Courtesy photo The Alpena track and field team poses for a team picture. From left to right are Head Coach Spencer Kraft, Braeden Mathis, Carson Heath, Andrew Szymoniak, Joe LaCross, and Sprint Coach DJ Szymoniak.

ALPENA — The Alpena High School track and field team delivered a strong performance at the state championship meet, significantly outperforming their seeding despite facing adversity.

The Wildcats entered the competition as the 32nd-seeded team out of 36 but climbed eight spots to finish 24th overall. The result marks a solid showing for the program and highlights the resilience of the athletes.

Alpena Track and Field Coach Spencer Kraft praised the team’s effort and determination throughout the meet, noting that several athletes pushed through physical challenges to contribute to the group’s improved standing.

“They did well. They were seeded at 32 of 36 teams and finished 24th of 36, which is fairly good considering a couple of the guys were battling some minor injuries,” said Alpena Track and Field coach Spencer Kraft.

Kraft also wanted to acknowledge and thank all of the track and field coaches for an outstanding year: DJ Szymoniak, Tim Allen (girls head coach), Emily Szymanski, Joe Donajkowski, Amy Carlson, Ty Dever, and Braeden Schaedig.