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MCP/OCP Sports Coverage is presented by: Baker Ford Ludington, Fresh Coast Foam, Mission Graphics, Quick-Way, Inc., Smith & Eddy Insurance and Michelle and Andrew Thomas.
MANTON — The Hart boys track and field team came up just short of a regional championship Saturday, finishing third out of 16 teams and missing the title by seven points at the Division 3 regional meet in Manton.
The Pirates qualified multiple athletes and relay teams for the state finals, highlighted by regional championships from Silas Ackley in the 3,200-meter run, the 4×400 relay team and the 4×800 relay team.
Hart’s 4×400 relay team of Jaxson Oomen, Jack Slotman, Luke VanderWilk and Chase Lorenz captured the regional title, while Mason Opaleski, Grant Ackley, Trevor VanderKodde and Slotman won the 4×800 relay championship.
Caleb Ackley added a fifth-place finish in the shot put while also reaching the additional state qualifying mark to advance to the state championships May 30.
Lorenz turned in a standout performance for the Pirates, winning the 100, 200 and 400-meter dashes while anchoring the winning 4×400 relay team. He also broke his own school records in both the 100 and 200, posting times of 10.67 seconds and 21.72 seconds, respectively.
According to Hart coach Ken Kimes, Lorenz currently ranks as the fastest Division 3 sprinter in the state in all three sprint events.
Additional scoring performances for Hart included:
- Jaxson Oomen, sixth in the 400
- Trevor VanderKodde, fourth in the 800
- Grant Ackley, eighth in the 800
- Mason Opaleski, fifth in the 1,600
- Carson Ackley, fourth in the 3,200
- Julian Lopez, eighth in the 3,200
- Luke VanderWilk, seventh in the 110 hurdles
- The 4×200 relay team of Elon Babbin, Jack Slotman, Jaxson Oomen and Bryce VanderKodde, sixth
- Abdel Lopez, fifth in discus
- Trevor VanderKodde, sixth in high jump
- Grant Ackley and Jagger Lenon, tied for seventh in pole vault
The Pirates will compete next at the all-star meet Tuesday at Reeths-Puffer High School.
MCP/OCP Sports Coverage is presented by: Baker Ford Ludington, 3045 W. US 10-31, Ludington, 888-856-9116, bakerfordludington.com Fresh Coast Foam, 7440 W. 5 Mile Rd., Irons; 231-510-9513, www.freshcoastfoam.com Mission Graphics, 113 S. Blaine St., Scottville, 231-845-7030, mymission.graphics Quick-Way, Inc., 1004 Conrad Industrial Dr., Ludington, 231-845-6520, qkwa.net Smith & Eddy Insurance, serving west Michigan since 1902, 231-757-4743, smith-eddy.com Michelle and Andrew Thomas ___________________________________ Please consider making a one-time contribution to help support MCP. Please Support Local News and Sports Coverage Receive daily MCP and OCP news briefings along with email news alerts for $10 a month. Your contribution will help us to continue to provide you with free local news. To sign up, email editor@mediagroup31.com. In the subject line write: Subscription. Please supply your name, email address, mailing address, and phone number (indicate cell phone). We will not share your information with any outside sources. For more than one email address in a household, the cost is $15 per month per email address. We can send you an invoice for a yearly payment of $120, which you can conveniently pay online or by check. If you are interested in this method, please email editor@mediagroup31.com and we can sign you up. You can also mail a yearly check for $120 to Media Group 31, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454 (please include your email address). Payment must be made in advance prior to subscription activation. We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with a monthly financial support. _____ This story and original photography are copyrighted © 2026, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.Thank you to the following businesses who make reporting of local sports, like this story, possible:
