Pieczynski leads Viking track teams; qualifies for state

The Posen Viking?s track season started off on an uneasy foot, plagued by small numbers and inexperience. Yet, the red and white traveled to Bellaire Saturday for regional competition, and came back with heads held high with satisfaction. Among numerous personal best records from her team, senior Amanda Pieczynski qualified for her fourth and final run at state finals in Grand Rapids June 3.

THE GIRLS team placed tenth out of 14 schools in the Division Four competition. Pieczynski came out of the blocks with speed on her mind, and earned a solid second place finish in the 200-meter dash with her personal best time of 27.66 seconds. This state-qualifying run was what Pieczynski has been working toward all season. ?Amanda has been working real hard, and she gives it her all,? said coach Chuck Wozniak, ?there is no doubt about that.? Pieczynski just missed qualifying in the 100-meter dash. She placed third with her time of 13.43 seconds. Coach Wozniak has no doubt that Pieczynski can be successful at state this time around. ?It will be tough, but she?s there,? said Wozniak, ?and once you?re there, anything can happen.?

Wozniak also expressed pride in both teams. He chose not to run the 3200-meter relay event for both the boys and girls teams, hoping to save some energy for shorter events. His plan worked well, and both teams landed some impressive finishes. ?We had a lot of bright spots, and I?m really pleased and proud,? said Wozniak. ONE BRIGHT spot was a strong third place finish from the 800-meter relay team consisting of Michelle Mulka, Aleaha Reed, Tina Mulka, and Pieczynski. The girls ran the race in 1:56.82, missing second place by about 30 seconds. That same group of runners also placed fourth in the 400-meter relay with their time of 56 seconds. Wozniak was very pleased with the 1600-meter relay team consisting of Rachel Beach, Tina Mulka, Michelle Mulka, and Reed. The girls sliced 11 seconds off of their best run, and took a fifth place finish in the time of 4:44.17.

?Each girl took time off of her run in that relay,? said Wozniak. ?It was an outstanding performance.? Freshman Reed finished seventh in the 100-meter hurdle competition with her personal best time of 19.31 seconds. Victoria Wozniak placed eighth in the 200-meter dash with her personal best time of 29.25 seconds. Tina Mulka placed eighth in the long jump event with her distance of 12?5.25?. Bonnie Schmitz had a personal best time in the 400-meter dash with her eleventh place finish in a time of 1:16.65.

THE BOYS team placed eleventh in Bellaire. Although there were no state qualifying finishes for the boys team, coach Wozniak was quite impressed with the strength his boys team showed in competition. Garrett Quick had a personal best time in the 800-meter run with his eig

hth place finish in a time of 2:17.42. The 800-meter relay team also added a personal best record and an eighth place finish with their time of 1:43.96. The team is made up of Josh Worthington, Quick, Jason Romel, and Dae Seung Wie. That same group of athletes also placed eighth in the 400-meter relay with their time of 50.39 seconds. Coach Wozniak was quite impressed with the performance from Tyler Krajniak in the 1600-meter run. Krajniak placed fifteenth in his time of 5:21.35, which was 11 solid seconds off of his best run. ?Tyler ran hard and took a lot of time off,? said Wozniak. ?It was a great run for him.?

The Posen Vikings next travel to Fairview Thursday for the North Star League championship. Pieczynski will travel to Grand Rapids for state competition at Forest Hills Eastern High School on Saturday, June 3. Competition starts at 9 a.m.