Quincy High School

The Quincy Orioles track and field teams turned in an outstanding performance Saturday at the MHSAA LP Region 25-3 Meet hosted by Hillsdale High School, with multiple athletes qualifying for the MHSAA State Finals and both teams finishing near the top of the standings. The Quincy boys team placed 5th overall with 70 points in a loaded regional field, while the Lady Orioles earned a strong 4th-place finish with 68.5 points. Leading the way for the boys was senior Clayton Benson, who qualified for the State Finals in both hurdle events. Benson finished runner-up in the 110-meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 14.59 and then captured a regional championship in the 300-meter hurdles with another personal-best mark of 40.26. Junior Noah Rufenacht also had a tremendous day in the field events, qualifying for state in both the high jump and long jump. Rufenacht tied for first place in the high jump by clearing 6’6” and later won the regional title in the long jump with a leap of 21’2.75”. Senior Chayse Jensen punched his ticket to the State Finals in the 800-meter run with a personal-best time of 2:02.07 to win the regional championship. Jensen also helped Quincy’s 4x400 relay team qualify for state. The relay team of sophomore Grant Longardner, senior Jensen, junior Noah Rufenacht, and senior Clayton Benson finished 4th overall in 3:33.10 to earn a qualifying spot. Additional strong performances for the boys included sophomore Noah Kelley placing 6th in the 200-meter dash (24.09), the 4x800 relay team of sophomores Grant Longardner and Carter Feltner, junior Coy Wood, and senior Chayse Jensen finishing 4th, and sophomore Tayte Waddell placing 4th in the shot put with a throw of 44’4”. Senior Lincoln Sims added a 6th-place finish in shot put at 43’10”, while junior Isaiah Staggs finished 5th in discus with a personal-best throw of 127’1”. Senior Hayden Peters also added help to the scores in discus with an 8th-place finish. On the girls side, sophomore Elizabeth Longardner had a breakout regional performance, qualifying for the State Finals in sprint events. Longardner won the regional championship in the 200-meter dash with a time of 27.28 and followed it up with another regional title in the 400-meter dash in 1:01.08. Senior Brookelyn Parker continued her big senior season by qualifying for state in both hurdle events. Parker won the 100-meter hurdles in a season-best 15.31 and later captured another regional title in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 46.90. The girls 4x400 relay team also qualified for the State Finals after finishing runner-up overall. The team consisted of senior Elizabeth Craig, junior Kendyl Musielewicz, senior Brookelyn Parker, and sophomore Elizabeth Longardner. Other strong performances for the Lady Orioles included junior Kendyl Musielewicz placing 7th in the 800-meter run with a personal-best time of 2:30.03. The 4x200 relay team of seniors Elizabeth Craig and Brookelyn Parker, junior Kali Kugler, and sophomore Elizabeth Longardner earned a 5th-place finish. In the field events, sophomore Addison Hasten placed 3rd in discus with a throw of 97’11” and added a 9th-place finish in shot put. Sophomore Ashlyn Fickle earned a 3rd-place medal in the high jump after clearing 4’11”. Senior Piper Craig tied for 9th in the pole vault, while freshman Riley Myers and junior Kali Kugler both earned medals in the long jump with personal-best performances. Myers placed 7th at 15’4”, while Kugler finished 8th with a jump of 14’9”. The Orioles will now prepare for the MHSAA State Finals as Quincy sends another strong group of athletes to compete against the best in Division 3. Full Results Here: https://www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/meet/630758/results/all