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Houghton Today
By the People, for the People
Griffin-Wildcat Girls Indoor Track and Field Wins First-Ever Team Championship
The Springville-Griffith/West Valley Central girls indoor track and field team captured the Section VI Small School team title.
Published on Feb. 26, 2026
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The Springville-Griffith/West Valley Central girls indoor track and field team won the Section VI Small School team championship at Houghton University on February 14. The team scored 187.5 points, outpacing all other school class teams and genders. The team was led by senior co-captain Aubrie Staniszewski, who set two school records in the 55 dash and 300 dash.
Why it matters
This championship represents a historic achievement for the Griffin-Wildcat girls indoor track and field program, which has been building towards this moment over multiple seasons. The team's success highlights the strength of the Springville-GI and West Valley school communities and their support for the program.
The details
The Griffin-Wildcats had nine top-three finishes in the track portion of the championship, led by individual wins from Elke Melnik in the 1500 run and 3,000 run, Hazel Zielen-Ersing in the 600 run, and Staniszewski in the 300 dash. In the field events, the team was paced by Kendra Cook's win in the triple jump and runner-up finish in the long jump. Other top-three finishers included Madison Lawrence in the pole vault and Karly Otto in the shot put.
- The team championship took place on February 14, 2026 at Houghton University.
- The team is now preparing for the upcoming Section VI Championships at the end of February.
The players
Aubrie Staniszewski
A senior co-captain of the Griffin-Wildcat girls indoor track and field team who set two school records at the championship meet in the 55 dash and 300 dash.
Emilio Mancino
The head coach of the Griffin-Wildcat girls indoor track and field team, who led the team to its first-ever team championship.
Elke Melnik
A member of the Griffin-Wildcat girls indoor track and field team who won the 1500 run and 3,000 run at the championship meet.
Hazel Zielen-Ersing
A member of the Griffin-Wildcat girls indoor track and field team who won the 600 run at the championship meet.
Kendra Cook
A member of the Griffin-Wildcat girls indoor track and field team who won the triple jump and finished second in the long jump at the championship meet.
What they’re saying
“This championship has been seasons in the making and we are very happy to be able to share this historic experience and achievement with both the Springville-GI and West Valley school communities. We appreciate all of the support we've been fortunate to have and look forward to representing these school communities on bigger upcoming stages of championships.”
— Emilio Mancino, Griffin-Wildcat girls indoor track and field head coach (springvillejournal.com)
What’s next
The team is now preparing for the upcoming Section VI Championships at the end of February.
The takeaway
The Griffin-Wildcat girls indoor track and field team's first-ever team championship is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the athletes and coaches, as well as the strong support of the Springville-GI and West Valley school communities. This historic achievement sets the stage for the team to represent their schools on bigger championship stages in the future.
