By By SCOTT NOVAK / Dowagiac Daily News
Several members of the Dowagiac track team have made final preparations for Saturday's Michigan High School Athletic Association state track and field finals.
The Division 2 finals will be held at Caledonia High School.
Dowagiac will be represented by pole vaulters Kyle Bennett and Ann O'Keefe.
Dowagiac will also send its 400-meter relay team of O'Keefe, Sada Nealey, Katy Stuppy and Ashley Urbanski. Isaiah Jones will compete in the long jump.
Bennett will have the 21st ranked height entering the finals as he cleared 12-feet-9 at the regional meet in Allegan.
Jones has the 14th best jump with a distance of 20-10.5.
O'Keefe has the sixth best jump with a height of 10-feet.
In the 400-meter relay, Dowagiac will have the 16th best time entering the finals with a clocking of 51.2.
The Division 3 state finals will be held at Comstock Park High School.
Representing Edwardsburg will be Riquelle Allemon in the long jump, Stephanie Koontz in the long jump, Linda Phillipson in the pole vault and Derek Eden and Doug Shuttleworth in the 100-meters and high jump respectively.
The Division 4 state finals will be held at Houseman Field in Grand Rapids.
Cassopolis will be represented by Kelsey Gordon, Fortune Boykins, DeeDee Hawkins, Sara McIntyre E.J. Harris.
The finals are set to begin at 9 a.m. with the boys and girls pole vaults.
The girls discus and long jump opens at 9:30 as does the boys shot put and high jump.
Preliminaries in the 100-meters, high hurdles and 200-meters begin at 10 a.m. The finals of the girls long jump will begin at 1:45 a.m.
The finals in the 3,200-meters will begin at approximately 11. The semifinals in the 100-meters, high hurdles and 200-meters will also be held at 11 a.m.
The boys discus and long jump events will begin at 12:15 p.m. as will the girls high jump and shot put.
The running finals are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. with the team trophy presentation set for approximately 4:30 p.m. Gates open at 8 a.m.