#62 - Track Season's Last Gasps

Inside This Issue

• The Pro Circuit’s Last Lap

• Michigan At The AAU JOs

• Michigan At The World U20s

• Stiverson Stuns

• Officials Needed!

• Other Things

The Pro Circuit

Today & tomorrow (Fri/Sat), the Diamond League Final will be one of the last stops on this year’s pro circuit. It will be on NBC’s Peacock channel, 1:50-4:00pm each day. Grace Stark, Anna Cockrell and Freddie Crittenden will be repping Michigan.

With so much action over such a long period of time, probably best to look at what our best athletes are doing individually.

Morgan Beadlescomb - Took 5th in the prestigious Falmouth Road Race, running 32:21 for 7.1M.

Anna Cockrell - After her Olympic silver in the 400H, she has been a major factor on the circuit, with a 2nd in Chorzow, Poland (52.88), a Diamond League win in Rome (52.59), and a 2nd in Zurich (53.17). In Rome she said, “This is my first Diamond League win, so it’s pretty exciting! My birthday was 2 days ago, so it is also a great birthday present. This has been a year of many breakthroughs for me. My first sub-53, sub-52, now this. It mostly came from me deciding to be more aggressive in my races… I was initially a bit disappointed at the finish line, but then I thought, ´It’s the second fastest time of my career, I’ll take it´.”

Freddie Crittenden - A 13.15 for 3rd at Zurich gave him a boost in the World Rankings. The next race hurt his standing, a 14.11 for 7th in Zagreb. He’s hoping to bounce back at the Diamond League Finals.

Grant Fisher - He timed his peak perfectly for the Olympics, but after winning two bronze medals, as he puts it, “the wheels fell off.” He finished last in the Chorzow 3000 in a unsatisfying (for him) 7:49.79, and canceled the rest of his season to rest and ready himself for another training block.

Hobbs Kessler - Took 3rd in the Lausanne 1500 in 3:30.47, then three days later finished 8th in a stacked 800 field in Chorzow in a commendable 1:43.97. Then on September 8 he placed 9th in the Fifth Avenue Mile in 3:53 after bravely attempting to go with Josh Kerr as the latter slaughtered the 43-year-old course record. You might have also seen him on August 30 drop into the Michigan Open XC at Hudson Mills for a low-key 15:14.4 win. (In case you were wondering, as a prep senior on the Hudson Mills course, he ran 15:14.3 and 15:13.5—yet another case of a runner who hasn’t improved since high school. Sad ;)

Cindy Sember - The Brit by way of Ann Arbor has had three 100H races since her Paris crash. In Chorzow she ran 12.67 for 7th in her heat; she won in Rovereto in 12.89; and she placed 2nd in Zagreb in 12.67. “Continuing to compete after falling at the Olympics was difficult, but I knew it was important to get back up and keep moving (which I'm very grateful I did!). Sometimes things don't always go to plan in life, but continuing to persist despite your circumstances will show you how strong you truly are.”

Grace Stark - Fifth in the Olympic 100H, Stark has been blazing her way higher in the world rankings. In Lausanne she was 2nd in 12.38, her No. 2 time, beating the Oly silver medalist. She ran faster in Chorzow, placing 2nd in 12.37 after a 12.42 heat. She beat the gold and silver medalists. At Zurich she was 4th in 12.49 behind the three medalists. She placed 2nd in Bellinzona in 12.54. “I’m a bit in shock - it´s my first time doing the Diamond League, and I´m super excited. It´s been a long season with a lot of races, but I´m so happy to have kept up with such amazing girls.”

Michigan at the AAU Junior Olympics

With 17 national titles, athletes from Michigan showed up ready at the JO Finals in Greensboro, North Carolina (July 27-August 3). Here’s a quick guide to the action. It’s not complete. Rather, we listed all of the champions (underlined) and included a selection of notable marks from a high school perspective. And indeed, there were some huge marks. Look at the boys long jump, where Anthony Buford flew to a wind-legal 24-5.75. That makes him No. 5 in state history, and the farthest of the last 8 years. Or the boys hurdles, where Zacchaeus Brocks won in a PR-tying 13.73, good for =5 in state history. “No. 5” was also the magic number on the girls side, as Lauren Bickerdt is now No. 5 in history with her 60.33 in the 400 hurdles.

Here’s our summary in event order. Note that we may have missed some folks, as the AAU doesn’t show athletes by state. If we’re not familiar with an athlete’s name or club—or if they competed unattached—it’s hard for us to spot them as Michiganders.

JO CHAMPIONS (underlined) & NOTABLE HS LEVEL MARKS

GIRLS
100 (G15-16)-4. Kamryn Tatum 11.94 (0.0); 6. Aubrey Wilson 12.06. Semis: 6. Wilson 11.89 (1.4); 9. Tatum 11.97w (2.2). Heats: 6. Tatum 12.15 (-0.8); 12. Wilson 12.33 (-1.7); 14. Logan Richardson 12.34 (0.8).
200 (G13)-8. Jordan McNeely 25.60 (0.1). Semis: 6. McNeely 25.07 (-0.3).
200 (G15-16) semis: 11. Kamryn Tatum 24.29 (-1.4). Heats: 12. Tatum 24.80 (-0.5).|
200 (G17-18) Semis: 28. Jayla Dace 24.96 (1.8).
400 (G14)-2. Janae Coleman 54.53. Heats: 2. Coleman 55.99.
400 (G15-16)-5. Nevaeh Burns 54.89. Heats: 4. Burns 55.01; 25. Anyla Robinson 57.65.
400 (G17-18) heats: 21. Dayshana Kellogg 57.33; 26. Emma Goring 57.60.

800 (G14) – 2. Janae Coleman 2:11.16. Heats: 1. Coleman 2:16.05.
800 (G15-16) – 4. Anyla Robinson 2:13.26; 8. Rhian Jeffries 2:14.80.
800 (G17-18) – 3. Dayshana Kellogg 2:12.57; 5. Layla Jordan 2:14.77. Heats: 4. Kellogg 2:16.72.
1500 (G11) – 1. Janelle Jones 4:55.26.
1500 (G13) – 4. Sophie Menker 4:53.93.|
1500 (G15-16) – 1. Anyla Robinson 4:40.27.
1500 (G17-18) – 1. Layla Jordan 4:47.19.
3000 (G11) – 1. Janelle Jones 10:37.20.
3000 (G13) – 1. Alexandra Scappaticci 10:35.51.
3000 (G17-18) – 1. Eliza Bush 10:22.25.

100H (G15-16)-4. Carrie VanNoy 14.18 (-0.3). Heats: 5. VanNoy 14.38 (1.3); 10. Laila Hawkins 14.55 (0.1); 21. Amaya Brown 14.99 (0.7).
100H (G17-18) heats: 12. Celeste Davis 14.60 (0.4); 20. Mia Barnett 14.83 (-0.1); 21. Lauren Bickerdt 14.84 (0.7); 24. Jada Wilson 15.04 (-0.5); 26. Jayda Watson 15.19 (-0.5).
200H (G14) – 2. Payton Gee 28.12 (-1.2); 6. Jordan Nichols 28.96.
400H (G15-16) – 2. Carrie VanNoy 61.76. Heats: 4. VanNoy 64.59; 9. Laila Hawkins 66.76.
400H (G17-18) – 1. Lauren Bickerdt 60.33. Heats: 1. Bickerdt 62.63; 9. Jada Wilson 64.91; 13. Rylie Bacon 65.91.

HJ (G17-18)-4. Susie Schulz 5-5; =5. Alysia Townsend 5-3.
SP (G13) – 2. Magdalena Kandt 42-3.25 (6lb).
DT (G13) – 1. Magdalena Kandt 116-11.
JT (G17-18)-11. Jynelle Lewis 105-9; 21. Makayla Evansen 95-4.
Hept (G15-16) -12. Lynzi Evans 37.83; 21. Kaci Daniels 3479; 35. Lyla Lapaugh 2594.
Hept (G17-18) – 35. Makayla Evenson 3386; 40. Tamerah Peterson 3231.

4x1 heats (G15-16)-16. Motor City 48.11; 24. Michigan Mustangs 48.67; 25. GRTC/FIRE 48.85.
4x1 heats (G17-18)-22. GRTC/FIRE 49.11.
4x4 (G14) – 1. Motor City 3:51.40 (Sophie Menker, Payton Gee, Brooke Pettway 59.91, Janae Coleman 55.04). Heats: 1. Motor City 3:53.42 (Coleman 54.54); 10. Track Life 3:58.47.
4x4 (G15-16)-2. Motor City 3:46.14 (Rhian Jeffries, Carrie VanNoy, Callie Seiler 57.51, Nevaeh Burns 54.42). Heats: 3. Motor City 3:50.35; 10. Michigan Mustangs 3:55.72.
4x4 (G17-18)-2. Track Life 3:48.28 (57.41, 56.54). Heats: 4. Track Life 3:49.97.

BOYS
100 (B15-16) semis: 11. Kane Morris 10.90w (2.1).|
100 (B17-18)-5. Bryce Hurley 10.71 (0.0). Semis: 8. Hurley 10.63 (0.9). Heats: 8. Hurley 10.73 (0.1).
200 (B15-16) semis: 15. Brody Kelsey 21.98 (1.2).|
200 (B17-18) Semis: 17. Bryce Hurley 21.61 (0.2); 22. Will Jaiden Smith 21.71 (0.4); 41. Jason Hamilton II 22.08 (-0.2). Heats: 17. Hurley 21.61 (-0.2); 22. Smith 21.71 (0.4).
400 (B17-18) heats-5. Rondre Austion 47.52; 26. Ahmad Ameen 48.96.

800 (B13) – 1. Hudson Doll 2:03.01.
800 (B17-18) – 14. Ty Oaks 1:57.06; 21. Abenezer Cerone 1:58.00.
1500 (B12) – 1. Braden Millar 4:30.72.
1500 (B13) – 2. Hudson Doll 4:19.89.
1500 (B17-18) – 6. Abenezer Cerone 4:09.75.
3000 (B12) – 1. Braden Millar 9:43.04.

100H (B13) – 1. Robert Horton III 13.93 (0.7).
110H (B15-16)- 1. Zacchaeus Brocks 13.73 (0.3). Heats: 1. Brocks 13.80 (0.6).
110H(B17-18)-4. Will Jaiden Smith 14.14 (-0.2). Heats: 2. Smith 13.99 (1.2); 16. Timoty Pinard 14.49 (1.2).
200H (B13) – 1. Robert Horton III 25.55 (-0.2).
400H (B15-16) – DQ-Zacchaeus Brocks. Heats: 3. Brocks 55.52.
400H (B17-18) – 1. Jaiden Smith 52.43. Heats: 1. Smith 54.75.

LJ (B17-18) – 2. Anthony Buford 24-5.75 (0.3).
TJ (B15-16) – 32. Malik Roumayah 41-8.5 (-1.1).
SP (B17-18) – 7. Teegan Simmons 51-8.5.
JT (B17-18) – 20. Teegan Simmons 143-9.
Dec (B15-16) – 12. Adrian Walker 4494.
Dec (B17-18) – 10. Teegan Simmons 5488; 28. Curtis Sharif 4481.

4x1 heats (B15-16)-20. 16Ways 43.42.
4x1 heats (B17-18)-15. 16Ways 41.60; 28. Maximum Output 42.31; 30. Motor City 42.39.
4x4 (B12) – 1. Michigan Mustangs 4:03.93.
4x4 (B17-18)-5. Motor City 3:14.89 (Ty Oaks, Devin James, Phillip Burney 49.77, Rondre Austion 46.50). Heats: 6. Motor City 3:14.23; 15. 16Ways 3:18.87; 20. Maximum Output 3:20.36.

Michigan At The World U20 Championships

Strange meet, this one (Lima, Peru, August 27-31). It’s a hugely prestigious event on a worldwide basis, but for most Americans it’s an afterthought. USATF even talked about not sending a team, but eventually did, partly because of the bad optics of skipping a major meet when we’re the next host (Eugene 2026). The team we did send didn’t exactly bring together all of the best high school and college frosh (those born before 2005) talent available. That’s usually the case. Still the U.S. led the medal standings with 16. Here’s how the Michiganders did:

Rachel Forsyth - Competing for Canada, the Pioneer grad won the 1500 silver in 4:17.94 after a 4:20.85 heat.

Trent McFarland - The Michigan frosh from Utica placed 7th in the 1500 in 3:44.32.

Arianne Olson - The West Ottawa alum, now a Notre Dame athlete, placed 10th in the 5000 in 16:19.23.

Maya Rollins - Competing for Barbados, this Pioneer grad PRed in the 100 hurdles heats with her 13.71 (-0.3), placing 4th. In the semis, she ran 8th in 13.96 (0.1).

Nonah Waldron - The USC frosh from Oak Park placed 4th in the 100 hurdles final in 13.30 (-0.3). She had won her heat in 13.55 (-0.6), and was 2nd in her semi in 13.35 (0.1).

Note: Krish Gupta (Troy/UM) was in the relay pool but never got a chance to run, perhaps because of the DQ of the U.S. 4×1 in the heats.

Also note: the marks from Forsyth and Rollins don’t go on the high school lists, as their semesters at MSU and Virginia, respectively, had already started. Longstanding Track & Field News policy on this is that high school seniors count as preps until August 31, unless classes begin before that.

Stiverson Stuns With Record

Addy Stiverson had a great freshman year at Montrose, going undefeated in the shot to win the D3 title. Along the way, she hit 49-2, a mark just 3¾-inches short of the national record for 9th graders. In August, she gave it another go, traveling to Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, for the Powerfest Throws Festival.

She opened up at 45-5, then after a foul, reeled off throws of 48-2 and a PR 50-6 that broke the national frosh record. In round 5 she reached another record, 51-1.5, and then she closed with a 50-4.5. She now ranks No. 2 in Michigan history, and isn’t far from Sarah Marvin’s state record of 51-11. The next few years are going to be very interesting!

Watch her big throw here.

Officials Needed!

If you go to a lot of meets, you will certainly have noticed: our officials are, to put it politely, very experienced. By that I mean that most of them seem to be older than me, and I have gray hair and grandkids. They’re still doing a great job—experience helps, after all—but the long-term picture for our sport is not good. More and more we are hearing of shortages of officials, and recently one of our state’s best asked me to mention it here.

Please, consider joining the ranks of our officials and giving back to our sport that way. More are needed to help our athletes a chance to chase their dreams. Luckily, our state has one of the best training and support systems available for officials, so your pathway to a red shirt is smoother than ever. Check out the ATOM website for information on how to get started!

Other Things

RIP Darryl Troxell - The former Waterford Kettering and MSU star passed away on September 2 at age 61. In 1981 as a senior, he placed 2nd in the Class A shot put at 56-11. His prep PR was 60-3.

Worth A Look: Matt Armelagos has done a very interesting analysis of state finals performances at MIS over the years.

Sticker Shock: Alexis Ohanian and his Athlos NYC meet are getting a ton of attention in the track world lately in advance of the September 26 meet in New York, “reinventing the sport” and all that. And while I agree that track & field athletes deserve to be paid more, I find myself a little worried about the possible downstream effects of charging from $62-$436 each for tickets. I have one friend that said he spent over $600 so his kid and a friend could go! Those are numbers I’ve never seen except at an Olympics or Olympic Trials, and they will price many of our fans out of the spectacle. If events like these (and Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track?) keep pursuing the route of generating their revenue directly from the fans instead of sponsors, I fear the average fan will see fewer opportunities to see their heroes in person in the United States.

Background Work: Sometimes when a newsletter doesn’t come out in a given week, it basically means the writer is overwhelmed with work or thrashed from the same. The last couple weeks though, it means I’m busy on a Michtrack historical project that I feel is very important—something that a lot of you will find very valuable indeed. What is it? Ah, my lips are zipped! I was hoping to share it with you this week, but I’m adding some essential stats that are taking a lot longer than I had hoped. We might be a few weeks away from me sharing this. But rest assured, the work of Michtrack continues in a very intense and time-consuming fashion, and I thank our sponsors for their patience!