As the 2023 indoor season is winding up and the start of outdoor track is beginning, the MHSAA allows high schools to compete indoors for their first meet of the season due to, well, its Michigan and the weather is not always cooperative with outdoor track. The first available week that schools can compete, Grand Valley State State hosts it annual Laker Challenge. Day one being Boys D2/D2 teams, day two being girls D1/D2 teams, and the last day is D3/D4 teams. As normal in West Michigan, the teams at the top of the leader board don't change much as powerhouse schools, Rockford, East Kentwood and Zeeland East have reloaded for another run at a state championship.
The 1600m run was the standout event of the meet. The top three runners all broke 5:00 and rank in the to 50 in the US. Notre Dame signee Arianne Olson of West Ottawa won at 4:56.71 followed by two Grand Valley State signees Annika Sandman of Lowell (4:57.94) and Grandville senior Allison Arnsman (4:59.07). Grand Haven super sophomore Valerie Beeck ran 2:15.11 which is top 50 US mark in the 800m.
Three Rivers senior Kylin Griffin was a workhorse for the Wildcats running four events in a two hour time span. Griffin won the 400m with a time of 59.61 in front of Emma Flanders of Rockford who was second at 59.69. The Allendale sophomore Kennadi Galy did not have to travel far to come to this meet. The local runner won the 200m at 25.74. Two East Kentwood underclassman, Alana Bracey(9.48) and Abigail Terry(9.51) went 1-2 in the 60m hurdles. Zeeland East Senior who will be running at Ferris State next year, Allie Delost won the title of fastest girl of the meet as she blazed to a victory in the 60m Dash with a time of 7.88.
The 4x600m relay came down to the wire as East Kentwood's Soleil Moore, Lexi Hurst, Erika Quibell, and Candance Schultz reached the line winning by .03 over Zeeland East's squad of Ally Kuzma, CC Kuras, Emma Drenk, and Meredith Cook. In the only other relay of the night, Rockford won the 4x300m. Team members are Emma Flanders, Halle Barnard, Greta Caprathe-Buczek, Rylee Zandstra.
East Kentwood had two field events wins with Kayal Harris winning the shot put with a toss of 39'3.75" and sophomore Victoria Spitzley winning the pole vault at 11'6". The winning metal in the long jump went to Madison Nino from Hastings with a leap in the sand of 16'7.5".
Full results for the meet can be seen here: