A 20-year track record was shattered Monday at the Frankfort Invitational as Glen Lake senior Eleanor Valkner broke the discus record by over two feet.
“I’ve always looked up at the board in our gym and looked at the records for throwing shotput and discus. I knew that would be so cool if I could ever throw that far because my aunt and uncle are both up there for track.” Valkner said. “Now I finally am. It’s a great honor. It just shows that all my hard work was paid off and all this work we’ve been doing is paying off.”
Valkners record breaking throw of 121 feet 2 inches surpasses a 2004 throw of 119 feet 1 inch from Sarah Moilanen.
“We’ve been working really hard in practice. I’ve had a couple bombs previously in practice and I knew I could throw so far ... I’ve been faulting in meets ... But then yesterday it kind of clicked. I was able to get my footwork and pop the bomb out there,” Valkner said.
Valkner credits her technique, footwork, and better use of her off-arm for adding distance to her throw. Last year, her best was 105 feet 10 inches. She is currently ranked first in the region for discus and fourth in the region for shot putt.
Valkner joins Glen Lake junior Colebrook Sutherland as the second Laker to break a record over the past week.
Valkner was far from the only athlete who shined at the Frankfort Invitational on Monday, as athletes set multiple PRs preparing for the regional meet in East Jordan on Saturday at 9 a.m.
Leland junior Ella Knudsen improved her personal record time in the mile by 10 seconds.
“I think it was the mental state and having the confidence and wanting to be the best,” Knudsen said.
Knudsen will be heading into the regionals as the No. 2 runner in the mile, two-mile, and 800meter run, behind Buckley senior Aiden Harrand. Leland freshman Natalie Burpee is ranked third.
“I’m thinking of everything positive and lots of confidence and being excited and ready for Saturday,” Knudsen said.
Knudsen was the anchor of the 4x800-relay team consisting of Ellen Schwiger, Burpee, and Abby Hicks that took first at the invitational with a time 11:06.
“We are just figuring it out and our hand-offs are coming together and it’s encouraging. We are a really great team. (It will take) all of us putting our best out there and wanting it and keep on encouraging each other and working hard, having a good mindset,” Knudsen said.
For the boys, Leland senior Agustin Creamer finished in second place for the two-mile and third place on Monday.
“I think adapting to having stability on the pace. Every lap, I’m hitting the times I’ve been needing to hit. I’ve been making progress throughout the season and now I can keep the progress going, cutting some seconds off the time,” Creamer said. “We have lots of people that have equal chances of qualifying states and even being regional champions. This year I’m excited to see what’s gonna happen at regionals. I’m ready to go.”
Frankfort Invitational Individual Results: Boys 100-meter: 3. Boden Fisher GL 12.31, 5. Hunter Cox GL 12.75, Logan Defour 13.04 Leland, Porter Martin GL 13.08.
200-meter: 1. Allen GL 24.03, 2. Fisher GL 24.38, 9. Cox GL 26.23, DeFour Leland 26.60 400-meter: Agustin Creamer Leland 56.92, Oliver Mitchell St. Mary 57.80, 9. Isaac Bright GL 1:01.
800-meter: Colebrook Sutherland 2:06.64 GL, 6. Derek Graham (St. Mary) 2:20, 7. Carson Adams 2:28 GL 1600-meter run: 1. Colebrook Sutherland GL 4:37.27, 2. Abraham Feeney GL 4:54.43, 9. Daniel Chaney 5:41.87.
3200-meter: 2. Creamer Leland 10:26, 3. Feeney GL 10:49, Jimmy Alpi Leland 12:40, 10. Britton Wheeler GL 12:48.
110-meter hurdles: 3. Alpi Leland 45.38, 5. Caden Sheehan GL 47.41.
4x200 relay: 1. GL 1:36 (Fisher, Allen, Bixby, Cundiff), 4. Leland 1:44 (Creamer, Breckett DeFour, Logan DeFour, Brady Keen).
4x400 1. GL 3:46 (Sutherland, Bixby, Fisher, Allen).
4x800 relay: 1. GL 9:05 (Feeney, Bixby, Jacob Plamondon, Sutherland).
Discus: Warren Ayslworth GL 125’ 3, 4. Thomas Skipper GL 120’ 11, 9. Will Grant St. Mary 87’ 3.
High Jump: 3. Jacob Plamondon GL 5’10 Pole Vault: 2. Anthony Forton GL 8’, 4. Tobias Bradford GL 6’ 6.
Long jump: 3. Logan DeFour Leland 18’ 2.5, 5. Breckin Nerg GL 16’ 8.25, Hunter Cox GL 16 1’.
Girls results: 2. Kariesue Taghon GL 13.23, 5. Elyse Atha Leland 14.49, 8. Faith Herman GL 15.37, 9. Izzy Schopieray GL
15.77, 10. Natalie Albu St. Mary
16.28, 11. Teagan Martinson St. Mary 16.4, 12. Leah Plamondon St. Mary 16.51.
200-meter: 2. Taghon 27.81, 5. Atha 29.92, Abby Hicks Leland
32.87, 10. Piper Briggs GL 33.22.
400-meter: 3. 5. Ellen Schwaiger Leland 1:14, 6. Maggie Ursu St. Mary 1:17, 9. Maya Truog GL 1:25
800-meter:
7. Ella Knudsen Leland 3:02,
8. Schwaiger Leland 3:02
1600-meter: Knudsen 5:26 , 6. Kendra Couturier St. Mary 6:32.
3200-meter: 1. Natalie Burpee Leland 13:10, 5. Couturier 14:15.
4x100-relay: 3. GL 57.58 (Herman, Eleanor Valkner, Schopieray, Emily Alaimo).
4x200: 2. GL 1:54 (Alaimo, Robin Lane, Lydia Fosmore, Taghon).
4x400: 2. GL 4:30 (Taghon, Alaimo, Lane, Fosmore).
4x800 relay: 1. Leland 11:06 (Schwaiger, Burpee, Hicks, Knudsen) Shot Put: 2. Valkner 32’ 9, 5. Jadelynn Miller GL 27’ 10, 7. Alyssa Korson Leland 26’ 9 , 10. Elizabeth Grant St. Mary 24’ 10.
Discus: 1. Valkner GL 121 ‘2 school record, 5. Jessica Grant St. Mary 89’ 1, 8. Alyssa Korson St. Mary 75’ 4, 9. Elizabeth Grant St. Mary 66’ 1.
High Jump: 5. Atha Leland 4’5. Long Jump: Fosmore GL 14’
1.5, 10. Atha 12’ 1.25.
