#83 - Heat = Speed

Interview: Shot Star Addy Stiverson

Author

Jeff Hollobaugh
May 14, 2025

Inside This Issue

HS Highlights

  • Stiverson Crushes Shot Records: Throwing at the Frankenmuth Eagle 9/10 meet on Tuesday afternoon, Montrose sophomore Addy Stiverson dropped a bomb of the historic sort. In a 4-throw series that started out with a 45-7, she followed with throws of 50-8.25 and 48-2.5 before unleashing her 52-10.75. That beat the state record of 51-11 that Sarah Marvin of Byron had thrown in 2021. It also added more than 6 inches to the national sophomore best. Watch the big throw.

  • Where’s the distance? A note from a reader got me thinking. Our highlights lately don’t show a lot of distance running, once we get past the mega races (Shepherd, Barnyard, etc). And with the EQ situation, we see distance runners taking advantage of early season opportunities. Once they’ve hit the EQ, they’re done with trying for it and are back to training. By the time we get to mid-May, the explosive events dominate the highlights because heat equals speed. In addition, when we get to the scoring meets, the distance runners are tripling and quadrupling and their events became slower and more tactical. So, it’s not that we’re ignoring the distance events per se, it’s just that they are not hitting marks that are state leaders or high on the all-time lists during this portion of the season.

    Note that it didn’t always used to be this way. The mega races are a relatively recent phenomenon, and the EQs just debuted this year. Together the two have skewed the fast distance marks toward the early part of spring. Maybe we’ll see a few fast marks in the area all-star meets before the state finals. And on finals day, it all depends on the weather. Otherwise, the fast distance marks are going to wait for the various national meets.

  • The weather certainly smiled on the KLAA Champs at Hartland. The 200, in both relay and open form, provided the biggest thrills. In the boys relay, it was all Belleville, as the Tigers flew to a 1:26.01, the No. 5 performance in state history. It was the blazing anchor by Will Jaiden Smith that made jaws drop. (We’d love to have a split on it, but anything resembling accurate 4×2 splits is impossible without a high-speed video shot from very high up. Really. Politely ignore coaches who say they can get accurate splits on this from the field.)

  • The KLAA 200 featured a battle between Novi’s Chance McNeill, winner of the 100 in a 10.68 into a headwind, and Belleville’s Schmar Gamble, the 13.69 hurdler who had run 21.74 on an oversized track indoors. Seeded in adjacent lanes, they hammered each other through the turn and went all the way to the line, McNeill prevailing, 21.00 to 21.06, the wind a legal 1.8. They became the Nos. 5 & 7 performers in state history.

  • Timothy Pinard won Belleville both hurdles, 14.15 into a strong headwind, and 38.99. Junior teammate Jaiden Rutley ran 14.80 in the highs.

  • Northville ran a state leader in the 4×8 with a 7:44.01 (Rece Grezak 1:56.36, Logan Mullan 1:58.07, Ryan Stojov 1:55.80, Ben Hartigan 1:53.78). Stojov later showed that his tactical skills are quite sharp in taking the 1600 (4:19.45) and 800 (1:54.64).

  • Canton’s Quincy Isaac did a one-and-done in the long jump, flying 24-1.5 into a headwind and then passing the rest of his attempts.

  • The girls meet featured a tight team race with 6 teams within 9 points of each other as the 4×4 started. Belleville, which had a half-point lead, grabbed the team trophy with a 3:59.43 win.

  • At the Big North Champs on Friday, Zach Cowper of Gaylord took over the shot lead at 61-5.5. Asher Paul of Traverse City Central vaulted 15-6. Lorelai Zielinski of TC Central threw 46-11.75 and 154-10.

  • Reece Emeott of East Kentwood vaulted a state-leading 15-8 at the OK Red Champs. Grand Haven soph Keiavion Korenstra won the 100 in a barely windy (2.1) 10.77. EK’s Malachi Mosley covered his heat of 200 in 21.76 into a headwind. The future looks bright for the conference, as every boys running event except for the 800 was won by a frosh or soph!

  • The Holland West Ottawa girls continue to run great relays. They took the 4×8 in a state-leading 9:11.23 (Helen Sachs 2:19.94, Collette Wierks 2:12.36, Emma Gunnett 2:16.66, Ella Wierks 2:22.36) and also the 4×4 in 3:55.13.

  • Izzy Robbins of Grand Haven won the vault at 12-6.

  • Speed was on display at the OAA Blue Gold meet at Oak Park. On a cold and windy night, West Bloomfield’s Kamryn Tatum ran 11.78w and 24.22 in the heats. She won the 100 final in 11.82w but opted not to run the 200 (it was even colder then). Her teammate Kamren Flowers, who has seen limited action this year, possibly because of injury issues, ran a blazing 10.59 wind-aided heat in the 100. In the final, unfortunately, he pulled up. Here’s hoping that he can be healthy for the end of the season.

  • Oak Park’s Rondre Austion put together a sweet 21.32w/48.70 sprint double.

  • Carrie VanNoy hit 13.99w (2.6) in the hurdles, and led off a state-leading 47.23 relay for Oak Park.

  • At the LCAA Championships in Adrian, Emmry Ross of Onsted ran the four events she won at state last year. This time around she went 4:50.48 for 1600, 54.48 for 400, 2:06.04 for 800, and closed with an 11:14.23 for 3200.

  • At the TVC Red meet, Swan Valley’s Sydney Kuhn blasted a 42.06 in the 300 hurdles. The state-leading mark makes her No. 3 in the history of the event.

  • At the PSL Blue Division, Cass Tech’s Caylin Ivy ran a windy 24.75 in the 200, topping 100 winner Jayla Dace’s 24.83. Dace had earlier sprinted 11.81. Teammate Laila Hawkins hit 13.98 in the hurdles, followed by a 43.58. The Renaissance 4×2 ran a state-leading 1:40.40.

  • Of course, regionals are this weekend. In the past, it’s been a barnburner several days. This time around, we’re not sure what it will look like. Most of the state’s big stars already have their EQ performances banked. Will they be racing for team points? Will they be helping their squads get relay qualifiers (teams that will perhaps not be running their best 4 in the state finals)? Will they be taking advantage of warm weather to blast one fast performance as a tune-up? Who knows—probably a little of each. The EQ situation has made regionals a weekend of coaching strategy. Hopefully that will be a good thing.

College/Pro Highlights

  • The one Michigander set to run in the World Relays last weekend had the rug pulled out from under him. Brother Rice alum Udodi Onwuzirike, set to be the leading star on the Nigerian men’s team, was among those who had to cancel their plans because the Chinese government denied visas to the Nigerian federation.

  • At Michigan’s Paddock Invitational, Novi alum Miles Brown (UM) ran a PR 1:47.04 for 800.

  • Pinckney alum Kylie Ray (Findlay) ran a PR 58.08 for 400H.

  • Clarkston alum Ben Haas (Hillsdale) won the hammer at 212-8; Portage Northern alum Joshua DeVries (MSU) was 2nd at 209-10.

  • Kristen Leland (Chippewa Hills alum) took the vault at 14-9.

  • Big Rapids alum Erika Beistle (GV) won the discus at 206-4.

  • Two days later at the Grand Valley Last Chance, Plainwell alum Michael Griffey (GV frosh) took 2nd in the hammer at 211-7, with Zeeland East alum Shelby Ulven winning the women’s hammer at 200-10. Beistle won the double at 52-6.75 / 213-4.

  • East Lansing alum Taylor Manson ran a 52.25 for 400 at Arkansas.

  • Saugatuck alum Corey Gorgas (NAU) won the 5000 at Azusa in 13:35.47.

  • Note that Ottawa Hills alum Benne Anderson of Syracuse is apparently redshirting the outdoor season.

  • This Saturday will be the Atlanta City Games. Anavia Battle will be one of the Michiganders running, along with Grace Stark and Udodi Onwuzurike. On NBC from 3-4 pm Saturday.

Interview: Shot Put Record-Breaker Addy Stiverson

No sophomore in U.S. history has thrown farther than Stiverson.

The news came Tuesday night. Addy Stiverson, the phenomenal sophomore from Montrose, demolished the national shot put record for sophomores with her 52-10.75 bomb at the Frankenmuth Eagle 9/10 meet. The old sophomore best was 52-4.5 by Natalie Kaaiawahia of Fullerton, California. It had been set 44 years ago. Needless to say, Sarah Marvin’s state record of 51-11 from 2021 also went down.

None of this is a surprise for anyone who has watched her career trajectory. In three years of middle school, Stiverson’s best with the 6lb ball went from 25-7 to 34-6 to 47-10.5. Last year, she set a national 9th grade record of 51-1.5. Coached long distance by Dane Miller of Throws University with the local assist from her dad, Adam, the 5-9/170 sophomore is a few weeks away from being able to get recruiting offers from colleges. A blue-chip prospect in every way, she is bracing herself for an in-box storm.

We talked with her after her latest record:

Michtrack: How did the competition go in your eyes?

Stiverson: It was shaky at first because my first throw was only like 45. I kept in a groove and then I got over 50-foot and then I looked at my dad and I was like, this is it. My next one was good to go and then it just did.

Michtrack:  If you could walk me through a little bit of your preparation, how did you get ready for this kind of season?

Stiverson: I think this season I knew that it was going to be harder to grow because I already grew so much last year. So I kind of made my expectations more informed than anything and just knowing that I trust the process, I would definitely get the length I wanted. So, I mean, it's getting there.

Michtrack: How did you end up in your coaching situation?

Stiverson: It was like end of seventh grade, I realized I really wanted to be a shot putter. So, I contacted Sarah Marvin. I was like, hey, I don't really have a coach. Me and my dad are trying to learn. Do you think you could help me out? And she said yeah. And then I went with her until about the end of eighth grade. She helped me grow an insane amount, especially in middle school. And then middle school, at the end of it, she said, you need to go to Dane's camp, Dane Miller, because he's going to get you to the point where you really want to go.

So, I went to the camp and then I met him and I threw over 40 feet and he was like, “Dude, I’ve got to coach you.” And I just let him do it. I mean, he obviously has got a lot of good people.

Michtrack: So now Dane is coaching you long distance, but your dad is there to be the person on site to watch things?

Stiverson: Yeah, pretty much. I go and see Dane every six to eight weeks in Pennsylvania and just stay there for a couple of days and train over the weekend. And then we just do 10 videos every other day, pretty much. He just says, you need to work on these things. And my dad's pretty good at translating that.

Michtrack: Has that gone over well with the coaching staff at your school?

Stiverson: Oh, yeah. They know that that's what it takes to be at the level I am.

Michtrack: What made you fall in love with the shot?

Stiverson: Probably because I just knew I was strong. And these kids were like, hey, you're going to throw this heavy ball thing and if you're good at it, you're going to keep doing it. And I kept doing it and here I am. The high school boys kind of said, you're doing it. And I was like, okay.

Michtrack: What do you need to do technically to throw well?

Stiverson: I mostly just tell myself to try and stay grounded as best I can to be aggressive in my throw. I think my pure aggression in throwing in general is just probably what fuels me to throw far. I'm not the kind of person that can meditate or do those things. I have to be very aggressive when I throw.

Michtrack: Did you do other sports before you got into shot putting?

Stiverson: I did football and basketball for the last couple of years. And I finally decided to drop everything off and just do track these next couple of years.

Michtrack: What are you looking for the rest of the season?

Stiverson: I pretty much already hit my main goal, but my biggest goal is hopefully a national championship. And I'm going to compete in the U20s and hopefully place there. That's probably my biggest goal for this season.

Michtrack: You've got two more years of high school left, which is just crazy to think about considering where you are already. What do you think you can do with a high school career?

Stiverson: Hopefully I grow enough to the point where I can break the Alyssa Wilson's record. I think it's sitting around 58 [58-1]. My goal is to hit the big six zero by the end of my senior year. That's probably the ultimate goal. I think everybody dreams of that.

Michtrack: Lifting is a huge part of your training, is it not?

Stiverson: Oh, yeah, a hundred percent.

Michtrack: Do you do anything special for your speed and explosiveness?

Stiverson: I do a lot of jumps. I think playing basketball these years has helped a lot too, just the constant jumping. Rebounding was my favorite. That was just my job on the team, so I was jumping constantly. I think that's one of the reasons why I can jump and why I have much speed.

Michtrack: Do you have any technical role models, people who you look at and say, I want my form to be like that?

Stiverson: Obviously Ryan Crouser is probably one, but if I was to say a woman, I really like Yemisi Ogunleye [’24 Olympic champion]. I like her form a lot. She's built a lot like me in a certain way. She's very muscular. She tries to get behind the shots the best she can. So, I copy a lot of her stuff.

Michtrack: I know you're just a sophomore, but are you looking at making a real career out of this?

Stiverson: Yeah, that's my plan. Hopefully I can make throwing my career and just pretty much be my living. I know it's kind of hard with throwing, but I think it can be done.

Are Four Throws Enough?

Addy Stiverson blasted the records with her fourth throw this week, then had to stop. Could she have gone farther once she was in her groove? We’ll never know. Even though 6-throw series are standard worldwide for the throws and horizontal jumps, at the high school level, faced with huge fields, organizers have made it a common practice to restrict those events to four attempts.

We understand the challenge of getting all the field events done on time at a big meet. But we wonder how milers would feel if a meet announced that they would be restricted to three laps in order to speed things up? Or the 100m dash being cut to 75m?

Here’s a compromise I think has merit: if your meet needs to go to 4 attempts for time reasons, then let the top flight get all 6 throws while the others do 4. Call that flight an invitational event or whatever you need to do to make it work in A-net or with the RQ system. Give the best athletes—and often that means the ones that have trained the hardest and have the most invested—the opportunity to see what they can do in a full competition.

Farewell to Tom Eschmann

This week came the sad news that Tom Eschmann had died. He was a tremendous coach, making Southfield into a state championship program. He was also one of our most skilled officials, a regular fixture at meets in Oakland County and beyond. But more than that, he was one of the kindest, caring, most intelligent people I have known in the sport. At every meet where we both worked, we would often spend time catching up. It seemed like he would save up questions for me, often saying, “Say, I was wondering about something you said in one of your Track & Field News articles…” He took time to make his entire results archive available for me to scan so that it could be included in the Michtrack Results Archive.

I got the news while I was announcing the OAA Blue-Gold meet, when I was asked to introduce a moment of silence for Tom. That hit hard. I hadn’t seen it coming. Everyone who knew him will miss him. And so many athletes will miss him without realizing it—they’ve lost an official who always had a friendly smile and a kind word.

Our thanks to David Barnett for supporting the Michigan Track & Field Hall of Fame in memory of Tom. As David wrote, “I interacted most with Tom during his time as an official and quite simply... he was the best.  His knowledge of the sport and ability to almost single-handedly keep a meet on the rails was second to none.  I will always remember his engineer-like precision as he helped us set up the shuttle hurdle race each year at our relay meet, his appreciation for athletes and coaching doing things the right way (checking in on time, competing well, etc.), and his sense of humor shining through as a meet wrapped up.”

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