#104 - Championship Weekend

Walton Floyd to USTFCCCA Hall of Fame

Author

Jeff Hollobaugh
February 27, 2026

Inside This Issue

Delisa Walton Floyd To USTFCCCA Hall Of Fame

It’s always great to see one of our legends get their just recognition on a bigger stage. This week came news that Detroit Mackenzie grad Delisa Walton Floyd will be inducted into the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame, based on her accomplishments at Tennessee. She is the first alum of a Michigan high school to be so recognized.

At Mackenzie, she won three straight Class A titles at the 440 and two at 880, plus another on the 4x4. At Tennessee, she won the AIAW 800 as a frosh, the first of several national titles. In 1982, the first year women were allowed to run in the NCAA, she captured the first 800 title. She later made the 1988 Olympic team. Her biography is here.

The coaches association started its Hall in 2022, and like the Michigan Track & Field Hall of Fame, it is a virtual thing, with no actual physical location to visit, as of yet.

On a side note: a few months ago we saw someone upset that they had not been included in a hall of fame. Rest assured that the Michtrack HOF is by no means complete. We have extensive lists of the historical names that still needed to be added. The holdup is that we need time to write up the bios. We consider education to be a prime part of our mission and relaying to young athletes the story of these inspirational elders is essential. A list of names alone doesn't do the trick. If you want to help speed the process, consider becoming a supporter of the Hall of Fame or sponsoring in the name of a team or school, or as a memorial to someone who was instrumental in your TF/XC experience.

Our sponsors: Michiana Timing, and also memorial sponsorships have been made in the name of Kermit Ambrose, Tom Eschmann, John Fundukian and Tony Mifsud.

MITS Finals Start Today

Held annually since 1971 (and for girls, since at least 1975), the annual club indoor championships have flourished no matter what name they go by (and there have been 5 or 6 names over the years).

This year's edition starts today at Aquinas College, and promises some excellent action.

College Conference Results

The best source for accessing results & information on the various conferences comes from the list that Howard Willman maintains (and updates daily if not more often) at USTFCCCA.

MITCA Objects To Infield Rule

In an open letter to the MHSAA, MITCA has registered its objections and suggestions for the organization’s ruling that coaches will not be allowed on the infield at the state finals.

We understand where the coaches are coming from, having been on that side of the issue in the past. And, as a meet announcer, I also understand what may have motivated the MHSAA ruling. It actually can be a thorny issue. The suggestion that coaches should have access to certain areas or coaching boxes is entirely reasonable. Policing those areas can be quite challenging for meet management and will take manpower.

I’ve seen it work at some venues. At other places, the infield plan starts well but the crowd on the infield grows and grows to include everyone who has ever coached at every school, all the injured kids on their teams, the kids warming up for a relay that’s 2 hours away, random relatives pushing baby strollers and a couple kids throwing a football (that’s usually stopped right away). And note, I’m not exaggerating here! Meet management then asks the announcer to do the policing by telling people repeatedly to leave the infield. That, of course, does not work at all.

We like the MITCA proposal, but we acknowledge that to work, it will take manpower and real effort from meet organizers. And if it doesn’t work at any given venue, maybe there need to be consequences, such as the loss of those privileges the next year? I don’t know, but I don’t envy Cody Inglis, the MHSAA point man, for having to deal with issues like this.

MITS Highlights

Kamryn Tatum continues to fly.

  • Grand Valley #5 Boys: The Gazelle Elite 3200 produced some great times, with Milford’s Kyle O’Rourke finishing second to a visiting Georgian in 8:59.22. Jonah Workman (9:05.59) and Beckett Crooks (9:08.49) also broke 9:10. An amazing vault competition saw Ben Goran clear 16-3, shattering his own sophomore record and moving to No. 4 all-time. Behind him, both Sean Cinzori and Reece Emeott cleared 15-9. Kentwood’s Shukuru Makechi hurdled an 11th grade state record 7.85 for =10 in state history. De-Mani Roberts beat Chance McNeill in the Elite 200, 21.53 to 21.56. Abenezer Cerone won the 800 in 1:54.02. Full Results.

  • GVSU Girls: Natasza Dudek of Pioneer dominated the Elite 3200 with her 9:52.61 meet record. It’s the No. 2 time in state history, behind Audrey DaDamio’s 9:51.28 on a 200 track. Katie Berkshire (10:13.17) and Annie Hrabovsky (10:18.80) took the next two spots. Daelyn Jones won the Elite 200 in 24.91. Eliza Schwass, in her first race in 6 weeks, ripped 2:12.51 for 800 ahead of Lane Isom (2:12.81) and Kate Ort (2:13.16). Six Mile TC ran a state leader in the DMR (12:21.38) ahead of Up North Elite (12:23.86). Addy Stiverson threw 51-0.25 in the shot, farther than anyone in state history other than herself. Rachel Hibbs high jumped a state leader 5-6. Katie Blue won the vault at 13-0

  • LAB #11 Boys: Wendell Childs, better known in some circles as a football star, blistered 400 in 47.86 ahead of Greg Myers (49.00). Samson Gash won the 60 in 6.86. Ryan Good from Parma Western won the 800 in 1:54.63. Fast relays went to the Michigan Accelerators (1:27.34) and Michigan Mustangs (3:20.65). Full Results.

  • LAB Girls: Kamryn Tatum won a snappy sprint double in 7.52/24.03 (with a 7.53 heat). Michigan Accelerators (1:43.84) and Mustangs (3:59.37) won the sprint relays. Newcomer Mocha Croff won the high jump at 5-5.

  • SVSU #4: Soph Nolan Cullen blasted a 6.88 in the 60 while Keion Boone ran 21.94 for 200. Big breakthrough for Detroit Edison’s Dennis Jackson with a 48.09 win at 400 over Nick Coleman (48.31). Soph Gavin Katic of Fenton took the 1600 in 4:18.07. Zachary Dzurka improved to 8.12 in the hurdles. In hot relay action, Saginaw Striders (3:20.68) topped 16Ways (3:20.95) in the 4×4. Dragon TC took the SMR in a list-leading 3:35.37. Oliver Long headlined the field events with his 57-0 shot win. Full Results.

  • Girls Action at SVSU: Fiona Kane flew to an 18-3 long jump. The Runners High squad from Romeo put together a 12:39.11 distance medley.

  • The Circuit - Chicago - Boys: Ron’Dre Austion produced a great triple on the 200 track at Gately Center: 6.92 / 21.42 / 47.85, winning the 400. Full Results.

  • The Circuit - Girls: Frosh Aubrey Douglas ran a 7.54 dash heat and followed with a 7.57 in the final. An impressive show of depth for Motor City in the 200, with Nevaeh Burns 5th in the High Voltage heat at 24.61, and four others making the top 6 in the seeded heat: Payton Gee (24.79), Douglas (24.84), Jordan McNeely (25.04) and Londyn James (25.12). Burns won the 400 in 55.70, Rhian Jeffries the 800 in 2:16.12. Gee won the hurdles in 8.66 over Laila Hawkins (8.77).

College/Open Highlights

  • Michigan DMR: The Wolverines traveled to Notre Dame for a nationals-qualifying distance medley and came away with much more. The 9:14.80 clocking by Brendan Herger (2:50.9), Miles Brown (45.0), Camden Law (1:45.9), and Seth McFarland (3:53.0) is the fastest-ever by an All-American team, topping the 9:17.17 that North Carolina set last year. It would be an American Record if it had been run on a 200 track; the Notre Dame oval is 320m. It ranks No. 3 in NCAA history. The Michigan women won their medley in 10:55.03.

  • Sophie Novak: The Lake Orion/Notre Dame alum blasted the mile at the Wilson Invitational in 4:26.09. That makes her the No. 2 Mi HS alum ever on any size track.

  • USATF Combined Events-heptathlon: Heath Baldwin missed the win by just 10 points as the event came down to the final race. The Hackett alum scored a PR 6245, with 3 PRs in the 7 events. He is now the No. 10 American ever. His 7 events: 60—6.98; LJ—26-2.5/7.68; SP—48-5.5/14.77; HJ—6-10.25/2.09; 60H—7.91; PV—15-7/4.75; 1000—2:39.94.

  • USATF pentathlon: Cheyenne Nesbitt finished 7th with 4297 points. Her breakdown: 60H—8.29; HJ—5-7/1.70; SP—44-2.75/13.48 PR; LJ—19-0.75/5.81; 800—2:19.76.

  • Kellen Kimes: Won the weight at the VT Challenge with a toss of 70-8.5.

  • Maya Rollins: Pioneer grad won the hurdles in 8.35 at Virginia Tech.

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