It seems as though the Fruitport boys track team is pretty gifted in the challenging pole vault event.
First there is freshman Emmitt Renauldo, who easily outdistanced other competitors to take first place at Friday’s Fruitport Invitational.
Renauldo had a winning vault of 13 feet, a full two feet higher than his nearest competition. It was his second straight first place finish of the season, after beating a field of opponents at an O-K Silver conference meet last week.
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The really cool part for Fruitport is that Renauldo is not the only athlete on the team who is mastering the pole vault.
His two nearest competitors on Friday were two Trojan teammates – Ryder Chan in second place at 11 feet and Evan Olson in third place at 10 feet, 6 inches. Fruitport’s Payton Judd came in sevent place at 8 feet, 6 inches.
All of them helped piled up team points for the Trojans, who ended up taking first place at their home invitational with 126 points, sneaking past second-place Reed City, which finished with 118.5. Ludington finished third with 117 points, followed by Grand Rapids Union (78.5) Kenowa Hills (58.5), Manistee (53.5) and Grand River Prep (30).
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The really amazing part is that the Trojans won the title while only taking first place in one of the 17 events – Renauldo’s win in the pole vault.
The trick for the Trojans was having athletes place high in a lot of other events. The top eight athletes in each event won points for their team, and Fruitport had a lot of guys in that category.
The Trojans won 22 medals in the invitational, which went to the top six in every event. They also placed seventh or eighth in 11 events, which meant even more team points.
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“We are extremely proud of our team’s victory!” said Fruitport boys coach Tim McKeeby. “Our boys work very hard and it is exciting to see their hard work pay off! We have a very strong core throughout multiple events who led us to success.
“Special shout out to our seniors. They started their high school track journey when I took over the varsity team. They have been with our coaching staff every step of the way. Their dedication and work ethic has helped shape the team culture. This was our first invitational win and trophy together, so it was extra special!”
Finishing second for Fruitport were Luke Westerlund in the shot put, Damien Jones in the high jump, and Chan in the pole vault.
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Finishing third were Johnnie Kempker in the 100-meter dash, Christian Pavlige in the 800-meter run, Westerlund in the discus and Olson in the shot put.
Taking fourth were Ryder Merkins in the 800-meter run and Braylon Richards in the 300-meter hurdles.
Finishing fifth were Richards in the 110-meter hurdles and Mason Armstrong in the discus.
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Sixth-place finishers were Alan Jackson in the 100-meter dash, Landen Peck in the 400-meter dash, Dylan Winskas in the 3,200-meter run, Connor King in the 110-meter hurdles and Damon Marksbury in the high jump.
The Trojans also had success in the unique relay events, which featured a mix of boys and girls on each team. The points they earned were credited to their teams in both the boys and girls competition.
Finishing second were the 4×100 team of Lily Johnson, SeanPaul O’Brien, Kempker and Bailey Garner, along with the 4×400 team of Merkins, Chloe Anderson, Pavlige and Gen Franklin.
Taking third place was Fruitport’s 4×200 team of Jyles Smith, Layla Phan, Peck and Milla Dykstra, along with the 4×1600 team of Winskas, Claire Kohley, Pavlige and Landon Johnson.
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