In This Issue

• Nationals Entry Lists

• Records Progressions

• State Meet Shout-Outs

• A-net Griping

• Legend: Olympic Champion Hurdler Hayes Jones

• The Little Things At The End

Your Guide To Nationals

For some, it’s a track vacation. For others, it’s a chance to make their mark on the big stage. Will Kellen Kimes defend his hammer title in Eugene? Will the Northville boys finish out the season as the national champions in the 4×8 (and perhaps make their state record even faster)? Can Nonah Waldron—not competing for Motor City this summer—pull off a Brooks/Nike double?

As always, we’ll keep track of all the Michiganders who make All-American. (On that note, before your proud moms start posting on Facebook, remember that All-American at either New Balance or Nike is only the top 6 overall in the championship event. Top 6 in “Rising Stars” or “Emerging Elites” is not All-American, and winning those events does not make you a national champion. But if you want to tell your grandma you’re a national champion, who’s gonna know?)

These meets are a stats festival for folks like us. Looking at all events, 25(!) of our state records have been set at these meets. How many will we see this year?

I’ve listed all of our entrants below. I have certainly missed some, because my eyeballs are about ready to fall out after scanning these lists repeatedly. Let me know about corrections, and I’ll amend the online version of this newsletter.

Brooks PR Invitational

Three Michiganders are scheduled to be at Wednesday’s Brooks PR. Arianne Olsen of Holland West Ottawa and Hunter Jones of Benzie Central will run the 2-Mile, while Nonah Waldron of Oak Park will be in the 100 hurdles.

New Balance Outdoor - Championship Events

Boys Sprints: 200-Braxton Brann, Ruben Esparza, Shamar Heard, Jonas Morris. 400-Drew Graves, Heard, Morris.

Girls Sprints: 100-Mackenzie Robinson. 200-Robinson

Boys Distances: 800-Samuel Allen, Caleb Bost, Matthew Canales, Jake Eagling, Brendan Herger, Owen Patton, Owen Westerkamp, David Whitaker. 1M-Herger, Tyler Lenn. 2KSteeple-Samuel Jackson. 2M-Mike Hegarty, Paul Moore, Matthew Short. 5000-Jackson.

Girls Distances: 800-Lilianne Aittama, Mia Rogan, Payton Scheffler. 1M-Lucy Cook, Rachel Forsyth, Drew Muller, Annika Sandman. 2M-Cook, A. Sandman. 5000-A. Sandman.

Boys Hurdles: 110H-Braxton Brann, Joshua Hurt, Kayenn Mabin. 400H-Michael Davis-Hawkins, Mabin.

Girls Hurdles: 100H-Maya Rollins. 400H-Morgan Roundtree.

Boys Field: HJ-Andrew Harding, Nathan Levine, Liam McHugh, Joe Mullett, Christian Purchase-Ofoeme. PV-Joey Bonacci. LJ-Quincy Isaac. SP-Mason Mayne, Lukas Ray. DT-Mayne.

Girls Field: SP-Kayla Harris, Abigail Russell. DT-Lillian Lince, Russell.

Boys Relays: 4×1-Kzoo (KC), Shore (HWO), Spirit of Pre (Saline). 4×2-Byron AC, Kentwood (EK), Kzoo, Shore, Spirit of Pre. 4×4-Shore. 4×8-Adrian, Knights (KLN), Six Mile (Northville), Spirit of Pre. 4×1M-Jackalope (Pinckney). 4×110H-Rockford. 800SMR-Byron, Spirit of Pre. 1000/Swedish SMR-Byron, Motor City (OP). 1600SMR-Kentwood, Spirit of Pre.

Girls Relays: 4×2-Kentwood (EK), Purple (AAP), Spirit of Pre (Saline). 4×4-Motor City (OP). 4×8-Shore (HWO), Purple, Six Mile (Northville), Spirit of Pre. 4×1M-Purple, Spirit of Pre. 800 SMR-Ann Arbor Youth (Belleville), Kentwood, Spirit of Pre. 1000/Swedish SMR-AA Youth, Kentwood, Motor City. 1600SMR-Kentwood, Purple, Spirit of Pre. DMR-Purple, Six Mile, Spirit of Pre.

New Balance Rising Star Events

Boys Sprints: 100-Peyhton Wade. 200-Will Jaiden Smith. 400-Smith.

Girls Sprints: 100-Jayla Dace, Asia Elder, Jayla Graham, Madison Sheard. 200- Dace, Graham, Destiney Williams. 400-Nevaeh Burns, Kelis Hunter-Young, Gabrielle Jeffries, Lundon Johnson, Williams

Boys Distances: 800-Drew Graves, Pierce Gryzmkowski, Brandon Latta. 1M-Connell Alford, Dakota Dykhuis, Ethan Pruzinsky, Aiden Smith. 2M-Alford, Dykhuis, Nathan Katic, Pruzinsky, Smith.

Girls Distances: 800-Anna Gdowski, Kylee King, Katrina Sandman. 1M-Emily Cooper, K. Sandman. 2M-Madeleine Hill, K. Sandman.

Boys Hurdles: 110H-Mill Coleman, Michael Davis-Hawkins, Holden Van Poppel.

Girls Hurdles: 100H-Lauren Bickerdt, Celeste Davis, Lindsay Johnson, Morgan Roundtree, Carrie VanNoy, Jayda Watson. 400H-Rylie Bacon, Bickerdt, Davis, Johnson, Shelby Sanders, VanNoy, Jada Wilson.

Boys Field: HJ-Brock Furgison. PV-Clark Sheldon. LJ-Alexander Jones. SP-Merrick Hocking, Garrett Weeden. DT-Hocking, Weeden. HT-Hocking.

Girls Field: LJ-Celeste Davis. SP-Lily Parker, Cora Wilson. DT-Kayla Harris, Madison Leifer, Parker, Jayla Procter. HT-Leifer.

Boys Relays: 4×1-Byron AC, Motor City (OP). 4×2-Motor City. 4×4-Courageous (CT), Motor City. 4×8-Fray Town (Fraser), Kentwood (EK). B1000/Swedish SMR-Motor City. DMR-Jackalope (Pinckney), Novi.

Girls Relays: 4×1-Purple (AAP), Tone-Up Elite (GROH), Track Life (DR). 4×2-Motor City (OP), Runners Campechanos (Sturgis), Track Life. 4×4-Courageous (CT), Track Life. 1600SMR-Motor City, Track Life. DMR-Spirit of Pre (Saline).

New Balance 9th Grade Events

Boys Sprints: 100-Quinton Blakely, Jermaine Ilar, James Rush, Devin Wroten. 400-Rondre Austion.

Girls Sprints: 100-Kamryn Tatum. 200-Tatum. 400-Tatum.

Boys Distances: 800-Ethan Quibell. 1M-Jackson Lam, Brennan Larusso, Moises Salazar. 2M-Andrew Wright.

Girls Distances: 800-Berkley Holtz, Jordan Jones-Maddox, Lily Schlack. 1M-Holtz.

Boys Hurdles: 110H-Schmar Gamble. 400H-Caleb Washington.

Girls Hurdles: 100H-Alana Bracey. 400H-Bracey.

Boys Field: HJ-Drelen Lillard. SP-David Williams.

Girls Field: HJ-Kimiyah Vallar.

New Balance Middle School Events

Boys: 100-Connor Nealon, Alex Patterson. 200-Caleb Hohn, Chanon Palmer, Patterson. Nealon. 400-Palmer, Wesley Rogan. 800-Rogan. 2M-Gavin Katic. 100H-Palmer. HJ-Palmer.

Girls: 100-Lexi Austin, Kahlia Hart. 200-Nevaeh Burns, Jordin Nichols, Colette Wierks, Ella Wierks. 400-Janae Coleman, Nichols, Leah Thomas, C. Wierks, E. Wierks. 800-Coleman, Thomas. 1M-Lyla Dowling. 2M-Dowling. 100H-Austin, Hart. SP-Elizabeth Watkin.

Nike Nationals Championship Events

Boys Sprints: 200-Krish Gupta. 400-Gupta, Stuart Gould, Joseph Iaquaniello.

Boys Distances: 800-Nick Adams. 2M-TJ Hansen. 5000-Nathan Jenkins.

Girls Distances: 800-Aiden Harrand, Caroline Vance. 1M-Harrand, Taylor Pangburn. 2KSteeple-Mariah Belmont. 5000-Allison Kuzma, Chloe Nixon, Sophia Rhein.

Boys Hurdles: 110H—Nakia Willis. 400H-Ashton Clark, Camron Krebs, AJ Martel.

Girls Hurdles: 100H-Nonah Waldron. 400H-Waldron.

Boys Field: HJ-Tyler Baker, Deepak Laungani. SP-Michael Howey, Kellen Kimes. DT—Kimes. HT-Kimes.

Girls Field: HJ-Milena Chevallier, Addison Hovey. PV-Victoria Spitzley. SP-Sophie Daugard.

Heptathlon-Margaret Monaghan.

Boys Relays: 4×4-Briggs Athletics (HCTC), Goodnight TC (WLN). 4×8-Hart, Goodnight. 4×1M-Hart, Up North (JL). 1600SMR-Up North.

Girls Relays: 4×8-Very Nice (AAS). 4×1M-Very Nice (AAS). 1600SMR-Up North (JL). DMR-Very Nice (AAS).

Mixed 4×4--Goodnight (WLN)

Nike Nationals Emerging Elite

Girls Sprints: 100-Taryn Henderson. 200-Henderson, Emma Thomas. 400-Joy Evans, Henderson, Thomas.

Boys Distance: 800-Jacob Montgomery, Ty Parker. 1M--Parks Allen, Aiden Moore, Parker, Nolan Pinion. 2M--Sebastian Ramirez, Vishvaa Ravishankar

Girls Distance: 800-Madelyn Gordon, Kendra Koster, Ava Kurczewski. 1M-Koster, Kurczewski, Caroline Vance. 2M-Larissa McGrath.

Boys Hurdles: 110H-Tyler Baker, Camron Krebs. 400H-Nakia Willis.

Girls Hurdles: 400H-Anna Plum.

Boys Field: HJ-Nakia Willis. LJ-Willis. SP-Devin Dennison. DT-Dennison, Michael Howey.

Girls Field: HJ-Emily Cuthbertson, Kennedy Hutchings, Margaret Monaghan, EmaLee Noack, Grace Wolfe. LJ-Maya Anderson, Breanna Hyde. SP-Avery Lahti. DT-Lahti.

Girls Relays: 4×8-Up North (JL)

Nike Nationals 9th Grade Events

Boys: 100-Sam McDonald. 1M-Luca Lebron.

Girls: 100-Emma Todd.

Nike Nationals Middle School Events

Boys: 100-Cameron Adams. 200-Adams, Mark Karimi, Makaeson Kuhl, Wyatt Protasiewicz, Anthony Rowe. 800-Samuel Baker, Wesley Chaffee, Cameron Cochran, Rowe. 1M-Baker, Cohran, Rowe. LJ-Adams. SP-Andrew Clark, DJ Harrison.

Girls: 100-Lilly Saunders. 200-Elle Cesa, Giovanna Clark, Saunders. 400-Cese, Clark, Saunders. 800-Emily Alt, Clara Kaczor. 1M-Alt, Kaczor, Reese Palmer.

The Records Progressions

I like to put these together when a major state record falls:

THE BOYS 4 × 800 RECORD OVER THE YEARS

• 8:38.3y Saginaw - Mansfield/Mansfield Relays 4/24/1937

• 8:34.0y Saginaw - Mansfield/Mansfield Relays 4/23/1938

• 7:58.0y Dearborn Heights Riverside - Southgate/Inv 5/ 7/1966

• 7:50.6y Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice - Flint/Mott Relays 4/30/1971

• 7:47.8 Flint Beecher - Flint/Badar 5/26/1987

• 7:41.29 Monroe - Ypsilanti/A State 6/ 4/1988

• 7:41.27 Saline - Rockford/D1 State 6/ 5/2004

• 7:40.68 Saline - Raleigh/adidas Outdoor 6/18/2004

• 7:37.99 Detroit Mumford - Greensboro/Nike Outdoor 6/20/2008

• 7:36.26 Milford - Greensboro/New Balance 6/15/2012

• 7:35.32 Northville - Rockford/D1 State 6/ 3/2023

THE GIRLS 300 HURDLE RECORD OVER THE YEARS

• 43.92 Maria Shoup (Mason County Eastern)12 - 1981

• 43.87 Cindy Panowicz (Northville)12 - Flint/A State 6/ 1/1985

• 43.24 Darchelle Ross (Detroit Cass Tech)9 - Flint/A State 5/31/1986

• 43.10 Dawn Adams (Detroit Cooley)11 - Ypsilanti/A State 6/ 4/1988

• 42.70 Nikkie Bouyer (Lansing Sexton)12 - Indianapolis/Midwest MOC 6/11/1994

• 42.49 Christienne Linton (Romulus)12 - Jackson/Midwest MOC 6/13/2009

• 42.23 Sami Michell (Reed City)11 - Comstock Park/D3 State 6/ 2/2012

• 42.17 Morgan Roundtree (Oak Park)10 - Dexter/Steeb Inv 5/31/2022

• 41.62 Morgan Roundtree (Oak Park)11 - Farmington/Inv 5/ 6/2023

• 41.17 Nonah Waldron (Oak Park)12 - West Bloomfield/OAA B-G 5/11/2023

• 40.37 Nonah Waldron (Oak Park)12 - Rockford/D1 State 6/ 3/2023

More State Meet Shout-Outs

Andrew Harding: One of the coolest things is when someone wins a state title and I say to myself, “Who?” That’s not a knock in any way. I spend much of the season maintaining the Michtrack Elite Lists, which helps me keep track of the info I need to update the All-Time Lists at the end of the season (A-net often does not provide what the ATL needs, otherwise I wouldn’t bother with my own lists). The cut-off for the boys high jump is at 6-6 this season, so Ann Arbor Huron junior Harding didn’t make my radar. His best was only 6-4 coming to Rockford, and he had only won one meet bigger than a dual! But at D1, he PRed in his third attempt at 6-5, PRed in his second attempt at 6-6, and PRed on his first at 6-7 to win the title. That’s what we call perfect timing.

Dolan Gonzales: The Saline senior has been troubled by a bad back all season, but he proved he could do clutch vaulting when it mattered. Regionals, where he PRed at 16-1, was only his second outdoor competition of the year. He vaulted 3 more times before the D1 Finals. At Rockford, he only took 4 attempts (all successful) on the way to his winning 16-0. Then 3 misses at 16-5, so 7 jumps total, smartly keeping the number low in order to avoid straining his back again. In comparison, runner-up Liam Kinney vaulted 15 times.

Adrian’s 4×8: 7:39.77. Simply wow.

More to come: Yes! I am not even close to having time to do those athletes justice.

Egad, Athletic-Net

Yeah, it’s kind of a problem that A-net, the place where all of our official results end up now, doesn’t do anything to distinguish wind-aided marks other than note the wind reading in red. So windy marks still show there as state leaders, state records, etc. They even list them as PRs, when the over-the-top wind reading (anything 2.1 & up) is right there. That does nothing to educate our athletes about how the sport works. It shows. At one point at the KLAA meet, the finalists in the boys long jump gathered around the wind gauge and asked a bunch of great questions. That was cool. What was sad was that none of them appeared to know that wind-aided marks were even a thing and don’t count for records. (Reality check for coaches: it’s been the rule for about 100 years).

Legend: Olympic Champion Hurdler Hayes Jones
Pontiac Central 1956

Hayes Jones, even more than 50 years after winning the gold medal in the 110-meter hurdles in the Tokyo Olympics of 1964, remains the greatest high hurdler ever produced in the state of Michigan.

Born August 4, 1938, in Starkville, Mississippi, Jones won Class A state titles in the hurdles (1955-56) and the long jump (1956). In high school, he had best performances of 14.5 and 23-8.75.

At Eastern Michigan, he kept winning, capturing his first national title as a sophomore in 1958. The 5-11/168 Jones went on to capture four more USA titles outdoors, in addition to the 1959 NCAA crown. In the 1960 Rome Olympics, he won the bronze medal in the highs. Four years later, he came back for the gold medal, winning in an official 13.4 (FAT timed at 13.67). Indoors, however, was where Jones truly shone. From 1959 to 1964, he ran undefeated in 55 straight indoor hurdle races.

The Little Stuff At The End

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The Interview will return! Promise! But after 2 days of announcing at the Champion of Champions meet plus a weekend of working on NCAA coverage for Track & Field News, I completely ran out of time. I think this was the shortest newsletter yet.

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