Martinez and Cami Valentine (last year's team finished fifth with a time of 9:53.39 in the 2006 Finals). Other qualifiers include Valentine in the 800 (2:30.38), Martinez in the 1,600 (5:41.82), Carly Treiber in the discus (111-10), Jessica Treiber in the discus (100-7) and the 1,600 relay team of Martinez, Valentine, Laura Kuhl and Zoey Wissner (4:22.54).

Division Four Finals at Forest Hills Eastern

Caseville: For the second straight year, Emily Quinn will be the lone representative for the Eagles in the State Finals. Like last year, she qualified in both the 100 hurdles (16.9) and 300 hurdles (49.99).

While she is seeded low off of those times (25th in the 100 hurdles and 19th in the 300 hurdles), the times are actually more competitive then they seem. In the 100 hurdles, there is just a one second difference between her time and that of the fourth seed (North Huron's Caitlyn Homrich 15.89). In the 300 hurdles, she is within less than a second of ninth seeded Jacqueline Kirsch from Harbor Beach (49.06).

Harbor Beach: The Pirate boys finished 10th in the Finals last year, but repeating or surpassing that success will be difficult as the team lost hurdler Ryan Irwin to graduation. Irwin placed fourth in the 300 hurdles and fifth in the 110 hurdles.

This year's qualifiers include Kevin Ginther in both the 800 (2:03.03) and long jump (20-1), as well as Brian Siedl in the pole vault (11-6) and the 400 relay team of Bradley Mazure, Derek Mazure, Siedl and Gabe Callender (47.81). Of those athletes, Ginther has the best chance of placing as he is seeded seventh in the 800.

The Lady Pirates, who finished with just three points at last year's meet, have a good chance for a better finish this year. Jacqueline Kirsch who placed seventh in the pole vault (9-3) and eighth in the 300 hurdles (48.68) last year, qualified in the 100 hurdles (16.78), 300 hurdles (49.06), pole vault (9-9), as well as the 1,600 relay team (4:16.28) along with Ali Wessels, Holly Buchholz and Bri Woycehoski.

Other qualifiers for the girls include Buchholz in the 800 (2:28.33), Woycehoski in the 800 (2:29.7) and 1,600 (5:31), Wessels in the 1,600 (5:37.04), Stephanie Blanchard in the discus (96-11) and the 3,200 relay team of Buchholz, Melissa Erdman, Wessels and Woycehoski (9:52.71).

North Huron: After not qualifying a single athlete for the finals last year, the Warriors will be sending four this year.

For the Lady Warriors, freshmen Caitlyn Homrich and Megan Heffner both qualified in multiple events. Homrich will compete in the 100 hurdles (15.89) and 200 (27.47), while Heffner battle in the high jump (5-3) and 300 hurdles (48.74). Homrich set school records in both of those events this season, while Heffner set school marks in the high jump and 100.

The duo has a legitimate chance to place at the Finals this year, as Homrich was seeded fourth in the 100 hurdles and 13th in the 200, while Heffner was seeded third in the high jump and sixth in the 300 hurdles.

For the boys, Jason LesPerance qualified in the 300 hurdles (43.03), while Ed Wisneski made it in the pole vault (11-6).

Port Hope: After qualifying no athletes for the State Finals last year, Port Hope got an athlete in this year as Marci Abraham qualified in the shot put (34-0), an event in which she set the school record this year. Abraham's distance of 34 feet placed her 15th amongst other qualifiers in D4. The number one seed was Gwen Buchhop from Hillsdale Academy with a toss of 38-8 3/4.

Ubly: The Lady Bearcats won the D4 State Title last year, beating Flint Hamady 64-61. With 22 qualifiers this year, compared to 16 last year, their chances of winning a second straight State Title have to be considered good.

Leading the way for Ubly will be Jade Kaufman who qualified individually in the 100 (12.32), 200 (26.21) and 400 (59.86). Kaufman was the top seed in the 200 and 400, as well as fourth in the 100. She finished second in the 200 (26.5) and 400 (1:00.04) and third in the 100 (12.78) in last year's finals.

Other individual qualifiers include Shelby LaBuhn in the high jump (5-1) and the 100 hurdles (16.04), Shannon Weber in the high jump (5-0), in the 100 hurdles (16.39) and in the 300 hurdles (50.14), Kayla Kubacki in the long jump (15-10 3/4) and in the 400 (1;01.82), Kalyn Helewski in the 100 hurdles (16.53), Nicole Franzel in the 300 hurdles (49.44), Lyndsay White in the 400 (1:02.41) and in the 800 (2:27.44), Kylee Kubacki in the 800 (2;27.89) and in the 1,600 (5:20.59), Chelsey Kubacki in the 800 (2:29) and Jennifer White in the 800 (2:29.36).

The Bearcats also qualified in all four relays.

In the 3,200 relay the team of Kayla Kubacki, Jennifer White, Chelsey Kubacki and Kylee Kubacki set a school record at Regionals with a time of 9:37.84. The previous mark of 9:41.18 was set at last year's Finals. Other qualifying relays included the 400 relay of Alison McDonald, Tammy Rutkowski, Jennifer White and LaBuhn (53.43), the 800 relay team of McDonald, Helewski, Hill and Lyndsay White (1:51.87) and the 1,600 relay team of Kaufman, Kayla Kubacki, Lyndsay White and Hill (4;16.28).

The 1,600 relay and 3,200 relay teams are the number one seeds in their respective events.

After not qualifying any athletes last year, the Ubly boys will send Cody David in the 100 (11:54), as well as Jason Schroeder in both the 100 (11.55) and 200 (24.02).