TAWAS AREA - May 20, 2009 - Ogemaw Heights girls track and field team might be on the young side this season. But thanks not only to league titles in six events -- the most of any school (Standish-Sterling and Tawas Area each had five) -- but to picking up plenty of those critical points in fourth, fifth and sixth places, the Falcons claimed their third straight North East Michigan Conference title.

Ogemaw ran up 184 points (including five "bonus" points for each regular-season NEMC dual meet win) to Tawas Area's 161. SSC followed with 135, with Pinconning (78) taking fourth, John Glenn (41) fifth and Whittemore-Prescott (24) sixth.

The Falcons picked up three league titles from Kalena Franklin in the 100 hurdles (16.03) 400 (1:00.62) and 200 (26.86); Kristeen Soper in the high jump (4-9); Kayla Brindley in the discus (129-9); and Adrien Steinhurst, Rylee Nowak, Laken Morrison and Keely Wyatt in the 4x800 relay (10:39.79).

But even when the Falcons didn't a title, they seldom much ground. Case in point: 1600 and 3200-meter runs, both won by Tawas Area's Emily Short (5:41.13 and 12:16.43, respectively). The Falcons' Shiloh St. Andrew and Adrien Steinhurst took fifth and sixth in the 1600 (worth seven points), while Shiloh and Cheyenne St. Andrew took fourth and fifth (nine points) in the 3200 to nearly offset Short's points.

"The top girls who were supposed to get first-third go the points we needed from them," said Falcon girls head coach Rick Frank. "The girls whose job it was to try to get sixth-eighth and earn a few points for the team also did what was needed.

"Not everything scored out perfectly -- it never does -- but we had a team effort and working to get the 185 points for the league chamionship meet. That was enough to be crowned NEMC champions."

The Falcons got plenty of points from their throwers, taking first (Brindley) and third (Lauren Steinhurst, 106-10) in the discus and second (Brindley, 38-3), fourth (Steinhurst, 34-5.25) and fifth (Stephanie Brindley, 31-7) in the shot put.

But Standish-Sterling's Ashlyn Gulvas had one of the big moments of the meet, shattering her own conference meet record with a shot put throw of 47-0.5. To put that in perspective, that surpasses the Division 3 state meet qualifying standard of 34-7 by more than 12 feet, and if she can duplicate that throw at this Saturday's state finals would establish a new D3 finals meet record.

"That was shot put by Ashlyn was something else," said Ogemaw Heights throws coach Doug Grezeszak, who routinely sends multiple throwers of his own to the state finals. " You have to give her credit, especially to do that with a bad back.

"My throwers did a nice job, too. I'm really happy for Kayla, who's been having to throw against Ashlyn for these past four years. To finally get one (an NEMC title) in the discus in her last meet, I'm very glad for her."

In addition to Gulvas, SSC got league titles from Katie Ouillette in the long jump (15-10.75); Chelsea Szostak, Jennifer Lentz, Jessica Cousins and Ouillette in the 4x200 relay (1:51.37); Szostak in the 300 hurdles (48.04); and Szostak, Lentz, Ouillette and Gulvas in the 4x400 relay (4:14.39).

Tawas, in addition to short's wins in the 3200 and 1600, had Dana Kolnitys win the 100 (13.50); Kolnitys, Chelsea Wojahn, Richelle Payea and Shelby Benoit in the 4x100 (51.90); and Payea in the 800 (2:35.47).

Pinconning's Sadie McGillen claimed the pole vault with a leap of 7-9.

FULL RESULTS