#112 - Championship Season

Inside This Issue

• D1 Finals - Top 10 Performances

• D2-D3-D4 Highlights

• Brooks PR: Wilson Wins

• Champion of Champions

• NCAA D1 Finals: Michiganders

• Grand Valley Men Win D2

• D3: Fremeau, Schermerhorn Score Wins

• Pro Action

• Other Things

The D1 Finals

The extravaganza in Rockford did not disappoint. I wish I had time to write about every achievement, every breakthrough, every heartbreak. Instead, we’re going to cover it in the most time effective way possible—the top 10 performances of the meet.

Of course, every state champion deserves a shout out. That’s hard to do in a state that crowns so many young people as champions. We have 7 boys 100m state champions this year, and every year. Add all the events up over our history of the state finals in Michigan, and we are at well over 25,000 state champions!

Forget what you have seen on social media about so many kids breaking State Records last weekend. Only two broke an actual state record. The rest broke meet records of varying stripes. The term “State Record” refers to the best mark by a Michigan high schooler anytime, anywhere. Kind of like “American Record” or “World Record” — meet records are a different beast and are much easier to come by.

Without further ado:

1. Zacchaeus Brocks - 13.40 - Rating a 13.40 ahead of a 13.29 State Record? Crazy—until you take a closer look. A winning margin over 1.01 seconds—the largest ever in this event. Previous best was 0.44 when Kenneth Ferguson won in 2002. Going back to hand-timed days, it was 0.6 when (future gold medalist) Rex Cawley won in 1959 and Bill Tipton in 1967. This is not a case of the runner-up running slow. Remember, Brocks was facing a 2.4mps headwind. According to the T&FN Big Gold Book, if he had been running in still conditions, he would have gone 13.24. With a legal 2.0mps at his back, he would have run 13.12! I think it’s safe to say that statistically, that 13.40 was the greatest prep hurdle performance in state history…. so far.

2. Zacchaeus Brocks 13.29 State Record - The senior from Detroit Catholic Central stunned in his heat with a 1.3 wind at his back, storming to a time that slashed 0.06 from the 13.35 mark that Belleville’s Will Jaiden Smith ran last year in the finals. Brocks ranked No. 3 in the nation, wind-legal and is a strong prospect to challenge for an outdoor national title to go with his indoor crown. Watch the race.

3. Katie Blue 14-0 State Record: The Grand Ledge senior won indoor nationals with her 14-0.5, the first-ever Michigan girl over 14-feet. We’ve all been hoping she would find the same form outdoors and she did when it counted, clearing the barrier on her second attempt, and then gamely making three tries at 14-3. The MSU signee might go even higher at nationals.

4. Malise Brown 23.13 meet record - The Cass Tech senior — bound for Alabama A&M — shocked many by running down Kamryn Tatum in the 200 final. Tatum was not having a bad day. She’s one of the most consistent sprinters we have ever had and she was running a PR 23.31. Brown simply was racing out of her head, producing the No. 2 performance in Michigan history and the fastest ever in the MHSAA season. All into a slight 0.4mps headwind. She ranks No. 7 in the country now.

5. Cayla Hawkins 52.89 meet record - We knew the East Lansing frosh was going to make an impact—she’s the state recordholder for 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade. We just didn’t know she would be this big, this soon. She defeated one of the state’s heavy hitters in Nevaeh Burns, rocketing to a 52.89 to move to No. 2 in state history after Kendall Baisden. That’s the fastest 9th-grade time in the country, No. 14 in the USA overall. (It’s not a state 9th grade record, however. That’s Baisden’s 52.59 in 2010—we all need to remember just how great that future Hall of Famer was.)

6. Zacchaeus Brocks 36.33 - Yes, more Brocks. Fair is fair. This was the No. 3 race in state history over 300 hurdles. Only 17 people in the country have run this fast this year. It makes one wonder what he could do if he ever got the chance to run this distance fresh. Would he break Kenneth Ferguson’s 35.90 state record? We’ll never know. At this point, we know of no other meets that feature the 300H this summer, as all of the summer championships run the 400H.

7. West Bloomfield 46.88 - I have to confess, I blew the play-by-play on this race. A distraction in the press box (there were hundreds that day) had me look the wrong way and miss Kamryn Tatum’s blinding backstretch sprint. When I looked up it took me a bit to realize just how far West Bloomfield was ahead. But you don’t run 46.88 and become the No. 3 school in state history with just one great sprinter. The whole foursome deserves accolades: Lauryn Choice, Kamryn Tatum, Mharei Sampson & Ese Uwedjojevwe.

8. Kyleigh Peacock 19-1 - The long jump doesn’t get a lot of love in this state. Usually it’s contested where the announcer and most of the fans can’t see it. And usually the runway is set up to take advantage of prevailing winds, meaning that most great marks are wind-aided in this state. The Troy junior captured the title on her final leap, when the winds died down to a legal 1.8. She is =18 in state history now.

9. Reece Emeott 16-6 - Winning three straight titles is pretty impressive in D1. And his 16-6 ties the East Kentwood senior for =5 in state history. Now bound for UM, he still has time to challenge the 17-foot barrier before he arrives in Ann Arbor.

10. Detroit Catholic Central 41.50 - With defending D1 100 champ Samson Gash out after pulling up in the 200 heats, his teammates showed the world that there is plenty of speed available at CC. They rocketed a 41.50 top become the No. 5 school in state history.

D2-D3-D4 Highlights

Having to work the D1 Finals means that I always miss the other divisions. I wish there were a way to see them all live (hint hint, 2-day state finals at one site). Here are the top 10 performances that I missed:

1. Addy Stiverson 55-6.5 - We’re at serious risk of taking the Montrose junior for granted. In a case of burying the lede (a journalism no-no), she wasn’t mentioned until paragraph 10 of the MHSAA story, despite this being farther than any other girl in the country has thrown this year and an all-division record by nearly 5 feet! She missed her own State Record by an inch. Officials brought out the tape for an unofficial measurement (the official measurement was by laser) and it showed 55-8. There is clearly more to come from Stiverson and we can’t wait.

2. Aubrey Wilson 11.50 - The Divine Child junior showed us there are big things to come with her zippy 11.50 PR (0.3) wind at Hamilton. Only three athletes in state history have ever gone faster, and they are all legends: Shayla Mahan, Kaila Jackson and Grace Stark. This didn’t even crack the top 25 nationally, and so she wasn’t really on the “expert’s” radar at the Brooks PR meet. Clearly she should have been.

3. Declin Doroh 6-10 - The Stevensville junior has already cleared 7-0 once this year and hopefully will be honing his skills this summer with some top-level competition. After his first-attempt clearance at 6-10 at the D2 meet, he made three tries at 7-1. It’s been a long time since our state has seen a top-notch high jumper on the boys side; the State Record of 7-2 is 15 years old. Maybe Doroh is the one?

4. Oliver Long 61-0.5 - The Morrice senior hit a state leader 61-3 a few days before the D4 Finals. There he landed his 61-0.5 on his final attempt, nearly three feet farther than what he had done in his first 5 throws. He will be throwing for Saginaw Valley next year.

5. Macy Subka 42.84 - The Spring Lake junior took over the state lead with her 42.84 to win in D2. A multi-sport athlete, she is now No. 16 in state history.

6. Harper Woods 41.50 - The speed program at Harper Woods is turning dividends fast. The foursome—Jayden Crum, DeAndre Bidden, Dakota Guerrant, Shawn Mosley—is now tied for the state lead and the No. 5 school ever.

7. Bella Friddle 5-9 - The junior from Hastings did the best jumping in her life to capture the D2 crown, clearing 5-9 on her second attempt before going out with three misses at 5-10.

8. Ryan Good 4:13.20/1:53.81 - Notice I saved the distance runners for last in this compilation? It’s just a different game. Most have run their best times earlier in the season at the “elite” races. At the state finals, it’s usually about scoring points and doubling or tripling. And it’s hard to rank doubles against single performances (I didn’t even try with Brocks in the hurdles, because his marks stand on their own). The Parma Western junior is already the state leader at 800 with his 1:50.11. Note he has also run 48.20. The 4:13.20 PR started his day at D2. Then he won the 800 and anchored his 4×4 with a 49.62. Believe me, he has faster times coming.

9. Eliza Schwass 4:53.12/2:08.62 - The Ludington frosh sensation surprised no one by winning the D2 1600 in 4:53.12. An overwhelming favorite, she had earlier in the season run 4:40.34 for a 9th grade state record and is currently No. 4 on the national 9th grade list. She came back in the 800 and missed her PR by just 0.01 with a 2:08.62. Then she went for the triple, but fell short with her 10:43.09 in 2nd place. Keep watching this one.

10. Abenezer Cerone 4:14.29/1:52.94 - The Royal Oak Shrine senior has been steadily progressing this season. He ran a PR 1:52.24 at the Saline Golden Triangle. At D4, he won the 1600 in a PR 4:14.29 and came back with a 1:52.94 in the 800. Bound for Butler, there’s tons more potential here.

Brooks PR: Wilson Wins 100!

RENTON, WASHINGTON, June 7—Aubrey Wilson stole the show at Brooks PR. The Divine Child junior, stuck in lane 2 while the stars in the middle of the track got all the love from the commentators, showed them that Michigan does indeed produce great sprinters. With a scant 0.2 breeze at her back, she streaked to a 11.45 to take the title, becoming the No. 3 sprinter in Michigan history. Watch the race.

In the girls 2 mile, Natasza Dudek led for the first three laps before finishing 3rd in 10:00.22. Emma Hoffman, the Otsego senior who is running for Colorado next year, ran 5th in 10:03.28. Love that the organizers gave official FAT times at 3000, 3200 and 2M! That gave Dudek a clean sweep of the 10th grade state records: 9:22.73, 9:57.19 and 10:00.22.

Grand Haven’s Archer Verhage ran 4:13.79 for 3rd in the freshman mile. In the girls frosh race, Eliza Schwass ran 4th in 4:42.17 for a state 9th grade record and Alex Scappaticci 7th in 4:49.77. Schwass’s 4:24.71 split at 1500 breaks Rachel Forsyth’s 9th grade state record at that distance.

Aubrey Burt of Motor City placed 4th in the middle school 800 at 2:14.37.

Champion of Champions Impresses

DAVISON, June 5-6—The 4th annual MITCA Champion of Champions meet might not have featured all of the state champions—that would be great, and hopefully will come with time. However the festival at Cardinal Stadium delivered some extraordinary competitions.

Highlights:

• Kamari Ronfeldt ran the fastest 3200 of the year on Friday, clocking 8:59.08, ahead of Marek Butkiewicz (9:02.55) and Ezekiel Baltierra (9:06.41).

• Payton Gee, who fell in the 100H heats at the D1 Finals, had her chance for a do-over, racing the D1 champion, Laila Hawkins. She stormed to the win in a state-leading 13.75, with Hawkins at 13.88 (1.7 wind). Gee is now No. 10 in state history, Hawkins No. 18.

• Abenezer Cerone gave further indication of his potential, producing a massive kick to win the 1600 from a deep field, cutting 6 seconds off his best with a 4:08.31. Frankenmuth’s Nick Parker was 2nd in 4:11.32 (a 5-second PR) as 8 broke 4:15.

• Colette Wierks went out in 63.96 in the 800 and held on for a 2:08.68 win over fast-closing Lane Isom (2:08.83). Annie Isom ran 3rd in 2:10.91.

• Two new additions to the 16-foot club as Grady Myers and Sean Cinzori went 16-3. Never has Michigan had more 16-footers in one season than the 4 we have now.

• Adelyn Raab took the 1600 in 4:50.01.

• Jaelyn Ray scored the 3200 win in a PR 10:28.47 ahead of Emilia Garces’ PR 10:31.26.

• Shondell Warren and Maddi Duke dueled in the 800, Warren winning 1:53.52 PR to 1:53.62.

• Malise Brown showed some short speed with a PR 11.80 (0.9).

• Nevaeh Burns took a double in 24.41w/54.37.

• Austin Langeland of Coopersville won a solid 100 in 10.64 (0.0).

• Braden Hartsuff hurdled a PR 14.27 (0.3).

• Clara Slattery PRed with her 43.05 win at 300H.

• Jackson Shaltry threw the disc a PR 179-10.

• Ellie Mendoza took the girls discus at 150-2.

Full results

NCAA D1 Finals: Michiganders

This weekend, the best of the D1 athletes go at it in Eugene, Oregon. Here are the Michigan HS alumni who are expected to compete (note that in relays, they might end up being an alternate and not competing). Notes added on what happened Wednesday night.

• 100-Kaila Jackson (Renaissance-Georgia)

• 200-Kaila Jackson (Renaissance-Georgia)

• Steeple-Sophie Novak (Lake Orion-Notre Dame)

• SP-Abby Russell (Allen Park-UM)

• 4x1-Georgia (Kaila Jackson)

• 4x4-Vanderbilt (Mya Georgiadis-AA Huron)

• 100 Para/Wheelchair-Maria Velat (Houghton-UM)

• 800-Miles Brown (Novi-UM) (qualified for final, 2nd in 1:47.01)

• 1500-Brendan Herger (Northville-UM) (qualified for final, 3rd in 3:39.15)

• 1500-Benne Anderson (Ottawa Hills-Syracuse) (qualified for final, 4th in 3:36.15)

• 1500-Trent McFarland (Utica-UM) (qualified for final, 3rd in 3:36.07)

• 110H-Braxton Brann (AA Huron-Ohio St) (qualified for final, 2nd in PR 13.17)

• 400H-Tamaal Myers II (Cass Tech-UCLA) (6th in heat, 50.87; did not advance)

• LJ-Quincy Isaac (Canton-UM) (9th, 25-6.25)

• Decathlon-Ben Barton (Seaholm-BYU) (leads Day 1, 4415 points)

• 4x1-Ohio State (Braxton Brann) (Anchored the team to a 38.64 heat to make the final)

• 4x4-BYU (Ben Barton-Seaholm) (The projected winner after the 400, per decathlon guru Howard Willman—but it’s close)

• 100 Para/Wheelchair-Johnny Osborn (Sault-UM)

• 100 Para/Wheelchair-Luke Bowman (Anchor Bay-UM)

Grand Valley Men Win D2 Nationals

EMPORIA, KANSAS, May 21-23—The Laker men scored 66 points, enough to give them a 5-point win over Pittsburg State. Note that the hammer crew went 1-2, with defending champion Haas, another Michigander, in 3rd. Griffey is now the No. 2 Michigander in history, and Tesch is No. 4.

Some of the key Laker performers who competed in high school in Michigan:

• St-Owen Westerkamp (Big Rapids) 5th, 8:53.49

• St-Noah Selveraj (BC Western) 8th, 8:54.94.

• 5K-Koby Fraaza (Gull Lake) 6th, 14:10.82

• 10K-Fraaza 1st, 29:20.62

• 4×1-GVSU 5th (including Sam Mitas-Petoskey, Jason Hamilton II-Troy, Sam Coyle-Rockford)

• 4×4-GVSU 8th, 3:10.56 (inc. Adyen McCarey-Niles, Demarcus Chapa & Desmond Chapa-Holland W Ottawa)

• HJ-Braden Prielipp (Marion) 7th, 6-10.75

• PV-Dolan Gonzales (Saline) 6th, 17-3

• HT-Michael Griffey (Plainwell) 1st, 229-3

• HT-Sebastian Tesch (Anchor Bay) 2nd, 228-0

Michigander scorers from other schools:

• 10K-Jacob Walker (Columbia Central-SVSU) 7th, 29:35.81

• 110H-Blake Vier (Royal Oak-Northwood) 3rd, 13.82

• HJ-Xavier Santiago (Onaway-SVSU) 3rd, 7-2.25

• SP-Ben Haas (Clarkston-Hillsdale) 7th, 60-0.5

• SP-Andrew Quinn (Frankenmuth-SVSU) 8th, 59-7.5

• HT-Haas 3rd, 224-7

D2 Women - Michigander scorers

• 10K-Anastasia Tucker (Midland Dow-GVSU) 6th, 34:32.93

• PV-Tara Townsend (Frankfort-Hillsdale) =3rd, 13-7.25

• PV-Brooke Bowers (Forest Hills Central-GVSU) =7th, 13-3.5

• LJ-Alaina Diaz (Hudsonville-GVSU) 8th, 19-6

• HT-Shelby Ulven (Zeeland E-GVSU) 3rd, 199-2

D3: Fremeau, Schermerhorn Score Wins

MEN

• SP-Owen Fremeau (Lumen Christi-Olivet) 7th, 57-2.75

• DT-Fremeau 6th, 173-10

• HT-Fremeau 1st, 209-6

WOMEN

• 200-Sara Schermerhorn (Traverse City W-Hope) 24.24

• 400-Schermerhorn 1st, 54.19

• LJ-Alysia Townsend (Skyline-Adrian) 8th, 18-9.75

• Heptathlon-Jaidyn Klimp (Galesburg Augusta-Hope) 5th, 5033

• 4×1-Calvin 7th, 46.50 (includes Rayn Rutley-Fenton, Alison Bailey-Petoskey)

Pro Action

• Hobbs Kessler: His first outdoor 1500 of the year was a fine 3:31.76 for 6th at the Stockholm Diamond League. At Oslo, in the Dream Mile, he kicked past 5 others in the final 100 to place 4th in 3:49.13.

• Grace Stark: Still don’t know what her indoor injury was, but she raced for the first time in 4 months at the Lone Star GP, finishing 6th in 12.77 (1.3).

• Erika Beistle: We knew the Big Rapids/GVSU alum was good, but it’s fantastic to see the discus star make the very difficult transition to the pro ranks, with two Diamond League appearances: Xiamen (4th, 210-2) & Rabat (10th, 202-0).

• Myles Kerner: Another GVSU alum working to make his way into the upper reaches of the pro ranks is the Kenowa Hills alum. His 67-11.75 is the top shot put ever by a Michigander (we’ve thrown out the Ralf Reichenbach marks from the ‘70-80s because of his admitted steroid usage).

• Morgan Beadlescomb: It’s been a long time since we’ve seen the Algonac/MSU alum in a 10K, but he traveled to Manchester in the UK for a big one, placing 4th in a very solid 27:45.

• Grant Fisher: In his outdoor opener, he ran 5th in the 5000 at the Oslo Diamond League with his 12:49.61, the third-fastest time in his career.

Other Things

• Elite Lists for the Outdoor Season: Boys - Girls

• State Outdoor Records - Girls - Boys

• Outdoor Top 25 All-Time List - Girls - Boys

• Michigan TF/XC Hall of Fame

• Charitable Giving: Keep in mind that Michtrack is a federally approved 501c3 and that donations to keep our historical work going, as well as this newsletter, are tax deductible. For how to give, visit here.

• Comments, suggestions, and all that stuff? Email [email protected].