#80 - Ross Rules The 800

Emmry Ross Interview

April 24, 2025

Inside This Issue

Ross Stuns With Latest Record

The hits keep coming for Emmry Ross

The big news this week is, of course, Emmry Ross’s newest state record in the 800. The Onsted senior, running against collegians at Hillsdale’s Gina Relays, blasted a 2:01.42 to slice 2.42 seconds off her own outdoor state standard. The mark not only is a U.S. leader for the current season by nearly 3 seconds, it also makes her the No. 10 prep half-miler ever.

“It was really good weather that day,” says Ross. “It was a tiny bit windy, so I was just trying to run as best I could really. I just tried to go out there and do the best I could and just improve off of my time the week prior.”

Taking the lead from the start, Ross says, “I felt really strong that day and I just decided to keep pushing the pace. And when my splits were coming in, I was just really excited because they were faster than I expected. I knew I was capable of doing it, but then when it actually happened, you're just super excited and it's just really, a really great experience.

“It wasn't like too crazy, but there was definitely a little bit of a headwind as soon as I came into the last straightaway. So I was just trying to push through that with the resistance and everything. I'm sure it affected the time a little bit, but I'm still super happy about my time.”

Note it’s unlikely that Ross gained any advantage from racing against older athletes, as she won by more than 8 seconds.

The national high school record is 1:59.04 by Maryland’s Juliette Whittaker in 2022. Only three have ever broken 2:00: Whittaker, Roisin Willis and Mary Cain.

Just how good is 2:01.42 for the UM signee? It would have won last year’s Big Ten title by more than a second. It would have placed 8th in the NCAA final last year. It would have qualified for the Olympic Trials. And it would have placed 4th in last year’s World U20 Championships.

Ross’s 2:01.42 is so good that it had us wondering if it is the best of all the state records we have in Michigan. That could be a fun debate to have sometime. Just for kicks, I looked at the World Athletics Scoring Tables, which are a pseudo-scientific attempt to try to compare marks in disparate events. I came up with numbers for all of our major state records except for the 4×8 & 300H (not included), 110H (hurdle height not covered), and the boys SP/DT (HS weights not covered). According to the tables, the Ross mark is the best of all of our girls state records, and second-best overall behind Udodi Onwuzurike’s 20.21 for 200m. Here’s the list, in order:

  • 1179 200m-Onwuzurike 20.21

  • 1137 800m-Ross 2:01.42

  • 1134 200m-Jackson 23.01

  • 1128 100m-Onwuzurike 10.23

  • 1128 100H-Stark 13.16

  • 1125 400m-Baisden 52.03

  • 1120 100m-Mahan 11.37

  • 1110 400m-Heard 46.02

  • 1103 Mile -Kessler 3:57.61

  • 1097 800m-Brazier 1:47.55

  • 1082 4x4-Oak Park 3:36.72

  • 1081 HJ-Willis 7-2.25 (2.19)

  • 1075 3000m-VanderLende 9:09.07+

  • 1071 4x1-Renaissance 45.56

  • 1068 LJ-Richardson 25-2.5 (7.68)

  • 1064 Mile-Flynn 4:37.73

  • 1064 4x2-Renaissance 1:36.29

  • 1052 HJ-Wentland 6-0 (1.83)

  • 1051 3000m-Kessler 8:00.84+

  • 1051 5000m-Ritzenhein 13:44.70

  • 1032 PV-Wesley 16-10.25 (5.14)

  • 1031 4x2-Detroit Cass Tech 1:25.0

  • 1018 4x4-Chippewa Valley 3:11.97

  • 1018 PV-Shell 13-9 (4.19)

  • 1007 LJ-Jackson 19-9.75 (6.04)

  • 996 4x1-Holland West Ottawa 41.11

  • 947 SP-Marvin 51-11 (15.82)

  • 904 DT-Russell 166-11 (50.88)

Prep Highlights

  • On Tuesday, Will Jaiden Smith of Belleville blasted 36.87 for 300H in a dual meet. That makes him No. 3 in state history.

  • Ray Glory Ejoyokah of Grove threw the discus a state leader 192-2 in Wednesday tri meet at his home track. That makes him No. 12 in history.

  • Clarkston soph Wendell Childs overcame a challenge from Greg Myers of Lincoln and raced to a 1:51.73 for 800 at the Leigh Invitational at OU. He is getting ever closer to the soph record of 1:50.47 set by Bedford’s Nick Kaiser in 2009.

  • Another soph, Luka Hammond of Grand Haven, took over the state lead at 1600 with his 4:14.69 at Rockford.

  • Swan Valley’s Sydney Kuhn continues her stunning season, with a 24.82w for 200 and state-leading 54.18 at 400 in a dual meet. Two days later she ran 2:08.73 for 800 at OU.

  • Marshall senior Jack Bidwell ran a list-leading 9:14.27 at Parma Western’s Rice Invitational.

  • Two days before her big 800 record, Emmry Ross ran a state-leading 4:48.59 for 1600. Then on Saturday, she PRed at 3200 with a 10:44.44.

  • Grand Haven looks very dangerous in the boys relays. At the Ram Classic, the Bucs passed the stick to clockings of 41.69 & 1:26.92. At the same meet, Northville relayed 7:52.63.

  • Pioneer frosh Nastasza Dudek cruised to a 3200 list-leader of 10:14.70 at Howell’s Highland Games. She impressed with her finish, wrapping it up with a 34.1 final 200.

  • East Kentwood’s girls relayed 1:42.68 in a dual meet n their home track, and then 1:42.13 the next week.

  • DeWitt covered the 4×8 in 9:24.88 at the Panther Invite.

  • Lorelai Zielinski has demonstrated some impressive throwing. The Traverse City Central soph threw 45-8 & 146-4 at the Ram Classic. Two days later at Monroe, she hit PRs of 46-4 and 154-7 (No. 11 all-time).

  • Grand Haven’s Izzy Robbins vaulted 12-7 at Rockford.

  • When Spring Lake’s Ben Goran vaulted 15-0 at the Ram Classic, that marked a frosh state record outdoors.

  • Holland West Ottawa ran a state leader 9:21.53 at the Grand Haven dual Wednesday.

College/Pro Highlights

Right now, Anavia Battle is the fastest woman on earth.

  • Grace Stark put to rest any concerns that she might be injured. At the Jones Memorial in Gainesville, the Lakeland grad flew to 12.51 in the hurdle heats, the fastest time in the world this year. In the final, she went 12.59 to beat the Olympic champion.

  • Anavia Battle also ran a world leader in Gainesville, winning the 100 over a tough field in 10.98, becoming the first Michigander under the 11-second barrier. The Wayne Memorial alum almost immediately hopped on a plane for China, where she will be running the Diamond League in Xiamen.

  • Big Rapids alum Owen Westerkamp (GV) ran 8:49.42 for the steeple at the Bryan Clay meet in California.

  • Brother Rice alum Udodi Onwuzurike ran his first outdoor races of the year, a 10.29/20.50 double in Gainesville.

  • Ann Arbor Huron alum Braxton Brann (Ohio St) scored hurdle PRs on consecutive weekends at 13.65 (2.0) and 13.64 (0.1).

  • State 400 recordholder at 46.02, Shamar Heard has announced that he has entered the transfer portal with an eye toward leaving Tennessee.

  • Alpena alum Eli Winter (UM) hammered 219-0 in Gainesville.

  • Renaissance alum Kaila Jackson (Georgia) sprinted 11.16 for second in the Gainesville 100.

  • Oak Park and UM alum Aasia Laurencin hurdled 13.13 in Gainesville after a 13.08 heat.

  • State javelin recordholder Chandler Ault opened his season with a win at the Mt SAC Relays (231-1).

  • Oak Park alum Nonah Waldron (USC) placed 4th in the Mt SAC 100H (13.19).

  • Pinckney alum Kylie Ray (Findlay) won the 400H at the Virginia Challenge in 58.10.

  • Lake Orion alum Sophie Novak ran 9:27.97 at Wake Forest to place 2nd to the steeple collegiate record of 9:10.13 by Alabama’s Doris Lemngole. Negaunee alum Emily Paupore (CMU) ran 9:56.45 for 4th.

  • Hart alum Kellen Kimes (Liberty) hammered 219-4 at Long Beach.

  • At Wake Forest, Utica alum Trent McFarland (3:38.45) and his UM teammate Brendan Herger (3:38.72) scored 1500 PRs in 2nd and 3rd. While it’s fun to remember back when times like that would make someone an NCAA contender, the reality of the supershoes is that they ran #21 and #26 respectively on the NCAA list, and it’s still April.

The Evolution Of The 800 Best

We always like to update these progressions after a state record falls. As you might expect, the early days need more research. It’s likely someone raced 800 before Olympian Francie Kraker, but I haven’t turned up that result yet.

Michtrack Interview: Emmry Ross

We couldn’t let that 2:01.42 go by without hearing from Ross herself, so we did a quick catch-up with her as she was on her way to Dundee for a dual meet in the midst of her whirlwind season, to find out what’s next. [BTW, she ran 55.45 and 24.70 at Dundee.]

Michtrack: You've been so busy on the track lately. Are you having a blast this spring?

Ross: Oh yeah, definitely. We've had a lot of meets recently, so I'm staying busy with that and just trying to also keep my training going through the meets. So yeah, I'm having a lot of fun.

Michtrack: You're looking forward to… is it May 2nd, you're going to New York for the Track Night meet?

Ross: Yeah. Next Thursday we're flying out.

Michtrack: What are you hoping to do there?

Ross: Honestly, I have, you know, high goals for how I race. I just want to go out there and feel good, prepare good, and hopefully just race the best of my ability. I don't really have certain times in mind. I just want to go out there and race as fast as I can. And I think there's going to be really good competition. There's going to be really fast girls. So just hopefully holding my own and just doing the best I can.

Michtrack: Now what are you racing tonight?

Ross: I'm actually doing some speed tonight. So I have a 400, a 200, and then I'm in a 4x4 because Friday I have the Barnyard Elite Mile that I'm doing. So I thought I should get some speed in and then I'll do the mile on Friday.

Michtrack: It seems like every meet, even in small meets and dual meets, you always run something all out. You never seem to do a meet where you do four events jogging.

Ross: Yeah. Every, every race, even if it's a dual meet, is an opportunity to put down a time. And I feel like if you're not racing to your best ability, it's kind of a waste to do it. So I think going out there and just trying to do the best is really the way to go. And that's a good mindset to have because you need a mindset like that for life anyway. Just outside of running in general, you need that in life.

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