The fastest any Kearsley girl has run 200 meters was 26.3 seconds — until last Friday night.

Senior Ave’r McKay eclipsed former record holder Kathy Adas by two-hundredths of a second, breaking Adas’ record she has held since 1990.

McKay’s lightning race was clocked in 26.28 seconds, using fully automated timing, at the Davison Twilight Classic on Friday, May 12.

“Breaking the record was a huge surprise,” McKay said. “I didn’t even know I did it at the time.”

The race was so fast that even though McKay broke a 27-year-old Kearsley record, she didn’t even get the victory.  McKay finished in second place behind Lapeer’s Alex Thomas, who ran a 26.02.

Besides setting the school record in the 200, McKay won the 400 dash in 59.86. This race was good enough to move her into the third fastest time in Kearsley history for the long sprint event.

Jenny Thompson holds the 400-meter school record at 58.8, which she set in 1991, and Julie Schotter holds the No. 2 position at 59.0. Schotter ran that time in 1987.

McKay said she wants to break Thompson’s record before she graduates.

“I’ve been training hard, and it’s good to see it’s paying off,” McKay said. “The 400 is next.”

McKay also scored in the 100. She placed third in 13.01.

McKay helped Kearsley score 54 points, which was good enough for sixth place in the large school division.

Davison won the meet with 141 points.

Other scorers were sophomores Mackenzie Ramey and Mary Wheeler, who set personal records in their field events.

Ramey took second in shot put with a distance of 37 feet and 3.5 inches. Wheeler threw a distance of 99-05 and took third in discus.

The 3200-relay team, consisting of Nisha Hartley, Emma Bishoff, Chloe Vollmar, and Savannah Jones, took third place with time of 11:20.10.

In the high jump, freshman Sydney Walker was fourth with a jump of 4-06.

In addition, senior Alexis Schwartz placed sixth in the pole vault with a vault of 7-00.

Finally, senior Savannah Jones placed sixth in the 3200. Jones ran 13:36.50.

The team will appear next at Saginaw Heritage to compete in the MHSAA Division I regional on Friday, May 19.