THE HASTINGS
Thursday, March 21, 2024Wilkinson wins high jump
at GLIAC Indoor finals
Claudia Wilkinson cleared the bar in the
high jump at 5 feet 2 inches a few times in
high school, including in a runner-up per-
formance at the 2019 MHSAA Lower
Peninsula Division 2 Track and Field
Finals.
She has added a few inches since then.
Wilkinson, now jumping as a senior for the
Ferris State University Bulldogs, cleared
1.63 meters (about 5 feet 4 inches) to win
the women’s high jump championship at
the 2024 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Ath-
letic Conference Indoor Championships
the weekend of Feb. 24-25.
Wilkinson was the runner-up at the
GLIAC Indoor Championships in the high
jump at the end of her freshman and junior
campaigns and has been in the top eight atthe GLIC Outdoor Championships in each
of her three collegiate seasons so far.
She set her outdoor personal record at the
2023 GLIAC Outdoor Championships
clearing the bar at 1.62 meters. Her indoor
PR came two weeks before the 2024 Indoor
Championships when she cleared 1.
meters at the Big Meet hosted by Grand
Valley State University.
Wilkinson has also competed in hurdle
events and relay races for the Bulldogs
during her first years in Big Rapids. She
was also a state finalist in the 300-meter
low hurdles and in the 4x400-meter relay
for the Trojans during her three varsity
seasons in Middleville. She was a part of
the 2020 class which lost its senior spring
of high school competition to Covid.Big TKWC group earns
spots in MYWAY States
The TK Wrestling Club had more than 30
wrestlers compete in the MYWAY West
Regional at Grandville High School Sunday,
March 10, and 22 of the club’s wrestlers
earned top four finishes to qualify for the
upcoming MWAY State Championships.
TKWC’s Abram Dutcher won the 2008-
2009 HS 218-pound weight class by pinning
The Heights WC’s Adam Morend in their
championship match, and the TKWC also
got regional victories from Sawyer Jones in
the 2016 Open 112-pound class and Tristen
Craig-Wright in the 2015 Open Heavy-
weight A class.
Ryker Reurink, Hendrix Sokoloski, Ben
Landon, Zander Holderman, Ashton Bras-ka and James Manne from the TKWC all
finished second in their divisions.
Kiernan LaMange, Collin Underhill,
Remington Reurink, Donovan Matthes,
Austin Quint and Brekin Mcwhinney were
all third for TKWC. Blake Bossenberger,
Brayden Polmanteer, Levi Sheely, Bryson
Godfrey, Chandler Simerly, David Sheely
and Trace Pfeifer all placed fourth at the
regional.
The TKWC also plans to have six girls
competing in the MYWAY State Champi-
onships.
The MYWAY State Championships will
be held March 21-24 at Wings Event Cen-
ter in Kalamazoo.Ferris State University senior Claudia Wilkinson accepts her medal for winning
the women's high jump at the 2024 GLIAC Indoor Track and Field Championships
the final week of February.The TK Wrestling Club's 2024 MYWAY state qualifiers include (front from left)
Brayden Polmanteer, Ryker Reurink, Kiernan LaMange, Bayleigh Reurink,
Remington Reurink, Colin Underhill, (middle row) Sawyer Jones, Donovan
Matthes, Rilie Hall, Hendrix Sokoloski, Levi Sheely, Bryson Godfrey, David
Sheely, (back) Trace Pfeifer, Brekin Mcwhinney, Matalie Underhill, Zander
Holderman, Ashton Braska, Austin Quint, Ben Landon and Blake Bossenberger
as well as (missing from photo) Tristen Craig-Wright, Chandler Simerly, Abram
Dutcher, James Manne, Raini Braska and Emma Gibson.Barry County Grapplers
will fill MYWAY tourney
The Barry County Grapplers Association
youth wrestling club is excited 35 state qual-
ifying performances this season.
The Grapplers will be in action at this
weekend’s MYWAY State Championships at
Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo.
The club announced that is more grapplers
than any other club in its Southwest Michi-
gan region.
The Grapplers had 25 wrestlers finish in
the top four in their weight class at the
MYWAY Southwest Regional Tournament at
Wings Event Center March 9.
The club had seven grapplers win regional
championships at the tournament including
Lawson Fillingham in the 2016 Open
43-pound weight class, Cayden Fillingham in
the 2016 Open 58 class, Karter Hill at 2012
Open 75, Rayn Evans 2012 Open 90, Lucas
Prowoznik 2012 Open 95, Jace Acker 2010
Open 155 and Angel Meja-Hernandez in the
2009 Open Heavyweight A class.
Patton Boomer, Tristen Sleight, Austin
Friddle, Reyd Zoerman and Jax Balderson all
earned runner-up finishes at the regional. The
top four in each class earned spots in the
MYWAY State Championships.
The Grapplers also had Ethan McCor-mick, Liam Renner, Zaiden Twiss-Young,
Emerson Mansager, Karaline Case, Kenadi
Case, Thomas Walther, Olivia Steeby, Millie
Detmer and Ryan Coller all placed third.
Brayden Detmer, Juaquin Ochoa and Landyn
Neal all placed fourth.
The list of state participants from the club
will also include Kalli Case, Evie Mansager,
Adyson Mayack, Autumn Mayack, Abigail
Frazer and Riley Furrow. Kenadi Case, Karaline
Case, Olivia Steeby and Millie Detmer
Kenadi Case, Karaline Case, Steeby and
Detmer are qualified for the finals in both
open and girls’ divisions.Lion senior duo lifts well
at Powerlifting finals
Brett Bremer
Sports Editor
Maple Valley seniors Nic Martin and Mad-
ison Koons finished off their final high
school powerlifting season at the Michigan
High School Power Lifting Association Var-
sity State Meet at Lake Orion High School
March 9.
Martin placed eighth in the boys’ 132-
pound weight class and Koons was 18th in
the girls’ 140-pound class.
Martin has been powerlifting all four years
of high school and this is Koons’ third year of
powerlifting at Maple Valley. Koons made
her varsity state finals debut in 2024 after just
missing the cut as a junior in 2023. Martin
was lifting in the varsity state finals for the
second time this spring after two years com-
peting at the state JV finals.
They were both pretty happy with the way
they lifted at the finals.
Martin finished two places higher in his
weight class than he did as a junior. He put up
a senior year total of 855 pounds. That mark
included a 305-pound squat, a 220-pound
bench press and a 330-pound deadlift.
The top competitor in his class, Holly’s
Sean Murray, had an overall lift of 1,
pounds including a 370-pound squat, a 255-
pound bench press and a deadlift of 450
pounds. Murray was first in all three events
in the weight class. Martin was fifth in both
the squat and the bench press among the 21
competitors.
“For my bench and deadlift, those are my
new PR’s,” Martin said.
He matched his PR from regionals in the
squat too.
“I’d say it’s a really good jump from last
year,” Martin said.
Koons didn’t break any of her own person-
al records, but she matched a couple.”
I lifted pretty well. I didn’t end up having
a total PR, or having any PRs at the meet,
but I still got to tie all the totals I had lifted
at the two regionals this year, which was a
total of 565.”
She matched her personal record in the
deadlift with a top lift of 250 pounds. It tied
her for 12th in that event at the finals in her
weight class. She had a top squat of 205
pounds and a top bench press off 110 on the
day in Lake Orion.
Yale’s Jaela Krosnick won the girls’ 140-
pound weight class with an overall total of
780 pounds. She had a 275-pound squat, a
175-pound bench press and a 330-pound
deadlift.
“Really going into this year, I knew I just
wanted to go back to state,” Koons said. “I
was very close last year. They take the top
22 and I was 25 last year. I just really want-
ed to get back, especially with it being my
senior year.
“We put in a lot of work in the weight room,
making sure we were up there at least two or
three times a week really working hard. This
year, we were able to expand our girls’ team a
little bit. We had three girls this year. It is
always more fun to lift with friends.”
Koons said she had a good time showing
classmate Kaitlyn Garlinger the ropes a big in
the weight room and enjoyed watching Julia
Mater add to her totals throughout the season.
Both Koons and Martin are now prepping
for the spring varsity track and field season at
Maple Valley. Martin has played football
throughout the falls in high school and Koons
volleyball. Martin expects to continue com-
peting in the pole vault this spring and the
discus. Koons is excited that there are a few
more girls on the Lion varsity girls’ track and
field team this spring. She expects to compete
in hurdles and sprints.“Powerlifting is very mental,” Koons said.
“That mental strength that it brings [helps
you in other sports], and then of course there
are the physical things. Your legs are going to
be stronger. Your arms are going to be stron-
ger. You can run faster and be able to hit the
ball harder, or anything like that.”
Maple Valley teacher Jeffrey Seavolt leads
powerlifting program.
Koons and Martin both competed in two
regional competitions to try and qualify for
the state finals. Koons lifted at Three Rivers
Feb. 3 and then again at Dexter Feb. 24. Mar-
tin competed in regionals at Napoleon Feb. 3
and the one at Dexter.
Neither one of them really expects to
remain a competitive powerlifter in the future,
but they both expect to continue to do some
lifting and stay active beyond high school.
Koons said there isn’t really anything bet-
ter at the state finals than watching others
pushing for records, making the most of all
the work they’ve put in.
“There were a lot of crazy records being
broken in a lot of different weight classes,”
she said. “Seeing everybody group around
that platform cheering everybody on is
great.”The Barry County Grapplers Association youth wrestling club will be sending 35 wrestlers to the MYWAY State Championships
at Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo. The tournament starts Thursday and runs through the weekend.
Maple Valley seniors Madison Koons (left) and Nic Martin competed in the Michigan
High School Powerlifting Association Varsity State Meet March 9, at Lake Orion High
School. Martin placed eighth in his weight class and Koons tallied an 18th-place finish.
(Photo by Brett Bremer)