Blog

Back here with the fifth installment of State Finals previews.

Everyone should be familiar with my cross country work, but to summarize, the main philosophy I have there is twofold:

• Different courses and conditions alter times
• One race isn’t enough to analyze, one must look to the whole picture, with more weight toward recent performances

I’m bringing a bit of that same flavor to these previews. For most events, I’ll chart an athlete’s top-five marks and their performances in May. Those two stats should give a picture what an athlete can do when they truly bring it and should give a glimpse into their current condition. I’ll also look to common competitions, head-to-head matchups, which should control for various weather conditions that impact performance and show how athletes compare against one another when toeing the same line.

*For the High Jump, I decided to omit the May Average and Best Five marks. The main reason is that some jumpers will bow out of the competition after they’ve won, even if not coming close to their highest effort. Included here are the athletes’ season bests as of this weekend and the Common Competitions, which should give a good picture as to how the athletes have competed against one another throughout the year.*

The difference between track and the cross country predictions is that for cross, I have formulae that take those factors and spit out projections. For these previews, I’ll have my own predictions that are based on my own eye test. I’ve been told that last year’s predictions both motivated and gave confidence and those are my intentions once again. I wish that everyone has the day of their life at the State Finals. It’d be quite boring if I was correct on everything. Please prove these wrong, unless I have you first.

Also in need of note – keeping on top and staying up to date of track stats is impossible, especially with my lack of programming knowledge and athletic.net’s password protection against web crawling. The girls stats were compiled Friday and the boys on Saturday. I know there will results past that date and I know that’ll be the case for other events over these next 5 days. But we’re all armed with the same tools, we can all gravitate to the same site and dive deep into results.

I figure it’s about time I added the predictions to each post. I’ll say the same thing for everyone. Unless you’re predicted first, I hope they’re wrong. If you’re not predicted to win, I hope you win. If you’re not predicted to be All-State, I hope you step on that podium. If you are in the top spot, go and prove it right.

DIVISION ONE

Last year’s State Finals were an absolute showdown and this year promises to be no different. Salem’s Madison Morson battled Gabriella Newman to the very end before losing on a tiebreaker. She’s back for more and has shown the explosion needed to clear the high heights needed to win here. Her 5’9 winner at Farmington towered over the field and apparently, she had room to spare. But a fellow competitor at that same meet also had a bit of room too. Ten days later, Milena Chevallier grabbed the division lead, jumping 5’10 at Churchill. The two will have competition at the top, look for names such as Eva Whiteman, Kylei Anderson, and Greta Caprethe-Buczek to be in the mix as well.

Season Bests

(as of Friday)

Grade	Name	Team	Season Best	Date	Meet
11	Milena Chevallier	Farmington Hills Mercy	5′ 10″	23-May	Churchill Field Event Invite
11	Madison Morson	Salem	5′ 9″	6-May	Farmington Invitational
12	Eva Whiteman	Holland	5′ 8″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 02-1 @ Grand Haven
12	Kylei Anderson	Walled Lake Central	5′ 7″	26-May	64th Oakland County Championship
10	Greta Caprathe-Buczek	Rockford	5′ 7″	23-Mar	GVSU Laker Challenge – Girls
11	Susie Schulz	Bay City Central	5′ 4″	23-May	SVL Track & Field Championships
11	Zoey Dood	Grandville	5′ 4″	23-May	U of M Health-West Sports Medicine Scholarship Invite by MichianaTiming.com
10	Ariyana James	Lansing Waverly	5′ 4″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 04-1 @ Grand Ledge
12	Sidney Breen	Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills	5′ 4″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 02-1 @ Grand Haven
10	Natalie Formsma	Byron Center	5′ 4″	20-Apr	Byron Center at Northview HS
11	Giselle Wiitanen	Mount Pleasant	5′ 3″	23-May	SVL Track & Field Championships
11	Lauren Rokos	Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills	5′ 3″	23-May	U of M Health-West Sports Medicine Scholarship Invite by MichianaTiming.com
10	Anayya Davis	Utica Ford	5′ 3″	15-May	MAC White Meet @ Fraser HS
12	Ava Davis	Troy Athens	5′ 3″	29-Apr	The Steve Johnson Relays
10	Abbie Terry	East Kentwood	5′ 2″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 03-1 @ Portage Central
12	Abigail DenOuden	Rockford	5′ 2″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 02-1 @ Grand Haven
11	Madison Buxton	Livonia Stevenson	5′ 2″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 06-1 @ Livonia Stevenson
12	Margaret Monaghan	Port Huron Northern	5′ 2″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 10-1 @ Dakota
12	Susan Heller	Northville	5′ 2″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 06-1 @ Livonia Stevenson
11	Alexis Le	Howell	5′ 2″	13-May	KLAA Conference Championships
10	Elizabeth Wydeven	Rochester	5′ 1″	26-May	64th Oakland County Championship
10	Jaden Pierce	Allen Park	5′ 1″	9-May	Allen Park, Wyandotte vs Taylor HS
9	Molly Heller	Beverly Hills Groves	5′ 1″	20-Apr	North Farmington @ Groves
11	Morgan Dennis	Lakeview St. Clair Shores	5′ 0″	25-May	Macomb County Championship
11	Alena Adams	Ann Arbor Huron	5′ 0″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 05-1 @ Saline
9	Liliana Ivanaj	Grosse Pointe North	5′ 0″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 07-1 @ GP South
10	Malaya Brown	Grand Blanc	5′ 0″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 01-1 @ Midland

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Madison Morson	Salem
2	Milena Chevallier	Farmington Hills Mercy
3	Eva Whiteman	Holland
4	Kylei Anderson	Walled Lake Central
5	Greta Caprathe-Buczek	Rockford
6	Susie Schulz	Bay City Central
7	Sidney Breen	Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills
8	Zoey Dood	Grandville

DIVISION TWO

It’s appearing as if Lyberty Brandt is the favorite. The senior has leapt 5’7” this year, a mark 2” higher than any of her D2 rivals. She’s undefeated on the year, winning TVC-8, Saginaw County, and Region 20  crowns. She’s been in the thick of competition before, placing 2^nd here last spring. If there were another one to look to, concentrate on Carly Frank. The Marine City senior has added 3” to her 2022 best and she won’t be starstruck in the moment, as she was 5^th here last June.

Season Bests

(as of Friday)

Grade	Name	Team	Height	Date	Meet
12	Lyberty Brandt	Saginaw Swan Valley	5′ 7″	12-Apr	TVC Tri – Birch Run, Freeland, Swan Valley
12	Carly Frank	Marine City	5′ 5″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 19-2 @ North Branch
11	Cianna Cox	South Haven	5′ 4″	26-Apr	South Haven vs. Coloma
11	Kayda Herrick	Parma Western	5′ 4″	15-May	I-8: Northwest & Coldwater at Western
10	Malea Wourman	Milan	5′ 3″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 16-2 @ Chelsea
11	Riley Kerr	Grosse Ile	5′ 3″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 16-2 @ Chelsea
9	Sarah Pippin	Edwardsburg	5′ 3″	12-May	Wolverine Conference Championship
11	Bella DeBoe	Lake Fenton	5′ 2″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 20-2 @ Frankenmuth
10	Keirra Taube	Yale	5′ 2″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 19-2 @ North Branch
11	Kenady Smith	Middleville Thornapple-Kellogg	5′ 2″	12-May	OK Gold Conference Championships
11	Kendell Wilcox	Shepherd	5′ 2″	12-May	Alma Panther Invitational
12	Rowan Cebulski	Grand Rapids Christian	5′ 2″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 13-2 @ Sparta
10	Braylin Adair	Petoskey	5′ 1″	21-Apr	Panther Invite
10	Cassidy Pratley	Battle Creek Harper Creek	5′ 1″	28-Apr	Union City Varsity Invite
12	Myrel (Lexi) Clark	Detroit Country Day	5′ 1″	12-May	3rd Annual Friday Night Lights-
11	Scarlett Bouschet	Bloomfield Hills Marian	5′ 1″	6-May	Muskrat Classic
11	Arianna Black	Whitehall	5′ 0″	18-May	MHSAA LP Region 12-2 @ Allendale
11	Jaeden Harshberger	Hopkins	5′ 0″	18-May	MHSAA LP Region 12-2 @ Allendale
10	Jette Juergensmeier	Lake Odessa Lakewood	5′ 0″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 15-2 @ Mason
9	Elizabeth Salinas	Dearborn Divine Child	4′ 8″	8-May	CHSL: Mercy @ DDC

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Lyberty Brandt	Saginaw Swan Valley
2	Carly Frank	Marine City
3	Kayda Herrick	Parma Western
4	Malea Wourman	Milan
5	Rowan Cebulski	Grand Rapids Christian
6	Cianna Cox	South Haven
7	Sarah Pippin	Edwardsburg
8	Kennady Smith	Middleville Thornapple-Kellogg

DIVISION THREE

The Division 3 battle will be every bit on par with the Division 1 match. Heidi Newhouse and Addison Hovey have locked heads on a few occasions, namely 2022’s State Finals and this past weekend at MITCA. Resulting from those two matchups have been two great duels, both of which ending in Newhouse victories. Addison holds the state lead in the event, captured two weeks ago in the WMC Rivers Final. Newhouse is no slouch, vaulting to a 5’8” herself. I hope this battle draws considerable eyes. If you’re at D3, you need to find a way to watch.

Season Bests

(as of Friday)

Grade	Name	Team	Height	Date	Meet
10	Addison Hovey	Hart	5′ 11″	12-May	WMC Rivers Finals @ Holton
11	Heidi Newhouse	Lawton	5′ 8″	5-May	Parchment Relays
11	Mackenzie Bisballe	Lake City	5′ 4.5″	15-May	Highland Conference: Rosco./ H.L. @ Lake City
11	Cyla Williams	Detroit Voyageur	5′ 3.5″	13-May	Charter School Conference Championship
11	Libby McCarthy	Manistee	5′ 2″	24-May	West Michigan Track Invitational
10	Beth Sweeney	Erie Mason	5′ 2″	23-May	TCC: Championships
12	Kierstin Fouts	Clare	5′ 2″	23-May	Jack Pine Conference Meet
9	Ereni Polhamus	Comstock	5′ 2″	15-May	Comstock HS Invitational
12	Megan Neitzel	Olivet	5′ 2″	15-May	Olivet at Charlotte
12	Rianna Vincent	Hillsdale	5′ 2″	13-May	Hillsdale Jack Beilfuss Invitational
10	Bethany Olthof	Ravenna	5′ 2″	12-May	WMC Rivers Finals @ Holton
11	Imogene Brumbaugh	Hart	5′ 2″	12-May	WMC Rivers Finals @ Holton
12	Olivia Penzotti	Kalamazoo Christian	5′ 2″	12-May	Little Guys Invitational at Gobles
10	Sophia Pell	Olivet	5′ 2″	9-May	GLAC HS Leslie,LC,MV,Stockbridge @ Olivet
12	Tabitha Verity	Onsted	5′ 2″	22-Apr	40th Annual Monroe Jefferson Invitational
12	Hailey Miller	Centreville	5′ 0″	23-May	SW10 HS Meet at Mendon
10	Chloe Basner	Millington	5′ 0″	20-May	MHSAA LP Region 29-3 @ Bad Axe
10	Alexis Curry	Stanton Central Montcalm	5′ 0″	12-May	CSAA League Invitational
12	Alexis Patterson	Grand Rapids West Catholic	5′ 0″	12-May	OK Blue Conference Championship at Unity Christian
10	Makayla Reiber	Chesaning	5′ 0″	12-May	Korf-Schultz Saginaw County Team Championship
12	Alyssa Samartino	Madison Heights Bishop Foley	5′ 0″	9-May	CHSL Intersectional Jamboree 3 @ AAG
9	Mya Viegelahn	Grass Lake	5′ 0″	9-May	Napoleon & Hanover Horton @ Grass Lake
10	Taylor Fachting	Reese	4′ 10″	16-May	2023 GTW League Meet @ Cass City
12	Anabelle Horton	Kalkaska	4′ 10″	15-May	Blazer Last Chance meet
12	Arianah Simpson	Burton Atherton	4′ 10″	5-May	Goodrich Invitational
11	Nonye Azugwu	Warren Michigan Collegiate	4′ 8″	27-Apr	Charter School Conference #3

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Heidi Newhouse	Lawton
2	Addison Hovey	Hart
3	Mackenzie Bisballe	Lake City
4	Libby McCarthy	Manistee
5	Beth Sweeney	Erie Mason
6	Cyla Williams	Detroit Voyageur
7	Megan Neitzel	Olivet
8	Imogene Brumbaugh	Hart

DIVISION FOUR

Talk about peaking at the right time, Olivia Findlay! The Marlette junior has been jumping 5’2-5’4 all year, then in the past two meets, has gone 5’5 and 5’6. The latter of which captured the vaunted Blue Water crown, the former won Region 38, her 3^rd consecutive regional win. In three years of high school competition, she’s already achieved 2^nd and 3^rd in the high jump, that championship experience will bode well over the weekend. There are plenty of other girls who were on that podium that can be in the running here, but in particular I’d like to shoutout Gracie Klink. Gracie finished behind Olivia at Region 38, but earlier in the year, had added a whopping 4” to her 2022 best.

Season Bests

(as of Friday and for some reason, I didn’t include the date)

Grade	Name	Team	Season Best
11	Olivia Findlay	Marlette	5′ 6″
12	Gracie Klink	Capac	5′ 4″
12	Madilyn Crull	Onaway	5′ 4″
9	Alecsis Gould	Kingston	5′ 2″
12	Bailey Stimac	St. Charles	5′ 2″
12	Hannah Robinson	Indian River Inland Lakes	5′ 2″
12	Larissa Huffman	Indian River Inland Lakes	5′ 2″
11	Ryleigh Nelson	Webberville	5′ 2″
10	EmaLee Noack	Breckenridge	5′ 1″
11	Grace Wolfe	Frankfort	5′ 1″
11	Emily Schwarz	Pentwater	5′ 0″
12	Joey Wilson	Whitmore Lake	5′ 0″
12	Kaya Huizenga	Gobles	5′ 0″
10	Sasha Doll	Gobles	5′ 0″
10	Sohanny Gonzalez-Castillo	Wyoming Potter’s House	5′ 0″
11	Paige Fraley	Climax-Scotts	4′ 9″
12	Sophie Snyder	East Jordan	4′ 8″
12	Emma Burrell	Rochester Hills Lutheran NW	4′ 11″
10	Jane Funk	New Buffalo	4′ 11″
12	Josette Zuvers	Morenci	4′ 11″
9	Acacia Williams	Holland Calvary Christian	4′ 10″
12	Adeline Tresnak	Dryden	4′ 10″
11	Alyse Baughman	Kalamazoo Hackett	4′ 10″
9	Anna Lyons	Brown City	4′ 10″
12	Brooklyn Vantilburg	Marcellus	4′ 10″
11	Elizabeth Hamilton	Reading	4′ 10″
10	Erin Cain	Royal Oak Shrine	4′ 10″
11	Kamryn Parlin	Athens	4′ 10″
11	Lillie Rocco	Posen	4′ 10″
11	Macey Burgess	Colon	4′ 10″

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Olivia Findlay	Marlette
2	Madilyn Crull	Onaway
3	Gracie Klink	Capac
4	Larissa Huffman	Indian River Inland Lakes
5	Hannah Robinson	Indian River Inland Lakes
6	Alecsis Gould	Kingston
7	Bailey Stimac	St. Charles
8	Ryleigh Nelson	Webberville

DIVISION ONE

Picking up steam, gradually adding height, then establishing a stunning consistency is defending champ Nathan Levine. As a sophomore, he pulled off a minor upset, beating a field full of upperclassmen. Now he’s the upperclassmen and others have risen up to challenge him. One with potential is Woodhaven’s Ben Syverson, who has added 4” to his previous best in the past month. Another is Liam McHugh, who sailed over 6’8.25” to grab the Region 2 title. But just look at that list, there are so many names clustered together. It’s almost guaranteed that there will be a sleeper we didn’t expect.

Season Bests

(as of Saturday)

Grade	Name	Team	Height	Date	Meet
12	Liam McHugh	Muskegon Reeths-Puffer	6′ 8.5″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 02-1 @ Grand Haven
12	Ben Syverson	Woodhaven-Brownstown	6′ 6″	23-May	Downriver League Championships
11	Nathan Levine	Canton	6′ 6″	23-May	Churchill Field Event Invite
12	Christian Purchase-Ofoeme	Warren Cousino	6′ 5″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 07-1 @ GP South
12	London Pavlak	Highland-Milford	6′ 5″	29-Apr	The Steve Johnson Relays
11	Andrew Harding	Ann Arbor Huron	6′ 4″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 05-1 @ Saline
12	Deepak Laungani	Northville	6′ 4″	8-May	Northville v Canton
11	Joshua Scott	St. Joseph	6′ 4″	26-May	2023 MITCA D1 Team State
12	Nakia Willis	East Kentwood	6′ 4″	15-Apr	Mansfield/Mehock Relays
12	Dylan Stone	Oxford	6′ 3″	26-May	64th Oakland County Championship
11	Hayden Josef	Lapeer	6′ 3″	23-May	SVL Track & Field Championships
12	James Rocco	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	6′ 3″	22-Apr	Highland Games Invitational
11	Tayshawn Crosby	Dearborn	6′ 3″	25-May	Lincoln End Of Season Invite
12	Andrew Bradley	Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills	6′ 2″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 02-1 @ Grand Haven
11	Evan Muston	South Lyon East	6′ 2″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 06-1 @ Livonia Stevenson
12	Evan Wellman	Midland	6′ 2″	9-May	SVL Dual: BCW v. Midland & Arthur Hill
11	Jayden Brock	Byron Center	6′ 2″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 03-1 @ Portage Central
11	Jonas Owens	Romeo	6′ 2″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 10-1 @ Dakota
12	Marshaun Flakes	East Kentwood	6′ 2″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 03-1 @ Portage Central
11	Sebastian Cohen	Ann Arbor Pioneer	6′ 2″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 05-1 @ Saline
12	TJ Fischhaber	Howell	6′ 2″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 04-1 @ Grand Ledge
11	Vitor Colodino	Battle Creek Central	6′ 2″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 04-1 @ Grand Ledge
11	Keonte Riley	Fraser	6′ 1″	25-May	Macomb County Championship
11	Niro Prince	Troy	6′ 1″	12-May	OAA Red-White Championships
12	David Washington	Detroit U-D Jesuit	6′ 0″	29-Apr	9th Courageous Invitational
12	Sam Morandini	Grosse Pointe South	6′ 0″	25-Mar	23 EMU Huron Relays Large Schools
12	Semaj Young	Sterling Heights	6′ 0″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 10-1 @ Dakota
12	Kyle Roeters	Traverse City Central	5′ 10″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 01-1 @ Midland

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Liam McHugh	Muskegon Reeths-Puffer
2	Nathan Levine	Canton
3	London Pavlak	Milford
4	Ben Syverson	Woodhaven
5	Christian Purchase-Ofoeme	Warren Cousino
6	Andrew Harding	Ann Arbor Huron
7	Joshua Scott	St. Joseph
8	Deepak Laungani	Northville

DIVISION TWO

The lone returner from last June’s top eight, Joseph Mullett hasn’t taken his position lightly. As a senior, he’s added an inch to his previous best, winning every competition along the way. With those accolades have come a commitment to Michigan State, but I think he has some unfinished business first. As with Division One, there are a whole host of kids separated by just a few inches. You’ve got Tyler Baker, one of the better all-around athletes in the state. What about Jamarion Richards, who in his first year of bar clearing, has gone through May undefeated, winning the FML and Region 19. Those are just two names of many. Who will have the day of their life and hit the podium, or perhaps win?

Season Bests

(as of Saturday)

Grade	Name	Team	Season Best	Date	Meet
12	Joseph Mullett	Grand Rapids Catholic Central	6′ 9″	29-Apr	GR Elite Challenge
10	Camden Thompson	Whitehall	6′ 6″	5-May	GMAA Track and Field Championships
12	Gage Vanalstine	Charlotte	6′ 6″	12-May	Jonathan Nugent Invite
10	Jamarion Richards	Flint Kearsley	6′ 6″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 19-2 @ North Branch
11	Tyler Baker	Mason	6′ 6″	15-May	Lansing Catholic @ Mason
9	Ayden Mendoza	Whitehall	6′ 4″	18-May	MHSAA LP Region 12-2 @ Allendale
10	Brock Fergison	Sturgis	6′ 4″	11-Apr	Sturgis at Edwardsburg
11	Jacoby Dunlap	Alma	6′ 4″	10-May	TVC8 Championships
11	Joshua Veneziano	Parma Western	6′ 4″	14-Apr	40th Joe Pedelty Olivet Lions Relays
12	Andrew Otberg	Pinckney	6′ 3″	29-Apr	Brighton Bulldog Invitational
9	Christian Richardson	Wyoming Godwin Heights	6′ 2″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 13-2 @ Sparta
11	Evan Minks	Forest Hills Eastern	6′ 2″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 13-2 @ Sparta
11	Fransco Lee Jr.	Bridgeport	6′ 2″	12-May	Korf-Schultz Saginaw County Team Championship
10	Gavin Valley	Goodrich	6′ 2″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 19-2 @ North Branch
9	Grant Hillary	Grand Rapids Catholic Central	6′ 2″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 13-2 @ Sparta
12	Trey Kolakovich	Croswell-Lexington	6′ 2″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 19-2 @ North Branch
9	Declan Cornish	Tecumseh	6′ 1″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 16-2 @ Chelsea
11	Ethan Chambliss	Niles	6′ 1″	12-May	Wolverine Conference Championship
11	Daniel Ash	Alma	6′ 0″	12-May	Alma Panther Invitational
9	Derrick Williams	Detroit Country Day	6′ 0″	18-May	MHSAA LP Region 18-2 @ Hazel Park
11	Isiah Hayes	Saginaw Swan Valley	6′ 0″	10-May	TVC8 Championships
9	Keondre Burtin	Warren Fitzgerald	6′ 0″	18-May	MHSAA LP Region 18-2 @ Hazel Park
10	TJ Powell	Shepherd	6′ 0″	5-May	2023 Shepherd BLUEJAY Invite
10	Erik Roggow	Gladwin	5′ 10″	15-May	9th & 10th Hornet Invitational
10	Jalen Daniels	Clarenceville	5′ 9″	23-May	MIAC Championship [Clarenceville]
11	Charlie Smith	Petoskey	5′ 7″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 11-2 @ Shepherd
11	Jerimiah Roberts	Detroit Cody	5′ 7″	20-May	MHSAA LP Region 17-2 @ Divine Child

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Joseph Mullett	Grand Rapids Catholic Central
2	Tyler Baker	Mason
3	Gage Vanalstine	Charlotte
4	Jamarion Richards	Flint Kearsley
5	Camden Thompson	Whitehall
6	Jacoby Dunlap	Alma
7	Brock Fergison	Sturgis
8	Joshua Veneziano	Parma Western

DIVISION THREE

Take a peek at those top 8 heights. Every last one in May, a whole host of jumpers rising to their best in hopes of a gold medal. Quentin Lange sure stepped up last year, adding 4” to his previous best to grab 3^rd. He’s already at that level this year, and if he’s got that same championship mettle, he could win this. DeVondre Chandler and Sawyer Moloy each have the best marks in the field, hitting 6’7 within the past few weeks. Chandler beat Moloy in Region 30, but I always look to how an elite athlete responds. Three days later, Moloy jumped 6’6”. A little motivation can go a long way.

Season Bests

(as of Saturday)

Grade	Name	Team	Height	Date	Meet
12	DeVondre Chandler	Bath	6′ 7″	20-May	MHSAA LP Region 30-3 @ Chesaning
11	Sawyer Moloy	Sanford-Meridian	6′ 7″	5-May	2023 Nite Trax Invite
12	Diego Lebron	Homer	6′ 5″	24-May	Big 8 Conference Meet
11	Noah Robinson	White Cloud	6′ 5″	6-May	Saber Flash Invitational
10	Benjamin Rodenbaugh	McBain	6′ 4″	12-May	Highland Conference: McB/B.C. @ Lake City (rescheduled)
12	Clay Wittenberg	Ovid-Elsie	6′ 4″	12-May	Jonathan Nugent Invite
12	Evan Samson	Durand	6′ 4″	23-May	MMAC League Meet @ Ovid-Elsie
10	Quentin Lange	Mason County Central	6′ 4″	20-May	MHSAA LP Region 22-3 @ Manton
12	Beck Shores	Reese	6′ 3″	28-Apr	The Hurd Invitational
12	Bradlee Van Brunt	Onsted	6′ 3″	23-May	LCAA HS Championship
11	DeVonta Habern	Napoleon	6′ 3″	23-May	Cascades Conference Championship
10	Austin Long	Vassar	6′ 2″	6-Apr	2023 Cass City Annual Track Invitational
10	Eric Barancik	Chesaning	6′ 2″	21-Apr	Chesaning Track & Field Classic
11	Kenneth May	Cassopolis Ross Beatty	6′ 2″	23-May	SW10 HS Meet at Mendon
10	Brody Sullivan	Standish Sterling	6′ 1″	5-May	Standish-Sterling SSC Invitational
10	Grant Wheaton	Lakeview	6′ 1″	5-May	Lake City Track Invitational
9	Tayden Redding	Warren Michigan Collegiate	6′ 1″	25-May	Macomb County Championship
12	Cody Smith	Manchester	6′ 0″	15-May	GL, Manchester, Addison, Vandercook Lake makeup meet
10	Dillan Welch	Comstock	6′ 0″	15-May	Comstock HS Invitational
10	Foster Pybus	Stockbridge	6′ 0″	12-May	East Jackson Dome Classic
10	Lionel Campbell	Napoleon	6′ 0″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 25-3 @ Hillsdale
12	Luke Leighton	Lawton	6′ 0″	10-May	Constantine @ Lawton
12	Nolan Moffit	Manton	6′ 0″	20-May	MHSAA LP Region 22-3 @ Manton
12	Zachary VanBaren	GR_Covenant Christian	5′ 11″	15-May	Comstock HS Invitational
9	Mason Chesser	Onsted	5′ 10″	23-May	LCAA HS Championship
10	Myron Mayberry	Warren Michigan Collegiate	5′ 10″	18-May	MHSAA LP Region 27-3 @ Clawson
12	Vincent Frank	Tawas	5′ 10″	12-Apr	Gladwin Frozen Feet

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	DeVondre Chandler	Bath
2	Sawyer Moloy	Sanford-Meridian
3	Noah Robinson	White Cloud
4	Evan Samson	Durand
5	Clay Wittenberg	Ovid-Elsie
6	DeVonta Habern	Napoleon
7	Quentin Lange	Mason County Central
8	Diego Lebron	Homer

DIVISION FOUR

I’ve loved the rise of Xavier Santiago. Two years ago, the Onaway Cardinal was hovering around the 5’ barrier. Into his junior year, he’s been on a tear, snatching the school record at East Jordan, then raising the bar even higher to win Region 31. This spring, Braden Prielipp has raised the bar higher than any other male in the state. His 6’10” ranks #30 in the nation and is right in line with his winning jump from last June. That effort last year was a minor PR, a minor PR this year takes him to heights rarely seen in Michigan.  

Season Bests

Grade	Name	Team	Height	Date	Meet
11	Braden Prielipp	Marion	6′ 10″	15-May	Blazer Last Chance meet
11	Xavier Santiago	Onaway	6′ 7″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 31-4 @ Inland Lakes
10	Bradley Richards	Fruitport Calvary Christian	6′ 6.5″	20-May	MHSAA LP Region 33-4 @ Brethren
10	Austin DeRoseau	Kingston	6′ 5″	16-May	NCTL League Meet @ Akron-Fairgrove
11	James Segraves-Grant	Farwell	6′ 5″	23-May	Jack Pine Conference Meet
11	Greg Brown	Kalamazoo Hackett	6′ 4″	23-May	SAC Conference Championship
11	Miles Shannon	Climax-Scotts	6′ 2″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 36-4 @ Concord
11	Sam Schoonmaker	Indian River Inland Lakes	6′ 2″	11-May	East Jordan Track and Field Invitational
12	Shane Braughton	Dansville	6′ 2″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 36-4 @ Concord
11	Tayshawn Bester	Reading	6′ 2″	22-Apr	Ralph Crume Invitational
11	Carter Lance	Fowler	6′ 1″	20-May	MHSAA LP Region 37-4 @ Breckenridge
9	Lukas Husovsky	Kalamazoo Hackett	6′ 1″	10-May	HS Tri at Kalamazoo Christian
11	Kaden Bruce	Kingston	6′ 0″	12-May	Akron-Fairgrove Invitational
11	Landon Husereau	Novi Christian Academy	6′ 0″	29-Apr	9th Courageous Invitational
12	Nathan Eisenga	McBain Northern Michigan Christian	6′ 0″	15-May	Highland Conference: NMC/Evart @ McBain
9	Daxten Feguer	Webberville	5′ 11″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 36-4 @ Concord
10	Mnason Smothers	New Buffalo	5′ 11″	19-May	MHSAA LP Region 34-4 @ Gobles
12	Zechariah Rubingh	Wyoming Potter’s House	5′ 11″	15-Apr	Houseward Invitational
11	Ethan Wickham	Camden-Frontier	5′ 10″	10-May	SCAA East Divisional Championship
12	Colin Last	Huron Valley Lutheran	5′ 9″	23-May	MIAC Championship [Clarenceville]
11	Aiden Croak	Genesee	5′ 8″	16-May	GAC Quad @ Hamady
11	Anthony Kawod	Lutheran Westland	5′ 7″	23-May	MIAC Championship [Clarenceville]
9	Daquantae Bell	International Academy of Flint	5′ 6″	20-May	MHSAA LP Region 39-4 @ Dryden

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Braden Prielipp	Marion
2	Xavier Santiago	Onaway
3	Bradley Richards	Fruitport Calvary Christian
4	Austin DeRoseau	Kingston
5	Miles Shannon	Climax-Scotts
6	Greg Brown	Kalamazoo Hackett
7	James Seagraves-Grant	Farwell
8	Shane Braughton	Dansville

Back here with the fourth installment of State Finals previews.

Everyone should be familiar with my cross country work, but to summarize, the main philosophy I have there is twofold:

• Different courses and conditions alter times
• One race isn’t enough to analyze, one must look to the whole picture, with more weight toward recent performances

I’m bringing a bit of that same flavor to these previews. For most events, I’ll chart an athlete’s top-five marks and their performances in May. Those two stats should give a picture what an athlete can do when they truly bring it and should give a glimpse into their current condition. I’ll also look to common competitions, head-to-head matchups, which should control for various weather conditions that impact performance and show how athletes compare against one another when toeing the same line.

The difference between track and the cross country predictions is that for cross, I have formulae that take those factors and spit out projections. For these previews, I’ll have my own predictions that are based on my own eye test. I’ve been told that last year’s predictions both motivated and gave confidence and those are my intentions once again. I wish that everyone has the day of their life at the State Finals. It’d be quite boring if I was correct on everything. Please prove these wrong, unless I have you first.

Also in need of note – keeping on top and staying up to date of track stats is impossible, especially with my lack of programming knowledge and athletic.net’s password protection against web crawling. Both genders stats were compiled Saturday. I know there will results past that date and I know that’ll be the case for other events over these next 5 days. But we’re all armed with the same tools, we can all gravitate to the same site and dive deep into results. When the final predictions are made, those most recent results will be taken into account.

Those predictions will be added to this post by Thursday.

DIVISION ONE

Returning from the 2022 State Finals are a few girls from the Top 8 and others in the mix of competition. You have the hometown girl, Maya Anderson,her string of mid-18’s placing her right in the same spot she was last year. Woodhaven’s Maya Justice didn’t reach the podium last year, a great learning experience for her freshman self. She’s undefeated on the year, going up against the State’s best at Team State and Golden Triangle, large invites that bode well for the big stage. Margaret Monaghan and Sophie Daugard are your all-around athletes, Sophie coming over from Shot Put, Margaret in both the hurdles. And in the mix of all those names, you have the consistent Ashley Richburg, who’s been between 17’ and 17’8 for all of the past five weeks.

Facts

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.
10	Maya Justice	Woodhaven-Brownstown	18′ 5″	18′ 1″
12	Maya Anderson	Rockford	18′ 3″	17′ 9″
11	Lena Cleveland	Rochester	17′ 5″	17′ 1″
10	Greta Caprathe-Buczek	Rockford	17′ 5″	16′ 8″
11	Ashley Richburg	Grand Ledge	17′ 4″	17′ 5″
10	Mia Barnett	Chippewa Valley	17′ 4″	17′ 5″
12	Margaret Monaghan	Port Huron Northern	17′ 4″	17′ 4″
12	Sophie Daugard	Howell	17′ 1″	17′ 2″
12	Layla Wallace	Portage Central	17′ 0″	16′ 7″
12	Michelle Domey	New Baltimore Anchor Bay	16′ 11″	16′ 6″
12	Nicole Warren	Saline	16′ 10″	16′ 6″
11	Lexi Ringley	Saginaw Heritage	16′ 9″	16′ 3″
9	Layla Thomas	Lake Orion	16′ 9″	16′ 11″
11	Kristen Lavergne	Detroit Renaissance	16′ 8″	17′ 4″
12	Jayde Ullenbruch	Port Huron Northern	16′ 8″	16′ 7″
12	Makayla Pittman	West Bloomfield	16′ 7″	16′ 7″
11	Avari Peddie	Zeeland West	16′ 7″	16′ 2″
11	Victoria Henson	Fenton	16′ 6″	16′ 2″
12	Emma Stewart	Salem	16′ 3″	16′ 3″
11	Brooke Bowers	Forest Hills Central	16′ 2″	16′ 5″
11	Morgan Dennis	St. Clair Shores Lakeview	15′ 10″	16′ 4″
11	Zion Harris	St. Clair Shores Lakeview	15′ 10″	15′ 10″
12	Carlie Carpenter	Salem	15′ 3″	15′ 10″

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Maya Justice	Woodhaven-Brownstown
2	Maya Anderson	Rockford
3	Kiersten Lavergne	Detroit Renaissance
4	Ashley Richburg	Grand Ledge
5	Sophie Daugard	Howell
6	Margaret Monaghan	Port Huron Northern
7	Lena Cleveland	Rochester
8	Mia Barnett	Chippewa Valley

DIVISION TWO

Can the freshman shock the world and steal a trophy? Sadie Dykstra has shown no reason that she can’t. She’s only been defeated once this year (to Olivia Findlay, who has a great shot of winning in D4) and has reached 18’1, the best mark of any freshman in the state. She’ll have upper class competition from a multitude of names. Kaitlyn Molnar has been on a roll of late, winning Huron League and Region 16 titles, along with grabbing the D2 state lead at the Metro Classic. Madison Nino, Nyla Reed, Hallie Kooyer, and Brielle Reason all made All-State last year.

Facts

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.
9	Sadie Dykstra	Yale	17′ 8″	17′ 3″
11	Kaitlyn Molnar	Grosse Ile	17′ 6″	17′ 6″
12	Hallie Kooyer	Hudsonville Unity Christian	17′ 5″	17′ 1″
12	Madison Nino	Hastings	17′ 3″	17′ 1″
11	Nyla Reed	Otsego	17′ 0″	16′ 8″
11	Brielle Reason	Pinckney	16′ 11″	16′ 0″
12	Jasmin Williams	Berrien Springs	16′ 11″	16′ 4″
11	Grace Clemens	North Branch	16′ 9″	16′ 5″
10	Sophia Blackwell	Big Rapids	16′ 8″	15′ 11″
10	Jayda Beene	Benton Harbor	16′ 7″	16′ 3″
12	Breanna Hyde	Wayland Union	16′ 6″	16′ 3″
10	Bayli Stewart	Parma Western	16′ 4″	16′ 3″
12	Lyberty Brandt	Saginaw Swan Valley	16′ 3″	16′ 5″
11	Dannyka Johnson	Coopersville	16′ 2″	15′ 10″
12	Neelege Sims	Corunna	16′ 2″	15′ 11″
11	Kaylin Mitchell	Kingsley	16′ 1″	15′ 7″
12	Rowan Cebulski	Grand Rapids Christian	16′ 1″	15′ 10″
10	Camryn Poisson	Dearborn Heights Annapolis	16′ 1″	16′ 1″
11	India Tate	Ferndale University	15′ 10″	15′ 9″
12	Myrel (Lexi) Clark	Detroit Country Day	15′ 3″	15′ 5″
12	Bernadette Castillo	Dearborn Divine Child	14′ 12″	14′ 10″
12	Lilly Palmer	Gaylord	14′ 9″	14′ 4″

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Kaitlyn Molnar	Grosse Ile
2	Sadie Dykstra	Yale
3	Hallie Kooyer	Hudsonville Unity Christian
4	Madison Nino	Hastings
5	Nyla Reed	Otsego
6	Jayda Beene	Benton Harbor
7	Grace Clemens	North Branch
8	Jasmine Williams	Berrien Springs

DIVISION THREE

In Division Three, Southern Michigan is long jump land. Napoleon, Hillsdale, Hudson, Union City, Hanover-Horton make up five of the top six best jumps in the State. Region 25 at Hillsdale may be a point we can look to, with Mia Hinz narrowly grabbing the championship over Alyssa Budd. Two others placed high there, Adalynn Rumsey and Kaytie Warren. But it appears to be a battle between the first two. Does Hinz in her first year of track at Hillsdale capture the title or does Budd exact revenge?

Facts

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.
	Mia Hinz	Hillsdale	17′ 4″	17′ 2″
12	Alyssa Budd	Napoleon	17′ 2″	16′ 8″
11	Adalynn Rumsey	Union City	17′ 0″	16′ 1″
9	Naika Rath	Hudson	16′ 11″	16′ 7″
10	Maya Padisak	Traverse City St. Francis	16′ 2″	16′ 1″
12	Kaytie Warren	Hanover-Horton	16′ 1″	15′ 11″
10	Destiny McDaniels	Bath	16′ 1″	16′ 0″
12	Ally Olszewski	Grand Rapids West Catholic	15′ 10″	15′ 2″
12	Jaden Marks	Bad Axe	15′ 8″	14′ 11″
12	Gloria Stepanovich	Benzie Central	15′ 8″	15′ 5″
9	Taylor Carlson	Durand	15′ 8″	15′ 6″
12	Anna Nixon	Perry	15′ 8″	15′ 7″
11	Gracee Robidou	Stockbridge	15′ 5″	15′ 3″
9	Emerson Whitscell	Grand Rapids West Catholic	15′ 2″	14′ 11″
11	Grace Suggitt	Pigeon-Laker	15′ 1″	14′ 12″
12	Taylor McCormack	Beaverton	15′ 0″	14′ 3″
11	Anya Sexton	Watervliet	15′ 0″	14′ 9″
12	Kaylee Paulette	Adrian Madison	14′ 11″	14′ 8″
12	McKenna Macon	Lawton	14′ 9″	13′ 7″
10	Tess Gasiciel	Pinconning	14′ 7″	14′ 5″
11	Lovelyn Ketepa	Clawson	14′ 7″	14′ 9″
10	Alyssa Davis	Clintondale	13′ 9″	13′ 8″

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Mia Hinz	Hillsdale
2	Alyssa Budd	Napoleon
3	Naika Rath	Hudson
4	Maya Padisak	Traverse City St. Francis
5	Kaytie Warren	Hanover-Horton
6	Adalynn Rumsey	Union City
7	Anna Nixon	Perry
8	Destiny McDaniels	Bath

DIVISION FOUR

34 girls! That’s a ton of qualifiers! Among those 34 are 7 that stepped onto the award stand last year. Grace Wolfe and Claire Molnar are having great championship seasons, Grace winning the NWC in a 17’0 PB, Claire sweeping the TCC and Region 35. Mentioned earlier, Olivia Findlay bested freshman sensation Dykstra to take the Blue Water title. And added to all those wonderful returners is Breckenridge’s BayLeigh Clapp, whose 16’8 ranks #5 amongst all freshman girls in the state.

Facts

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.
11	Grace Wolfe	Frankfort	16′ 6″	16′ 2″
12	Claire Molnar	Britton Deerfield	16′ 6″	16′ 1″
10	Molly Brown	Addison	16′ 5″	15′ 9″
11	Olivia Findlay	Marlette	16′ 5″	16′ 0″
10	Katie Spicer	Fowler	16′ 2″	15′ 10″
9	BayLeigh Clapp	Breckenridge	16′ 0″	15′ 5″
10	Ella Hufnagel	Fowler	15′ 11″	15′ 10″
10	Sohanny Gonzalez-Castillo	Wyoming Potter’s House	15′ 10″	15′ 7″
10	Mickiah Allbee	Vestaburg	15′ 10″	15′ 6″
12	Gabriela Gashaj	Marine City Cardinal Mooney	15′ 10″	15′ 6″
11	Ryleigh Nelson	Webberville	15′ 9″	15′ 7″
12	Aubrey Hessbrook	Carson City-Crystal	15′ 7″	15′ 6″
12	Kelsey Hansen	Lincoln-Alcona	15′ 6″	15′ 6″
12	Madilyn Crull	Onaway	15′ 5″	15′ 5″
10	Jaci Canfield	Fulton	15′ 4″	15′ 1″
11	Madelyn Hardy	East Jordan	15′ 4″	15′ 4″
11	Abby Kissling	Brethren	15′ 4″	15′ 2″
10	Eva Bauer	New Buffalo	15′ 4″	14′ 7″
10	Isabella Flora	Sterling Heights Parkway	15′ 3″	14′ 10″
10	June Kirkpatrick	East Jordan	15′ 1″	14′ 8″
12	Natalie Malczyk	Huron Valley Lutheran	15′ 0″	14′ 11″
10	Ambrea Humphrey	Montabella	15′ 0″	15′ 3″
11	Shelby Evans	Athens	15′ 0″	14′ 9″
11	Delaney St. George	Kingston	14′ 10″	14′ 8″
9	Makayla Culver	Webberville	14′ 9″	14′ 9″
11	Maddy Miller	Coleman	14′ 6″	14′ 11″
12	Layla Blythe-Davis	Carsonville-Port Sanilac	14′ 6″	13′ 7″
9	Aspen Evans	Central Lake	14′ 5″	14′ 6″
10	Ryleigh Ureel	Peck	14′ 3″	14′ 3″
9	Raegyn Mayer	Breckenridge	14′ 2″	13′ 11″
11	Sasha Murphy	Riverview Gabriel Richard	14′ 0″	13′ 10″
11	Lauren Eager	Peck	14′ 0″	14′ 0″
10	Elizabeth Woodard	Gobles	13′ 11″	13′ 10″

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Grace Wolfe	Frankfort
2	Olivia Findlay	Marlette
3	Claire Molnar	Britton Deerfield
4	Molly Brown	Addison
5	Mickiah Allbee	Vestaburg
6	Ella Hufnagel	Fowler
7	Katie Spicer	Fowler
8	Sohanny Gonzales-Castillo	The Potter’s House

DIVISION ONE

The sophomore’s already turning heads, and if you’re heading to Rockford you may want to take a trek from the stands to the field event area to watch him fly. Quincy Isaac hit a 24’3 long jump at Farmington, a big invitational with a propensity to deliver big performances. As Jeff Hollobaugh noted in his newsletter, there wasn’t a wind gauge, but my sources on the ground corroborate his words, that Isaac has much more in his legs. Of course, in the long jump, technicality is a major factor, and just as Maya Anderson has a familiarity with the Rockford boards, so does Carter Bissell, who was fourth here last year. Look at last year’s results and you’ll see a ton of names that are aching to get on that medal stand, Davis Barr, Dylan Lafontsee, Josh Tiption, Jordan Gutierrez, amongst others. Let’s just put it this way… I know where I’ll be early Saturday morning.

Facts

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.
10	Quincy Isaac	Canton	22′ 9″	22′ 7″
11	Carter Bissell	Rockford	21′ 11″	21′ 4″
12	Alexander Jones	Kalamazoo Central	21′ 11″	22′ 3″
11	Jordan Gutierrez	Caledonia	21′ 9″	20′ 0″
11	Davis Barr	Battle Creek Lakeview	21′ 8″	21′ 0″
11	Charlie Garner	Ypsilanti Lincoln	20′ 0″	21′ 4″
11	Jayden Brock	Byron Center	21′ 7″	21′ 2″
12	Hamza Basal	Ann Arbor Skyline	21′ 7″	21′ 7″
12	Joshua Tipton	Detroit Catholic Central	20′ 0″	21′ 1″
11	Dylan Lafontsee	Cedar Springs	21′ 6″	21′ 2″
12	Nakia Willis	East Kentwood	21′ 4″	20′ 3″
10	Justin Freeman	Detroit U-D Jesuit	20′ 0″	21′ 0″
10	Rhett Klopf	Saginaw Heritage	21′ 2″	20′ 11″
11	Prentice Gardner	North Farmington	21′ 0″	21′ 0″
12	Andrew Adragna	South Lyon	21′ 0″	20′ 11″
12	Christian Purchase-Ofoeme	Warren Cousino	20′ 11″	21′ 0″
12	Colin Demos	Oxford	20′ 10″	20′ 12″
10	Lachlan Tillotson	Rochester Adams	20′ 9″	20′ 10″
12	Kaelin Shaw	Chippewa Valley	20′ 0″	20′ 5″
11	Evan Walker	Lansing Waverly	20′ 7″	20′ 9″
11	Kristian Kilpatrick	Fenton	20′ 5″	20′ 3″
12	Anthony Westover	Sterling Heights	20′ 2″	20′ 2″
9	Walker Neff	Warren DeLaSalle	19′ 5″	19′ 5″

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Quincy Isaac	Canton
2	Alexander Jones	Kalamazoo Central
3	Jayden Brock	Byron Center
4	Jordan Gutierrez	Caledonia
5	Davis Barr	Battle Creek Lakeview
6	Charlie Garner	Ypsilanti Lincoln
7	Dylan Lafontsee	Cedar Springs
8	Carter Bissell	Rockford

DIVISION TWO

I love the contrast of the Bower brothers. On one hand, a season full of accolades for Wyatt Bower, a majority of his jumps over 21’ with a FML Championship sprinkled in there. Two(!) competitions for Tarick Bower, the latest of which a 22’9 regional win. As he becomes more acquiesced to the event, will he leap even further, far enough to win a title? Or will he be stonewalled by Xavier Davis, who blasted a 23’5 to win the Hazel Park regional. And if anyone doubts that validity, keep in mind Xavier won the Oakland County title this past weekend, beating everyone and anyone from those D1 schools.

Facts

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.
12	Xavier Davis	Ferndale University	22′ 0″	22′ 3″
11	Tarick Bower	Corunna	21′ 11″	21′ 11″
11	Wyatt Bower	Corunna	21′ 8″	21′ 0″
11	Tyler Baker	Mason	21′ 3″	20′ 7″
12	Andrew Braman	Frankenmuth	21′ 1″	20′ 0″
12	Jalen Radke	Otsego	20′ 11″	20′ 10″
11	Kaharrie Pureifoy	Wayland Union	20′ 0″	20′ 3″
12	David Dana	Midland Bullock Creek	20′ 9″	20′ 7″
12	Darreus Reese	Dearborn Heights Annapolis	20′ 9″	20′ 9″
11	Cutler Brandt	Charlotte	20′ 0″	20′ 3″
12	Earl Esiline	Gladwin	20′ 7″	20′ 3″
12	Jihad Ragland	Hazel Park	20′ 7″	20′ 7″
10	Dontya Johnson	Muskegon Orchard View	20′ 0″	20′ 4″
11	Caleb RuddJones	Parma Western	20′ 5″	20′ 2″
12	Trent Baugh	Hopkins	20′ 5″	19′ 11″
11	Noah Bussell	Milan	20′ 2″	19′ 10″
12	Ryan Mooney	Orchard Lake St. Mary’s	20′ 2″	20′ 2″
11	Jordan Rodgers	Grand Rapids Christian	20′ 1″	20′ 0″
11	Ben Merkel	Monroe Jefferson	20′ 0″	19′ 5″
10	Isaiah Fox	Adrian	19′ 11″	19′ 11″
11	Davin Adams	Harper Woods Chandler Park	19′ 11″	20′ 2″
10	Jamarion Richards	Flint Kearsley	19′ 7″	19′ 3″
11	Kyle Bos	South Haven	19′ 5″	19′ 2″
12	Glenn Doss	Melvindale	19′ 2″	19′ 4″

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Xavier Davis	Ferndale University
2	Tarick Bower	Corunna
3	Tyler Baker	Mason
4	Jalen Radke	Otsego
5	Wyatt Bower	Corunna
6	Darreus Reese	Dearborn Heights Annapolis
7	Andrew Braman	Frankenmuth
8	Jihad Ragland	Hazel Park

DIVISION THREE

Not many have been on the tear that Mitchel Harrington has been on. He’s undefeated since early May, claiming wins at Region 21 and in the LMC. His 22’9 to win the Clare Regional is the #3 jump in the state as of today. More than a foot victory and that was over some kids that will surely be in the mix, such as Kanye Marineau, Carson Parks, and Karson Tocco. Just down I-75 is a pair of teammates looking to take him down: Sawyer Moloy and Nickolas Metzger. This past week, the two combined for 16 points at the Jack Pine Conference championship and they’re poised to emit similar point totals here. Combine that with their relays and the high jump and the Mustangs have a chance at something bigger.

Facts

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.
11	Mitchel Harrington	Grayling	21′ 10″	21′ 7″
11	Nickolas Metzger	Sanford-Meridian	21′ 7″	21′ 6″
11	Sawyer Moloy	Sanford-Meridian	21′ 7″	21′ 0″
12	Kanye Marineau	Harrison	21′ 3″	21′ 1″
12	Karson Tocco	Clare	21′ 2″	20′ 9″
12	Ethan Hull	Ithaca	20′ 11″	20′ 10″
12	Brayden Sullivan	Standish Sterling	20′ 10″	20′ 5″
12	Peter Moore	Hillsdale	20′ 9″	20′ 0″
11	Preston Kelsey	Saginaw Valley Lutheran	20′ 9″	20′ 7″
10	Hayden Handy	Hillsdale	20′ 0″	20′ 5″
11	Andrew Phillips	Manton	20′ 0″	19′ 9″
11	Dakobe White	Evart	20′ 0″	20′ 2″
12	Zachary VanBaren	GR Covenant Christian	20′ 6″	20′ 2″
12	Dylan Coney	Centreville	20′ 3″	20′ 0″
11	Caiden Smith	Hartford	20′ 1″	20′ 2″
12	Carson Parks	Pinconning	20′ 0″	20′ 0″
11	Kolby Masserant	Ottawa Lake-Whiteford	20′ 0″	19′ 5″
12	Ryan Brim	Mt Morris	20′ 0″	20′ 1″
10	Brennan Marshall	Hudson	19′ 10″	19′ 4″
10	Wyatt Finney	Delton-Kellogg	19′ 8″	19′ 7″
12	Codey Harlan	Chesaning	19′ 7″	19′ 0″
11	Jake VanderHenst	Holland Black River	19′ 5″	18′ 10″
12	Adam Surowiec	Charyl Stockwell Academy	19′ 2″	18′ 4″
9	Matthew Bacholzky	Almont	18′ 11″	18′ 8″
11	Veon Moore	Warren Michigan Collegiate	18′ 7″	17′ 11″
9	Tayden Redding	Warren Michigan Collegiate	19′ 0″	19′ 0″

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Mitchel Harrington	Grayling
2	Nickolas Metzger	Sanford-Meridian
3	Kanye Marineau	Harrison
4	Ethan Hull	Ithaca
5	Sawyer Moloy	Sanford-Meridian
6	Karson Tocco	Clare
7	Peter Moore	Hillsdale
8	Hayden Handy	Hillsdale

DIVISION FOUR

The Champ is back and he’s rounding into form to defend his title. Twelve months back, he turned a season of sub-20’ leaps through mid-May into 21’s in championship season and 22’3 win in the Finals. He’s on a similar trajectory this year, already hitting 22’3 to take a Blue Water title. He’ll have stiff competition though, mainly from jump savant Mekhi Wingfield and Anthany Buford. Buford holds the D4 lead with his 22’6 at the Metro Classic, where he leapt ahead of all those Downriver D1 kids. Wingfield is undefeated on the year with two 22’+’s on his resume.

Facts

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.
11	Anthany Buford	Detroit Frederick Douglass	22′ 1″	22′ 1″
11	Mekhi Wingfield	Concord	21′ 11″	21′ 3″
12	Alex Affer	Peck	21′ 6″	21′ 0″
12	Carter Fussman	Beal City	20′ 8″	20′ 8″
10	Adrlan Smith	Detroit Frederick Douglass	19′ 6″	20′ 3″
10	Landon Galea	Fairview	20′ 7″	20′ 2″
12	Colin Last	Huron Valley Lutheran	20′ 1″	20′ 0″
10	Zach Vonk	Holland Calvary Christian	19′ 10″	20′ 0″
11	Miles Shannon	Climax-Scotts	20′ 4″	19′ 11″
11	Gavin Prielipp	Marion	20′ 0″	19′ 11″
12	Eli Thomas	Three Oaks River Valley	20′ 0″	19′ 10″
11	Spencer Brown	Addison	20′ 0″	19′ 9″
11	Ryan Casterline	St Philip Catholic Central	19′ 9″	19′ 8″
11	Tyler Barnes	Hillsdale Will Carleton	19′ 7″	19′ 8″
12	Mason Salisbury	Marion	20′ 1″	19′ 8″
12	Simon Vinson	Colon	20′ 1″	19′ 8″
10	Ben Kohagen	Fowler	19′ 10″	19′ 7″
12	Kade Spahr	Pittsford	19′ 10″	19′ 6″
11	Braden Prielipp	Marion	20′ 2″	19′ 6″
12	Keyon Mandoka	Athens	19′ 10″	19′ 4″
11	Elijah Neal	Dansville	19′ 5″	19′ 4″
9	Noah Zeien	Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart	19′ 3″	19′ 4″
11	Carter Lance	Fowler	19′ 10″	19′ 3″
10	Keyonta Menifield	Flint Beecher	19′ 3″	19′ 3″
11	Randy Reddick	East Jackson	19′ 4″	19′ 1″
12	Owen Brown	Kalamazoo Hackett	19′ 0″	19′ 0″
10	Will Werkema-Grondsma	Pentwater	18′ 3″	18′ 12″
11	Jack McCaw	Mendon	19′ 10″	19′ 0″
12	Shane Braughton	Dansville	18′ 11″	18′ 11″
12	Anthony Evans	Concord	17′ 0″	18′ 9″
11	Rylan Matelski	Gaylord St. Mary	18′ 2″	18′ 4″
10	Hunter Garza	Deckerville	19′ 0″	18′ 2″
12	Yasir Yuhas	Birmingham Roeper	18′ 8″	18′ 1″
11	Bryce Billings	Hesperia	17′ 11″	16′ 0″

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Anthany Buford	Detroit Frederick Douglass
2	Mekhi Wingfield	Concord
3	Alex Affer	Peck
4	Carter Fussman	Beal City
5	Adrian Smith	Detroit Frederick Douglass
6	Miles Shannon	Climax-Scotts
7	Gavin Prielipp	Marion
8	Zach Vonk	Holland Calvary Christian

Back here with the third installment of State Finals previews.

Everyone should be familiar with my cross country work, but to summarize, the main philosophy I have there is twofold:

• Different courses and conditions alter times
• One race isn’t enough to analyze, one must look to the whole picture, with more weight toward recent performances

I’m bringing a bit of that same flavor to these previews. For most events, I’ll chart an athlete’s top-five marks and their performances in May. Those two stats should give a picture what an athlete can do when they truly bring it and should give a glimpse into their current condition. I’ll also look to common competitions, head-to-head matchups, which should control for various weather conditions that impact performance and show how athletes compare against one another when toeing the same line.

The difference between track and the cross country predictions is that for cross, I have formulae that take those factors and spit out projections. For these previews, I’ll have my own predictions that are based on my own eye test. Those will be edited in on Wednesday or Thursday next week, mainly to reduce any sort of pressure, but also to gather any last second info. I’ve been told that last year’s predictions both motivated and gave confidence and those are my intentions once again. I wish that everyone has the day of their life at the State Finals. It’d be quite boring if I was correct on everything. Please prove these wrong, unless I have you first.

Also in need of note – keeping on top and staying up to date of track stats is impossible, especially with my lack of programming knowledge and athletic.net’s password protection against web crawling. The girls stats were compiled as of Tuesday, the boys as of Thursday. I know there are results past that date and I know that’ll be the case for other events over these next 10 days. But we’re all armed with the same tools, we can all gravitate to the same site and dive deep into results. When the final predictions are made, those most recent results will be taken into account.

I’ll have predictions loaded on here by Thursday. Please check back then. But read first!

DIVISION ONE

It appears at this point in the year that we have five main competitors. Our defending champ, Abby Russell is back of course, the discus in my mind being the stronger of her two events. At the Metro Classic, she ripped a 149’4, vaulting her into Michigan’s All-Time Top 25 and the #2 rank across the entire state. Ava Wojciechowski just won the Oakland County crown in the discus, beating her Viking teammate Savannah Breitwiser and Elyse Finch. But both Breitwiser and Finch boast throws over 140’ and 135’ respectively, so they’re both capable of making a dent here. Midland’s Lillian Lince is undefeated on the year and Ms. Consistent in May, between 130’ and 141’ on all her best tosses. Along the way of that steadiness has come a SVL and Region 1 title.

Facts

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.	Info
11	Abigail Russell	Allen Park	148′ 4″	148′ 8″	2022 Champ
12	Elyse Finch	Royal Oak	135′ 4″	133′ 6″	Region 8 Champ
12	Lillian Lince	Midland	135′ 0″	135′ 0″	Region 1 Champ
12	Savannah Breitwiser	Walled Lake Central	132′ 8″	123′ 7″	5th Place – 2022
12	Mariah Sackett	Zeeland East	124′ 6″	122′ 9″	Region 2 Champ
11	Molly Socha	Bloomfield Hills	122′ 0″	122′ 0″	2nd Place – Region 8
11	Anna Tilden	Zeeland East	119′ 1″	108′ 9″	3rd Place – Region 2
12	Jayla Procter	East Kentwood	117′ 6″	115′ 1″	Region 3 Champ
11	Jordyn Harris	Walled Lake Central	116′ 7″	112′ 4″	2nd Place – LVC
11	Lee Ramirez	Zeeland West	113′ 4″	105′ 10″	2nd Place – OK Green
12	Kallie Taylor	Zeeland East	112′ 5″	108′ 11″	25′ improvement from 2022
10	Iyana Stephens	Belleville	110′ 10″	108′ 0″	2nd Place – Region 5
11	Audrey Wisniewski	Novi	110′ 3″	109′ 6″	2nd Place – KLAA
11	Avery Lahti	Traverse City West	109′ 4″	105′ 2″	2nd Place – Region 1
10	Olivia Barba	Grosse Pointe South	105′ 11″	103′ 6″	Region 7 Champ
12	McKenzie Siroky	Livonia Stevenson	105′ 7″	109′ 4″	Region 6 Champ
11	Isabel Assink	Zeeland West	105′ 6″	104′ 10″	2nd Place – Region 2
12	Jordan Monroe	Chippewa Valley	105′ 0″	102′ 5″	2nd Place – Region 10
11	Erin Lee	Troy Athens	104′ 1″	104′ 7″	Region 10 Champ
9	Rachel Anderson	Portage Northern	103′ 0″	106′ 4″	2nd Place – SMAC
11	Abigail Mainka	Brighton	99′ 2″	98′ 8″	Region 4 Champ
11	Malvina Lubanski	Grosse Pointe South	97′ 5″	92′ 9″	2nd Place – Region 7
11	Brookelynn Meyers	Grand Ledge	90′ 11″	103′ 0″	2nd Place – Region 4

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Abigail Russell	Allen Park
2	Elyse Finch	Royal Oak
3	Lillian Lince	Midland
4	Savannah Breitwiser	Walled Lake Central
5	Mariah Sackett	Zeeland East
6	Molly Socha	Bloomfield Hills
7	Jayla Procter	East Kentwood
8	Jordyn Harris	Walled Lake Central

DIVISION TWO

2023 has been the year of Maelie Hope. The Whitehall senior opened her season with two massive throws, both over 150’ and has been mega consistent since. She’s undefeated on the year, winning the WMC, West Michigan Meet, and Region 12 along the way. And let’s mention she’s also excellent in the shot, 100m, AND 200m. There are two girls that could give her a run and both are peaking at the right time. Haley Guerrant is another one on an undefeated tear, having just captured the win at MITCA Team State, throwing a personal best along the way.  Janae Hudson is also unbeaten and just grabbed a win at the vaunted Blue Water Meet of Champions, the unofficial Port Huron area title.

Facts

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.	Info
12	Maelie Hope	Whitehall	148′ 7″	140′ 1″	8th Place – 2022
12	Haley Guerrant	Otsego	130′ 9″	130′ 9″	7th Place – 2022
11	Janae Hudson	Marysville	126′ 0″	123′ 1″	3rd Place – 2022
11	Aliyah Springer	Hamilton	119′ 4″	115′ 11″	9th Place – 2022
11	Makenzie Johns	Cadillac	117′ 5″	113′ 2″	Region 11 Champ
10	Annabelle Bower	Portland	113′ 11″	109′ 3″	2nd Place – Region 15
12	Grace Steffes	Dearborn Divine Child	113′ 4″	113′ 4″	Region 17 Champ
10	Izzie Miller	Battle Creek Harper Creek	111′ 5″	109′ 7″	Region 15 Champ
12	Aysia Yokely	Detroit Country Day	107′ 10″	105′ 5″	Region 18 Champ
12	Natasha Bickel	North Branch	107′ 1″	105′ 4″	2nd Place – Region 19
11	Lily Hileman	Freeland	105′ 10″	104′ 6″	Saginaw County Champ
11	Layla Tahmouch	Monroe Jefferson	104′ 8″	102′ 4″	Region 16 Champ
11	Sophia Mattioli	Richland Gull Lake	104′ 6″	107′ 3″	SMAC Champ
11	Allyson Broaddus	Grand Rapids Catholic Central	103′ 5″	99′ 10″	Region 13 Champ
11	Peyton Spicer	Owosso	102′ 9″	102′ 5″	Region 20 Champ
12	Marie Redlin	Carleton Airport	102′ 8″	106′ 5″	2nd Place – Region 16
12	Jasmine Honicutt	East Grand Rapids	102′ 7″	102′ 1″	2nd Place – Region 13
12	Elle Ruiz-Grant	Niles	101′ 1″	103′ 0″	2nd Place – Region 14
12	Erika Sanders	Dearborn Divine Child	95′ 10″	95′ 10″	2nd Place – Region 17
11	Sarah Gundlach	Bloomfield Hills Marian	95′ 7″	92′ 9″	2nd Place – Region 18
9	Catherine Retberg	Frankenmuth	92′ 8″	92′ 7″	2nd Place – Region 20

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Maelie Hope	Whitehall
2	Haley Guerrant	Otsego
3	Janae Hudson	Marysvile
4	Aliyah Springer	Hamilton
5	Makenzie Johns	Cadillac
6	Izzie Miller	Battle Creek Harper Creek
7	Grace Steffes	Dearborn Divine Child
8	Annabelle Bower	Portland

DIVISION THREE

She placed 2^nd here last year and the results show she’s not looking to let that happen again. Sophia Snellenberger has busted out some awe-inspiring throws, such as a 147’ to win Quincy’s home invitational and a 143’ to win MITS State. She’s also conserved her energy and done just enough to win, 15/15 on victories in her senior season. If anyone were to pull the minor upset, it could be Payton Otto, dropping down from Division 2 (2^nd last year) or Gaby Reeve, coming up from Division 4 (3^rd last year). Both have season bests above or near 130’

Facts

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.	Info
12	Sophia Snellenberger	Quincy	141′ 7″	133′ 0″	2nd Place – 2022
12	Payton Otto	Olivet	131′ 7″	128′ 5″	2nd Place – 2022 (D2)
12	Gaby Reeve	White Cloud	125′ 3″	124′ 10″	3rd Place – 2022 (D4)
12	Raigen Horsfall	Quincy	120′ 10″	117′ 10″	3rd Place – 2022
11	Rylan Finstrom	Grayling	118′ 10″	118′ 10″	2022 Champ
11	Jaylyn Perkins	Homer	118′ 6″	116′ 11″	3rd Place – Region 25
10	Isabel Rozeveld	McBain	113′ 2″	110′ 10″	3rd Place – Region 22
12	Anna Nixon	Perry	112′ 4″	112′ 9″	5th Place – 2022
12	Adelyn Moore	Caro	111′ 6″	110′ 10″	6th Place – 2022
10	Megan Mackinder	Stockbridge	109′ 6″	109′ 7″	Region 28 Champ
9	Jenna Spitzley	Pewamo-Westphalia	108′ 11″	106′ 1″	3rd Place – Region 30
11	Emmalie Letts	Olivet	108′ 9″	106′ 4″	4th Place – Region 30
9	Madalyn Wayward	Manistee	106′ 5″	104′ 9″	2nd Place – Region 22
12	Abby Karst	Reese	102′ 6″	104′ 5″	2nd Place – Region 29
9	Mattie LaFreniere	Manton	102′ 0″	97′ 6″	4th Place – Region 22
12	Lillian Pylman	LeRoy Pine River	101′ 1″	100′ 1″	5th Place – Region 22
11	Emily O’Dell	Standish Sterling	100′ 5″	97′ 8″	TVC-10 Champ
11	Brooke Jankwietz	Manistee	99′ 8″	97′ 8″	6th Place – Region 22
10	Niki McNeil	Saugatuck	98′ 8″	95′ 11″	Region 23 Champ
10	Lillian Arnett	Adrian Madison	98′ 6″	98′ 6″	Region 26 Champ
11	Aleah Sexton	Watervliet	97′ 4″	97′ 3″	Region 24 Champ
10	Brenna McDonald	Schoolcraft	97′ 1″	94′ 4″	2nd Place – Region 24
11	Izzy Urban	Tawas	96′ 12″	91′ 2″	3rd Place – Region 21
12	Tiana Whitacre	Stanton Central Montcalm	94′ 7″	97′ 6″	5th Place – Region 30
12	Chisom Anwunah	Ann Arbor Greenhills	93′ 2″	96′ 11″	2nd Place – Region 26
11	Evie Liford	Clawson	89′ 5″	93′ 9″	Region 27 Champ
10	Kenzie Nichols	Ravenna	87′ 2″	85′ 7″	2nd Place – Region 22
11	Morgan Kleiner	Clawson	80′ 8″	80′ 7″	2nd Place – Region 27
11	Azora Parks	Stockbridge	77′ 8″	77′ 9″	2nd Place – Region 28

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Sophia Snellenberger	Quincy
2	Payton Otto	Olivet
3	Gaby Reeve	White Cloud
4	Raigen Horsfall	Quincy
5	Jaylyn Perkins	Homer
6	Rylan Finstrom	Grayling
7	Anna Nixon	Perry
8	Adelyn Moore	Caro

DIVISION FOUR

This is likely the most intriguing battle of all the discuses. Natalie Wandrie boasts the furthest personal best, a 130’ early in Harbor Springs. She’s been challenged lately by Kelsey Hansen, who pulled up within 10’ of her to grab 2^nd in Region 31. Harley Bear and Emily Stinson both set personal bests to win their regional. Stinson has revenge on her mind from last year, Bear has championship experience, placing 6^th and 17^th the past two years. Lily Parker boasts the second-best season best (say that a thousand times), placing 2^nd behind Janae Hudson in the Blue Water Championship and Emily Carbajal is undefeated on the year, coming into the State Finals on a championship roll. Region 35, TCC, and D4 Team State Titles will be a boost of confidence heading into this loaded competition.

Facts

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.	Info
12	Natalie Wandrie	Indian River Inland Lakes	123′ 5″	123′ 0″	Region 31 Champ
11	Lily Parker	Marlette	116′ 6″	108′ 8″	Region 38 Champ
12	Emily Stinson	Fulton	115′ 11″	113′ 4″	Region 37 Champ
12	Kelsey Hansen	Lincoln-Alcona	114′ 8″	109′ 1″	2nd Place – Region 31
12	Emily Carbajal	Sand Creek	113′ 4″	110′ 10″	Region 35 Champ
12	Harley Bear	Marion	112′ 8″	106′ 9″	6th Place – 2022
11	Maddy Biller	Brethren	104′ 8″	100′ 7″	Region 33 Champ
11	McKayla Cruson	Marion	104′ 0″	99′ 8″	2nd Place – Region 32
12	Lynsey Jager	Martin	103′ 11″	105′ 3″	Region 34 Champ
10	Paige Willman	Frankfort	101′ 5″	93′ 5″	3rd Place – Region 32
12	Keyara Szymanski	Mendon	100′ 9″	97′ 6″	2nd Place – Region 34
11	Eleanor Valkner	Maple City Glen Lake	99′ 6″	96′ 8″	4th Place – Region 32
12	Elizabeth Sheahan	Fulton	99′ 4″	95′ 12″	2nd Place – Region 37
10	Mariah Kerley	East Jackson	98′ 9″	96′ 1″	Region 36 Champ
11	Cassandra Trigger	Deckerville	98′ 8″	95′ 3″	2nd Place – Region 38
12	Clarissa Berger	Morenci	98′ 5″	98′ 1″	7th Place – 2022
10	Abbie Morris	Rochester Hills Lutheran NW	97′ 8″	97′ 2″	Region 39 Champ
12	Mary Norris	St. Charles	95′ 10″	91′ 11″	3rd Place – Region 37
11	Akuach George	The Potter’s House	94′ 1″	93′ 3″	Alliance Conference Champ
11	Ava King	Hillsdale Academy	92′ 9″	89′ 2″	4th Place – Region 35
11	Sydnee Mauk	Reading	90′ 4″	93′ 2″	2nd Place – Region 35
11	Lilianna McCabe	Concord	88′ 5″	87′ 7″	2nd Place – Region 36
11	Ava DeVlaminck	Dryden	87′ 2″	85′ 5″	2nd Place – Region 39
12	Rhianne Jenkins	Lutheran Westland	84′ 2″	81′ 1″	Region 40 Champ
12	Erica Roberts	Riverview Gabriel Richard	74′ 1″	73′ 6″	2nd Place – Region 40

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Natalie Wandrie	Indian River Inland Lakes
2	Emily Stinson	Fulton
3	Emily Carbajal	Sand Creek
4	Kelsey Hansen	Lincoln-Alcona
5	Harley Bear	Marion
6	Lily Parker	Marlette
7	Maddy Biller	Brethren
8	Lynsey Jager	Martin

Instead of the paragraphs, I had the idea of including a little fact about each qualifier. It turns out that idea was majorly misguided and took up way too much dang time. If I had done that for other events, I’d be writing these previews into 2024. Boys Discus throwers, please enjoy your extra bit of attention. 😊

I’ll have predictions loaded on here by Thursday. Please check back then. But read first!

DIVISION ONE

Facts

Grade	Name	Team	Info
11	Brycen Anderson	Walled Lake Central	Division 1 leader has won the LVC and Region 9.
12	Gerald Capaccio	St. Joseph	First time qualifier in the discus. SMAC and Region 3 Champion.
12	Demarrio Roetherford	Wyandotte Roosevelt	Madonna commit coming into his own as a senior, improving from 141′ to 165′, winning the Downriver League and Region 5 along the way.
11	Ty Robertson	Saginaw Heritage	Capable of some massive heaves, such as his 164′ at Punch a Hole in the Sky.
11	Merrick Hocking	Midland	Didn’t match his Regional distance, but gained a 2nd straight SVL Discus championship to add to the collection.
12	Andrew Berryhill	Battle Creek Lakeview	His 166′ to win Region 4 marks almost a 15′ improvement from 2022, where he placed 11th at State.
11	Garrett Weeden	Zeeland East	Another one capable of blasting one on a good day, multiple 160’+’s on his resume
12	Lucas Lesher	Holland West Ottawa	After a season full of 140’s and one 150, blasted a 162′ to win Region 2.
12	Lukas Ray	Wyandotte Roosevelt	Superb improvement in the disc, adding 29′ from his junior self, a great second fiddle to Roetherford.
10	Dominic Weatherly	Harrison Twp. L’Anse Creuse	Has potential for big discs, evidenced by his 158′ to win at Dakota earlier in the month.
12	Hunter Harding	Brighton	Another one who’s rolled past 150′, doing it in a KLAA Championship win
11	Parker Williams	Zeeland East	Season of gradual progress extended to Metro Health, where Parker nudged past 150′.
11	Nathan Cody	Walled Lake Central	First time ever qualifier, his 3rd place in Region 9 a significant improvement from 18th as a freshman.
12	Luke Eros	Howell	Recovered from a weaker KLAA meet to almost match his lifetime best at Region 4.
12	Josh Kriekaard	Cedar Springs	Rigtht behind Lesher in Region 2, his 159′ toss a 12′ season best.
12	Nathan Cobbs	East Kentwood	11′ season best to capture 2nd in Region 3.
10	Teegan Simmons	Monroe	Has turned it up a notch in championship season, 151′ at Lincoln’s JV meet leading to a 3rd Place in Region 5.
10	Rusty Klaer	St. Joseph	Potential darkhorse, his 154′ at the GR Elite Challenge looming large on his portfolio.
10	Camden Pawlick	Saline	Majorly consistent in May with four of his five finals over 140′.
9	Andre Neumann	White Lake Lakeland	Freshman Oakland County Champ portends well for the future, as does gaining State Finals experience.
10	Max Stoecker	Midland	First year of throwing has been a success, placing 3rd in Region 1 and 2nd in the SVL.
11	Ian Fedewa	Caledonia	From 113′ as a sophomore to 149′ as a junior.
12	Mason Fraley	Salem	Used the confidence gained from getting to State and turned it into 150′ at Churchill on Tuesday.
12	Daniel Yarrington	Utica	Captured his first MAC White title in the discus.
12	Cade Riddle	Brighton	Has added 15′ to his best sophomore disc, qualifying for the first time ever.
10	Case Johnson	Greenville	153′ to place 3rd in Region 3 a 12′ season best.
11	Tyler Marrogy	Walled Lake Central	Rapid progress in the final few weeks, from a season in the 130′ range to 154′ in Region 9.
11	Idrys Cotton	Plymouth	143′ to win Region 6 was first foray into the 140’s.
12	Logan Costello	Grand Ledge	Rapid rise late, capped recently by CAAC Blue trophy.
12	Ryan Mitchell	Cedar Springs	Stepped up in a big way, ripping a 150’er when his previous best landed short of 130′.
12	David Rolands	Berkley	Placed second in Region 8, throwing a 4′ personal best in the process.
11	David Osagiede	Lakeview St. Clair Shores	Massive improvements abound, 40′ from his sophomore to junior years.
11	Nnaemeka Ikechi	Warren DeLaSalle	Has added 10′ between his sophomore and junior years.
11	William McPherson	Rochester Adams	After a season primarily in the 110’s, has gone 130’+ in two of his last three meets.

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.
11	Brycen Anderson	Walled Lake Central	164′ 9″	162′ 11″
12	Gerald Capaccio	St. Joseph	162′ 3″	159′ 6″
12	Demarrio Roetherford	Wyandotte Roosevelt	159′ 6″	157′ 5″
11	Ty Robertson	Saginaw Heritage	158′ 1″	149′ 11″
11	Merrick Hocking	Midland	156′ 9″	154′ 5″
12	Andrew Berryhill	Battle Creek Lakeview	155′ 7″	151′ 11″
11	Garrett Weeden	Zeeland East	155′ 4″	147′ 6″
12	Lucas Lesher	Holland West Ottawa	151′ 4″	150′ 2″
12	Lukas Ray	Wyandotte Roosevelt	151′ 1″	147′ 1″
10	Dominic Weatherly	Harrison Twp. L’Anse Creuse	148′ 8″	147′ 8″
12	Hunter Harding	Brighton	148′ 1″	145′ 6″
11	Parker Williams	Zeeland East	147′ 6″	143′ 2″
11	Nathan Cody	Walled Lake Central	146′ 4″	147′ 11″
12	Luke Eros	Howell	146′ 4″	142′ 4″
12	Josh Kriekaard	Cedar Springs	145′ 7″	149′ 8″
12	Nathan Cobbs	East Kentwood	145′ 6″	143′ 12″
10	Teegan Simmons	Monroe	144′ 11″	140′ 12″
10	Rusty Klaer	St. Joseph	144′ 9″	141′ 2″
10	Camden Pawlick	Saline	144′ 0″	142′ 7″
9	Andre Neumann	White Lake Lakeland	143′ 3″	142′ 0″
10	Max Stoecker	Midland	142′ 8″	139′ 6″
11	Ian Fedewa	Caledonia	142′ 6″	142′ 6″
12	Mason Fraley	Salem	142′ 5″	142′ 1″
12	Daniel Yarrington	Utica	141′ 3″	135′ 7″
12	Cade Riddle	Brighton	141′ 1″	139′ 4″
10	Case Johnson	Greenville	139′ 5″	139′ 7″
11	Tyler Marrogy	Walled Lake Central	138′ 1″	139′ 0″
11	Idrys Cotton	Plymouth	136′ 1″	135′ 0″
12	Logan Costello	Grand Ledge	135′ 9″	143′ 2″
12	Ryan Mitchell	Cedar Springs	130′ 8″	119′ 8″
12	David Rolands	Berkley	130′ 4″	128′ 9″
11	David Osagiede	Lakeview St. Clair Shores	126′ 11″	127′ 8″
11	Nnaemeka Ikechi	Warren DeLaSalle	126′ 6″	131′ 1″
11	William McPherson	Rochester Adams	123′ 6″	131′ 4″

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Brycen Anderson	Walled Lake Central
2	Gerald Capaccio	St. Joseph
3	Demarrio Roetherford	Wyandotte Roosevelt
4	Merrick Hocking	Midland
5	Ty Robertson	Saginaw Heritage
6	Lucas Lesher	Holland West Ottawa
7	Andrew Berryhill	Battle Creek Lakeview
8	Lukas Ray	Wyandotte Roosevelt

DIVISION TWO

Facts

Grade	Name	Team	Info
12	Dalton DeBeau	Frankenmuth	Probably the greatest ability to pop a huge throw, his 180′ ranks #2 in the entire state.
12	Noah Simpson	Portland	Trending up from 160′ to 170′. Undefeated in championship season thus far.
12	Devin Dennison	Alma	School record holder has been under 150′ only once. Region 11 Champ.
12	Michael Griffey	Plainwell	Region 14 and Wolverine Conference Champ, steadily above 150′ late.
12	Jake Cashen	Grand Rapids South Christian	Placed 8th last year, now throwing a good 15′ further, if not more.
10	Derrick Simmons	Frankenmuth	Launched a 7′ personal best (165′) to win TVC-10.
10	Adam Huff	Wayland Union	Quite a change from 2022, where he placed 11th in the Region with a 114′. His 158’er placed 2nd in Region 13.
11	Larson Fessenden	Edwardsburg	Capable of some enormous launches, like his 164’er at Otsego.
11	Matthew Foor	Carleton Airport	Three 150’ers on his portfolio.
10	Chase Bott	Kingsley	Runner-up at Shepherd was a 10′ PR.
12	Hunter Richardson	St. Clair	Of his last four meets, three are of the 150’+ variety.
11	Brady McGee	Essexville Garber	Bay County Champ two years running.
12	Isaiah Ploucha	Dearborn Divine Child	Region 17 and CHSL Bishop Champ.
12	Owen Fremeau	Parma Western	I-8 Champ and 2nd in Region 15.
12	Evan Bower	Portland	3rd in Region 15 two years in a row, the difference being his 146′ is a state qualifier.
12	CJ Gordon	Berrien Springs	Runner-up in Region 14 for two consecutive years.
12	Michael Glass	Coopersville	Region 17 Champ and a 20′ improvement since 2022.
12	Matthew Utter	Charlotte	Over 140′ in all but two May competitions.
11	Samuel Talaga	Freeland	Recovered from subpar TVC-10 meet to throw two straight 148’s.
10	Lucas Sidlauskas	Sparta	Improved from 7th in the OK Silver to 2nd
12	Tyler Simpson	Marysville	Consistent 140’+ in late May.
12	Joey Duvall	Monroe Jefferson	Began the year in the low 110’s, has ended with 4 straight 130’s.
10	AJ Scutt	Parma Western	140′ to hit additional qualifier was a 7′ personal best.
12	Alex VanDyke	Hamilton	10′ personal best in Region 12 secured a State berth.
10	Korbin Sulitis	Petoskey	Season full of 80′ to 120′ throws before going 137′ and 140′ in consecutive meets.
9	Theodore Ciarelli	Dearborn Divine Child	Freshman has gone over 40′ in the Shot and 130′ in the Disc.
11	Trent Jackson	Madison Heights Lamphere	MAC Silver and Region 18 Champ.
12	Jonathan Jackson	Bridgeport	20′ season best to capture 3rd in Region 11.
12	Jerome Ellis	Ferndale University	Disappointing regional in 2022 gave way to success in 2023.

Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.
Dalton DeBeau	Frankenmuth	174′ 7″	164′ 10″
Noah Simpson	Portland	162′ 1″	158′ 9″
Devin Dennison	Alma	160′ 0″	156′ 2″
Michael Griffey	Plainwell	158′ 7″	155′ 1″
Jake Cashen	Grand Rapids South Christian	158′ 5″	153′ 4″
Derrick Simmons	Frankenmuth	156′ 9″	156′ 0″
Adam Huff	Wayland Union	155′ 1″	153′ 2″
Larson Fessenden	Edwardsburg	153′ 7″	141′ 5″
Matthew Foor	Carleton Airport	151′ 11″	149′ 12″
Chase Bott	Kingsley	147′ 9″	140′ 10″
Hunter Richardson	St. Clair	147′ 6″	144′ 3″
Brady McGee	Essexville Garber	146′ 8″	146′ 1″
Isaiah Ploucha	Dearborn Divine Child	146′ 1″	140′ 4″
Owen Fremeau	Parma Western	145′ 4″	140′ 2″
Evan Bower	Portland	145′ 2″	136′ 3″
CJ Gordon	Berrien Springs	144′ 3″	128′ 3″
Michael Glass	Coopersville	144′ 3″	138′ 11″
Matthew Utter	Charlotte	142′ 5″	138′ 10″
Samuel Talaga	Freeland	141′ 11″	141′ 10″
Lucas Sidlauskas	Sparta	140′ 11″	132′ 2″
Tyler Simpson	Marysville	139′ 11″	136′ 9″
Joey Duvall	Monroe Jefferson	135′ 12″	134′ 4″
AJ Scutt	Parma Western	134′ 9″	125′ 0″
Alex VanDyke	Hamilton	129′ 1″	121′ 12″
Korbin Sulitis	Petoskey	127′ 12″	126′ 9″
Theodore Ciarelli	Dearborn Divine Child	125′ 10″	124′ 6″
Trent Jackson	Madison Heights Lamphere	125′ 4″	128′ 0″
Jonathan Jackson	Bridgeport	122′ 3″	120′ 11″
Jerome Ellis	Ferndale University	118′ 8″	118′ 8″

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Dalton DeBeau	Frankenmuth
2	Noah Simpson	Portland
3	Michael Griffey	Plainwell
4	Jake Cashen	Grand Rapids South Christian
5	Adam Huff	Wayland Union
6	Devin Dennison	Alma
7	Derrick Simmons	Frankenmuth
8	Matthew Foor	Carleton Airport

DIVISION THREE

Facts

Grade	Name	Team	Info
12	Kellen Kimes	Hart	State leader in the disc with multiple 180′ throws on the year. Defending champ too!
11	Gavin Nurenberg	Pewamo-Westphalia	Second and fourth in his two past State Finals. Has added some distance, can he graduate to first?
11	Logan Cole	Union City	Occasionally will pop huge throws, two 155’+ efforts on his resume
10	Mason Mayne	Lawton	Region 24 Champ with a massive personal best. Nearly 60′ improvement from freshman year, now reaching into the 170’s.
11	Bennett VandenBerg	Constantine	Undefeated in May and over 150′ in his last three competitions.
12	Ryan McGuire	Elk Rapids	Four meet winning streak, with wins at LMC and Region 21.
10	Mason Brodie	Clinton	Second straight qualifier for this sophomore with a propensity for ripping big throws.
12	Drew VanDyke	Almont	Finished 10th last year with a solid PB on the big stage. Already throwing much further this time around.
12	Reese Greenfelder	Chesaning	MMAC Champ and over 140′ on three of his last four finals.
11	Dalton Brown	Pewamo-Westphalia	Moved up three spots since last year, placing 2nd in Region 30 as opposed to 5th last year.
11	Brogan Dodge	Leslie	His first trip back to the State Finals after finishing 3rd in 2021.
12	Jerrold Atwell	Montrose	Has added nearly 30′ between his junior and senior year.
12	Dylan McDonald	Durand	Back to back 2nd’s in the MMAC and in Region 28.
12	Ian Breen	Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard	Over 140′ twice in May, one of which grabbed the Region 26 crown.
12	Nathan Brewer	Madison Heights Bishop Foley	Undefeated since early May and just blasted a 146′ to win the CHSL Cardinal.
11	Maddox Gonzalez	Standish Sterling	Last three meets a major improvement from earlier in the year, well above 130′.
12	Jason Lundquist	Delton-Kellogg	133′ in the prelims was a major personal best and almost 10′ improvement from last year
10	Carter Helsel	Manton	Slight increase in distance from 2022, major increase in accomplishments. 2nd place in Region 22 nabbed two State Qualifiers for this sophomore.
12	Corbin Bouvy	Reese	126′ to place 2nd in Region 29 was just baaarely his season best.
12	Silas Jancek	Montague	Personal best hasn’t changed from 2022 to 2023, but state qualification has. Region 23 Champ vs. placing 4th there last year.
11	Joe Nymeyer	GR NorthPointe Christian	Over 120′ in his past three tosses.
12	Ladarius Abston	Warren Michigan Collegiate	Busted out a 7′ PR to qualify over in Region 27.

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.
12	Kellen Kimes	Hart	174′ 4″	170′ 7″
11	Gavin Nurenberg	Pewamo-Westphalia	155′ 4″	154′ 1″
11	Logan Cole	Union City	154′ 5″	148′ 4″
10	Mason Mayne	Lawton	152′ 6″	154′ 1″
11	Bennett VandenBerg	Constantine	151′ 5″	147′ 10″
12	Ryan McGuire	Elk Rapids	143′ 8″	142′ 2″
10	Mason Brodie	Clinton	143′ 0″	140′ 2″
12	Drew VanDyke	Almont	141′ 4″	140′ 10″
12	Reese Greenfelder	Chesaning	140′ 4″	137′ 11″
11	Dalton Brown	Pewamo-Westphalia	138′ 12″	135′ 0″
11	Brogan Dodge	Leslie	137′ 7″	135′ 3″
12	Jerrold Atwell	Montrose	136′ 6″	136′ 6″
12	Dylan McDonald	Durand	135′ 10″	129′ 8″
12	Ian Breen	Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard	135′ 10″	137′ 10″
12	Nathan Brewer	Madison Heights Bishop Foley	132′ 8″	127′ 1″
11	Maddox Gonzalez	Standish Sterling	131′ 3″	131′ 6″
12	Jason Lundquist	Delton-Kellogg	127′ 1″	125′ 4″
10	Carter Helsel	Manton	124′ 6″	120′ 4″
12	Corbin Bouvy	Reese	122′ 6″	115′ 0″
12	Silas Jancek	Montague	121′ 3″	118′ 6″
11	Joe Nymeyer	GR NorthPointe Christian	120′ 7″	119′ 5″
12	Ladarius Abston	Warren Michigan Collegiate	113′ 4″	116′ 7″

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Kellen Kimes	Hart
2	Gavin Nurenburg	Pewamo-Westphalia
3	Bennett VandenBerg	Constantine
4	Logan Cole	Union City
5	Mason Mayne	Lawton
6	Ryan McGuire	Elk Rapids
7	Drew VanDyke	Almont
8	Mason Brodie	Clinton

DIVISION FOUR

Facts

Grade	Name	Team	Info
11	Dominic Scharer	Hillsdale Academy	Peaking at the right time, with 150’+ throws at Region 35 and the SCAA, both victories.
11	Kylis Fletcher	Beal City	Capable of tossing it over 150′, as he did early to win at Ithaca.
12	Dakota Kohn	Petersburg-Summerfield	4th Place in 2022 and consistently near 140′ late.
12	Connor Palmer	Deckerville	Undefeated season including Region 38 and NCTL championships.
12	Nathan Buchmann	Kalamazoo Hackett	Has ascended to new level in championship season, around 140′ each time out. Region 34 and Kalamazoo County Champ.
12	Nick Wayne	Britton Deerfield	Third in both the TCC and Region 35. Placed 14th last year.
12	Roman Addison	Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart	Came away with a MSAC victory the other day. Impressive work in a deep throwing conference.
10	Jayden Hanson	Bellaire	146′ to win Region 32 was over a 20′ personal best.
10	Zachary McFarren	Fruitport Calvary Christian	Over 120′ in his past 5 finals.
12	Wyatt Blashfield	Tekonsha	Launched a 130’er to place 3rd in Region 35.
12	Drew McGowan	Morrice	Placed outside of top-10 in Region 39 in 2022, Region 36 champ this time around.
12	Adam Domres	Onekama	Threw almost 20′ more than his regional effort from 2022.
12	Jude Mickevich	Mason County Eastern	Began the year with a 127’er and matched it to qualify last week.
10	Cole Meyer	Marion	Placed 18th last year and is throwing at least 10′ further this year.
12	Oswaldo Nava	Allen Park Cabrini	Region 40 Champ, 25′ improvement from his junior year.
11	Magnus Heckel	Hillsdale Academy	In the 125′ range for his past three finals, the last of which gaining a 4th place SCAA finish.
11	Brandon Pepper	Addison	Another one laying down a personal best on regional day, this time of the 7′ variety.
11	Landon Stuckey	Eau Claire	Over 120′ in three of his past four meets.
10	Zander Mapes	Breckenridge	Best two throws of the year and his past two times out, both at or near 130′.
10	Zion Yoder	Flint Beecher	Region 39 champ has risen from the 110’s to 130’s in a matter of weeks.
11	Easton Boggs	Adrian Lenawee Christian	Almost 40′ improvement from sophomore to junior year.
12	Jack Macha	Marlette	Had only been over 120′ once before, but put it together when it counted.
11	Parker McDonald	Beal City	State qualifier was a 9′ personal best and first time over 125′.
12	Logan Zuchowski	Lincoln-Alcona	More than 20′ improvement from his junior to senior year.
11	Wesley Pennington	East Jordan	Went from 9th in the LMC as a sophomore to 2nd this spring.
12	Dylan Whitacre	Fairview	Consistently between 115′ and 120′.
10	Cole Hufnagel	Fowler	State qualifier was at the time, an 8′ personal best.
12	Benjamin Gavin	Detroit Frederick Douglass	2nd in Region 40 to go along with his Shot Put win.
9	Gabe Walliczeck	Climax-Scotts	122′ is the top mark amongst all D4 freshmen.
12	Kojak Valentine	Mt Clemens	Three straight results over 100′ after previous four were well below that mark.

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.
11	Dominic Scharer	Hillsdale Academy	148′ 4″	139′ 9″
11	Kylis Fletcher	Beal City	146′ 11″	141′ 9″
12	Dakota Kohn	Petersburg-Summerfield	140′ 7″	137′ 6″
12	Connor Palmer	Deckerville	140′ 6″	136′ 4″
12	Nathan Buchmann	Kalamazoo Hackett	138′ 3″	132′ 4″
12	Nick Wayne	Britton Deerfield	131′ 9″	125′ 3″
12	Roman Addison	Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart	130′ 8″	125′ 4″
10	Jayden Hanson	Bellaire	129′ 1″	125′ 4″
10	Zachary McFarren	Fruitport Calvary Christian	128′ 0″	127′ 1″
12	Wyatt Blashfield	Tekonsha	126′ 6″	115′ 8″
12	Drew McGowan	Morrice	126′ 2″	129′ 5″
12	Adam Domres	Onekama	125′ 7″	120′ 7″
12	Jude Mickevich	Mason County Eastern	125′ 7″	116′ 10″
10	Cole Meyer	Marion	124′ 0″	120′ 3″
12	Oswaldo Nava	Allen Park Cabrini	122′ 7″	118′ 8″
11	Magnus Heckel	Hillsdale Academy	122′ 7″	119′ 1″
11	Brandon Pepper	Addison	122′ 3″	116′ 5″
11	Landon Stuckey	Eau Claire	121′ 6″	121′ 6″
10	Zander Mapes	Breckenridge	121′ 6″	115′ 3″
10	Zion Yoder	Flint Beecher	120′ 11″	120′ 11″
11	Easton Boggs	Adrian Lenawee Christian	120′ 9″	120′ 9″
12	Jack Macha	Marlette	119′ 6″	112′ 11″
11	Parker McDonald	Beal City	119′ 4″	116′ 8″
12	Logan Zuchowski	Lincoln-Alcona	118′ 10″	112′ 1″
11	Wesley Pennington	East Jordan	117′ 10″	113′ 7″
12	Dylan Whitacre	Fairview	117′ 4″	113′ 2″
10	Cole Hufnagel	Fowler	116′ 3″	112′ 8″
12	Benjamin Gavin	Detroit Frederick Douglass	115′ 2″	115′ 2″
9	Gabe Walliczeck	Climax-Scotts	114′ 8″	110′ 6″
12	Kojak Valentine	Mt Clemens	104′ 0″	112′ 2″

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Kylis Fletcher	Beal City
2	Dominic Scharer	Hillsdale Academy
3	Dakota Kohn	Petersburg Summerfield
4	Connor Palmer	Deckerville
5	Nathan Buchmann	Kalamazoo Hackett
6	Roman Addison	Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart
7	Drew McGowan	Morrice
8	Zachary McFarren	Fruitport Calvary Christian