The Gobles Tigers track teams delivered a strong 1-2 punch in the D4 track regional competition held at Gobles High School Friday. The girls team earned the first place trophy, led by strong relay teams and dominating individual performances by junior Kimberly Barber, while the boys finished a very close second, upsetting meet favorite Marcellus.

Girls coach Lowie van Staveren called the performance by his team almost flawless.

"What an amazing night for Gobles Track and Field," van Staveren said. "What can I say? So many girls contributed to running an almost flawless meet, and the boys came within a hair's breadth, finishing second to Kalamazoo Christian (coached by Gobles graduate David Arrasmith). Everyone heard the Tigers roar tonight. Way to go, Gobles!"

Barber took first in the 100m and 200m dashes, and also finished first in the long jump. She also anchored the first-place Gobles 400-meter relay team (with Jordanne Kovach, Kylee Vosburg, and Taylor Fifer).

The girls also won the 800 meter relay (Kovach, Vosburg, Fifer, and Michaela DeKilder), the 1600m relay (DeKilder, Fifer, Emily Chilla, and Hailey Baxter), and the 3200m relay (Baxter, Michaela Scholte, Alissa Dickerson, and Logan Litchfield).

In the boys' meet, junior Gary Rynd set a new personal best in the pole vault (12' 8), tying for the highest vault of the night, and Pierce Vreeland earned big points for his team in the high jump (tied-first) and long jump, qualifying for the state championship meet in both events. Senior distance runner Josiah Dickerson also turned in a strong night for the Tigers. Dickerson was part of the boys regional champion 3200m relay team (with Mason Lawson, Austin Dobbins, and John Brockway).

The Gobles middle and high school cross-country teams hosted their first event of the season Saturday, August 24, with teams from ten schools competing in traditional races, plus an extra event called "The Spartan Relays" which included an obstacle course and a twenty-yard crawl through mud.

Pictured here senior Micaiah Grossmann and sixth-grader Justin Chilla show off their post-race form. It was a great event to kick off the athletic season at Gobles High School.

Be sure to watch the "Calendars" section of the website for schedules, and look here and in the Van Buren County Advertiser for highlights of all Gobles teams; contact the athletic office to pick up your all-sports pass today at 628-2113.

Go Tigers!