By By ERIKA PICKLES and AUTUMN GRAYSON / Nile Daily Star
BATTLE CREEK – The Niles girls' track team participated in the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference Big 16 Meet Tuesday at Battle Creek Lakeview High School.
Top six finishers in each event received a medal and earned the title of All-Conference.
Kyla Kirkendoll, Samantha Brawley, Madie Rodts, Autumn Grayson and Mariette Strauss all placed in the top six for the Vikings.
Kirkendoll earned sixth place in the shot put with a total throw of 33- feet.
Brawley, Strauss, Grayson and Rodts' 3,200 meter relay team ran a collective time of 10:12 to finish in second place.
Brawley finshed fourth in the 1,600 and 3,200 meter run running times of 5:32 and 12:17 respectively.
Grayson and Rodts both medaled in the 800 meter run. Grayson ended in fifth place at 2:29.27. Rodts ran a time of 2:29.30 to finish sixth.
Other Viking placers were Baysia Cox in the shot put, as she ended in ninth with a throw of 32-feet-3. She also had a throw of 89-6 in the discus to earn 12th.
Alex Ranft tied for 12th place with Heather Ellis of Niles, and Portage Central's Kelly Broberg. Allt hree cleared 4-8 in the high jump.
In the 100-meter hurdles, Nicole Horvath finished first in prelim 4 with a time of 17.44. She then went on to take third in the semifinals with a time of 17.31 and sixth in the finals with a time of 17.35.
Liz Vandenheede finsihed 10th for Niles in the 1,600 meter run with a time of 5:55.64.
Niles will host the first Niles Invitational this Saturday beginning at 10 a.m.
Final scores
1. Battle Creek Lakeview, 120
2. Portage Northern, 74
3. St. Joseph, 64
4. Coldwater, 62
5. Portage Central, 52
6. Marshall, 42
7. Benton Harbor, 36
8. Sturgis, 34
9. Niles, 32
10. Lakeshore, 32
11. Kalamazoo Central, 30
12. Battle Creek Harper Creek
13. Loy Norrix, 25
14. Battle Creek Central, 20
15. Mattawan, 11