It’s that time of the year where the Best Crews get thrown aside, the numbers are tossed in the trash, and ol’ MIXCSR gets to voice his own predictions. 2022’s preview included simulations (similar to what I do in cross country), 2023’s version had stats and charts for an athlete’s average/most recent performances. Compiling all that info is easy during the fall, with 17 separate events in the spring, it’s too dang tedious.
Instead, I’ll be just rolling with my own predictions. I feel that I can do that. Cross Country is all number-based, as are the Best Crews, this is my one moment to put my thoughts out there. But before I let you know my process, know this: I appreciate everyone for competing, to those who’ve made it to June and those who haven’t, you’re awesome. To those who see this and want to prove them wrong: Go do that and tell me about it afterward. To those who see this and want to prove them right: I know you’re 100% capable of showing the world your greatness.
My general thought process for sprints is this:
Consistency is huge, of course with the context of the competition – emphasized a little here
Improvement throughout the year – emphasized a bit more here
Common competition
Especially in championship season – emphasized the most
So here are the predictions, with a little writing beforehand and a bit of info on who I think might the All-State finishers.
The 400m has to be the sprint race of the day, right? 6 of the top-7 400m runners in the State, the best 3 sophomores, the best freshman (who is in reach of the freshman record), and Shamar Heard, the defending champion who is already the state record holder. We saw a preview of this at Farmington, a minor version of it in Region 10, and now we’re treated to a climactic, culminating match.
For the shorter, sprints, I’m excited to see some new names and an answer to a question. Bryce Hurley and Jackson Webber have ran some outstanding 100m times, but without a wind gauge present, we can’t verify their legitimacy? The State Finals are a great opportunity to prove those times right.
Relays
Place
4×1
4×2
4×4
1
Holland West Ottawa
Holland West Ottawa
Chippewa Valley
2
Saline
Chippewa Valley
Troy Athens
3
Kalamazoo Central
Belleville
Clarkston
4
Warren DeLaSalle
Rockford
Oak Park
5
Ann Arbor Huron
Oak Park
Rockford
6
Rockford
Walled Lake Western
Grand Haven
7
Canton
Rochester Adams
Zeeland West
8
Walled Lake Western
Saline
Lincoln Park
100m
Place
Grade
Name
Team
Notes
1
12
Jackson Webber
Grand Blanc
14th Place – 2023, Region 1 Champ, #1 in Michigan
2
12
Cameron Cheetam
Hartland
10th Place – 2023, Region 4 Champ
3
11
Bryce Hurley
Utica Eisenhower
Unbeaten in 2024, Macomb County & Region 10 Champ
4
12
Evan Watson
Troy Athens
12th Place – 2023, OAA Red/White Champ
5
12
Jakevis Neal
Saginaw Heritage
SVL Champ
6
11
Jeremy Dixon
Kalamazoo Central
11th Place – 2022 & 2023, Region 3 & SMAC Champ
7
10
Schmar Gamble
Belleville
Region 5 Champ
8
12
Latay’vion Braxton
Kalamazoo Central
#8 in Michigan
200m
Place
Grade
Name
Team
Notes
1
12
Shamar Heard
Chippewa Valley
2022 Champion, #1 in Michigan
2
11
Will Jaiden Smith
Belleville
6th Place – 2023, Region 5 Champ
3
12
Jeremy Dixon
Kalamazoo Central
Region 3 & SMAC Champ
4
12
Desmond Chapa
Holland West Ottawa
Region 2 & OK Red Champ
5
11
Ruben Esparza
Holland West Ottawa
#14 in Michigan
6
11
Ahmad Ameen
Jackson
Region 4 & SEC White Champ
7
12
Cameron Cheetam
Hartland
10th Place – 2023, KLAA Champ
8
10
Rondre Austion
Oak Park
Oakland County & Region 8 Champ
400m
Place
Grade
Name
Team
Notes
1
12
Shamar Heard
Chippewa Valley
State Record Holder, Defending Champion, Unbeaten in 2024
2
12
Evan Watson
Troy Athens
MITS Champ, #2 in Michigan
3
11
Ahmad Ameen
Jackson
Region 4 & SEC White Champ, #3 in Michigan
4
12
Cameron Cheetam
Hartland
#4 in Michigan
5
10
Rondre Austion
Oak Park
Oakland County & Region 8 Champ, #2 sophomore in Michigan
6
11
Ja’Saivion Taylor
Holt
CAAC Blue Champ
7
12
Henry Shaieb
Ann Arbor Skyline
11th Place – 2023, Region 5 & SEC Red Champ
8
10
Kinley Poole
Ann Arbor Huron
#1 sophomore in Michigan
DIVISION ONE GIRLS
Defending champions going against new competition, either in the form of freshmen, upstarts, or big names from D2. Kamryn Tatum will face it in multiple ways. The West Bloomfield sophomore won the 200m and 400m last year and is a contender once again in those long sprints. Freshman sensation Nevaeh Burns and her rapidly improving teammate Dayshana Kellogg will provide challenges, and hopefully we’ll see a thrilling race as we did at Farmington. In the 200m, she’ll get it from Keyanna O’Tey, D2’s defending 200m champion. Jayla Dace will also get it from O’Tey.
I just want to say this too: Renaissance had a tough day at Regionals, then lost to Cass Tech in the Detroit City Championships. I’ve never known those folks to be down for long and the Phoenix always respond to challenges. So expect a big day from the Outer Drive Crew.
Region 8 & Oakland County Champ, #2 freshman in Michigan
4
12
Maya Rollins
Ann Arbor Pioneer
6th Place – 2023, Region 5 Champ
5
11
Jayla Dace
Detroit Renaissance
3rd Place – 2023
6
9
Willow Mason
Saginaw Heritage
SVL Champ, #3 freshman in Michigan
7
11
Jordynn Young
Saginaw Heritage
Region 1 Champ
8
11
Adalyn Liang
Portage Central
SMAC & Region 3 Champ
400m
Place
Grade
Name
Team
Notes
1
9
Nevaeh Burns
Oak Park
Oakland County & Region 8 Champ, #2 in Michigan
2
10
Kamryn Tatum
West Bloomfield
Defending Champion
3
11
Dayshana Kellogg
Oak Park
5+ sec. improvement from sophomore year, #4 in Michigan
4
12
Shelby Sanders
Detroit Renaissance
Detroit PSL Champion, 4+ sec. improvement from junior year
5
10
Maddy Piotrowski
Troy Athens
12th Place – 2023, Region 10 Champ
6
10
Sloane Schiller
Bloomfield Hills
#4 sophomore in Michigan
7
12
Bianca Evuleocha
Farmington
5th Place – 2023
8
12
Kelis Hunter-Young
Oak Park
3rd Place – 2023
DIVISION TWO BOYS
100m – Jake Machiniak, 10.54 200m – Michael Wright, 21.72 400m – Trannon Aylor, 48.83
Two defending champions return – Jake Machiniak and Trannon Aylor. Both are the top dogs for their respective events, the 100m and 400m, and there’s an empty space in the middle. Machiniak currently holds the top time in the state and he hasn’t been touched in 2024. Aylor placed in the event in 2023, so there’s no doubt he can handle prelims leading into his 400m. Of course, there’s also Wyatt Bower, who will be looking to pick up as many points as possible for his Cavaliers and Malcolm Earvin, hoping to do the same for Whitehall.
Relays
Place
4×1
4×2
4×4
1
River Rouge
Whitehall
Whitehall
2
Corunna
Charlotte
Hamilton
3
Berrien Springs
Berrien Springs
Gladwin
4
Lansing Sexton
Corunna
Mason
5
Mason
Milan
DeWitt
6
Petoskey
Summit Academy
Summit Academy
7
Grand Rapids Catholic Central
Lansing Sexton
Hastings
8
Coopersville
Petoskey
Saginaw Swan Valley
100m
Place
Grade
Name
Team
Notes
1
12
Jake Machiniak
Berrien Springs
Defending Champion, #1 in Michigan, Unbeaten in 2024
2
12
Jamal Rudolph
Henry Ford Academy
Wayne County & Region 17 Champ
3
12
Tarick Bower
Corunna
Unbeaten in 2024
4
11
Jaiden Melton
River Rouge
#10 in Michigan
5
12
Drew Novak
DeWitt
19th Place – 2023, CAAC Blue Champ
6
11
Tayvian Smith
Lansing Sexton
10th Place – 2023, CAAC White & Region 15 Champ
7
11
Chris Coates
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s
17th Place – 2023, Oakland County & Region 19 Champ
8
12
Benjamin Boehm
Hamilton
6th Place – 2023, Region 12 Champ
200m
Place
Grade
Name
Team
Notes
1
12
Jake Machiniak
Berrien Springs
Unbeaten in 2024, #1 in Michigan
2
12
Wyatt Bower
Corunna
#12 in Michigan, FML & Region 20 Champ
3
12
Malcolm Earvin
Whitehall
17th Place – 2023, Region 12 & WMC Lakes Champ
4
11
Michael Iwu
Summit Academy
Region 16 Champ
5
12
Drew Novak
DeWitt
Region 15 & CAAC Blue Champ
6
11
Donovan Cruse
Summit Academy
23rd Place – 2023, #33 in Michigan
7
12
Jhace Massey
Gladwin
Jack Pine & Region 11 Champ
8
11
Chris Coates
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s
16th Place – 2023, Region 19 & CHSL Bishop Champ
400m
Place
Grade
Name
Team
Notes
1
12
Trannon Aylor
Whitehall
Defending Champion, #9 in Michigan
2
12
Zachary Mylenek
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep
Region 19 Champ, #14 in Michigan
3
11
Aydan Mccarey
Niles
Wolverine Conference & Region 14 Champ
4
10
Bryce McConnell
Charlotte
Region 15 & CAAC White Champ
5
12
Aiden Aldrich
DeWitt
Over 2 sec. improvement from junior year, #35 in Michigan
6
11
Donovan Cruse
Summit Academy
Region 16 Champ
7
11
Noah Jarvis
Berrien Springs
5th Place – 2023
8
12
Andrew Dudka
GR West Michigan Aviation
13th Place – 2023, Region 13 Champ
DIVISION TWO GIRLS
With O’Tey moving to D1 and Elizabeth Anderson heading to MSU, titles are up for grabs. Two main contenders are out there: Aubrey Wilson and Sydney Kuhn. Wilson’s specialty is the short sprints, Kuhn the long sprints. And it appears that we’ll get a matchup between the two in the 200m.
Last Year
100m – Keyanna O’Tey, 11.84 200m – Keyanna O’Tey, 24.61 400m – Elizabeth Anderson, 55.38
Relays
Place
4×1
4×2
4×4
1
Summit Academy
Summit Academy
Dearborn Divine Child
2
Dearborn Divine Child
Petoskey
Saginaw Swan Valley
3
Berrien Springs
Dearborn Divine Child
Yale
4
Ferndale
Cadillac
Freeland
5
Petoskey
Forest Hills Eastern
East Grand Rapids
6
Hopkins
Ferndale
Stevensville Lakeshore
7
Big Rapids
Pinckney
Cadillac
8
Chelsea
Shepherd
Goodrich
100m
Place
Grade
Name
Team
Notes
1
9
Aubrey Wilson
Dearborn Divine Child
#3 freshman in Michigan
2
11
Elena Jacobsen
Forest Hills Eastern
Over a second improvement from sophomore year, Region 13 Champ
3
12
Meghan Koss
Dearborn Divine Child
9th Place – 2023, #19 in Michigan
4
12
Grace Constable
Berrien Springs
14th Place – 2023, Region 14 & Lakeland Conference Champ
5
12
Heaven Copeland
Summit Academy
Region 16 Champ, #17 in Michigan
6
12
Grace Clemens
North Branch
19th Place – 2023, Region 19 & Blue Water Champ
7
9
Cayla Bouyer
Lansing Sexton
Region 15 & CAAC White Champ, #5 freshman in Michigan
8
12
Lauren Goodman
Linden
17th Place – 2023, Region 20 & FML Champ
200m
Place
Grade
Name
Team
Notes
1
11
Sydney Kuhn
Saginaw Swan Valley
6th Place – 2023, Region 11 & Saginaw County Champ
2
9
Aubrey Wilson
Dearborn Divine Child
Region 17 & CHSL Bishop Champ, #1 freshman in Michigan
3
12
Anaiia Simmons
Summit Academy
17th Place – 2023, Region 16 Champ
4
11
Kennadi Galy
Allendale
3rd Place – 2023, Region 12 & OK Blue Champ
5
12
Grace Clemens
North Branch
22nd Place – 2023, unbeaten since mid-April
6
12
Meghan Koss
Dearborn Divine Child
11th Place – 2023, #14 in Michigan
7
12
Grace Constable
Berrien Springs
17th Place – 2023, Lakeland Conference & Region 14 Champ
8
12
Heaven Copeland
Summit Academy
Over a second improvement from junior year
400m
Place
Grade
Name
Team
Notes
1
12
Sydney Kuhn
Saginaw Swan Valley
3rd Place – 2023, Unbeaten in 2024
2
10
Christina Dixon
Haslett
6th Place – 2023, Unbeaten in 2024
3
11
Kathryn Kurtinaitis
Dearborn Divine Child
7th Place – 2023, Region 17 & CHSL Bishop Champ
4
11
Layla Jordan
Goodrich
Unbeaten in 2024
5
11
Joy Evans
Alma
5th Place – 2023
6
10
Kate Ort
Stevensville Lakeshore
13th Place – 2023, Region 14 Champ, Team State Winner
7
11
Najah Williams
Ferndale
8th Place – 2023, Region 18 Champ
8
12
Madisyn Lundquist
Cadillac
16th Place – 2023
DIVISION THREE BOYS
Last Year
100m – Jailin Spikes, 10.71 200m – Jerry Wiegers, 22.11 400m – Jerry Wiegers, 49.49
Jerry Wiegers looks to double up once again. The North Muskegon senior has dropped time in his primary events – the 200m and 400m, and appears to be peaking at the right time, bringing home regional victories in each. In the 100m, the title is up for grabs. Trevor Smith was right in the mix last year, Cobey Cureton has been waiting two years for this moment, and Cam Sellers, who owns the fastest time in D3 this year, has made some major strides in the past year.
Relays
Place
4×1
4×2
4×4
1
Hillsdale
Detroit Edison PSA
Jonesville
2
Ithaca
Michigan Center
North Muskegon
3
Standish Sterling
Dearborn Advanced Technology
Hillsdale
4
Schoolcraft
Clare
Napoleon
5
Grandville Calvin Christian
Hart
Lansing Catholic
6
Hart
Onsted
Olivet
7
Warren Michigan Collegiate
Springport
Chesaning
8
Olivet
Sanford-Meridian
Union City
100m
Place
Grade
Name
Team
Notes
1
11
Cam Sellers
Traverse City St. Francis
22nd Place – 2023, Unbeaten in 2024
2
11
Cobey Cureton
Dearborn Advanced Technology
Region 26 Champ
3
11
Trevor Smith
Pewamo-Westphalia
2nd Place – 2023, CMAC & Region 30 Champ
4
11
Nathan Mikesell
Ithaca
9th Place – 2023, Team State Winner
5
12
Hunter Wilson
Hillsdale
12th Place – 2023, Region 25 Champ
6
11
Santino Cicarella
University Liggett
Region 27 Champ
7
12
Andrew Stewart
Standish Sterling
3rd Place – 2023, Region 21 Champ
8
11
Zach Harlan
Chesaning
#61 in Michigan
200m
Place
Grade
Name
Team
Notes
1
12
Jerry Wiegers
North Muskegon
Defending Champion, Region 23 Champ
2
11
Trevor Smith
Pewamo-Westphalia
4th Place – 2023, Region 30 Champ
3
11
Cobey Cureton
Dearborn Advanced Technology
Region 26 Champ
4
11
Santino Cicarella
University Liggett
Region 27 Champ
5
12
Geoffrey McBurrows
Detroit Edison PSA
#28 in Michigan
6
11
Zach Harlan
Chesaning
19th Place – 2023, Team State Winner
7
11
Darnell Hall
Detroit Edison PSA
1.5 second improvement from sophomore year, #60 in Michigan
Devin Johnston has graduated and moved onto Eastern Illinois, another two titles are up for grabs.Both Addison Hovey and Claire Neumann have been at the top of D3 this year, each holding top-2 marks in the 100m and 200m, racing to nearly clean slates. One an east sider, one a west sider, we haven’t seen the two face off. Technically, three titles are up for grabs, but Emmry Ross has such a stronghold on this event. 31 straight 400m wins, 2 state titles, and another opportunity to add to the winning streak.
Relays
Place
4×1
4×2
4×4
1
Hillsdale
Traverse City St. Francis
Pewamo-Westphalia
2
Grass Lake
Adrian Madison
Jackson Lumen Christi
3
Hart
Saginaw Valley Lutheran
Constantine
4
St. Mary Catholic Central
Clare
Grass Lake
5
Coloma
Grass Lake
Olivet
6
Adrian Madison
Dearborn Advanced Technology
Hanover-Horton
7
Olivet
Olivet
Ithaca
8
Traverse City St. Francis
Hart
Hart
100m
Place
Grade
Name
Team
Notes
1
12
Claire Neumann
Saginaw Valley Lutheran
Region 29 & TVC Blue Champ
2
11
Addison Hovey
Hart
3rd Place – 2023, Region 22 Champ
3
9
Katelyn Wendling
New Lothrop
#9 freshman in Michigan, MMAC Champ
4
12
Ti’Anna Murphy-Ryan
Comstock
2nd Place – 2023, Region 24 Champ
5
10
Adela Illes
St. Mary Catholic Central
#12 sophomore in Michigan, Region 26 & Huron League Champ
6
9
Jamiyah Burman
Detroit Community
#11 freshman in Michigan, Region 28 Champ
7
12
Arianna Musso
Lakeview
Region 23 Champ
8
10
Naika Rath
Hudson
LCAA Champ
200m
Place
Grade
Name
Team
Notes
1
12
Claire Neumann
Saginaw Valley Lutheran
4th Place – 2023, Region 29 & TVC Blue Champ
2
11
Addison Hovey
Hart
Region 22 Champ, #26 in Michigan
3
10
Adela Illes
St. Mary Catholic Central
#16 sophomore in Michigan, Huron League & Region 26 Champ
The most intriguing race may be the 400m, and it’s got quite a lineup. The top three placers from 2023, including a Nathan Feltner who’s known for his dramatic late-season time drops, jumpin’ and sprintin’ extraordinaire Anthony Buford, a Brock Morris following in Dubem Amene’s footsteps, and an extremely reliable low-50 guy in Nate Spicer.
Relays
Place
4×1
4×2
4×4
1
Climax-Scotts
Fowler
Fowler
2
Gobles
Southfield Christian
Concord
3
Reading
Reading
Reading
4
Concord
White Pigeon
Detroit Frederick Douglass
5
Riverview Gabriel Richard
Gobles
Battle Creek St. Philip
6
Mt. Clemens
Riverview Gabriel Richard
Southfield Christian
7
Beal City
Mt. Clemens
White Pigeon
8
Centreville
Lincoln-Alcona
Kalamazoo Hackett
100m
Place
Grade
Name
Team
Notes
1
12
Jeremiah Bullis
Lincoln-Alcona
17th Place – 2023, Region 31 Champ
2
11
Logan Smith
Morrice
First year running individual sprints, unbeaten in the 100m
2024 has been the year of new faces. Brook Simpson moved to Saugatuck from Belding, where before her knee surgery, she was an outstanding high jumper. Post-operation, she’s still contributing in a huge way, running to the best mark in the 400m. Fowler’s Katie Spicer has improved in bounds from her sophomore year, winning and winning, getting into the 12’s and 25’s. I’m excited to see how these two do against the established winners such as Brooklynn Frazee and Rylee Scheurer. And I’m even more excited to see if Aiden Harrand can add another event to her portfolio full of titles.
Relays
Place
4×1
4×2
4×4
1
Saugatuck
Portland St. Patrick
Rochester Hills Lutheran NW
2
Portland St. Patrick
Frankfort
Fowler
3
Hillsdale Academy
Fowler
Portland St. Patrick
4
Frankfort
Dryden
Hillsdale Academy
5
Fowler
Hillsdale Academy
Auburn Hills Oakland Christian
6
Gobles
Morenci
Dryden
7
Southfield Christian
Royal Oak Shrine
Pittsford
8
East Jordan
Harbor Springs
Adrian Lenawee Christian
100m
Place
Grade
Name
Team
Notes
1
11
Katie Spicer
Fowler
Unbeaten in May, #22 in Michigan
2
10
Layla Bolzman
Unionville-Sebewaing
5th Place – 2023, Team State Winner
3
12
Rylee Scheurer
Portland St. Patrick
3rd Place – 2023, Region 36 Champ
4
11
Molly Brown
Addison
2nd Place – 2023, Region 35 & Lenawee County Champ
5
10
Brooklynn Frazee
Buckley
Defending Champion
6
12
Kariesue Taghon
Maple City Glen Lake
11th Place – 2023
7
12
Grace Ligon
Southfield Christian
6th Place – 2023, MIAC & Region 40 Champ
8
10
Sofia Alaimo Schindler
Frankfort
9th Place – 2023
200m
Place
Grade
Name
Team
Notes
1
11
Layla Bolzman
Unionville-Sebewaing
6th Place – 2023, Unbeaten since late April
2
11
Katie Spicer
Fowler
3rd Place – 2023, Unbeaten in May
3
12
Rylee Scheurer
Portland St. Patrick
Defending Champion, Region 36 Champ
4
10
Sofia Alaimo Schindler
Frankfort
5th Place – 2023, NWC Champ
5
9
Clara Slattery
Kalamazoo Hackett
#12 freshman in Michigan, SAC Champ
6
12
Brook Simpson
Saugatuck
Region 34 Champ
7
11
Molly Brown
Addison
Region 35 & Lenawee County Champ
8
11
Tamerah Peterson
Parkway Christian
4th Place – 2023, Macomb County & MIAC Champ
400m
Place
Grade
Name
Team
Notes
1
12
Brook Simpson
Saugatuck
Region 34 & SAC Champ, Team State Winner
2
12
Olivia Reynolds
Dryden
3rd Place – 2023, Region 39 Champ
3
12
Aiden Harrand
Buckley
6x State Champ with first ever venture into 400m at the State level
4
11
Eliza Keith
Auburn Hills Oakland Christian
Nearly 1.5 second drop since sophomore year
5
11
Ella Hufnagel
Fowler
9th Place – 2023, Region 37 & CMAC Champ
6
11
Kenzie Fedewa
Portland St. Patrick
5th Place – 2023, Region 36 Champ
7
11
Katie Spicer
Fowler
#86 in Michigan
8
10
Kiana Kuntzman
Rochester Hills Lutheran NW
16th Place – 2023
UP DIVISION ONE BOYS
Last Year
100m – Michael Floriano, 11.08 200m – Carter Oshelski, 22.89 400m – Carter Oshelski, 51.43
Ryver Ryckeghem not only holds a great name, he’s a great sprinter. Unbeaten in May, winner of the 100m and 200m at Region 41, this Blue Devil looks to pick up his first state title(s).
Relays
Place
4×1
4×2
4×4
1
Marquette
Gladstone
Marquette
2
Kingsford
Marquette
Manistique
3
Gladstone
Kingsford
Menominee
4
Houghton
Menominee
Negaunee
5
Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie
Escanaba
6
Negaunee
Negaunee
Houghton
7
Menominee
Houghton
Kingsford
8
Calumet
Ishpeming Westwood
Calumet
100m
Place
Grade
Name
Team
1
12
Ryver Ryckeghem
Sault Ste. Marie
2
12
Nate Young
Gladstone
3
12
Wyatt Demers
Manistique
4
12
Michael Floriano
Kingsford
5
10
Jack Olson
Kingsford
6
9
Samuel Roth
Houghton
7
12
Tucker Welch
Marquette
8
12
Kainoa Lacar
Negaunee
200m
Place
Grade
Name
Team
1
12
Ryver Ryckeghem
Marquette
2
12
Michael Floriano
Kingsford
3
11
Jacob MacPhee
Marquette
4
10
Jack Olson
Kingsford
5
12
Wyatt Demers
Manistique
6
12
Kainoa Lacar
Negaunee
7
12
Bryant Lee
Houghton
8
10
Ford Richardson
Marquette
400m
Place
Grade
Name
Team
1
11
Jacob MacPhee
Marquette
2
10
Nathan Komp
Menominee
3
9
Lucas Ballard
Marquette
4
10
Derek McEachern
Negaunee
5
10
Ben Sands
Escanaba
6
10
Benjamin Hemmer
Houghton
7
12
Carter Kilpela
Houghton
8
11
Kaleb Fornetti
Kingsford
UP DIVISION ONE GIRLS
Last Year
100m – Julia Ott, 12.67 200m – Julia Ott, 25.97 400m – Baux Truckey, 62.81
The versatile Jacie Tuljus and the amazing freshman Keira Waterman will be going toe-to-toe for most of this. Waterman ranks as the top freshman in our greater peninsula in all of the sprint events, especially excelling in the 400m. Tuljus holds the best times in the 200m and 100m, and even her weaker event, the 400m, she’s ranked #4.
Relays
Place
4×1
4×2
4×4
1
Gladstone
Sault Ste. Marie
Marquette
2
Negaunee
Manistique
Sault Ste. Marie
3
Sault Ste. Marie
Gladstone
Menominee
4
Marquette
Kingsford
Negaunee
5
Escanaba
Menominee
Manistique
6
Calumet
Ironwood
Houghton
7
Houghton
Negaunee
Calumet
8
Kingsford
Calumet
Kingsford
100m
Place
Grade
Name
Team
1
11
Jacie Tuljus
Gladstone
2
12
Caitlyn Strom
Calumet
3
11
Lauren Sundquist
Gladstone
4
9
Keira Waterman
Negaunee
5
9
Aaliyah Sears
Manistique
6
11
Bella Smith
Sault Ste. Marie
7
11
Macyn Dellangelo
Negaunee
8
11
Faith Spiroff
Ishpeming Westwood
200m
Place
Grade
Name
Team
1
11
Jacie Tuljus
Gladstone
2
11
Bella Smith
Sault Ste. Marie
3
9
Keira Waterman
Negaunee
4
11
Lauren Sundquist
Gladstone
5
11
Lucy DeGroot
Gladstone
6
10
Addelyn Hallum
Ishpeming Westwood
7
12
Addie Rutter
Kingsford
8
10
Ivy Van Ooyen
Kingsford
400m
Place
Grade
Name
Team
1
9
Keira Waterman
Negaunee
2
11
Jacie Tuljus
Gladstone
3
9
Grace Meyer
Sault Ste. Marie
4
12
Erin Schuettpelz
Menominee
5
12
Dayna Szabo
Sault Ste. Marie
6
12
Ayla Miller
Houghton
7
9
Norah Woodruff
Houghton
8
10
Kayleigh Manninen
Negaunee
UP DIVISION TWO BOYS
Last Year
100m – Wyatt Demers, 11.39 200m – Kavin Fredrick, 23.51 400m – Grant Mason, 53.81
Iron Mountain should have their hands all over these sprints. Short sprinter Matthew Colavecchi has lost only once this year and Bryce Davis has run 53-54 pretty consistently in this last month.
Danice Shamion has hit the sprint triple the past three years. Read that sentence again. She’s a serious contender to complete that yet again, holding top-2 UP times in all three sprint events. But if there’s ever a contender to knock her off, it’s Mckenzie Hoffmyer, who picked up two Regional titles and has entered the 12’s and 26’s.
With a sprint triple boy graduating, three titles are about to find new hands. Three main candidates arise: Kennedy DePew, a consistent figure in the mid-11’s that just ran a 200m personal best. Matthew Jokela, who twice placed 4th in the 2023 Finals and also is unbeaten at the 200m/400m this year. Tommy Trudgeon, the Speedboy who lives up to the (best team name in the State, sorry Nimrods) moniker as well as one can, the boy with the fastest 100m time in the UP.
In 2022, Emily Jokela picked up three individual titles. In 2023, she picked up four. Sadly, she’s not allowed to pick up five, but I bet she could if she entered in the 100h. Anyhow, Jokela was another earner of the sprint triple crown and she’s another candidate of getting there again. Watch out for those 8th graders though, as Destiny Bleau is hoping to begin to create her own legacy. The young Black Bear has been whittling her 200m time down to the mid-26’s, winning invites and regionals along the way. Experience vs. youth, a constant story in this ever changing, yet remarkably consistent track and field world.
Michigan XC Speed Ratings 