SAUGATUCK – The Saugatuck girls track and field team has been a powerhouse for two decades, most often led by a plethora of distance specialists.
This year’s Trailblazers are again one of the top teams in the state, but are led by sprinters and field events, something unique in recent program history.
“The past two years we have been in the rebuild phase. We have been clawing our way back. We have always been a distance school, and we still have a lot of up-and-comers there, but this is a different distribution than we are used to,” Saugatuck coach Angelina Bauer said. “We have some stars in field events and that is different for us. It has been fun for us to see that.
The Trailblazers have a lot of new faces contributing and they will look to lead Saugatuck to a regional title at home Friday, while qualifying for state in their individual events.
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Freshman Novella DeGraaf has been one of the top pole vaulters and hurdlers in West Michigan in her first varsity season.
Meanwhile, junior Niki McNeil broke the school record in the discus and has thrived in her breakout season
Senior Brook Simpson joined track not having run since freshman year because of basketball and injuries, but she is one of the top 400-meter runners in the state and thrives in the sprints.
That trio added to junior Mazie Robison, an all-state hurdler, has brought together a new dynamic to the Trailblazers.
