In this issue

• Anderson runs 1:49.68, then 8:40.90

• Other HS Highlights

• Updated Michtrack Elite Lists

• Alumni: Kessler Runs Fastest US 1500 on US Soil

• More Alumni: NCAA Regionals, NCAA D2

• Michigan’s Champion of Champions Meet

• Legend: Former hurdler Ralph Craig wins Olympic sprint gold

• The Actual Weekend Highlight is for the Birds

• Mini-Interview: Benne Anderson Revisited

• The Little Stuff At The End

A Double Anderson Headline

Anderson Strikes Again: Ottawa Hills senior Benne Anderson keeps rolling. This time at the Michiana Timing/UM Health-West meet, he destroyed his recent 800 PR with a stunning 1:49.68. That makes him No. 6 in Michigan history, the seventh member of our sub-1:50 club, and one of only 9 boys in national history who have broken both 1:50 and 8:50 (for 3200). In doing so, he led the strongest two-lapper of the year. Aiden Sullivan of Forest Hills Eastern ran 1:51.70 and Owen Westerkamp of Big Rapids, in 3rd, hit 1:53.11. The top 12 runners all broke 2:00, and all in PRs.

In other events at the big Comstock Park event, Brooke Bowers tied the state lead in the pole vault at 12-6. Camryn Batt won the 100 in 12.44 (0.0 wind) and anchored Portage Northern’s 48.89 relay. Ottawa Hills’ Selma Anderson scored two PRs and won one more event than her brother, clocking 2:14.59 and 4:55.38. East Kentwood’s Joshua Hurt won the highs in an impressive 14.32 (with a 1.1 headwind).

Anderson Strikes Again, Part 2: At Distance Lights Under The Lights At Houseman Field, Benne Anderson went after the state record in the 3200, currently held by Hobbs Kessler at 8:36.3. He cruised through lap splits of 65.3, 66.7, 65.7, 65.5, 66.1, 66.6, 66.7, 58.3, getting some help in the middle after teammate Liam Walters jogged the first few laps, then as Anderson was about to lap him, Winter sped up to provide some pacing for several laps. On his own again for the final few, he got to the bell with the record having slipped from sight. Still, with 200 to go, after passing 3K in 8:13.66 (0.51 slower than his Shepherd split), he let loose a stunning kick, covering the final half-lap in 27.24 to cross in 8:40.90.

Not just a PR, that mark moves him 0.2 ahead of a certain Dathan Ritzenhein on the all-time list, so he is now No. 3 all-time, after Kessler and Grant Fisher.

“I'm a little disappointed,” he said. “ I was hoping to break 8:36 but it's okay. It's still a really good time.” (For more, see the interview below.)

Watch the 3200 race here!

That wasn’t the only amazing race at Houseman. One of the most thrilling 800s of the year saw Loy Norrix’s Samuel Allen outkick Benzie’s Hunter Jones, 1:51.11-1:51.96, with Caleb Bost of Lakeview 3rd in 1:52.35. A parade of fast times followed as the top 21 (from various heats) all PRed. Grand Haven’s Nolan Clark won the mile in 4:15.80 over the PR 4:16.97 of Portage Central’s Logan Begeman.

On the girls side, Hart soph Jessica Jazwinski topped the state lists at 4:52.09 (and 4:50.45 @ 1600). Annika Sandman of Lowell (4:56.92) and Drew Muller of East Grand Rapids (4:57.32) followed. The 800 went to the powerful kick of Selma Anderson of Ottawa Hills, who outraced Jenison’s Maya Guikema 2:12.33 to 2:12.84. The 3200 saw Forest Hills Central’s Clara James-Heer lead wire-to-wire in 10:42.14.

The Rest of the Action

Oakland County: Near-perfect conditions helped deliver a competition worthy of this event’s 64-year history. Kamryn Tatum of West Bloomfield won’t be running the 100 at Rockford, but she produced a state-leading 11.89 (1.6) here—and at the end of the night, a 56.2 relay leg. Rochester’s Lucy Cook led from the start to win the distances at 4:53.22 PR and 10:36.49. A fast (wind-aided at 2.5) 100 hurdles had Oak Park sweep: Nonah Waldron (13.65), Morgan Roundtree (13.85), Carrie VanNoy (14.08). In the absence of her older teammates, VanNoy took the 300H in 44.99. A great high jump match saw Mercy’s Milena Chevallier top Walled Lake Central’s Kylei Anderson on misses as both cleared 5-7. Oak Park won the girls title.

On the boys side, Kamren Flowers of West Bloomfield won the 100 in 10.88 (0.8) and the 200 in 21.85 (0.0). Parker Orlowsky of Adams won a thrilling 1600 in 4:14.35 over Solomon Kwartowicz of Cranbrook (4:16.19) and Gavin Steele of Farmington (4:18.59). And if a perfect world is one where the final 4×4 is the most thrilling race of the night, then folks who left early missed out on perfection. State leader Adams found itself outgunned when Oak Park (3:20.85) and Troy (3:20.88) went to the wire. The crowd probably had trouble both watching the tense battle up front and keeping an eye on fast-closing Adams, whose anchor, Damarcus Rouse, blistered a 47.1. Team crown to Walled Lake Central.

MITCA D1 Team: St. Joe’s Trey McGinnis showed his speed with a 21.42 at 200 (0.1 wind). Defending D1 400 champ Malachi Mosley of East Kentwood PRed at 48.67. Teammate Joshua Hurt flew to a nice 14.14 over the 110H into a 1.6 wind, then won the 300H in 39.17. In the girls 4×8, Holland West Ottawa popped a 9:14.90 with two ninth-graders on the middle legs. East Kentwood won the girls title and tied with Zeeland West for the boys, 1490.5 each (maybe they should have scored 40-deep instead of 30?).

MITCA D2 Team: Vicksburg’s Michael Wright sprinted to wind-aided wins of 10.68 / 21.68. Haley Guerrant of Otsego threw the disc a PR 136-10. Shepherd won the girls, Frankenmuth the boys.

Churchill Field Events: The high jump amazed, as junior Milena Chevallier of Mercy cleared 5-10 to tie for No. 6 in state history. She then took three attempts at 5-11.

Huron League: New Boston Huron’s Elizabeth Anderson, who is bound for MSU, tripled in 12.42 / 25.09 / 57.03. Monroe Jefferson won both boys and girls honors.

I-8 League: Lumen Christie’s Madison Osterberg is looking strong as ever, hitting the 8/16 double in 2:13.54 / 4:56.30. Robby Slaughter of Hastings vaulted 14-0. Harper Creek topped the girls team scores, Parma Western the boys.

Jack Pine Conference: Shepherd ruled the girls side at 203 points, while Gladwin edged Clare by 5 points to win the guys title, 174-169. Top individual mark was the 1:56.39 in the 800 by Clare junior Brad White, in only his second trip under 2:00.

LCAA Champs: The Ida girls won a 1-point squeaker over Blissfield, 99.5-98.5. On the boys side, Onsted scored 157 to win by 49. Hillsdale jumper Mia Hinz went 17-5.5 (0.5).

MMAC League: Ovid-Elsie soph Tryce Tokar cleared 14-0 in the vault. Ovid-Elsie won the girls title and Chesaning captured the boys with a 101(!)-point margin.

NWC Champs: Hunter Jones led Benzie to the team title by winning the four longest individual events, clocking 4:40.75, 51.88, 1:57.05 and 10:33.71. Buckley junior Aiden Harrand went 2:12.51 and 4:57.60. Kingsley won the girls crown.

SAC Champs: Liam Mann of Hackett won the sprints in 11.14/22.60, while Parchment’s William Winter doubled in 1:59.54/4:24.08. Team winners were Hackett (boys) and Gobles (girls).

SCAA Champs: Hillsdale Academy won both boys and girls trophies. Dominic Scharer won both throws and Haven Socha took the 100/200/LJ.

Saginaw Valley League: Dow junior Colin McGregor ripped a 49.62 PR in the 400. Teammate Emma Thomas scored a sprint triple at 12.58 / 25.82 / 58.32 and ran on the winning 4×1 that went 49.98. Dow won the girls trophy, Heritage the boys.

SW10 Champs: Centreville won on both sides. Comstock’s Ti’Anna Murphy-Ryan took the sprints in 12.62/26.93.

TCC Champs: Adrian Madison won the girls title by 12. Erie-Mason won the boys by a 1.5 margin over Ottawa Lake-Whiteford. Erie-Mason’s Beth Sweeney captured the HJ at 5-2.

Wayne County: Divine Child’s Mike Hegarty sharpened up for the D2 finals with his 1:56.54 PR at 800. Detroit U-D Jesuit won the boys, Wayne Memorial the girls. And perhaps most impressive was the Renaissance girls taking 2nd the day before their Detroit City win!

Detroit City Meet: Junior Lindsay Johnson of Cass burned a sweet hurdle double in 14.91 / 43.29 (PR). Renaissance took the girls relays in 49.93, 1:40.38, 3:55.96 and 10:14.41. King’s Jacobe Oglesby impressed with a 10.72 dash. And Cass Tech’s Michael Davis-Hawkins hit 21.73 for 200 right after a 39.74 hurdle win. Teammate Aydan Myers went a PR 49.36 in the one-lapper. Renaissance took both team titles over Cass Tech, the men’s by just 2 points.

Updated Michtrack Elite Lists

The only lists that care about wind-aided sprints and deliver a top 10 that actually resembles reality in those events! Will be posted some time Thursday. Sorry, this weekend has been a time management nightmare. The links:

Alumni Highlights: Kessler Fastest On U.S. Soil

You thought Hobbs Kessler was fast before, but now he’s really fast. The 1500 prodigy who signed with adidas out of Skyline High has had a few bumps in the road as he’s grown up in the sport. Yet now at the grand old age of 20, he’s making a big mark. Running against a top field at the USATF Los Angeles GP, Kessler produced a stunning kick and got past Cooper Teare among others, finishing 3rd behind two of the top Kenyan runners. His 3:32.61 is not only the fastest an American has ever run on U.S. soil, it’s an alumni record for Michigan, topping Paul McMullen’s 3:33.89 from 2001.

Also in LA, Alex Rose (Ogemaw Heights and now Samoa) continued his great season with a 210-1 (64.03) for 3rd in the discus. Two other Michiganders were in the field—Brian Williams (Fraser), 4th at 205-7 (62.66) and Andrew Evans (Portage Northern) 6th at 203-1 (61.90).

In the women’s 200, Anavia Battle (Wayne Memorial) ran 3rd in 22.57; Kyra Jefferson (Cass Tech) was 5th in 23.02.

At the previous night’s USATF Distance Classic on the same track, Morgan Beadlescomb (Algonac) improved his PR at 5000 to 13:08.82—he’s the No. 3 Michigander ever. Nathan Mylenek (Pontiac Notre Dame) PRed with an 8:33.64 steeple (No. 12 alumni ever).

NCAA Regionals: These are strange meets because no one really wins; there are no champions crowned. Plus we have to deal with an cringeworthy deluge of college sports information directors who still think “TICKET PUNCHED!” is a creative headline. Yet there were more than a few great marks for our alumni. A quick list (sorry, not a complete list of qualifiers):

• Udodi Onwuzurike (Brother Rice/Stanford) 100 in 9.92 (1.4 wind)—first Michigander under 10.00! Also made it in 200 at 20.07.

• Matthew Moorer (Ypsi Lincoln/Baylor) 400 (45.73) — plus 4×4.

• Dubem Amene (Southfield Christian/UM) 400 (46.61).

• Nick Foster (Pioneer/UM) 1500 (3:53.77);

• John Petruno (Walled Lake Western/MSU) 1500 (3:54.12);

• Carter Solomon (Plymouth/Notre Dame) 5000 (13:53.59);

• Trevor Stephenson (East Kentwood/MSU) PV (17-8.5/5.40);

• Zane Forist (Carson City Crystal/UM) discus (182-3/55.57);

• Kaila Jackson (Renaissance/Georgia) 100 (11.09, after 10.95w heat); also 200 (22.72).

• Lauren Freeland (Kent City/MSU) 1500 (4:14.28);

• Aasia Laurencin (Oak Park/UM) 100H (12.83);

• Grace Stark (Lakeland/Florida) 100H (12.92);

• Mariel Bruxvoort (GR South Christian/Iowa) 400H (57.04);

• Opal Jackson (L’Anse Creuse North/MSU) SP (54-6.75/16.63).

NCAA D2: In the heptathlon Cheyenne Williamson (Essexville Garber/SVSU) PRed at 5861 to become the first 3-time winner ever (and No. 3 alumni ever). Then she won the high jump at 5-9.75 (1.77) and placed 7th in the hurdles at 13.51w! Myles Kerner (Kenowa Hills/GVSU) was 3rd in the SP (61-9.5/18.83). Nathan Spitzley (Pewamo-Westphalia/GVSU) was 3rd in the disc (179-10/54.82). Ryan Brenner (Frankenmuth/SVSU) placed 8th in the decathlon (7155).

It’s Coming: MI Champion of Champions

Get this onto your calendar. From 1956 to 1972, the best meet in the state was the Champion of Champions meet, which brought together most of the state champions in those years—as well as a lot of other great athletes—to see who was really the best. Sadly, the meet faded away and was essentially replaced by the Midwest Meet of Champions. Now the Midwest Meet has faded away, and kudos to MITCA for resurrecting the idea of a post-season event that brings together all of Michigan’s best.

It promises to be a great, well-organized and presented meet, and if an athlete is preparing for nationals the next week, this sounds like the perfect competition to sharpen up at. Join us in Davison on June 9 & 10!

Legend: Ralph Craig – Detroit Central 1907

A hurdler at Central High, Ralph Craig didn’t realize he could sprint until his University of Michigan coach, Keene Fitzpatrick, made him try. Good call. Two Olympic gold medals don’t lie.

A solid hurdler in Central’s powerhouse program, Craig won the 120-yard highs (college height) in 17.2 at the Michigan Interscholastic Championships his senior year. He added victories in the 220-yard lows (27.6) and the 4x2 (1:35.2).

He went on to star on the Michigan football team; he only got faster on the track. In 1910 he won the IC4A title for 220 yards—the de facto national college championship—in 21 1/5, tying the World Record (for a straight 220). The next year he did it again and added a win in the 100.

In the spring of 1912, the newly-graduated Craig announced that he would not try for an Olympic spot because he expected to be too busy in the world of business. Luckily, something changed his mind, and at the Eastern Trials for the Olympic team, he won the 200 and also earned a spot in his weaker event, the 100.

At the Games in Stockholm, Craig was not favored in the 100 because of his notoriously slow starts. However, favored Howard Drew got injured in the semifinals, and World Record holder Donald Lippincott was one of those worn out by 8 (!) false starts. Finally, the runners caught a fair start and Craig finished best to win the gold in 10.8 on the dirt track (these are the days before starting blocks, remember).

Five days later, heavily favored to win the 200, Craig did not disappoint, streaking to victory in 21.7. Surprisingly, he wasn’t selected to run on the 4 x 100. The favored American team was disqualified after a bad handoff.

Craig was not done with the Olympics. A stunning 36 years later, he qualified for another Olympic team, this time in yachting. Though he was an alternate and did not compete, he did get the honor of being the flagbearer for Team USA. He was the second flagbearer from Detroit Central. The first, in 1908, was John Garrels.

For most of his working career, Craig was an administrator with the New York State Unemployment Bureau. He died in New York on July 21, 1972.

A Different Kind of Weekend Highlight

Only a few of you may be in on the secret that another passion of mine is birds. As in, seeing all the bird species I possibly can. While I love track enough to have it be my day job and my after-work passion, I find I need an antidote, some way to get away from the noise of it all. Birds do that for me. (Of course, I’m a stat nut in that realm also: 1213 species on my world list, 578 in North America, 288 in Michigan).

Which brings me to one of the most memorable moments of announcing at Houseman Field Saturday: in the midst of one of the races, an unusual bird flew right across my sightline. Binocs in hand, I quickly checked it out and followed it to the pole wher it perched overlooking the historic track. A Merlin! Normally a very hard-to-find falcon, it was only the second time I had seen it in Michigan, and it was my best look ever.

Then, of course, I remembered that I was supposed to be announcing a race, so I had to look away from the bird and get on with my job. So if I screwed up while narrating your event, now you know it was a bird’s fault.

Interview: Benne Anderson Revisited

OK, I’ll just fess up. I ran out of time to chase down a full interview this week. Doing this newsletter at the same time as trying to hold down a track reporting job at the height of the season is hard, man. But I did talk to Benne Anderson again after his historic 8:40.90 for 3200 at Houseman Field. That came just 4 days after his stunning 1:49.68 for two laps. The Ottawa Hills senior shared with us his thoughts on the 3200 as well as his (re)thinking on the possible triple he was looking at for the D1 finals. The 1600-800-3200 (or the old-school 1M-880-2M) has never been conquered in Class A/D1 since the state finals began in 1895.

Michtrack: How do you feel about tonight’s run?

Anderson: I'm a little disappointed. I was hoping to break 8:36 but it's okay. It's still a really good time.

Michtrack: You went nuts that last 200 (27.24). What was going through your head?

Anderson: I was just kind of thinking to myself that I gotta hurt. I was trying to make myself hurt more and more. That was my whole goal through that last 200, was just to kind of try to feel as much pain as possible.

Michtrack: Is there any place where you felt your goals were slipping away?

Anderson: I felt it a little bit the third lap. I thought, I might still have a chance to catch it. But I kind of—I didn't give up, but I definitely felt my chances kind of go a little bit. It was about lap five or six. That’s kind of when I felt it like, “Okay, I don't know if I can push hard enough to make up what I lost.”

Michtrack: Did Liam's pacing help you?

Anderson: Absolutely. I'm very glad he was there. I think I could have held on, but he helped me catch back a few seconds, which was very, very nice. Especially without any real competition out here, that helped a lot.

Michtrack: He helped you to a PR, so that's got to be worth a lot. Next week, still thinking of a fast mile?

Anderson: That's I think might be the goal. We're going to be looking at the weather a little bit. It’s still up in the air. My plans had changed for this race. The 4:00 was originally the goal here, but after the 800 Tuesday, we decided to move stuff around.

Michtrack: Still thinking of attempting the triple at State?

Anderson: No way. That's impossible. After running that 1:49… You'd have to probably run that again at State. I don't think anyone could do it, I really don’t think. Not for D1, I think you just got to be too fast. I think you’d have to run a sub-4:10 at the minimum to win the mile probably. You’ve got to run either 1:50 flat or better for the 800 and I feel like you’ve got to run at least a 9:00 for the two.  I wish I had that. Maybe on different days, if I staggered it more. Not in one day.

Michtrack: Are you scratching one of them?

Anderson: Definitely. One of them will be scratched. Not sure yet which.

The Little Stuff At the End

Big Weekend for Announcing: Oakland County Champs in Oxford on Friday, and then Houseman Field on Saturday. Lots of driving, lots of talking into a mic. So on Sunday (when I’m writing this chunk) I am trashed and sleep-deprived. Expecting to have the batteries fully recharged for Saturday at Rockford. Then with the MITCA Champion of Champions meet the next weekend, the announcing season comes to an end. On the one hand, I’ll miss it. On the other, I’m an introvert for whom talking can be exhausting. So looking forward to the break.

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