Watervliet Press Box

Mandujano breaks XC record

Daniel Mandujano and Morgan Lowell both picked a good day to run their fastest 5k races. The two Panther runners set new personal records at the Division 3 state cross-country meet at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday, Nov. 4.

Mandujano earned all-state honors with his 24th-place finish and also set a new school record at 16:25.9, edging past Brendan Daly’s 16:26.0 set in 2015. He closed the race with five other runners all within a second of each other. The race was held on a beautiful day featuring 253 Division 3 runners. Last season was his first on the team and he capped the season with an 18:04 run to finish 127th at the state finals.

Mandujano is a junior and has the potential to remove a good chunk of time off that new record before he’s done. The winner of the boys’ race was Collin Farmer of Pewamo-Westphalia in a blazing 15:39.

FINAL STRETCH OF PANTHER CAREER… Watervliet senior Morgan Lowell makes a valiant effort to pass Pigeon Laker’s Pyper Braun in the closing mile of the Division 3 state cross-country finals, held at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. Lowell would clock in with a time of 20:26, finishing the race in 75th place overall. She sits at third in the Panther record books. (TCR photo by Jerrod Birmele)

Lowell also had a great race, finishing her career as a Panther with a 20:26.5 and taking 75th place in a field of 248 runners. The winner of the race was Jessica Jazwinski of Hart, at 17:08, a full 40 seconds ahead of the next runner.

Lowell also made a big jump from last season when she finished 142nd. She sits at third in the Panther record books behind Gabby Tavolacci (19:11) and Taylor Shafer (19:47). Kimberly Romero also qualified for the state finals but chose to join the marching band in their state finals competition, held at the same time and day. And who could blame her? She left Ford Field with a state championship medal, the first such championship ever won by a team/group in the long history of the school.

Volleyball wins District

The Panther varsity volleyball team won their third consecutive district championship last week, beating Coloma 3-1 on Tuesday, Oct. 31, and then handling Bangor 3-0 on Wednesday, Nov. 1.

THREE-PEAT! The 2023 Watervliet Lady Panther varsity volleyball team won their third consecutive district title last week, beating Bangor 3-0 in the championship match on Wednesday, November 1. They play in regional contention at Fennville on Thursday, Nov. 9 following a win on Nov. 7. Shown are: (from the left) Front - Natalie Hart, Grace Chisek, Tia Caldwell, Anya Sexton, Courtney Van Lente; Back – Asst. coach Lori Pline, Anslie Saylor, Abby Whorton, Sue Weckwerth, Marleigh Schultz, Ellie Golden, Riley Preston, Chelsea Lange, Lauren Laws, Natalie Van Lente, head coach Edie Daugherty. (TCR photo by John Oliphant)

The 27-3-1 Panthers faced Coloma in their first 2023 postseason match, taking control of the first game immediately and never letting off. The Panthers were passing well, serving well, blocking everything, and making the most out of their attacks which were coming from several players, especially Sue Weckwerth, Natalie Hart, Ellie Golden, Lauren Laws, and Anya Sexton. They were also getting all the breaks early on the crazy hits.

They took the first game 25-10 and then followed that up with a 25-11 win in game two. This looked like it was going to be an early night and the Comets could have easily rolled over and gone home, but they didn’t. Coloma Coach Kim Swisher took care of her team, which featured 11 seniors, on the sideline. On the court Madelynn Hamilton took charge and the Comets came roaring back to win game three 25-17. They took advantage of some Panther miscues and then the breaks started falling their way, allowing them to jump to the early lead and stay there.

Game four suddenly became interesting, a nice battle with both teams playing well and looking for opportunities to score. Hamilton was all over the floor, serving strong and using her power at the net to record several kills. The Panther’s balanced attack kept them in the lead most of the way, eventually reaching match point at 24-23. But again the Comets weren’t going away easily and took a 25-24 lead. At this point the Panthers exerted control with Grace Chisek setting Ellie Golden for the final point on a kill into the back corner, winning the game 27-25 and the match 3-1.

This match deserved to be the championship as the two teams were the best in the bracket by some margin. But, the MHSAA isn’t seeding volleyball districts, at least not yet.

The win over the Comets gave them a match against Bangor, who defeated Bloomingdale 3-1 in the first match on Tuesday evening. Bangor came into the match at 9-8. The Panthers had no trouble in this one, winning 25-8, 25-17, and 25-9 and capturing the District 76 trophy.

The Panthers continued post season in the regionals at Fennville, facing Western Michigan Christian from Muskegon on Tuesday, Nov. 7. The winner faces either GR Covenant Christian or Pewamo-Westphalia, a top-ranked D3 team, on Thursday, Nov. 9.