DeHart leads Kentwood to state title | GIRLS TRACK

Holly DeHart put the butterflies aside Saturday afternoon at Mount Tahoma High.

A year after being overcome by flu-like symptoms caused by overwhelming nervousness, the Kentwood High senior delivered one of the finest performances in state track history. DeHart blistered the track to gold-medal finishes in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, and ran key legs on two winning relay teams en route to helping the Conquerors run away with the team title with 66 total points.

Kentwood, which has been unstoppable on the track this spring, finished 23 points ahead of second-place Inglemoor (43).

As for the nerves that slowed DeHart last year …

“I left them on the track,” she said laughing moments after winning the 100-meter dash in a personal best 11.97 seconds.

DeHart established new personal bests in both the 100 and 200 (24.29) and was far and away the finest female athlete on the oval Saturday afternoon.

“Is it possible to have a better day?” quipped Kentwood coach Steve Roche. “Everything she got today, she earned.”

Yet, as good as DeHart was — and, on Saturday, she was better than she has ever been — she was far from the lone reason the Conquerors came away with the program’s first-ever state title in track.

On Thursday, the first day of the state meet, thrower Alyx Toeaina established a personal best in the discus with a winning toss of 136-feet, 3 inches. Toeaina, a junior, wasn’t done, either. She later captured a third-place finish in the shot put with another personal record, this time with a mark of 43-feet, 9 inches.

“I knew I had a chance,” said Toeaina, who entered the state meet among the contenders in the shot put and discus, but not as a favorite.

Blistering times proved to be the norm for the Conquerors during the state meet.

In addition to DeHart’s big meet, Kentwood’s 4 x 100 and 4 x 100 relay teams (the combination of Mykala Benjamin, Quincie Proctor-Guyton, DeHart and Madelayne Varela) were just as good on the way to gold-medal performances.

Of particular note was the 4 x 200 relay, which Kentwood won with a staggering time of 1:41.09. The Conquerors were pushed, as they were all meet long, by Tahoma (Kassie Jensen, Paige Hammock, Mande McKinney, Cassidy Richmond), which took second with a time of 1:41.20. A testament to how good girls track in the area has become, Kent-Meridian (Stephanie O’Hara, Jenica Rogers, Alizhae Hillsman, Kariona Micks) took third in the event with a mark of 1:43.52.

“It just goes to show that there is a lot of competition in the area,” Proctor-Guyton said.

Varela, who competed at Kentlake last year, also did her part to see to it that the Conquerors came home with that top team trophy. Varela took third in the 100 (12.07), fifth in the 200 (24.93) and anchored both of Kentwood’s relay teams. Varela was particularly impressive in the 4 x 200 relay, blowing open what was a tight race in the final 50 meters.

“I was determined for us to win as a team,” she said.

With DeHart establishing a scorching pace throughout, it was hard for the Conquerors to do anything but win.

The Kentwood senior, who has yet to decide on where she will compete in college, came into the meet as the defending state champion in the 200. Thought of more as a 200 runner, DeHart badly wanted to put her versatility on display in other events Saturday.

“A lot of people were telling me that I wasn’t a 100 runner,” she said. “I was really nervous today, especially in the 100, which gets me the most. I think I just mentally prepared better (than last year). It feels good to do it. Every day, I wanted to give up and I had to remind myself what it was that I wanted.

“It feels good to do it here. I feel accomplished.”

The same should be said about the entire Kentwood team, which has slowly evolved into the state’s best.

“When I first got to Kentwood in 2003, we had 14 girls on the team and we won one dual meet in two years,” said Roche. “I projected third before the meet, but it was a very conservative projection.”

In Kentwood’s wake much of the day was Tahoma, which took second in the 4 x 200 and the 4 x 100 relays. Jensen was among both of those relay teams, and finished fifth in the 100 (12.13) and third in the 200 (24.90). Left playing second fiddle to DeHart multiple times during the showcase event, Jensen was anything but bitter.

“I am proud of my team for everything we’ve done,” Jensen said. “It was hard (on the relays) because we really wanted it. We wanted it so bad, but Kentwood wanted it more.”

Jensen also gave credit to DeHart.

“She deserves it,” Jensen said. “She has worked so hard, and I am really proud of her.”

• NOTABLE: In the 1,600, Kent-Meridian’s Alexia Martin took 12th (5:12.81) and Tahoma’s Lauren Clawson took 15th (5:21.29). Martin added a 10th-place finish in the 3,200 (11:15.92) while Tahoma’s Elizabeth Oosterhout finished in 15th (11:30.86). … Kentridge’s Lexi Klinkenberg, one of the area’s top up-and-coming freshmen, took sixth in the 300 hurdles (46.21). … Kent-Meridian’s 4 x 400 relay team (Stephanie O’Hara, Tepri Nelthrope, Alizhae Hillsman, Kariona Micks) ended the meet in strong fashion, taking fourth (3:59.56). … Kent-Meridian’s Chelsea Muskelly took fifth in the high jump (5-4). … Kentridge’s Kim Concillado was the area’s top placer in the pole vault, taking third (11-0). Kent-Meridian’s Jenna Crain tied for fourth (10-6) while Kentridge’s Amelia Carpenter took eighth (10-6). … Katie Lake was Kentridge’s top placer, grabbing a third-place finish in the long jump (17-1.75). Not far behind was Kent-Meridian’s Chloe Watson, who took eighth (16-5.25). … Kent-Meridian’s Sazurice Williams took sixth in the triple jump (36-3). … Tahoma’s Nadine Hyde took seventh in the discus (118-11).