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Best Distance Crews: Girls Week Four

To review, these “best crews” were started last year to try to recognize the best teams in each event area, whether that’s the jumps here, or sprints or throws elsewhere. Last year’s version was more complex and relied on having three participants in each event. I’ve changed things a bit this year, mostly to ease the process on my end and have the ability to include more teams.

Here’s the process:

Over the winter, I created my own version of World Athletics Tables, but for Michigan athletes. These are based on times/marks from the 2022 Outdoor Season throughout the US. Their purpose is to compare similar marks across events. Here are the boys and girls tables:

BOYS TABLES

GIRLS TABLES

There are two guidelines for being included. Your mark has to be from this outdoor season and it has to be better than the Regional Additional Qualifying Mark. Marks from this season are taken from the athletic.net performance lists. There will likely be some instances where someone has run a time, but it’s not included on that list. I can’t help that! Please contact the necessary folks to get your name on there.

For each event, with a maximum of four athletes, those scores are added together. Then within a category, those events are added together. Relays are scaled to match their importance within a meet. Often, at the state level, teams score more points from a relay than they would with four individuals running that event (unless you’re elite, in that case you’re limited to 10 points from that event), so they’re given a bit more importance here.

Here’s an example of one of the better early season crews, the Pioneer milers, who’ve been the best in three of the four distance events thus far in 2022:

GradeNameTimeTeamPointsEventTotal
11Rachel Forsyth4:53.0Ann Arbor Pioneer4941600m1747
12Emily Cooper5:00.0Ann Arbor Pioneer4631600m
11Sylvia Sanok Dufallo5:01.0Ann Arbor Pioneer4591600m
11Lydia Bowman5:31.0Ann Arbor Pioneer3301600m

The rankings are composed of results listed on athleticnet by 7pm SATURDAY NIGHT.

As Oak Park begins their quest for a 7th State Title in the past 10 years, they’ll need contributors from all events. They’ve got the hurdlers to pick up the majority of points, but any other contributor will be helpful. Last June, Kylee King put it all on the line to try to regain some ground on Renaissance, running a gutsy 2nd place effort in the 800m. Coach Jiles has a great track record of getting his mid-distance runners to peak at the right time and her 2:16 now is right on pace to put her in contention for a third straight podium finish.

GradeNameTimeTeamPointsEvent
9:11.3Ann Arbor Pioneer16084x800m
11Rachel Forsyth4:53.0Ann Arbor Pioneer4941600m
11Rachel Forsyth2:14.0Ann Arbor Pioneer470800m
12Emily Cooper5:00.0Ann Arbor Pioneer4631600m
11Sylvia Sanok Dufallo5:01.0Ann Arbor Pioneer4591600m
12Emily Cooper2:18.0Ann Arbor Pioneer433800m
11Sylvia Sanok Dufallo2:20.0Ann Arbor Pioneer415800m
11Natalie Mello11:25.4Ann Arbor Pioneer4053200m
12Allison Nutt11:46.8Ann Arbor Pioneer3693200m
11Katie Hume11:56.7Ann Arbor Pioneer3523200m
11Natalie Mello2:27.6Ann Arbor Pioneer346800m
11Lydia Bowman5:31.0Ann Arbor Pioneer3301600m
11Lydia Bowman12:09.0Ann Arbor Pioneer3303200m
12Allison Nutt5:34.0Ann Arbor Pioneer3181600m

D1 RankTeam800m1600m3200m4×8Total
1Ann Arbor Pioneer16651747145616086475
2Saline01087149312733854
3Northville80872178711923507
4Romeo348742112311123325
5St. Joseph7627737298733136
6Traverse City West7604164199702565
7Highland-Milford755652011462554
8Lowell78786287202522
9Zeeland East37371841510002506
10Holland West Ottawa123888737702502
11Oxford3617373379662401
12Livonia Stevenson3627053708482284
13Howell037367611922241
14H.H. Dow3526753328712229
15Brighton0987012082196
16Jenison35335236710792151
17Grand Haven8210011341955
18Ann Arbor Skyline35380571701875
19Lake Orion37440509191699
20Livonia Franklin352033210081692
21Walled Lake Western35231809601629
22Macomb Dakota03183469401604
23Kalamazoo Loy Norrix03223428531518
24South Lyon East36171034201413
25Grand Ledge40642942801263

The 1600m at the Lakewood Invite was loaded with familiar D2 names. Janesak, Germain, DeVries, Mitchell, Hoffman. But one old familiar name came through at the end: Meghan Ford. The Mason junior ran her fastest time she’s ever raced in the first half of April. Although her sophomore track season wasn’t the greatest, we should still remember she’s been 3x All-State in cross and was 3rd in the 3200m as a freshman.

GradeNameTimeTeamPointsEvent
10:18.6Otsego8654x800m
11Megan Germain11:18.3Otsego4183200m
9Emma Hoffman11:24.3Otsego4073200m
11Megan Germain5:14.0Otsego4031600m
9Emma Hoffman5:23.9Otsego3611600m
11Megan Germain2:27.6Otsego346800m
9Emma Hoffman2:32.1Otsego306800m
11Logan Brazee2:33.5Otsego293800m
10Taylor Mitchell5:40.9Otsego2881600m
11Logan Brazee5:45.0Otsego2701600m

D2 RankTeam800m1600m3200m4×8Total
1Otsego94413238258653957
2East Grand Rapids1064105567311023893
3Grand Rapids Christian707765103810503560
4Spring Lake7326823118972622
5Monroe Jefferson3466166589562576
6Shepherd32457831310412255
7Tecumseh35234437410222092
8Freeland2912876308652073
9Goodrich3705903207672047
10Ludington2812926108212005
11Petoskey3065923637331995
12Adrian2873262908731777
13Whitehall64962933901617
14St. Johns03313548771563
15Mason35240806911451
16Sparta37039165001411
17Sturgis64535630401305
18GR West Michigan Aviation039908251224
19Forest Hills Eastern031308921205
20Alma35433637901069
21Stevensville Lakeshore353007121065
22Dearborn Divine Child288007461034
23Chelsea3003523450997
24Grand Rapids South Christian00315655969
25Grand Rapids Catholic Central3433132890945

Did we get an early state finals preview in the 800m? I think we did. Sadly, it doesn’t appear that Emmry Ross and Madison Osterberg will face again until June, but this matchup contained all the drama. Ross came off her 400m win, Osterberg off her 1600m win. Ross came back in the final 10m to snatch a victory. What’s impressive to me is that she showed she can pull off this difficult double, coming back from sprinting a 57.7. What intrigues me is the confidence gained from doing so and the thorn placed in Madison’s side that will surely be motivation for revenge come June.

GradeNameTimeTeamPointsEvent
10:26.3Hart7944x800m
10Jessica Jazwinski4:57.0Hart4761600m
10Jessica Jazwinski10:47.0Hart4723200m
10Jessica Jazwinski2:19.0Hart424800m
11Alyson Enns5:17.0Hart3901600m
11Alyson Enns2:24.0Hart379800m
11Alyson Enns11:42.0Hart3773200m

D3 RankTeam800m1600m3200m4×8Total
1Hart8038678497943313
2Pewamo-Westphalia126157507632599
3Jackson Lumen Christi47968928010222470
4Onsted4813953629552193
5Stanton Central Montcalm4876805244592151
6Caro3205922856611858
7Lansing Catholic69476835601819
8Kent City2975843044361621
9Reese2634382346811615
10St. Louis3143205134561604
11Elk Rapids2922863386781594
12Ida3614382465331578
13Boyne City3863892664811522
14Remus Chippewa Hills2602662766691471
15Hanover-Horton53328005931406
16Benzie Central03523495901291
17Lawton713401001114
18Ithaca02272516271105
19Erie Mason24419506151055
20Morley-Stanwood2973283530978
21Grand Traverse Academy0266242447956
22Bridgman0250240451942
23Olivet24300531774
24Saranac37037800747
25Charlevoix2322362730741

Her freshman year openers were 2:33/5:32. Her sophomore year openers were 2:30/5:28. Her junior year openers blow those two out of the water: 2:16/5:05. Considering she ended her freshman year with one state title, her sophomore year with two state titles, D4 is likely in for more of the same result. Aiden Harrand is back, this time with her merry band of Buckley Bears. Can she pull off the distance triple? That’s not my decision, but definitely within her wheelhouse. One thing for sure, their 4×4 might be able to score points. Their 4:18 now ranks 3rd in D4, if placed in the 2022 Finals, that time is on the medal stand. We saw last year how Western Michigan Christian won a title largely from their distance folks, perhaps Buckley can do the same.

GradeNameTimeTeamPointsEvent
10:24.6Fowler8104x800m
12Grace Epkey2:32.0Fowler306800m
10Kelcie Pung2:36.4Fowler266800m
10Kelcie Pung12:55.2Fowler2503200m
10Kelcie Pung5:52.0Fowler2401600m
10Ella Hufnagel2:41.0Fowler224800m

D4 RankTeam800m1600m3200m4×8Total
1Fowler7972402508102097
2Muskegon Western Mich. Christian75036606851801
3Hillsdale Academy6454403702641719
4Pittsford4851632776121537
5Petoskey St. Michael46843555401457
6Adrian Lenawee Christian54530004951341
7Portland St. Patrick664005691233
8Breckenridge18726905891046
9Brown City233197205302937
10St. Joseph Our Lady of the Lake Catholic0267289373928
11Buckley44844200890
12Kalamazoo Hackett2432360364843
13Genesee2172972780791
14Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart3572042160777
15Libertas Christian1631320425720
16The Potter’s House01930509702
17Addison44922900677
18Allen Park Cabrini03003730674
19Morenci000631631
20Ubly1880208233629
21Marcellus2151672340616
22Big Rapids Crossroads Academy2152021970614
23Leland00253335588
24Kingston02140364578
25Deckerville1792271660572

And of course, the UP:

UP RankTeam800m1600m3200m4×8Total
1Sault Ste. Marie4221292093571117
2Manistique000330330
Uncategorized

Best Hurdle Crews: Boys Week Three

And now we’re done. All events, both genders are covered. It’ll be such a fast weekend and there’s plenty of meets to lay down some blazin’ marks.

To review, these “best crews” were started last year to try to recognize the best teams in each event area, whether that’s the jumps here, or sprints or throws elsewhere. Last year’s version was more complex and relied on having three participants in each event. I’ve changed things a bit this year, mostly to ease the process on my end and have the ability to include more teams.

Here’s the process:

Over the winter, I created my own version of World Athletics Tables, but for Michigan athletes. These are based on times/marks from the 2022 Outdoor Season throughout the US. Their purpose is to compare across events. Here are the boys tables:

BOYS TABLES

GIRLS TABLES

There are two guidelines for being included. Your mark has to be from this outdoor season and it has to be better than the Regional Additional Qualifying Mark. Marks from this season are taken from the athletic.net performance lists. There will likely be some instances where someone has run a time, but it’s not included on that list. I can’t help that! Please contact the necessary folks to get your name on there.

For each event, with a maximum of four athletes, those scores are added together. Then within a category, those events are added together. Relays are scaled to match their importance within a meet. Often, at the state level, teams score more points from a relay than they would with four individuals running that event, so they’re given a bit more importance here.

Here’s an example of one of the better early season crews, the Traverse City West high hurdlers, with their varied mix of seniors and freshmen:

GradeNameTimeTeamPointsScore
11Wally Tupper15.41Traverse City West4021096
11Parker Kirschner16.00Traverse City West356
9Aaryn Stallworth16.23Traverse City West338

These three combined for 14 points in the 110s at Davison’s Shake off the Rust Invite and on Wednesday, swept Gaylord.

The times and results for these rankings are anything that was on athleticnet before THURSDAY NIGHT.

Whichever event he lays his hands on, he finds success. Beyond his two All-State finishes in the short sprints at the 2022 D1 State Finals, Braxton Brann also flashed some hurdling magnificence. He placed 2nd in the SEC Red with a 14.70 in the 110s and went undefeated in three duals in the 300s. His first meet out in 2023, a tri against Lincoln and Monroe, showed even more explosion than last year. Personal bests in both events, including a 14.15 in the high hurdles. The 60h work over the winter has certainly paid off, leading to great accomplishments indoors (MITS title) and a high possibility of great accomplishments outdoors.

GradeNameTimeTeamPointsEvent
12Joshua Hurt15.01East Kentwood432110h
12Nakia Willis41.00East Kentwood404300h
12Nakia Willis15.47East Kentwood397110h
12Joshua Hurt41.23East Kentwood397300h

D1 RankTeam110h300hTotal
1East Kentwood8298011630
2Traverse City West10963971493
3Rochester Adams10553891444
4Detroit Cass Tech8684591327
5Ann Arbor Huron498449948
6Kalamazoo Central446418864
7Holt429417846
8Kalamazoo Loy Norrix437401838
9Detroit U-D Jesuit8270827
10Walled Lake Northern382421803
11West Bloomfield361403764
12Grandville354369723
13Zeeland West333380713
14Temperance Bedford6990699
15Caledonia4220422
16Belleville4150415
17Brighton4080408
18Detroit Catholic Central4070407
19Beverly Hills Groves0404404
20Rockford0383383

Coming in first for my 2022 D2 All Around Athlete was Spring Lake’s Jaxson Tober. He attained that honor largely thanks to his hurdling prowess, and it appears he’s improved from last year. At this date in 2022, he had season bests of 15.68 and 43.57. As of now, he’s at 15.42 and 41.31. Don’t be shocked if he busts through some major barriers in the coming months and scores considerable points at the state level.

GradeNameTimeTeamPointsEvent
12Tyler Hufnagel16.06Owosso352110h
12Tyler Hufnagel43.29Owosso332300h
11Gavin Mecomber16.42Owosso324110h

D2 RankTeam110h300hTotal
1Owosso6753321007
2Hamilton645343988
3Spring Lake401394795
4Grand Rapids Catholic Central7010701
5Adrian6870687
6Monroe Jefferson307359666
7Whitehall6650665
8Paw Paw308348657
9Battle Creek Harper Creek316330646
10Fremont292342634
11Gladwin292340631
12Goodrich307310617
13Mason3830383
14Charlotte3430343
15Kingsley0338338
16Macomb Lutheran North3380338
17Frankenmuth3320332
18Ludington3260326
19Allendale3240324
20Vicksburg0321321

His freshman year was the standard for any freshman. Throw them in a ton of events, a few relays, show some potential, and then… win a dang conference title. Caleb Walker has taken his high hurdle conference title and ran with it. His first two 110h efforts of the year were both victories and both considerable personal bests. It’s not as if this is a one off thing, his 200m/400m races also produced 2-3 second bests.

GradeNameTimeTeamPointsEvent
12Riley Parker43.47Caro326300h
11Trace Englemann16.57Caro312110h
12John Reyes44.27Caro301300h
11Trace Englemann44.62Caro290300h
12Riley Parker17.14Caro268110h
12John Reyes17.41Caro248110h

D3 RankTeam110h300hTotal
1Caro8289181746
2Chesaning8986261523
3Clare5356961231
4Napoleon9280928
5Hillsdale568319888
6Olivet553311864
7Erie Mason538279817
8Delton-Kellogg375373748
9Lakeview334328662
10Warren Michigan Collegiate6360636
11Almont325309635
12Hart306322628
13Pewamo-Westphalia276339615
14Bangor299315614
15Burton Atherton6110611
16Hemlock265335600
17Montague236331568
18Bath269295564
19Ottawa Lake-Whiteford224308532
20Saugatuck213288501

There are names you see over and over. Mid-Michigan has a ton of Feldpausch’s, and it seems every last one runs track or cross country. Brady Feldpausch is one of many with that surname and one of many in the Fowler tradition. His sophomore year has seen quite a leap, progressing from 17.7 to 16.3 in the high hurdles and 45.3 to 42.6 in the 300s. Both times would’ve ranked in the top-20 in 2022 and we still have six+ weeks left. I’m excited to see how he builds upon the gains he’s already made.

GradeNameTimeTeamPointsEvent
10Brady Feldpausch42.65Fowler352300h
10Brady Feldpausch16.39Fowler326110h
11Tristan Smith45.44Fowler264300h
11Tristan Smith17.56Fowler236110h

D4 RankTeam110h300hTotal
1Fowler5626171179
2Marion418326744
3Morrice451283733
4Portland St. Patrick189472661
5Beal City250295545
6Dansville277259536
7International Academy of Flint225290514
8Concord238222460
9Mio Ausable236222458
10Martin137317454
11Marcellus192255447
12Morenci138268405
13Onaway0261261
14Birmingham Roeper0232232
15Fairview0229229
16Bellaire2220222
17Brethren2070207
18Mason County Eastern1770177
19Kingston1690169
20Petersburg-Summerfield1670167

And look at this – TWO Upper Peninsula teams, getting work in before another snow storm hits early next week.

UP RankTeam110h300hTotal
1Gladstone491340831
2Sault Ste. Marie1190119
Uncategorized

Best Hurdle Crews: Girls Week Three

Finally here with the last of the event area. Now I should be able to establish a consistent rhythm. Jumps, Vault, Hurdles, Distance, Throws, Sprints – on a two week cycle.

To review, these “best crews” were started last year to try to recognize the best teams in each event area, whether that’s the jumps here, or sprints or throws elsewhere. Last year’s version was more complex and relied on having three participants in each event. I’ve changed things a bit this year, mostly to ease the process on my end and have the ability to include more teams.

Here’s the process:

Over the winter, I created my own version of World Athletics Tables, but for Michigan athletes. These are based on times/marks from the 2022 Outdoor Season throughout the US. Their purpose is to compare across events. Here are the boys tables:

BOYS TABLES

GIRLS TABLES

There are two guidelines for being included. Your mark has to be from this outdoor season and it has to be better than the Regional Additional Qualifying Mark. Marks from this season are taken from the athletic.net performance lists. There will likely be some instances where someone has run a time, but it’s not included on that list. I can’t help that! Please contact the necessary folks to get your name on there.

For each event, with a maximum of four athletes, those scores are added together. Then within a category, those events are added together. Relays are scaled to match their importance within a meet. Often, at the state level, teams score more points from a relay than they would with four individuals running that event, so they’re given a bit more importance here. Here’s an example of (no shocker) one of the better early season crews:

GradeNameTimeTeamEventPoints
12Nonah Waldron13.71Oak Park100h528
11Morgan Roundtree14.56Oak Park100h477
10Carrie VanNoy15.25Oak Park100h435

These include anything listed on athleticnet as of 10pm WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

As told in Jeff Hollobaugh’s excellent Michtrack Newsletter (which also features an interview from Nonah Waldron), Maya Rollins has hurdling genes. Her father competed for Barbados and was a MAC Champion at Eastern Michigan. So it’s no shocker when she opens with a 14.53, a two year PB in the making. She was running similar times at 2021’s Regionals, where she captured a Regional Championship. It didn’t work out at the state level, but I’m sure that fire runs deep to make a dent in the D1 standings.

GradeNameTimeTeamEventPoints
12Nonah Waldron13.71Oak Park100h528
11Morgan Roundtree42.64Oak Park300h518
11Morgan Roundtree14.56Oak Park100h477
10Carrie VanNoy15.25Oak Park100h435

D1 RankTeam100h300hTotal
1Oak Park14405181958
2Ypsilanti Lincoln6988201518
3East Kentwood7147311445
4Detroit Cass Tech442425866
5Plymouth364397761
6Oxford362389751
7Portage Central364363727
8Northville357363720
9Byron Center328362690
10Ann Arbor Pioneer4780478
11Port Huron Northern4260426
12Walled Lake Central4100410
13Highland-Milford0385385
14Jackson0383383
15Traverse City West0351351
16Caledonia3510351
17East Lansing0341341
18Auburn Hills Avondale3380338
19Zeeland East3370337
20Lake Orion3340334

It’s been a career of steady improvement, dropping time down into the 48’s as a freshman, the 47’s as a sophomore, and now opening with a 47.64. Annabelle Densmore has shown her April form is not her June form, and if that’s the case in 2023, she’ll make some serious noise. The two-time CAAC White Champ finished 9th at the D2 State Finals last year and early returns suggest she’s capable of graduating to that medal stand.

GradeNameTimeTeamEventPoints
11Leila Wells16.29Chelsea100h372
11Leila Wells51.16Chelsea300h318
9India Barney17.22Chelsea100h315

D2 RankTeam100h300hTotal
1Chelsea6873181006
2Freeland592366958
3Grand Rapids Christian646298944
4Middleville Thornapple-Kellogg371372743
5Charlotte285401686
6Mason358302659
7Hopkins318314632
8Hastings308306613
9Kingsley5700570
10Vicksburg3760376
11Clio3500350
12Wayland Union3400340
13Three Rivers3370337
14Ogemaw Heights3350335
15Tecumseh3290329
16Shepherd3230323
17Portland3180318
18Frankenmuth3170317
19Gaylord0314314
20Grand Rapids South Christian0310310

Undefeated as an 8th grade hurdler, Greater Lansing Champ, GLAC Champ, the question is how would it translate to higher barriers and longer distances? Thus far, no difference for Olivet’s Emily Peters. She’s had two efforts in the 300s, both sub-50, her best being a 47.66. Looking back to 2022, a comparable mark would likely place at D3 State. Obviously there’s much time between now and then, but the intrigue is high here.

GradeNameTimeTeamEventPoints
9Emily Peters47.66Olivet300h401
9Emily Peters17.22Olivet100h315
10Sophia Pell52.19Olivet300h294
12Alyssa Kennedy18.17Olivet100h258
12Megan Neitzel18.36Olivet100h246
10Sophia Pell18.39Olivet100h245

D3 RankTeam100h300hTotal
1Olivet10646951759
2Clare8575121369
3Pewamo-Westphalia6636981361
4Remus Chippewa Hills300309608
5Erie Mason288319608
6Hillsdale5980598
7Hanover-Horton264326590
8Quincy265301566
9Lansing Catholic257307564
10Saugatuck265257522
11Bath3090309
12Grand Traverse Academy2770277
13Lawton2760276
14Manistee0267267
15Caro2640264
16Bronson0264264
17Saginaw Valley Lutheran0257257
18Ottawa Lake-Whiteford0256256
19Mason County Central0251251
20Ida0250250

Molly Brown was in the same boat as Peters last year. She qualified for D4 State in both the high and low hurdles, grabbing 4 points in the 300h. Molly had a string of 2nd place finishes – Cascades Conference, Region 36, Lenawee County. If April is any indicator, she’s primed to turn a few of those into victories. Her 16.23 opener is a half second faster than any mark in 2022.

GradeNameTimeTeamEventPoints
10Rebecca Moeller53.65Deckerville300h260
10Aubree Moeller18.21Deckerville100h255
10Rebecca Moeller18.24Deckerville100h254
10Aubree Moeller54.71Deckerville300h235

D4 RankTeam100h300hTotal
1Deckerville5094951004
2Morenci380556936
3Mason County Eastern514244758
4Fowler404349753
5Addison375352728
6Portland St. Patrick323351674
7Dryden257294551
8Mayville272242514
9St. Charles234238472
10Frankfort222237458
11Fulton229209438
12Indian River Inland Lakes0347347
13Pittsford3020302
14Mio Ausable0269269
15The Potter’s House0256256
16Fairview2550255
17Brethren0253253
18International Academy of Flint0244244
19Genesee0225225
20Marcellus2170217

And as the only Upper Peninsula team to qualify…

UP RankTeam100h300hTotal
1Sault Ste. Marie511285796