Pioneer girls win Hoosier North track title
- Val T.
- Jun 15, 2023
- 4 min read
Collado Fernandez takes 200, 400; Grigsby, Nies, Moolenaar win field events; Pioneer also wins 4 x 100, 4 x 400 relays
BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
Girls track

The Pioneer girls track team won the Hoosier North meet at Knox High School on May 9. Pioneer scored 140 points while runner-up Triton had 99. Individual champions included Paula Collado Fernandez in the 200 and 400 meters, Blair Grigsby in the long jump, Keirsten Nies in the high jump and Aspen Moolenaar in the pole vault. Pioneer also won the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 relays. (photo provided by Jessica Zvers)
The Pioneer girls track team scored 140 points to win the Hoosier North meet on May 9. Pioneer beat runner-up Triton by 41 points. There was as much difference between Pioneer and the second-place team as there was between the second-place team and the sixth-place team.
Meanwhile, Culver scored 39 and placed seventh, and Caston had 32 and took eighth in the eight-team field.
Pioneer individual champions included Paula Collado Fernandez in the 200 (27.86 seconds) and 400 (1:02.16), Rachel Harding in the 100 (12.85 seconds), Blair Grigsby in the long jump (15-11), Keirsten Nies in the high jump (4-11) and Aspen Moolenaar in the pole vault (8-6).
Pioneer also won the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 relays.
Michelle Harding joined Nies, Moolenaar and Rachel Harding on the 4 x 100 relay, which won in 52.03 seconds. Chloe Chan joined Grigsby, Rachel Harding and Collado Fernandez on the 4 x 400 relay, which won in 4:27.81.
Collado Fernandez was also second in the 100, and Moolenaar was second in both the 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles. Rachel Harding was second in the high jump behind Nies.
The other RTC area champion was Culver’s Kennedy Jackson, who won the discus with a throw of 105-5. Jackson was also second in the shot put with a throw of 37-11, and she accounted for 18 points single-handedly.
Amiyah Williams was second in the 200.
Kaitie Hutsell was third in the 100 meters in 13.36 seconds and was the highest-finishing athlete from Caston.
Hoosier North girls meet at Knox (May 9): Pioneer 140, Triton 99, LaVille 94, North Judson 80, Winamac 76, Knox 58, Culver 39, Caston 32
Scoring on 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for all events
Winners plus all Caston, Culver and Pioneer athletes
100 m
1. Rachel Harding (PIO) – 12.85 seconds, 2. Paula Collado Fernandez (PIO) – 13.11, 3. Kaitie Hutsell (CAS) – 13.36, 8. Giselle Villegas (CUL) – 13.98, 14. Maddie Sprow (CAS) – 16.13
200 m
1. Paula Collado Fernandez (PIO) – 27.86 seconds, 2. Amiyah Williams (CUL) – 28.34, 5. Camila Hernandez-Rios (CAS) – 29.01, 6. Giselle Villegas (CUL) – 29.03, 7. Chloe Chan (PIO) – 29.25, 15. Maddie Sprow (CAS) – 34.20
400 m
1. Paula Collado Fernandez (PIO) – 1:02.16, 5. Chloe Chan (PIO) – 1:07.40, 12. Maddie Sprow (CAS) – 1:19.91
800 m
1. Lehiy (NJSP) – 2:43.23, 5. Keirsten Nies (PIO) – 2:49.77, 6. Makenna Strycker (PIO) – 2:51.54, 8. Alexa Lowe (CAS) – 2:56.08, 13. Ivon Torres-Escobar (CUL) – 3:18.22, 14. Zoe Young (CUL) – 3:33.60
1,600 m
1. Lehiy (NJSP) – 5:53.30, 8. Alexa Lowe (CAS) – 6:32.28, 9. Kylie Jamerson (PIO) – 6:48.07, 11. Maddy Hamilton (CUL) – 7:03.52, 12. Jaded Aguilar (CAS) – 7:04.24, 13. Laylynn Malchow (PIO) – 7:08.20
3,200 m
1. Hoover (WIN) – 13:18.19, 4. Mackenzi Roudebush (CAS) – 14:16.12, 7. Kylie Jamerson (PIO) – 14:39.12, 9. Stevanna Young (CAS) – 15:40.82,
100 m hurdles
1. Flores (NJSP) – 17.33 seconds, 2. Aspen Moolenaar (PIO) – 17.36, 6. Blair Grigsby (PIO) – 19.07, 7. Grace Sieber (CUL) – 19.37
300 m hurdles
1. Edison (LV) – 52.40 seconds, 2. Aspen Moolenaar (PIO) – 52.45, 6. Blair Grigsby (PIO) – 54.43, 9. Kaitie Hutsell (CAS) – 56.98, 12. Grace Sieber (CUL) – 58.96
4 x 100 m relay
1. Pioneer (Keirsten Nies, Michelle Harding, Aspen Moolenaar, Rachel Harding) – 52.03 seconds, 4. Caston (Kaitie Hutsell, Vega Piorno Martin, Ali Paul, Camila Hernandez Rios) – 55.13, 6. Culver (Maddy Hamilton, Grace Sieber, Amiyah Williams, Giselle Villegas) – 56.80
4 x 400 m relay
1. Pioneer (Blair Grigsby, Chloe Chan, Rachel Harding, Paula Collado Fernandez) – 4:27.81, 6. Culver (Myah Maroules, Ivon Torres-Escobar, Katie Schouten, Giselle Villegas) – 5:20.71
4 x 800 m relay
1. Winamac (Conner, Wegner, Hoover, Smith) – 11:16.20, 5. Pioneer (Makenna Strycker, Chloe Chan, Kylie Jamerson, Laylynn Malchow) – 11:49.55
Long jump
1. Blair Grigsby (PIO) – 15-11, 5. Ali Paul (CAS) – 14-9, 8. Amiyah Williams (CUL) – 14-1 ½, 11. Camila Hernandez-Rios (CAS) – 12-11 ½, 12. Grace Sieber (CUL) – 12-0
High jump
1. Keirsten Nies (PIO) – 4-11, 2. Rachel Harding (PIO) – 4-10, 7. Ali Paul (CAS) – 4-6
Discus
1. Kennedy Jackson (CUL) – 105-5, 9. Willow Harrington (CUL) – 84-2, 12. Tayler Shafer (CAS) – 74-1, 13. Breana Amezquita (CAS) – 70-9, 15. Brenner McLain (PIO) – 53-7, 16. Chelsea Clark (PIO) – 48-4
Shot put
1. Viers (TRI) – 39-1, 2. Kennedy Jackson (CUL) – 37-11, 6. Tayler Shafer (CAS) – 30-5, 8. Breana Alezquita (CAS) – 28-9, 12. Willow Harrington (CUL) – 26-8, 15. Brenner McLain (PIO) – 23-9, 16. Chelsea Clark (PIO) – 23-6
Pole vault
1. Aspen Moolenaar (PIO) – 8-6, t-5. Makenna Strycker (PIO) – 7-0
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