State qualifiers to compete Saturday
by Peter Jakey, Managing Editor
Senior Corey Hentkowski, junior David Kerr and freshman Korynn Hincka will compete in the Division IV track and field state finals Saturday in Jenison. All three athletes qualified at the regional meet in Central Lake, nearly two weeks ago. Hentkowski will take part in the long jump and the 100-meter dash, while Kerr qualified for the 100 and will join his teammate for the preliminary races starting at 10 a.m. Hentkowski and Hincka won’t have to wait long to get their day started with field events getting underway at 9:30 a.m. Both Hincka and Hentkowski have reached new milestones in recent weeks.
Hincka set, and reset the school record in the high jump, while Hentkowski had his best long jump of the season Tuesday at the Alpena News Invitational. He took first in the event with a jump of 20? 1.5?. Kerr is returning state qualifier in the 100, and also took a first at the Alpena meet with a time of 11.35. Hentkowski was third (11.39). Both Posen speedsters participated in the 200 as well, with Hentko
Senior Tracy Mulka was third in the discus with a personal record (PR) of 87? 4?. She also was third in the shot put (28? 7?). Also placing third for the Lady Vikings was the 3,200 relay squad of senior April Miller, sophomore Kari Ataman, and eighth-graders Shianne Smolinski and Elizabeth Mulka (12:35.81).. At the conference meet, Hentkowski earned conference championship honors with a first in the long jump (20?), 100 (11.61) and 200 (23.85, PR). Hincka was first in the high jump (4? 10?).
There were several PR?s at conference, and are as follows: shot put, junior Dustin Thomas, 30? 8?, 14th; discus, Thomas, 92? 5?, 10th; 200, Kerr, 24.19, 6th; 3,200, sophomore Warren Beach, 11:16.43, 4th; 1,600 relay, sophomore Martin Mulka, senior Patrick Schuch, Beach and Kerr, 3:59.69, 3rd; discus, sophomore Kristina Wisniewski, 78? 7?, 4th; long jump, Elizabeth Mulka, 12? 3?, 8th; 1,600, Hincka, 5:51.89, 2nd; 400, Miller, 1:15.97, 10th; 300 low hurdles, Kari Ataman, 1:00.14, 6th; 800, Hincka, 2:41.96, 2nd; 200, eighth-grader Erica Ataman, 32.95, 10th.