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Inside This Issue
Latest HS Highlights
Hammond is on a roll, with an 8:58.33 Bluejay win and a 4:08.29 at OK Red.
Saline Golden Triangle (5/1): Greg Myers keyed a blazing 800, going out in 54.8 and maintaining that speed through the second lap, only to get narrowly edged by state leader Ryan Good of Parma Western, 1:50.11-1:50.14, with Northville’s Ryan Stojov in 1:52.00 and Shrine’s Abeneze Cerone in 1:52.24. Good and Myers move to Nos. 11 and 12 in Michigan history. Saline junior Jacob Szalay won the 3200 in 9:14.50. The 4x8 went to Skyline with a blazing 7:49.83 over Northville (7:50.72). Saline won the girls 4x8 in 9:23.79. Northville frosh Alexandra Scappaticci won the mile in 5:05.03 then doubled back for a 3200 win over Saline’s Savannah Staton, 10:38.32-10:40.14. Novi’s Katelyn Egli took the 800 in 2:14.89. Results.
Shepherd Bluejay Invitational (5/1): Luke Hammond has the kick, and the Grand Haven junior showed it in the Elite 3200, flying to a list-leading time of 8:58.33 to beat Northville’s Brandon Cloud (9:01.00) and Pioneer’s Kamari Ronfeldt (9:03.14) & Beckett Crooks (9:03.74). Other top finishers as 14 broke 9:10: Jackson Lam (Norrix) 9:04.12, Gavin Katic (Fenton) 9:04.90, Marek Butkiewicz (Hackett) 9:05.33, Jack MacGregor (Howell) 9:05.51, Gabe Litzner (Sault) 9:06.22, Moises Salazar (Adrian) 9:06.99, Kyle O’Rourke (Milford) 9:07.27, Coen Hill (Dexter) 9:08.55, Noah Johnston (Caledonia) 9:08.77, Brody Karg (Harbor Beach) 9:09.68.
Bluejay girls: Last week, Ludington frosh Eliza Schwass topped Pioneer’s Natasza Dudek in the 1600. Dudek turned the tables in this 3200, running away to a 10:01.05 victory, with Schwass nearly a straightaway behind in 10:13.02. Dudek is now No. 5 in state history, Schwass No. 15. Dudek’s mark is also a sophomore record, beating the 10:02.56 that Abby VanderKooi ran in Arizona in pandemic 2020. Jaelyn Ray of Pinckney won the race of the mortals in 10:32.20. Nine broke 10:40, including Romeo’s Annie Hrabovsky 10:32.88 & Ella Goodsell 10:33.87, Keira Von Blon (Pioneer) 10:34.59, Emilia Garces (Dow) 10:34.71, Ava Schafer (St Johns) 10:36.48, Grace Wonch (Lansing Catholic) 10:37.02. Results
Davison Twilight (5/1): Katie Blue of Grand Ledge not only topped all the boys vaulters with her 13-foot clearance, she made solid attempts at a state record 13-10. She also won a hurdle double in 15.08/46.06. A fast 100 for the boys: Soph Nolen Cullens of St Johns edged Okemos’ Charlie Forlino, 10.66-10.67 (no wind gauge—you guys know better!), with Midland’s LJ Gallihugh in 10.72. Wendell Childs of Clarkston took the 800 in 1:54.29. Romeo’s girls ran a solid 9:25.15 in the 4x8. Results
Long Invitational (5/1): Cayla Hawkins had a solid meet in Kalamazoo. The East Lansing frosh won the 100/200 into headwinds (12.77/24.61), and anchored relays of 48.83 and 1:43.62. Results
Bell Invitational (5/1): Traverse City West put together an impressive 9:19.51 in the 4x8. Lorelai Zielinski won the throws in 47-5 and 165-7. The latter is the =4 performance in state history—we don’t have the full series yet. And a name to watch: Garett Godden of Elk Rapids. The 9th -grader won the 200 in a wind-legal (1.6) 21.88. Results
Carpenter Invitational (5/2): Two lead stories here. Divine Child’s Aubrey Wilson took 4 events—long jump 17-6.5, and the sprints in 11.79 (0.0), 58.98, 24.36 (-2.5). On the boys side is the continuing growth of Harper Woods as a sprint powerhouse. DeAndre Bidden won the 100 in 10.80 (-0.2), plus ran on relays of 42.60 and 1:27.04. Results
Farmington Invitational (5/2): Some notable season openers here on a cold breezy day. Catholic Central’s defending D1 dash champ Samson Gash ran his first 100 of the season, a blistering 10.51 (1.0) in the heats. He then skipped the final, so fans missed out on a race between him and indoor 60 recordholder Peyton Trammer of Belleville. With a 0.9 wind, Trammer ran a 10.51 of his own in the final! Trammer is now No. 10 in state history (Gash is No. 3 off his 10.41 last season). Zacchaeus Brocks of Catholic Central ran his first outdoor hurdles, hitting a windy 13.72 in the heats (2.5) and a state-leading 13.77 (1.0) in the final. He later added a 39.22 win at 300. Rodney Endsley of WLW scored 4 wins: 22.15w, 48.75, plus anchored relays of 1:29.59 and 3:27.50 (48.1 split). Kyle Krasan of Skyline led Jacob Hylton of Brandon in the 800, 1:53.24-1:53.52. Kamryn Tatum ran her first outdoor 200, a 24.40 (1.9) in the heats. After that she focused on relays, running strong legs on 49.03 and 1:43.84 winners. Skyline’s Irie Scrase won the 800 in a PR 2:16.20 and used a 57.8 to anchor the winning 4:01.57 relay. Results
East Kentwood EQ (5/2): Sophomore De-Mani Roberts blazed a state-leading 47.55 on his home track. Traverse City Central won the 4x4 in 3:22.77. Results
Brighton vs Northville (5/5): A blazing 800 as Northville’s Ryan Stojov hit 1:52.20 ahead of Brighton’s Blake Kulesza’s 1:53.89. Results
MAC Red (5/5): Romeo’s Annie Hrabovsky headlined it with a PR 10:29.39 in the 3200.
MAC Blue (5/5): Charlotte Martin of Cousino threw a PR 44-9 in the shot. L’anse Creuse won the boys team race, St Clair Shores Lakeview the girls. Results
MAC White (5/5): Brody Kelsey of Eisenhower sprinted 10.88. Kingston Magnotte of Stevenson hurdled a PR 39.28. Eisenhower’s Abigail Boyd won the sprints in 12.02/25.00. Eisenhower boys won team honors, as did the GP South girls. Results
Traverse City Quad (5/6): Lorelai Zielinski threw 48-2 and 162-6. No series available. Results
TVC Red (5/6): Max Hein of Freeland won the sprints in 10.89/22.10, plus a 22-9.25. Frankenmuth frosh Brock Raymond won the 400 in a notable 49.29. Freeland’s Zander Wheatley took the hurdles in 14.92/39.76. Frankenmuth won three relays: 1:29.83, 3:26.14, 7:59.86. Payton Maxey of Freeland threw 41-5. Frankenmuth easily swept the team trophies. Results
Hillsdale Last Chance (5/6): Running unattached at this college meet, Renaissance soph D’Aja Johnson sprinted a windy 24.99 (2.5) and 56.31, winning the latter.
CAAC Blue (5/7): Charlie Folino of Okemos took the dash in 10.81 (0.3) and Jeremy Sanders of Holt the 200 in 21.96 (0.9). DeWitt’s 4x1 blasted a 42.47 ahead of Grand Ledge (42.84). Jackson Shaltry of Grand Ledge took the disc at 167-0. Cayla Hawkins of East Lansing cruised 200 in 24.22 (1.9) and 400 in 55.34, and also relayed with 49.07 & 1:43.04 teams. Katie Blue won both hurdles (15.07—0.5, 45.56) and also vaulted 13-0 (more than 2ft higher than the boys). Alannah Love of Waverly jumped 5-5. Juliana Stepp of Holt long jumped 18-0. Grand Ledge won both team titles. Results
SEC Red (5/7): Kinley Poole led Huron to the team title by winning all the sprints—11.05, 47.99 and 22.07. Saline soph Wes Rogan took the 800 in 1:56.53. Teammate Jacob Szalay won the 1600 in 4:16.22. Pioneer’s Beckett Crooks won the 3200 in 9:21.22. Saline’s Chanon Palmer hurdled 14.72 & 38.18. Pioneer took the 4x8 in 7:55.70. Pioneer handily won the girls trophy. Natasza Dudek took the 800 from Irie Scrase of Skyline, 2:13.15-2:15.19. Pioneer frosh Kiera VonBlon ran 4:59.54. Saline’s Savannah Staton hit a PR 10:29.03. A solid 4x8 saw Pioneer (9:18.05) top Saline (9:21.69). Results
OAA Blue-Gold (5/7): The weather may have been cool, but the sprint performances were hot. Kamryn Tatum of West Bloomfield blasted state leaders of 11.77 (1.9) and 23.68 (0.7). Oak Park’s Nevaeh Burns won the 400 in 56.73. Payton Gee blazed a 13.88 hurdles into a 0.7 headwind to move to No. 17 all-time. She also ran 45.49. A hot 4x1 saw Oak Park top West Bloomfield 47.54-47.86. OP ran a state leader 1:38.62 in the 4x2, and also ran 3:59.65 & 9:37.61 for an overall team win with a 57-point margin.
The Oak Park boys were even more dominant, winning by 65 points. Rondre’ Austion blasted 21.41 (0.5) in the 200 after a 47.81 400. Shondell Warren led an 800 sweep in 1:56.89. Sterling Diop hurdled 14.80 (1.4). OP relayed 42.94 (from the slow heat), 1:27.38, 3:22.72 & 7:58.72. DeAndre Bidden of Harper Woods won the 100 in a windy 10.66 (2.5). North Farmington’s Jonathan Majcher won the HJ at 6-5 and took some nice shots at 6-9. Results
OK Red (5/8): East Kentwood swept the team titles by big margins. Collette Wierks of West Ottawa won the 800 in 2:13.37. EK’s Aaliyah Bailey hurdled 14.25 (1.7) and 45.25. EK took the short relays in 48.34 & 1:40.45, while West Ottawa took the longer ones in 3:56.30 & 9:24.24. Izzy Robbins of Grand Haven vaulted 13-3 and Emani Armstrong (EK) jumped 17-3.75.
Boys: Keiavion Korenstra ripped a PR 10.52 in the 100, just 0.01 off the state lead. Legal wind 0.7. De-Mani Roberts won their showdown at 200, 21.64 to Korenstra’s 21.82 (-0.4). Earlier Roberts had won the 400 in 48.17. A blazing 1600 matchup between Grand Haven’s Luka Hammond (4:08.29) and Grandville’s Caden Livermore (4:09.27), with Hammond faster on the last lap, 56.52 to 57.24. Livermore came back to win the 3200 in 9:15.99 to the 9:18.77 of Justin Johnson (EK). Shukuru Makechi hurdled a windy 13.74 (2.7) and 37.55 PR. Great relay matchups: EK 42.24 to Grand Haven 42.26 & Rockford 42.58. 4x2: Rockford 1:27.71-EK 1:27.82. EK won the 4x4 in 3:21.10 and Rockford the 4x8 in 7:58.26. Highlight on the field was Reece Emeott’s 16-0 vault. Results
OK White (5/8): Unfortunately, no wind gauge for Christopher Cole (Ottawa Hills) who won the 100 in 10.66. He also took the other sprints, 22.03 & 50.15. Teammate Abdelmoneim Abdall hurdled 14.69 & 39.80. GR Christian took the 4x8 in 7:53.05. Brayden Tocco (EGR) jumped 22-3.5. Daelyn Jones of GR Christian sprinted 11.86 & 24.99. A big PR for Olivia Latunski (FHC) in the shot at 45-8, plus a 136-8. Teammate Aubree Bowers cleared 12-6. Forest Hills Northern swept the team titles. Results
SVL (5/8): Again, no wind gauge. Bottom line is fast times on a breezy day with no gauge = wind-aided. Midland’s LJ Gallihugh went 10.54 to beat Heritage’s Kamren Lautenslager’s 10.59. Nick Coleman of Heritage went 21.56 and 50.07. Weston Carter of Bay City Western hurdled 14.62 and Dow’s Zachary Dzurka 38.65. Heritage relayed 42.31. Willow Mason doubled at 12.01 and 58.34, plus anchored Heritage’s 1:42.48. Heritage won the boys title, Bay City Western the girls. Results
OAA Red-White (5/8): Titles went to Farmington boys and Rochester girls. Lake Orion’s Abbey Neering ran the 400 in 57.86 (and Abby Deering of Adams took the 800 in 2:16.72). Ellie Mendoza of Rochester threw 142-11. Olivia Bagdasarian (LO) cleared 11-6. Rochester’s Imani Morgan jumped 17-6. Tony Jordan of Athens won the 400 in 48.64 ahead of Lake Orion’s Ben Lako (48.67). Clarkston’s Ryan Barnes took the 1600 in 4:16.28. Farmington’s Zion Mills hurdled 14.64 into a 1.9 headwind. Stoney Creek won the 4x4 in 3:23.60. Lake Orion’s Tyler Molland vaulted a PR 14-9. Results
Big North Champs (5/8): Another big double for Lorelai Zielinski, 48-3 & 164-5. we’re still trying to get her whole series. (Did we mention that we love meet managers who make sure those series get in to A-net?) Results
Lakes Valley Conference (5/8): Milford won the boys, Walled Lake Central the girls. WLW’s Rodney Endsley sprinted 21.83 & 48.93. Finn Gammerath of WLN won the 800 in 1:54.88. Milford’s Kyle O’Rourke took the distances in 4:16.69 & 9:36.52. Walled Lake Northern beat Milford in the 4x4, 3:24.37-3:24.63. Addison Wilson of WLC won the disc with a PR 133-11. Results
Wolverine (5/8): Sturgis senior Angela Cary leaped 5-5. Otsego’s Alex Robbins (58-0) and Vicksburg’s Kameron Kessler (57-6) battled in the shot.
OK Black (5/8): A state-leading vault of 16-1 for Ben Goran of Spring Lake.
CSAA (5/8): Tri-County’s Xander Antor vaulted 15-6.
FML Champs (5/8): Owosso’s Eli Worthington threw a state leader 59-8.75.
JPC (5/9): Gladwin senior Makenzie Price threw 148-11.
SMAC (5/9): Kate Ort of Lakeshore won the 800 in 2:11.95. Teammate Leigha Whitman jumped a wind-aided 18-10.5. Kalamazoo Central’s Samuel Baker won the distances in 4:17.11 & 9:40.43 (and got 2nd in 800 at 1:57.23). Portage Northern won the 4×1 over Kalamazoo Central, 42.79-42.95, but Central got all the rest of the relays: 1:28.75, 3:24.47, 7:52.57. Declin Doroh of Lakeshore jumped a state leading 6-11 to beat Jaylind Motton’s 6-8. Results
Dakota Cougar Invite (5/9): No wind gauge, so take the sprint/hurdle times with a grain of salt. Cass Tech’s Malise Brown went 11.87/24.46. Teammate Laila Hawkins hurdled 13.93. And Cass relayed 1:42.18. Reginald Clark of Cass ran 10.75.
Lincoln Last Chance (5/9): Greg Myers isn’t just a 400/800 guy. The MSU bound talent, who jumped a shocking 22-10.5 in the long jump this week, gave the high jump a try, and won it at 6-4! Results.
Brocks stunned with his 13.26w & 36.75.
CHSL Champs (5/9): One of the state’s most impressive hurdle doubles ever came at the Bishop AB champs, where Catholic Central’s Zacchaeus Brocks stunned with a 13.26 in the high hurdles — wind-aided at 3.1mps. Still, it’s the fastest by a Michigander in any conditions. Nationally, that makes him No. 10 in U.S. history on a combined windy/legal list. Then Brocks came back and flew to a 36.75 in the 300s. That makes him No. 2 in state history, after only recordholder Kenneth Ferguson of Mumford (2002). Catholic Central’s Samson Gash and his younger brother Gideon went 1-2 in the 100, a windy 10.63/10.82 (2.8). Detroit UD Jesuit impressed with a 7:54.14 in the 4×8.
Divine Child’s Aubrey Wilson ran a superfast 100 with legal wind, an 11.54 (1.8) that makes her No. 4 all-time. She later hit 23.77 in the 200 (0.4) for =9 in history. Mercy relayed 9:25.38. Magdalena Kandt won the shot with a PR 40-2. Jordane Falvey long jumped a windy 18-6.75. Results.
KLAA (5/9): Northville swept the team titles. Belleville’s Peyton Trammer impressed in the 100, hitting 10.60 into a 2.0 wind. Had that been at his back, the Gold Book says he would have run 10.39. Second went to Novi’s Chance McNeill in 10.88, last year’s D1 runner-up who is coming back from injury. Canton’s Jayden Thompson took the 200 in 21.72 (-0.7); Trammer had run a 21.93 (-1.4) heat but did not contest the final. Novi soph Evan Specht PRed with his 48.51. Northville’s Brandon Cloud won the distance double in 4:19.01 and 9:16.26 (just edging Jack MacGregor of Howell, who also ran 9:16.26). Cloud also led off the winning 7:52.32 relay. Belleville’s Jaiden Rutley hurdled 14.26 (-0.1). Belleville edged Novi in the short relay, 42.39-42.41.
Frosh Alex Scappaticci of Northville anchored 2:13.91 for a meet record in the 4×8, 9:18.15. Then she produced a big last lap kick to take the 1600 in 4:52.52, later winning the 3200 in 10:56.47. Results.
Punch A Hole (5/9): The throws fest in Midland continues to flourish, giving some of our field eventers an opportunity to perform well at an event tailor-made for them (much like the distance runners have had for years). History was made, as Lorelai Zielinski took down the STATE RECORD in the discus for the third time this season at 168-5. Her series: 159-11, 168-5, 165-7, 156-7, 144-11, 155-0. Plus, Addy Stiverson produced the first 54-foot throw in state history! Her series: 48-5, 49-8.5, 51-11, 53-2.5, 54-7.5, 54-3. (To be fair, she recently set the state record of 55-7.5, but that day she skipped 54-feet altogether.) Chris Tetloff of Bullock Creek (56-0.5) and Brock Spitzley of Ovid-Elsie (176-7) took the boys events. Results
Pro/College Highlights
GLIAC (4/29-5/1): As usual, Grand Valley swept the team crowns. Event winners who attended Michigan high schools: 100—Sam Coyle (Rockford/GV) 10.46w. 200—Jason Hamilton II (Troy/GV) 21.04. 400—Darryl Carter (Country Day/SV) 47.21. 800—Samuel Allen (Norrix/GV) 1:48.67. 1500—Dominic Suliman (Cousino/SV) 3:47.58. Steeple—Owen Westerkamp (Big Rapids/GV) 9:06.28. 5000—Westerkamp 14:23.53. 10,000—Conor Summers (Fremont/GV) 29:34.65. 110H—Joshua Hurt (East Kentwood/GV) 13.81. 4×1—Grand Valley (Aaron Gholston-GR Christian, Hamilton, Coyle) 40.40. 4×4—Grand Valley (Ayden McCarey-Niles, Demarcus Chapa & Desmond Chapa—West Ottawa) 3:10.77. HJ—Xavier Santiago (Onaway/SV) 7-2.25. Camryn Battjes (Allendale/GV) 15-11.75. LJ—Ethan Scholten (GR Covenant/Davenport) 24-1w. SP—Andrew Quinn (Mason Co Central/SV) 57-11. DT—Garrett Weeden (Zeeland E/GV) 167-6. HT—Michael Griffey (Plainwell/GV) 227-2.
GLIAC WOMEN: 200—Alaina Diaz (Hudsonville/GV) 23.91w. 400—Avery Wilson (Davison/Wayne) 54.95. 800—Addison Washler (FHE/GV) 2:11.28. 1500—Megan Postma (West Ottawa/GV) 4:34.09. 100H—Megan Zahnow (Vicksburg/Wayne) 13.88w. 400—Keneisha Thomas (MH Lamphere/Wayne) 61.05. 4×1—Grand Valley 45.22 (Adalyn Liang-Portage Central), Diaz). 4×4—Wayne State 3:48.20 (Wilson, Audrey Huizinga-Manistee, Thomas). HJ—Julia Ott (Marquette/Davenport) 5-6. LJ—Zoe Zeiser (Utica/GV) 18-10w. TJ—Nicole Warren (Saline/Wayne) 38-0.75. SP—Paige Westra (Zeeland E/GV) 50-7.25. DT—Danielle Lund (Manistique/Northern MI) 141-0. HT—Shelby Ulven (Zeeland E/GV) 184-0. Hept—Natalie Formsma (Byron Center/SV) 4514.
Jordan Invitational (5/1): Hobbs Kessler ran his first-ever track 5000, in the lead with a lap to go and recording a not-too-shabby 13:13.94 that placed him 6th .
Tamaal Myers with his coach, Olympic champion Joanna Hayes.
UCLA vs USC (5/2): Tamaal Myers (Cass Tech/UCLA) won the 400 H in 50.14, helping the Bruin men to a win over USC.
Lawrence Memorial (5/2): Kaila Jackson (Renaissance/Georgia) won a double, 11.20 (0.2) and 22.67 (-0.2).
Owens Classic (5/2): Brady Schultz (Menominee/MSU) won the high jump at 7-1.75. Jessica Mercier (Waterford Kettering alum) won the vault at 14-3.25. Elle Adrian (Standish-Sterling/MSU) took the hammer at 200-9. And Michigan frosh Sydney Kuhn (Swan Valley/unat) won the 400H in 59.81. Rylan Finstrom (Gaylord/MSU) placed 3rd in the shot at 53-7.75.
Duke Twilight (5/3): Benne Anderson (Ottawa Hills/Syracuse won the 1500 in a PR 3:36.45. Brendan Herger (Northville/UM) placed 3rd in the 800 in a PR 1:46.40. Emmry Ross (Onsted/UM) ran 2:02.13 for 6th . Corey Royster (Dakota/UM) won the 200 in 20.93 (0.3). Keyanna O’Tey (Sturgis/UM) ran a windy 11.30 (2.3) and won the 200 in 23.00 (0.3). Jake Machiniak (Berrien Springs/UM) did 10.28 windy (2.8).
Illini Tune-Up (5/8): Trevor Stephenson (East Kentwood alum) won the vault at 18-0.5.
Oregon Twilight (5/8): Pinckney alum Caleb Jarema won the steeple in 8:38.45.
Arkansas Twilight (5/8): Country Day MS alum Anna Cockrell ran the 300 hurdles and destroyed the American Record with her 37.40. The old record was 38.90 by Sydney McLaughlin.
Hayes Invitational (5/8): Waterford Kettering alum Jessica Mercier won the vault at 14-9.
Paddock Invitational (5/8): Sydney Kuhn (Swan Valley/UM) finally got to race in a Michigan uniform, as coaches have decided not to redshirt her (she was injured indoors). She showed she is up to the task, rocketing to a PR 58.08 to win the 400H. Jake Machiniak (Berrien Springs/UM) won the 100 in 10.28w (2.3) and the 200 in a PR 20.58 (0.5). Zane Forist (Carson City Crystal/UM) hit a PR 191-7 to win the discus.
Pronunciation Tips?
I often find myself announcing track meets. One of these days I’m going to write my announcing manifesto, part an explanation of why/how I do it the way I do and part a set of guidelines for meet directors who want to provide a better experience for the people who are paying for the meet—the ones in the stands who pay admission, who pay their kids’ fees, who pay the school millages and who pay all the teacher/coach/administrators with their taxes. (Spoiler alert, I announce for them, not the officials & coaches.)
Today, though, I’m just going to focus on one difficult aspect of the job: speed-reading the names of the runners on the track and trying not to botch all the tough pronunciations. It’s even more challenging because there is a huge amount of diversity in the sport that is evident to anyone who’s read the names of the entries of any meet in the Detroit area.
I pride myself on doing the best I can. If someone corrects me on a pronunciation, I usually remember it, even a year or two later when that name comes up again. This weekend I announced three meets and after one of them, a coach shot me the line, “You butchered all of our names.” That hit hard. I asked for details and got a “don’t bother” response. Quite frustrating.
So let’s be constructive. If you have difficult names on your team… and you’re going to be competing at one of the meets still on my announcing calendar this season, consider being proactive and telling me how to pronounce them. My email is [email protected].
The remaining meets: D1 Regional at Novi (5/15); Oakland County (5/22); Distance Night at Houseman Field (5/23); and the D1 Finals at Rockford (5/30).
Interview: Discus Record Breaker Lorelai Zielinski of Traverse City Central
The Wolverines will be getting a good one in Zielinski.
It’s safe to say that most fans in the state don’t appreciate that Michigan has two of the nation’s biggest stars throwing heavy things around at our track meets. Think Ritzenhein and Fisher, only in the throws ring. Addy Stiverson has revolutionized the shot in Michigan. And Traverse City Central’s Lorelai Zielinski has been tearing apart the all-time list in the discus. So far, she’s broken the state record three times: a 167-0 at Grand Ledge’s Comet Classic (4/24), a 167-3 at a three-way at home (4/29), and a 168-5 at Midland’s Punch a Hole (5/9).
She’s also shown dramatic improvement in the shot, adding more than two feet to her best with a 52-6 recently. If it weren’t for Stiverson, that would be the state record. Currently, the Michigan commit is ranked No. 3 in the USA in the shot, and No. 4 in the discus. Second in both her events in the D1 finals as a frosh, she won both titles last year and is heavily favored to do so again in this her junior year.
Michtrack: You are on fire this year. Are you having a fun ride?
Zielinski: Yeah, it's been amazing. I mean, I've still got lots of meets left. I have three this week, actually. So I'm very excited for the rest of the season.
Michtrack: What is behind your improvement, do you think?
Zielinski: I've spent a lot of time since last season. I'm just kind of working on my technique, trying to tweak the little things just to get some extra distance. I think that's the main reason why I've improved.
Michtrack: Tell me about that big shot put you had, the 52-6. That had to have blown you away. It blew a lot of people away.
Zielinski: Yeah, it did. Definitely, it was a big jump for me, especially because last season, I was at 50-1. And I hadn't seen another 50-footer since then, other than in practices and whatnot. I guess I was just very pumped up that day for shot, because PRed just before in disc. During warmups, I had some really great ones and just coming out that first throw on 52-6, that was just amazing for me.
Michtrack: And the level of consistency in your discus throwing is really amazing. You've broken the state record twice. [three times now] What's behind that consistency?
Zielinski: I'm just trying to be more consistent than I was last year, more consistent at those higher distances. That was definitely my goal this. Considering now that I'm more consistent than what my PR was last year: I've hit 165 two meets in a row, 167 two meets in a row. And last year my PR was 164. And I only hit that once. It's just so great to just hit those big numbers more now.
Michtrack: With those kinds of numbers, being that consistent, is there the feeling that if you get the right wind on the right day, you might have a really big one lurking inside you?
Zielinski: I can definitely say I can feel that big throw. My last throw on Saturday (5/2), I had released it early, so it went out of bounds, but that one definitely felt like it was going to be my big throw. And I've seen them in practice. And so it's just kind of getting that one thing right and just kind of leaving it all out there. I think a big throw is to come.
Michtrack: How did you end up being a thrower in the first place?
Zielinski: Both of my parents were throwers in high school. And my mom wanted to coach in middle school. And I was going out for track. And so she told me that because she was coaching, I was going to at least try it. And I tried it out and I really liked it and realized I was at least pretty good at it. And so from there on, I went to AAU Nationals during the summers. And then once I got out to high school and the weight of the shot changed, I started going to Nike Nationals.
Michtrack: Most of our track fans in the state, they're distance running fans or they're sprint fans. And I don't think they realize how good we have it in the throws that we've got two of the nation's superstars in our backyard right now. Have you gotten incentive from having Addy Stiverson not too far away throwing big throws as well and occasionally competing against you?
Zielinski: She really motivates me when we're throwing against each other. It definitely does. It's also nice to have discus. She's better at shot and I'm better at disc. And so that kind of evens it out in terms of who wins one event or who takes second in the other. It's definitely nice to have another person who's just as good as I am.
Michtrack: What are you hoping to get out of the rest of the season?
Zielinski: I'm hoping to get my disc above 170. That would be a big goal for me. And hitting those consistent 50 footers in shot would be great for me. And I guess I would really like to place at U20s and at Nike Nationals again this year.
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