Grafton, Port score track and field honors

Nine Grafton High School track and field athletes etched their names in the North Shore Conference record book on Monday.

Three relays set meet records.

The 3,200-meter relay of Callie Faust, Abby Barthelemy, Emily Sewell and Cali Tagliapietra won in a record 9 minutes, 28.88 seconds.

The group just started running the event a few weeks ago, although they each ran the 800 individually at some point this season.

Sewell, Barthelemy, Melanie Morgan and Tagliapietra won the 1,600 relay in a record 4:01.38.

“We just push each other at practice every single day. It’s competitive but it’s always fun because we get along so well,” Tagliapietra said.

“We’re just really pushing ourselves to do the best we can because we’re getting close to championship season,” Sewell said. “We’re having fun. We’re excited.”

Both those relays, with Marissa Morgan in place of her younger sister Melanie, finished third in the Division 2 state race last year.

The 800 relay of Vinh Ho, Hunter Klippel, DJ James and Seva Belousov won in 1:29.11, setting an NSC meet record.

James set the school record in the 100 dash by finishing in 10.89 seconds, good for sixth. He broke the record of 11.04 set by Jon Luber in 2000, which was tied in 2012 by Zach Debuhr.

James was third in the 200 in 22.01 seconds, the second-fastest in school history.

“I just started doing it this year,” James said of the 200. The key, he said, is “the early season workouts.”

Other all-conference performances came from Jayden Smith-Kaylor, who was second in the high jump by clearing 6 feet, 2 inches, his personal best. Morgan was third in the 300 hurdles in 49.01.

Like James, Smith-Kaylor didn’t always compete in the high jump.

“I used to do long jump. I wasn’t the greatest at that so I switched over,” he said. “I always could jump high. It’s more satisfying than long jump was for me.”

Grafton’s girls scored 34 points and finished last of seven teams at the meet. Nicolet won with 170, followed by Slinger’s 114.333.

The boys scored 50 points and were fifth. Homestead won with 190.5 and Nicolet had 131.75.

Grafton is the only Division 2 team in the NSC. The rest are in Division 1.

Grafton boys, Port girls win

The Black Hawk boys won last Friday’s Black Hawk Invite with 116 points. Port Washington was second with 97 points in the 16-team meet.

Belousov won the 400 in 52.15. James won the 200 in 22.68. Jacob Ciche won pole vault by clearing 11 feet. Smith-Kaylor won the high jump by clearing 6-2.

Grafton got three seconds: Sam Heerey, shot put, 47-4.25; Reed Schaefer, triple jump, 42-2.25; Ho 300 hurdles, 43.02.

For Port, Davion Igess won the triple jump with 43-0.75. Thilar Goodman won the 300 hurdles in 39.79. The 400 relay of Joe and Zeke Rico, Kiya Sullivan and Kalin Mundt won in 44.36 seconds. The 1,600 relay of Goodman, Joe and Zeke Rico and Sullivan won in 3:28.51, then ran across the track to check on a Milwaukee Lutheran runner who was injured in the race. Each gave him a high five.

“Those guys are excellent competitors, and it was great to see that display of sportsmanship,” coach Mark Pasten said.

“We’ve built a lot of connection throughout the season,” Sullivan said of the relay. “We always compete and race each other.”

Port got three seconds: LeRoy Pinkston, 110 hurdles, a personal-best 16.3; 3,200 relay of John Dohrwardt, Aidan Manz, Dylan Helmeid and Jameson Koebel, 8:46.99; and the sprint medley relay of Mason Schwanz, Nathan Nisiewicz, Xander Mihalko and Gio Jacque, 50.99.

Port’s girls scored 120 points, beating Kettle Moraine Lutheran’s 104.

Division 1 state champion high jumper Peyton Keller won that event by clearing 5-4, and she won the triple jump with 36-5.

“It’s a lot more stressful this year,” she said of being a state champ, adding “I’m having a lot of fun.”

Ada Mueller-Stenz won the 100 in 13.19 and was second in the 200 in 26.98 and in the long jump with 17-4.25. The 400 relay of Keller, Peytan Kinzel, Amari Brownmiller and Mueller-Stenz set a meet record in 50.31.

“I think it’s everyone’s hope to get the meet record. We had amazing weather today. PR (personal record) weather,” Mueller-Stenz said.

School-record holder Grace Baumann was second in pole vault, clearing 10-3.

The sprint medley relay of Hazel Burkart, Chloe Rychtik, Hadley O’Leary  and Kendra Gonzales won in 59.54.

Grafton was 10th with 29.5 points. Sewell won the 800 in 2:22.91. Tagliapietra was second in the 400 in 58.95 seconds. Many entries were held out for Monday’s NSC Meet.

Port was to compete in the Glacier Trails Conference Meet at Kewaskum on Tuesday, May 19. Port competes in a Division 1 regional at Neenah on Tuesday, May 26. The top four advance to the sectional May 29 at Beaver Dam. The top three entries qualify for state.

Grafton hosts a Division 2 regional on May 26, then competes at the Kewaskum sectional on May 29. The top four entries qualify for state.

The state meet is in La Crosse.