#81 - Best April Ever?

Interview: Belleville's Will Jaiden Smith

May 01, 2025

Inside This Issue

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Fast Weekend Coming!

At every level, this weekend should be a great one for Michigan track. Among lots of great invitationals, the Farmington meet stands out. Another great hurdle race is coming with Will Jaiden Smith, Schmar Gamble, and Zacchaeus Brocks. Weather should be decent, partly sunny, 59. The track is always fast, with turns more gentle than most leading to fast times at 200/400/300H. Plus, I get to be the announcer!

The Shepherd Bluejay Invitational is again expected to churn out some sparkling 3200 races. Other great meets coming up include (but are not limited to) Saline’s Golden Triangle, the JT Long Invitational in Kalamazoo, Traverse City’s Bell Invitational, St. Joe’s Rotary Invitational, and Divine Child’s Carpenter Invite.

Some of our biggest names are competing out of state. TJ Hansen will be racing the mile Friday at the BSR Elite Meet in Amherst, New Hampshire (start time 7pm, YouTube stream on the baystaterun channel). Emmry Ross will be racing at Track Night in NYC, put on by Trials of Miles (looks like there’ll be a free webcast on YouTube).

There’s another Grand Slam Track event, this one in Miramar, outside of Miami, Friday through Sunday. Michiganders competing include Freddie Crittenden and Grant Fisher (watch on Peacock).

Saturday is the Diamond League meet in Shanghai, featuring Lakeland alum Grace Stark in the 100H and Wayne Memorial alum Anavia Battle in the 200 (usually easy to watch DL races the next day free on YouTube).

April State Records

The door has now closed on what has been an incredibly impressive start to the season. No fewer than 10 April all-time records have fallen to this season’s athletes!

High School Highlights

The finish of the Courageous 4×4: a mere hundredth separated the rival teams. (Facebook)

  • At a dual between the Traverse City schools, Central soph Lorelai Zielinski popped a 50-1 in the shot to become the fourth thrower in state history over the 50-foot barrier. It’s a state record for 10th graders outdoors as well as a dual meet state record (old best 49-6 Mary Angel of Byron Center in 2007). She also threw 153-2 in the discus. Her 154-7 the previous weekend in Monroe was another soph state record.

  • Novi’s Chance McNeill got the chance to run fast at Brighton’s Bulldog Invitational with some very strong winds at his back. The result? 10.69 & 21.53.

  • The Grand Rapids Elite Challenge produced a very fast 1600, with Henry Dixon of Forest Hills Eastern running a state-leading 4:11.02, followed by Jack Bidwell’s 4:11.25 and Caden Livermore at 4:12.50.

  • A day earlier at Romeo’s Barnyard Invitational, storms delayed the action and made some of the usual features tough to implement. Organizers opted to make the race a 1600 instead of a mile (the heavy rain made running extra FAT cameras difficult). The boys race went to Grand Haven soph Luka Hammond in 4:12.67 over Samuel Baker of Kalamazoo Central (4:13.37).

  • The girls Barnyard race was dominated by Emmry Ross, who led the whole way for a state-leading 4:46.11. She was followed by Jessica Jazwinski (4:47.49), Valerie Beeck (4:48.03), Lucy Cook (4:48.37), Victoria Garces (4:48.48) and Natasza Dudek (4:48.87). Six under 4:50 in the same race might just be a first for Michigan.

  • Sydney Kuhn’s sprint performances at the Barnyard meet were simply stunning. In conditions that were anything but favorable for the sprints, the Swan Valley senior first won the 100 in 12.41, then covered the 400 in 53.90—the fastest April time in state history. She is now No. 6 ever. Then, after a 2-hour storm delay, she won the 200 in 24.60.

  • Homeschooled Luke Long won the Barnyard 3200 in an impressive 9:16.24.

  • Saginaw Heritage relayed the girls 4×2 in a list-leading 1:41.35 at the Oiler Invite.

  • Stevensville Lakeshore soph Declin Doroh cleared a list-leading 6-10 at the Lukens Invitational. He is a quarter-inch away from the state sophomore record.

  • Novi’s Odin Gulledge won on misses as both he and Sean Cinzori of Plymouth vaulted a list-leading 15-3 at their dual meet.

  • Lawton’s Mason Mayne threw 61-1 in the shot at Kent City.

  • Ray Glory Ejoyohak of Groves whipped the discus 192-2 in a dual meet at home.

  • The cold and wind-blown Courageous Invitational featured a stirring 4×4 duel between Cass Tech and Oak Park. OP’s Phillip Burney led off in 50.4 to Brandon Kuhn’s 51.2. Then CT’s Aydan Myers blasted a 49,2 to get a huge lead at halfway as OP’s Alex Patterson ran 51.8. CT’s Elijah Robinson ran the third leg in 52.9, allowing Shondell Warren (51.1) to hand off right next to him. The anchor leg was a neck-and-neck battle between CT’s Jaelyn Martin and OP’s Rondre Austion. On the final stretch, Austion rallied back from a deficit and caught Martin on the line as both ran 49.6. The final result: Oak Park 3:22.87-Cass Tech 3:22.88.

  • A wind-aided 200 at Courageous saw Divine Child soph Aubrey Wilson tear a 24.08 to top Nevaeh Burns (24.58) and Jayla Dace (24.88).

  • A three-way meet at Country Day saw Aubrey Wilson run 11.65 in the 100 in windy conditions. The way she’s running, you’d think someone would think to get a wind gauge on her.

  • Northville ran a state-leading 7:51.82 at the Grand Ledge Comet Classic.

  • One to note from out of state: Anyla Robinson, who ran for Cass Tech last year, is at IMG Academy in Florida. She ran a 2:12.32 on the team’s winning 4 × 800 at the Penn Relays. They clocked 8:40.51, the No. 2 prep time in history. (It’s probably fair to note that some feel that times from an academy of athletes recruited nationwide should be placed in another category.)

  • Note that Will Jaiden Smith’s 36.87 for 300H in the Belleville-Franklin dual is the fastest ever run in a dual meet. The old best was 37.2 by Utica’s Olympian, Freddie Crittenden.

  • East Kentwood athlete De-Mani Roberts’ 48.63 in the 400 is a frosh state record, breaking Rondre Austion’s mark by 0.01.

  • As we go to press, news of some nice 400s at Oak Park: Demari Caldwell 48.27, Janae Coleman 55.33, both PRs.

Dual/Tri Meet State Records

A quick update here is warranted, with some duals still to come this season. Some of these are easy marks for our stars this year. However, it’s understandable that few of them make these records a priority. In the game of track & field, there are bigger fish to fry. So these marks are just for fun.

College/Pro Highlights

  • Anavia Battle won her first Diamond League race in Xiamen. Her 22.41 for 200 beat 2-time World Champion Shericka Jackson (22.79).

  • Also at Xiamen, Grace Stark led the hurdles until the final steps, finishing 2nd in 12.58.

  • The 300H is now an official World Record event. Not the 8-hurdle version that we run in high school, but the 7-hurdle international version. Anna Cockrell won a race in Fayetteville last weekend in 38.07.

  • Ben Kendell placed 29th in the Boston Marathon in 2:15:20, just ahead of Nathan Martin, who ran 2:15:31.

  • Jennifer Pope: The Pinckney grad raced the London Marathon, placing 4th in the mass race and 16th if you factor in the pro field. Her time of 2:36:11 is amazing for someone who didn’t break 20 in HS cross country.

  • UM’s Caleb Jarema placed 5th in the Penn steeple at 8:39.69.

  • Michigan placed 3rd in the Penn 4×8 in a school record 7:14.65, with notable legs from Trent McFarland (1:47.84) and Brendan Herger (1:48.29).

  • East Lansing alum Taylor Manson placed 3rd in the Penn 400 at 52.36.

  • Trevor Stephenson placed 3rd in the open PV at Drake with a 17-11.25.

  • Lake Orion alum Sophie Novak won the Drake steeple at 9:28.98.

  • Aasia Laurencin ran 4th in the Drake hurdles with a 13.02 national record for St. Lucia.

The Michtrack Interview: Will Jaiden Smith

Smith with coach Candice Davis Price. (Instagram)

Last season, Belleville’s Smith was a rookie in the hurdles as a junior, running 14.11/14.01w and placing 4th in the D1 Finals. In the 300 hurdles, he took 2nd by inches in 37.95. Now a senior, he has exploded into national prominence. Indoors, he ran a State Record 7.71 at New Balance Nationals, breaking the 7.72 mark set by Olympian Freddie Crittenden of Utica. Outdoors, he won a big matchup at Oak Park in 13.53, the No. 2 performance in state history. He also has sprinted 10.96, 21.74 and made himself the No. 3 ever in the 300H with his dual meet 36.87. The senior says there’s a lot more to come.

Michtrack: Let's look at that 13.53 you ran. How did that feel to you?

Smith: Honestly, I called it the day before. I was talking to my friends, and they were like, “Oh, this is your real opener,” because when I ran that 13.88 at that dual meet, it was pretty cold outside, and I'm like, “OK, that was just like a practice race, basically, and I didn't run that fast."

So, at the Oak Park meet, my coach was like, “Get out hard in the prelim, and then just hold it,” and then she ended up getting mad at me after the prelim, like, “You ran that too fast,” and I was like, “I'm telling you, I did not, I didn't feel that fast when I ran, what was it, 13.76 or something like that,” and she’s like, “OK, well, show me in the final.” So, in the final, I just honestly did what I always do. I just ran my race.

I knew it was coming. I told my friends I was going to run 13.5 the day before that.

Michtrack: Do you think that that state record of 13.48 is going to survive the next few weeks?

Smith: Nah, that's not. I've been saying it since I ran that 13.5. It's not surviving. I highly doubt it.

Michtrack: Do you feel like you've got a lot more inside yourself this season?

Smith: A lot, because, funnily enough, at the Oak Park meet, before that, I didn't practice. Our spring break was literally the week of our first meet, and then the Oak Park meet was the week after that, but that week we had that dual meet, I didn't have a practice, really. So, I hadn't practiced since before Indoor Nationals. So, coming off of that and still running 13.5… I know I have a lot more in me.

Michtrack: I'm sure you get this question a lot, but, what is going on at Belleville with all this hurdle talent?

Smith: It's honestly just the atmosphere, you know? Being around somebody that's at the same level as you or close to it, it helps a lot. Being able to have training partners that run around the same time as me, for example, indoor season, we had three sub-8 hurdlers. It was me, Schmar [Gamble], and Timothy [Pinard]. We were all right there, you know? That really helps a lot.

And then, we also have a mental health trainer, too, Aasia Laurencin [NCAA All-American hurdler]. I don't really know how much everybody else uses her, but I feel like from last year to now, I really needed a lot of mental training, and I think that's what set me apart from everyone else, because I got to be stronger this year than I did last year. Since I'm more mentally strong, I know what I can do. And at Belleville, we're doing a lot there. We work. We definitely work. We earned it. So, we'll see what happens this season.

Michtrack: What does Coach Candice Davis Price bring to the game?

Smith: Coach Candace, she's amazing. You've seen her before. Attitude all the way up. She's never down, you know what I mean? She brings a lot of enthusiasm to the team. On top of that, she herself was an amazing hurdler. That helps a lot, because having a coach that actually knows what they're talking about, because they've done it before, compared to having a coach that is just, like… because some coaches are learning as they go, you know what I mean? But she, she already did it all, you know? She knows what she's talking about.

Michtrack: The hurdles are your headline event these days, but you're good at a lot of different events. What is your favorite?

Smith: My favorite event? Ah, it's tough. Last year was my first year hurdling, but before hurdles, it was the 200. I love the 200. I just love coming off the bend and having that last 100 to go, because my start is not that good when it comes to the 100. But now that I started hurdling, I think I like the long hurdles. I like the 300 hurdles, but I also like the 110s now that I'm better at it. Last year, I would definitely hands-down say the 300 hurdles was my favorite event. But this year, it's kind of tough. It's kind of a tie between the 300 hurdles and the 110s.

Michtrack: Last Tuesday, when you ran 36.87, that was just solo, wasn't it?

Smith: I had nobody around me. And the race was kind of sloppy, too. My alternate [leg] is bad. That's why I lost the state championship last year. I don't know if you've seen that. But I don't know how to alternate, because, like I said, I'm kind of new to hurdling. I'm getting it now, kind of. My alternate, when it comes up, I either stutter or I just jump over the hurdle and not really hurdle it. In that race, I kind of jumped over one of them. I just need to work. The 300 hurdle state record, that's 35.90. It’s a good push. But I'm pretty sure, I think I can take that one, too. That's really my goal, to get both hurdle records.

Michtrack: So, I'm trying to game this out. You get four events at the state finals. What are they going to be?

Smith: Me and my coach are trying to decide that, too. But my goal, honestly, I want to win both hurdles and the 200. And then I'll be probably put in a relay. But it's kind of up in the air right now. But that's what I want to do. I want to triple that. Because last year's state championship wasn't really that good for me. I was kind of in my head a lot last year. It messed up my performances a lot. But I feel like now that I'm way more mentally strong than I was last year, I have the confidence to do it. And that's really all I need. I have the athleticism, it shows. So, I just need the confidence. And I feel like I can do it, honestly.

Michtrack: Now, what is going on with your college future?

Smith: I'm not committed yet. But I should be committed pretty soon here. I'm not going to say where I'm going to go. But that'll come out soon. I'm going somewhere.

Michtrack: What is it about you that people don't know that they should know?

Smith: People look at me and people text me all the time on Instagram, and ask me for tips and all of that. People think that I was just always good, but it's honestly never that. They don't see the work that I actually put in to do this. I wake up at five in the morning for weight room. And I've been doing that since September. It's been work that I've done to get here. I've been doing a lot of work mentally, physically. It's never easy. And I think it's a blessing that I'm actually here. It's a blessing that I'm one of the top athletes in the in the country.

And I’ve got to stay humble. If you're not humble, then you're just gonna get comfortable, and you can't get comfortable. Because if you get comfortable, then there's always somebody that's coming after you. And me being at the top, it's hard for me to chase somebody, you know what I mean? So I'm really just going against myself. This whole season, it's kind of me trying to beat me. And I like it like that. And I'm going to continue to beat myself. 

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