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STATE RECORDS

Lightly Stressed

Boys 800m – 1:47.55

Probably not in the cards this year, but watch for Wendell Childs and Greg Myers to give this a good challenge in the coming years. Childs’ 1:51.7 at Oakland was a second off the sophomore class record.

Boys 4×2 – 1:25.0

One of the older records in the book, a 1:25.0 held by Detroit Cass Tech. At the KLAA Championships, Belleville popped a 1:26.01. You gotta imagine they have more in tank when a Grand Haven comes challenging.

Feeling Pressure

On paper, Holland West Ottawa can have enough to give this some heat. The Wierks twins, Emma Gunnett, and Helen Sachs all have sub-2:15 capability.

Boys 300h – 35.90

In a low-key, mid-April dual, Will Jaiden Smith ripped a 36.87. If he can do that on a sleepy weekday night, what’s he got in store for a hype-filled Saturday?

Boys 4×1 – 41.11

Grand Haven has scary depth in the sprints, three under 10.8. They’ve combined that for a clutch relay performance, narrowly winning their region over Hudsonville, and also roaring to a 41.69 in mid-April.

Under Duress

Boys 110h – 13.48

In early April, we were treated to one of the better hurdle shows Michigan has ever seen. Will Jaiden Smith, Schmar Gamble, and Zacchaeus Brocks all hitting the line in 13.7 and under. Smith’s 13.53 was good for #2 all-time in Michigan history, a mere 0.05 off the long-time record. It appears we’ll have a tailwind and the warmest temperatures in some time…

Girls Shot Put – 52’ 10.75”

Girls Discus – 166’ 11”

Barreling toward these throws is Lorelai Zielinski. The Traverse City Central sophomore is rapidly improving, gaining 5’ in the shot and 21’ in the disc since her freshman year. We could have a wild scenario where both Lorelai and Addyson Stiverson hold the shot put record on the same day.

Boys Long Jump – 25′ 2.5″

Another long-standing record, this one from 1988. Quincy Isaac has tied this. Now he has the chance to break through and make it all his own (*edit is thanks to Jeff Hollobaugh. I guess there were wind gauges in both occasions. This is another reason I’m not super invested in records, I’m not detail oriented enough) Anyhow, given the warmer temps, heightened stakes, and Isaac’s experience, I expect big things.

STATE MEET RECORDS

Lightly Stressed

Girls 200m – 23.51

Girls 800m – 2:06.35

Girls High Jump – 5’ 11”

Boys 800m – 1:48.98

Many of these are a look toward the future, where youngsters such as Caylin Ivy, Janae Coleman, or Wendell Childs will be in giving them a bit more heat. For now, we view the seeds, such as Ivy’s 24.02 or Janae’s 2:09 win at the Brooks PR meet last June. We saw the seeds early for Greta Caprathe, who found 5’ 7” as a sophomore, had a bit of a downturn as a junior, then has been on the comeback trail as a senior, her 5’ 9” ranking #1 in D1.

Feeling Pressure

Girls 100m – 11.54

Girls 4×4 – 3:45.13

Girls 4×8 – 8:48.29

Girls Pole Vault – 13’ 4”

Boys 300h – 35.90

Boys 4×1 – 41.20

The relays look to be challenged on paper, but run into factors of tired legs, conserved energy, and tight precision. Kamryn Tatum has found her way back into the 11’s and we have two years of experience knowing she can handle state meet pressure. The girls vault has four girls that have hit 12’ 6” or higher and it’s easy to envision a scenario where a few get to 13’. From then on, record attempts could be in the cards.

Under Duress

Girls 3200m – 10:08.07

Girls Shot Put – 49’ 11.75”

Girls Discus – 163’ 9”

Boys 100m – 10.53

Boys 200m – 21.01

Boys 110h – 13.65

Boys 4×2 – 1:25.53

Boys Long Jump – 24’ 2.75”

These have all either been hit this year (Natasza Dudek, Lorelai Zielinski, Will Jaiden Smith, Quincy Isaac) or have enough candidates nearby that there are high odds that one will rise to the occasion tomorrow.

Intriguing Events and Happenings

Here’s what I’m looking forward to the most:

The Northville coaches always love when I light the match and fuel the fire, but I think this may be the year they’re challenged. The Clarkston team consists of a few of the kids that won the DMR indoors and they add in Wendell Childs. Gonna be a battle of a team that’s been there before vs. one that has the pieces, but has yet to prove it on the outdoor state stage.

The strategies at play during the Boys 3200m. Kyle O’Rourke has seemingly run each race with intention. That has worked out in terms of time (#1 seed) and at various instances during XC (Jackson, Oakland County). At MIS, Seth Conner imposed his will during the finishing stretch, he’ll look to come in clutch in the final laps again tomorrow.

Getting to the field area early and watching Quincy Isaac long jump. He’s a familiar face at this stage and hopes to firmly etch his name in history.

Seeing a repeat of the race in the graphic. Just watch the video here.

Viewing another version of the Barnyard Mile. D3’s Emmry Ross sped ahead for the win, but she was followed by a host of D1 girls. Valerie Beeck and Lucy Cook have superb closing speed, Natasza Dudek holds the quickest 3200m on the year, Helen Sachs and Victoria Garces are XC state champions.

While not watching Isaac jump, heading over to see Lorelai Zielinski throw. She adds considerable feet to her throws on a weekly basis. The latest version was a 4’ jump in the disc, placing her within 3’ of all-time state supremacy.

Sleeping soundly for more than 6 hours tonight.

Catching up with you all tomorrow. I’ll be in East Kentwood all day. Come say hi.

Potential Girls Team Champions

Generally, I tend to think this is pretty simple. One needs elite athletes, the advantage being more of them. Those elite athletes need to score what they’re capable of, buoyed by those who would be stepping up when less expected.

Oak Park – since Brandon Jiles took over the Knight program and got it humming, there have been two teams and one pandemic that have prevented them from winning a title. They’ve stuck to their tried and true formula, hoping to dominate the hurdles by a significant margin, be on top in the sprints, and find points elsewhere. The hurdle gap likely won’t be as enormous, but they’ve mitigated that by throwing down one of the better 4×8 squads this year.

Beyond Oak Park, it’ll probably be Detroit Renaissance and Detroit Cass Tech coming in for second place. The teams have similar characteristics, with one major difference, the Phoenix having one of the better long jumpers in the state. An early 10-spot may vault Renni toward trophy land.

Potential Boys Team Champions

Belleville – taking what Candace Price learned from her days at Pioneer. Turn your kids into hurdlers and watch them blossom in an event that some ignore. Will Jaiden Smith, Schmar Gamble, Timothy Pinard all can be point getters for the Tigers. Those guys don’t just have excellent technique, they can roar through the short sprints too, being in contention for the 4×2 and individual glory in that same distance.

Grand Haven – takes incredible depth in the short sprints (4 under 10.8 and 22.3) and hopes to turn that into points. Differing from Belleville, rapidly improving sophomore Luka Hammond can gain points in distance races and perhaps anchor a podium worthy 4×8 in the morning.

With the 4×8, hurdle & short sprint prelims, high hurdle, and 100m finals early, we’ll know before 1pm how the day might turn.

GIRLS TEAM PREDICTIONS

BOYS TEAM PREDICTIONS

Girls Event Predictions

Place	Team	Event
1st	Detroit Renaissance	4×1
2nd	Oak Park	4×1
3rd	West Bloomfield	4×1
4th	East Kentwood	4×1
5th	Belleville	4×1
6th	Troy Athens	4×1
7th	Rockford	4×1
8th	Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills	4×1
Place	Team	Event
1st	Saginaw Heritage	4×2
2nd	Oak Park	4×2
3rd	Detroit Cass Tech	4×2
4th	Detroit Renaissance	4×2
5th	East Kentwood	4×2
6th	Romeo	4×2
7th	West Bloomfield	4×2
8th	Forest Hills Central	4×2
Place	Team	Event
1st	Oak Park	4×4
2nd	Detroit Cass Tech	4×4
3rd	Detroit Renaissance	4×4
4th	Holland West Ottawa	4×4
5th	Ann Arbor Huron	4×4
6th	Romeo	4×4
7th	Grand Haven	4×4
8th	Belleville	4×4
Place	Team	Event
1st	Holland West Ottawa	4×8
2nd	Romeo	4×8
3rd	Oak Park	4×8
4th	Grand Haven	4×8
5th	Rochester	4×8
6th	Zeeland East	4×8
7th	Ann Arbor Huron	4×8
8th	Ann Arbor Pioneer	4×8

Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Lorelai Zielinski	Traverse City Central	Discus
2nd	Jada Ewell	Royal Oak	Discus
3rd	Leigha Stoepker	Jenison	Discus
4th	Olivia Hosford	Rockford	Discus
5th	Ellie Mendoza	Rochester	Discus
6th	Edimari King	Farmington	Discus
7th	Charlotte Minor	Livonia Churchill	Discus
8th	Melody Kauffman	Alpena	Discus
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Lorelai Zielinski	Traverse City Central	Shot Put
2nd	Leigha Stoepker	Jenison	Shot Put
3rd	Izzy Krause	Plymouth	Shot Put
4th	Abigail Shealy	Midland	Shot Put
5th	Emma Kanka	Howell	Shot Put
6th	Elizabeth Watkin	Holland West Ottawa	Shot Put
7th	Olivia Hosford	Rockford	Shot Put
8th	Charlotte Martin	Warren Cousino	Shot Put
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Katie Blue	Grand Ledge	Pole Vault
2nd	Izzy Robbins	Grand Haven	Pole Vault
3rd	Isabel German	Lowell	Pole Vault
4th	Raiden Kipfmiller	Dexter	Pole Vault
5th	Olivia Bagdasarian	Lake Orion	Pole Vault
6th	Aubree Bowers	Forest Hills Central	Pole Vault
7th	Maiya Corrigan	Rockford	Pole Vault
8th	Debbie McCoy	Dexter	Pole Vault
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Greta Caprathe	Rockford	High Jump
2nd	Natalie Formsma	Byron Center	High Jump
3rd	Nadia Hill	Muskegon	High Jump
4th	Rocsi Ferguson	Woodhaven Brownstown	High Jump
5th	Tori Lator	Mason	High Jump
6th	Abak Lual	East Kentwood	High Jump
7th	Tessa White	Livonia Franklin	High Jump
8th	Layla Visser	Rockford	High Jump
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Celeste Davis	Detroit Renaissance	Long Jump
2nd	Maya Justice	Woodhaven Brownstown	Long Jump
3rd	Fiona Kane	Dearborn Edsel Ford	Long Jump
4th	Greta Caprathe	Rockford	Long Jump
5th	Raquel Walker	Muskegon Reeths-Puffer	Long Jump
6th	Natalie Formsma	Byron Center	Long Jump
7th	Mirra Fenlon	Zeeland East	Long Jump
8th	Kyleigh Peacock	Troy	Long Jump

Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Kamryn Tatum	West Bloomfield	100m
2nd	Jayla Dace	Detroit Renaissance	100m
3rd	Jordynn Young	Saginaw Heritage	100m
4th	Taryn Henderson	Farmington Hills Mercy	100m
5th	Willow Mason	Saginaw Heritage	100m
6th	Madelyn Piotrowski	Troy Athens	100m
7th	Asia Elder	Oak Park	100m
8th	Nahya Daza	Forest Hills Northern	100m
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Kamryn Tatum	West Bloomfield	200m
2nd	Nevaeh Burns	Oak Park	200m
3rd	Malise Brown	Detroit Cass Tech	200m
4th	Caylin Ivy	Detroit Cass Tech	200m
5th	Taryn Henderson	Farmington Hills Mercy	200m
6th	Willow Mason	Saginaw Heritage	200m
7th	Jayla Dace	Detroit Renaissance	200m
8th	Emma Nicholson	Utica Ford	200m
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Nevaeh Burns	Oak Park	400m
2nd	Malise Brown	Detroit Cass Tech	400m
3rd	Caylin Ivy	Detroit Cass Tech	400m
4th	Mauriel Seeburger	Portage Northern	400m
5th	Janae Coleman	Oak Park	400m
6th	Maya Justice	Woodhaven Brownstown	400m
7th	Dayshana Kellogg	Oak Park	400m
8th	Sydney Roberts	Midland Dow	400m

Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Valerie Beeck	Grand Haven	800m
2nd	Collette Wierks	Holland West Ottawa	800m
3rd	Janae Coleman	Oak Park	800m
4th	Meredith Cook	Zeeland East	800m
5th	Addy Smith	Grand Haven	800m
6th	Ella Wierks	Holland West Ottawa	800m
7th	Reese Smith	Traverse City West	800m
8th	Emma Gunnett	Holland West Ottawa	800m
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Victoria Garces	Midland Dow	1600m
2nd	Natasza Dudek	Ann Arbor Pioneer	1600m
3rd	Valerie Beeck	Grand Haven	1600m
4th	Lucy Cook	Rochester	1600m
5th	Ella Goodsell	Romeo	1600m
6th	Helen Sachs	Holland West Ottawa	1600m
7th	Natalia Guaresimo	Romeo	1600m
8th	Kaelin Hughes	Livonia Stevenson	1600m
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Natasza Dudek	Ann Arbor Pioneer	3200m
2nd	Victoria Garces	Midland Dow	3200m
3rd	Helen Sachs	Holland West Ottawa	3200m
4th	Lucy Cook	Rochester	3200m
5th	Kaelin Hughes	Livonia Stevenson	3200m
6th	Ella Goodsell	Romeo	3200m
7th	Ava Porras	Holland West Ottawa	3200m
8th	Annie Hrabovsky	Romeo	3200m

Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Carrie VanNoy	Oak Park	100h
2nd	Laila Hawkins	Detroit Cass Tech	100h
3rd	Jada Wilson	Belleville	100h
4th	Jayda Watson	Oak Park	100h
5th	Mia Barnett	Chippewa Valley	100h
6th	Celeste Davis	Detroit Renaissance	100h
7th	Payton Gee	Oak Park	100h
8th	Brooklyn Cotton	Royal Oak	100h
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Jada Wilson	Belleville	300h
2nd	Carrie VanNoy	Oak Park	300h
3rd	Rylie Bacon	Detroit Renaissance	300h
4th	Laila Hawkins	Detroit Cass Tech	300h
5th	Aliyah Ferguson	Ann Arbor Huron	300h
6th	Brooklyn Harmon	Middleville Thornapple-Kellogg	300h
7th	Natalia Bohn	Salem	300h
8th	Lauren Bickerdt	Detroit Renaissance	300h

Boys Event Predictions

Place	Team	Event
1st	Grand Haven	4×1
2nd	Detroit Catholic Central	4×1
3rd	Walled Lake Western	4×1
4th	Sterling Heights Stevenson	4×1
5th	Warren DeLaSalle	4×1
6th	Hudsonville	4×1
7th	Portage Northern	4×1
8th	Saline	4×1
Place	Team	Event
1st	Belleville	4×2
2nd	Grand Haven	4×2
3rd	Kalamazoo Central	4×2
4th	Walled Lake Western	4×2
5th	Canton	4×2
6th	Oak Park	4×2
7th	East Kentwood	4×2
8th	Saginaw Heritage	4×2
Place	Team	Event
1st	Oak Park	4×4
2nd	Detroit Cass Tech	4×4
3rd	Ann Arbor Huron	4×4
4th	Clarkston	4×4
5th	Troy Athens	4×4
6th	Grand Haven	4×4
7th	Northville	4×4
8th	Detroit Catholic Central	4×4
Place	Team	Event
1st	Clarkston	4×8
2nd	Northville	4×8
3rd	Grand Haven	4×8
4th	Ann Arbor Pioneer	4×8
5th	Plymouth	4×8
6th	Ann Arbor Skyline	4×8
7th	Saline	4×8
8th	Utica	4×8

Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Ray Glory Ejoyokah	Beverly Hills Groves	Discus
2nd	Carl Flinton	Holt	Discus
3rd	Maxwell Stoecker	Midland	Discus
4th	Andre Neumann	White Lake Lakeland	Discus
5th	Ty Ellis	Grand Ledge	Discus
6th	Ja’Mari Taylor	Muskegon Mona Shores	Discus
7th	Conrad Squitieri	Grosse Pointe South	Discus
8th	Cameron Gramzow	Anchor Bay	Discus
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Maxwell Stoecker	Midland	Shot Put
2nd	Garrod Alexander	Walled Lake Central	Shot Put
3rd	Dominic Weatherly	L’Anse Creuse	Shot Put
4th	Andre Neumann	White Lake Lakeland	Shot Put
5th	Spencer Beckeman	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	Shot Put
6th	Grayson Byam	Saginaw Heritage	Shot Put
7th	Hudson Pant	Cedar Springs	Shot Put
8th	Evan Woodruff	Midland	Shot Put
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Reece Emeott	East Kentwood	Pole Vault
2nd	Asher Paul	Traverse City Central	Pole Vault
3rd	Grady Myers	Forest Hills Northern	Pole Vault
4th	Sean Cinzori	Plymouth	Pole Vault
5th	Odin Gulledge	Novi	Pole Vault
6th	Brady Lewis	Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills	Pole Vault
7th	Brezlyn Post	Jenison	Pole Vault
8th	Adam Cohoon	Okemos	Pole Vault
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Giovanni Charles	Walled Lake Central	High Jump
2nd	Liam Reynolds	Salem	High Jump
3rd	Billy Drake	Lapeer	High Jump
4th	Deon Robertson	Woodhaven Brownstown	High Jump
5th	Jayden Kulhanek	Grandville	High Jump
6th	Zechariah Jones	Grand Ledge	High Jump
7th	Brandon Berry	Holland West Ottawa	High Jump
8th	Sam Abdalla	Forest Hills Northern	High Jump
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Quincy Isaac	Canton	Long Jump
2nd	Davarion Phillips	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	Long Jump
3rd	Zay McGinnis	Mount Pleasant	Long Jump
4th	Lorenzo Reynolds	East Kentwood	Long Jump
5th	Jordan Paige	Novi	Long Jump
6th	Jhavon Alexander	East Kentwood	Long Jump
7th	Paul Hubbard	Beverly Hills Groves	Long Jump
8th	Keaton Hendricks	Zeeland West	Long Jump

Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Jeremy Dixon	Kalamazoo Central	100m
2nd	Devin James	West Bloomfield	100m
3rd	Samson Gash	Detroit Catholic Central	100m
4th	Kamren Flowers	West Bloomfield	100m
5th	Quincy Isaac	Canton	100m
6th	Chance McNeill	Novi	100m
7th	Noah Sanders	Beverly Hills Groves	100m
8th	Kane Morris	Portage Northern	100m
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Chance McNeill	Novi	200m
2nd	Will Jaiden Smith	Belleville	200m
3rd	Devin James	West Bloomfield	200m
4th	Rodney Endsley	Walled Lake Western	200m
5th	Rondre Austion	Oak Park	200m
6th	Samson Gash	Detroit Catholic Central	200m
7th	Andrew Willemsen	Grand Haven	200m
8th	Jeremy Dixon	Kalamazoo Central	200m
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Jaelyn Martin	Detroit Cass Tech	400m
2nd	Kinley Poole	Ann Arbor Huron	400m
3rd	Demari Caldwell	Oak Park	400m
4th	Rodney Endsley	Walled Lake Western	400m
5th	Ahmad Ameen	Jackson	400m
6th	Rondre Austion	Oak Park	400m
7th	Brody Leyendecker	Byron Center	400m
8th	Aydan Myers	Detroit Cass Tech	400m

Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Wendell Childs	Clarkston	800m
2nd	Greg Myers	Ypsilanti Lincoln	800m
3rd	Ryan Stojov	Northville	800m
4th	Collin McLaughlin	Rochester	800m
5th	Adam Dicken	Canton	800m
6th	Cameron Cochran	Midland	800m
7th	Maddi Duke	Temperance Bedford	800m
8th	Rece Grezak	Northville	800m
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Luka Hammond	Grand Haven	1600m
2nd	Samuel Baker	Kalamazoo Central	1600m
3rd	Caden Livermore	Grandville	1600m
4th	Jackson Lam	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	1600m
5th	Ben Hartigan	Northville	1600m
6th	Ryan Stojov	Northville	1600m
7th	Jack Chadwick	Plymouth	1600m
8th	Ben Mussen	Plymouth	1600m
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Seth Conner	Jenison	3200m
2nd	Kyle O’Rourke	Milford	3200m
3rd	Taye Levenson	Bloomfield Hills	3200m
4th	Beckett Crooks	Ann Arbor Pioneer	3200m
5th	Kamari Ronfeldt	Ann Arbor Pioneer	3200m
6th	Jack MacGregor	Howell	3200m
7th	Luka Hammond	Grand Haven	3200m
8th	Caden Livermore	Grandville	3200m

Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Will Jaiden Smith	Belleville	110h
2nd	Schmar Gamble	Belleville	110h
3rd	Michael Wilkerson	Rochester Adams	110h
4th	Timothy Pinard	Belleville	110h
5th	Keaton Hendricks	Zeeland West	110h
6th	Michael Piggee Jr.	Muskegon	110h
7th	Kayson Legg	Walled Lake Western	110h
8th	Mason Darke	Muskegon Reeths-Puffer	110h
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Will Jaiden Smith	Belleville	300h
2nd	Angelo Finnie Jr.	West Bloomfield	300h
3rd	Mason Darke	Muskegon Reeths-Puffer	300h
4th	Caleb Washington	Detroit Catholic Central	300h
5th	Ashton Brann	Ann Arbor Huron	300h
6th	Keaton Hendricks	Zeeland West	300h
7th	Timothy Pinard	Belleville	300h
8th	Michael Wilkerson	Rochester Adams	300h

STATE RECORDS

Boys Pole Vault – 16’ 9.5”

Girls 100m & 200m – 11.37 & 23.01

I wouldn’t say either of these records will be stressed on Saturday, but I’d watch out for a few years down the line. Ben Goran is currently the #5 freshman vaulter in the nation and holds the Michigan freshman record. Only a sophomore, Aubrey Wilson has multiple sub-12’s and low-24’s to her resume. If Courageous Invite had used a wind gauge, she may have set the sophomore class record.

STATE MEET RECORDS

Lightly Stressed

Girls 1600m – 4:49.55

I probably could’ve moved this to the feelin’ pressure category, as Emma Hoffman’s trajectory continues to be on the rise. A 4:52 at Distance Night puts her in range of this mark.

Girls Long Jump – 18’ 10.25”

It’s been two consecutive years in the 18’s for Lakeshore sophomore Leigha Whitman. A late-season surge has gotten her here this time around, recently clearing the 18’ barrier in a win at Team State.

Feeling Pressure

Girls 300h – 42.82

A record within reach as she’s already hit the mark (42.06 at Alma), but also right after Sydney Kuhn’s 400m.

Boys 1600m – 4:09.45

Boys 3200m – 8:55.57

The D2 boys are so clustered at the top and the temperatures look fairly ideal for distance running (with a steady wind, however). Jack Bidwell is probably the favorite in these events, but accomplished runners such as Henry Dixon, Colin Murray, Jonah Workman, and Edison Lopeman will make Bidwell work for it. All have been known to step up to the occasion and a few have devastating finishes, so maybe a daring competitor will try to push early and negate the finishing speed.

Under Duress

Girls 100m – 11.84

As mentioned, Aubrey Wilson has been under this mark already this year. Then one must also take into account Daelyn Jones, pressing to pull an upset and Keyanna O’Tey, the Sturgis Trojan who actually holds the dang record.

Girls 200m – 24.55

O’Tey nearly missed out on this mark two years ago. Aubrey Wilson has been well under. Sydney Kuhn will be warmed up from the endless amount of races on her schedule. And Daelyn Jones is in a similar spot to where O’Tey was as a sophomore.

Girls 400m – 54.58

The Barnyard Invite was not ideal this year. A slow-moving storm, chances of a canceled meet, delayed warmup, rain, cool. All that working against Sydney Kuhn, who after all that, dropped a 53.90. As this will be her first race of the day, I expect that fresh legs will give this a real challenge.

Girls 800m – 2:09.92

Set last year by Goodrich’s Layla Jordan. I’m pleased to report that Jordan is back to defend her crown. She hasn’t raced as fast as that mark, but she’s a second faster than she was at this time last year before the State Finals.

Girls 3200m – 10:37.28

Ava Schafer was close last year, the then freshman running a 10:39. She has strong internal confidence, supported by her XC title and career of coming through when peaking. Both Katie Berkshire and Emma Hoffman have been under the mark, Hoffman a good 20 seconds under with her 10:17 at Distance Night.

Girls 4×4 – 3:56.07

Saginaw Swan Valley and Dearborn Divine Child have both hit 3:56 over the course of the season. Both of those performances were clear of their competitors by over 8 seconds, so I’m sure that both squads have an extra level to reach. I’m not sure how the teams will set their lineups, but perhaps Kuhn vs. Wilson to end the day?

Girls Pole Vault – 12’ 7”

A speedier and injury-free Evie Mathis is having the season she’s dreamed of. She’s cleared her freshman best of 12’0, gaining 6” on that in a conference meet earlier this month. What’s another inch?

Boys 4×1 – 42.13

Over in Region 11, Petoskey won this in an absolute blowout, 1.5 seconds clear of the field. The Northmen, with their 41.83, are already under the State Finals record. Running a little slower, but at a greater margin over the field was River Rouge, the Panthers’ 42.10 capturing the Region 17 crown. I won’t be shocked when both teams are sub-42.

Boys 4×2 – 1:27.71

The odds are in our favor here, with five teams under 1:29 on the year and three (Flint Powers Catholic, Harper Woods, and River Rouge) under 1:28.5.

Boys Long Jump – 23’ 7.5”

Kaden Griffiths was one of the better freshmen in the state last year, making his mark here in the long jump, capturing the title as a tiny 9^th grader. He’s back and improved, clearing the 23’ mark again in the regular season.

Intriguing Events and Happenings

Here’s what I’m looking forward to the most:

Aubrey Wilson vs. a host of challengers, including the multi-talented Sydney Kuhn in the 200m and D1/D2 defending champion Keyanna O’Tey in the 100m.

The mix of strategies in the girls 3200m. Ava Schafer is always patient early, Hoffman and Berkshire are normally aggressive. At the end of what looks to be a double for all three.

The Girls 4×4, which might be for the trophy. Saginaw Swan Valley, Dearborn Divine Child, Stevensville Lakeshore, Gladwin, and Sturgis are all in the fiery last heat.

A girls high jump competition that sure is crowded at the top. Sarah Pippin, Ivy Roberts, Bella Friddle, and Alannah Love all clearing 5’6 at one point this year.

A loaded Boys 100m, where 17 boys have hit sub-11 this year. It might take 10.85 just to make the final.

Mentioned above, the Boys 4×1 and 4×2 finals. The anchor legs of the Boys 4×8. Doing a little statistical analysis of the four best 800m times from all the 4×8 teams, two stand above the rest: Allendale and Forest Hills Eastern. FHE will likely close with Henry Dixon, who was 2^nd at the MITS championship and owns the fastest time in D2. Holder of the 2^nd fastest D2 time is Ronnie Silveira, who I would imagine will close for Allendale. I had to impart a little subjectivity into that analysis, because Jack Bidwell had a time-warping anchor last year, 1:50.8 to win it for his Marshall team. Three of those four kids returning, they’ll be tough to dethrone.

Potential Girls Team Champions

Generally, I tend to think this is pretty simple. One needs elite athletes, the advantage being more of them. Those elite athletes need to score what they’re capable of, buoyed by those who would be stepping up when less expected.

Sturgis – I love how the Trojans have buy-in from Keyanna O’Tey, who’s not only a great individual sprinter on her own (state champion in both D1 and D2), but participates in her teams relays as well. What may push Sturgis over the top are the contributions from Eleena Kelley in the throws and the boost that Berkley Holtz gives to her 4×8 girls.

Dearborn Divine Child – in a similar situation to Sturgis thanks to the exploits of Aubrey Wilson. I could write the same lil’ paragraph, as Wilson was the 100m champ here as a freshman. She’ll be joining her Falcon teammates on the 4×2 and 4×4, the latter of which she’ll be batonmates with Katie Kurtinaitis, who could pick up points in the 400m.

Saginaw Swan Valley – largely on the shoulders of Sydney Kuhn. On one hand, that presents a low ceiling, as one person can only score so many points. On the other hand, she gives the Vikings a high floor as she was 2024’s 400m & 800m champ, along with a contribution on their 4^th place 4×4.

Stevensville Lakeshore – a bit more well-rounded than a few of the above teams, at least in terms of disciplines. Leigha Whitman is a potential long jump champion, Kate Ort will battle in the mid-distances, then the Lancers will attempt to gain points in the relays.

Gladwin – well-rounded like Lakeshore, but in different areas. Ava Gary is one of the better hurdlers in the division, Makenzie Price has a chance to medal in both throws.

Relays will likely be the determining factor. If either of the latter three teams punches above their weight, they’re going to have a chance if the top two don’t perform as expected.

Potential Boys Team Champions

Parma Western – may not have the absolute stud to gain titles in every event, but they contain many very good pieces that can all place in the top-4 of their events. Brennan Vainner, Edison Lopeman, Ryan Good, Titan Parker, Jackson Jones. Three of their relays contain two of these kids, so expect points in baton passings to supplement their wide-ranging individual talents.

River Rouge – big points in the short sprints. If the Panthers can put up numbers early in the day, that puts pressure on other squads to close the gap. Rouge came into last year’s meet with lofty relay expectations and maybe didn’t match them. I fully expect the Coolidge Highway kids to learn from that experience.

Battle Creek Harper Creek – Catapulting to the top of the boys hurdle lists has been DJ Wood and he’s increased the Beavers title odds. HC has prime opportunities for points elsewhere, Dominic Lowrie with the opportunity to pounce on a tired 3200m field, a confident Nolan Oaks in the long jump, and a Zach Kitchen coming off a personal best in his shot put win at Team State.

GIRLS TEAM PREDICTIONS

BOYS TEAM PREDICTIONS

Girls Event Predictions

Place	Team	Event
1st	Sturgis	4×1
2nd	Berrien Springs	4×1
3rd	St. Clair Shores South Lake	4×1
4th	Petoskey	4×1
5th	Benton Harbor	4×1
6th	Gladwin	4×1
7th	Stevensville Lakeshore	4×1
8th	Hopkins	4×1
Place	Team	Event
1st	Sturgis	4×2
2nd	Berrien Springs	4×2
3rd	Dearborn Divine Child	4×2
4th	Petoskey	4×2
5th	Spring Lake	4×2
6th	Milan	4×2
7th	Tecumseh	4×2
8th	Shepherd	4×2
Place	Team	Event
1st	Dearborn Divine Child	4×4
2nd	Saginaw Swan Valley	4×4
3rd	Stevensville Lakeshore	4×4
4th	Gladwin	4×4
5th	Freeland	4×4
6th	Sturgis	4×4
7th	Spring Lake	4×4
8th	Hudsonville Unity Christian	4×4
Place	Team	Event
1st	Goodrich	4×8
2nd	East Grand Rapids	4×8
3rd	Pinckney	4×8
4th	Sturgis	4×8
5th	Freeland	4×8
6th	Stevensville Lakeshore	4×8
7th	Cadillac	4×8
8th	Holland Christian	4×8

Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Izzie Miller	Battle Creek Harper Creek	Discus
2nd	Aubree Deshetsky	North Branch	Discus
3rd	Cora Williams	Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard	Discus
4th	Eleena Kelley	Sturgis	Discus
5th	Makenzie Price	Gladwin	Discus
6th	Kalia Monroe	Eastpointe	Discus
7th	Annabelle Bower	Portland	Discus
8th	Eby Nosike	Cranbrook Kingswood	Discus
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Cora Williams	Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard	Shot Put
2nd	Kalia Monroe	Eastpointe	Shot Put
3rd	Aubree Deshetsky	North Branch	Shot Put
4th	Payton Maxey	Freeland	Shot Put
5th	Marie Powers	Coldwater	Shot Put
6th	Makenzie Price	Gladwin	Shot Put
7th	Izzie Miller	Battle Creek Harper Creek	Shot Put
8th	Eby Nosike	Cranbrook Kingswood	Shot Put
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Evie Mathis	Wayland Union	Pole Vault
2nd	Marra Collins	Eaton Rapids	Pole Vault
3rd	Megan Morrell	St. Clair Shores Lake Shore	Pole Vault
4th	Mimi Wegener	Ionia	Pole Vault
5th	Sarah Bailey	Petoskey	Pole Vault
6th	Isla Lawton	Williamston	Pole Vault
7th	Annabelle Werner	Bay City John Glenn	Pole Vault
8th	Onalee Stehouwer	Forest Hills Eastern	Pole Vault
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Sarah Pippin	Edwardsburg	High Jump
2nd	Bella Friddle	Hastings	High Jump
3rd	Dania McClain	St. Clair Shores South Lake	High Jump
4th	Ivy Roberts	Gaylord	High Jump
5th	Alba Rodriguez-Lima	Holland Christian	High Jump
6th	Alannah Love	Lansing Waverly	High Jump
7th	Brooklynn Beardsley	Lake Fenton	High Jump
8th	Cassidy Pratley	Battle Creek Harper Creek	High Jump
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Leigha Whitman	Stevensville Lakeshore	Long Jump
2nd	Ella Grabowski	Coldwater	Long Jump
3rd	Jayda Beene	Benton Harbor	Long Jump
4th	Joy Evans	Alma	Long Jump
5th	Adelyn Halma	Holland Christian	Long Jump
6th	Danah Pearson	Ferndale	Long Jump
7th	Sadie Dykstra	Yale	Long Jump
8th	Bella Friddle	Hastings	Long Jump

Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Aubrey Wilson	Dearborn Divine Child	100m
2nd	Keyana O’Tey	Sturgis	100m
3rd	Jayda Beene	Benton Harbor	100m
4th	Daelyn Jones	Grand Rapids Christian	100m
5th	Naia Dibkey	St. Joseph	100m
6th	Trenyse McGinnis	St. Joseph	100m
7th	Cayla Bouyer	Lansing Sexton	100m
8th	Zariyah Mance	Berrien Springs	100m
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Aubrey Wilson	Dearborn Divine Child	200m
2nd	Sydney Kuhn	Saginaw Swan Valley	200m
3rd	Keyana O’Tey	Sturgis	200m
4th	Daelyn Jones	Grand Rapids Christian	200m
5th	Trenyse McGinnis	St. Joseph	200m
6th	Naia Dibkey	St. Joseph	200m
7th	Madison Cooke	Pinckney	200m
8th	Felicity Lall	Berrien Springs	200m
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Sydney Kuhn	Saginaw Swan Valley	400m
2nd	Christina Dixon	Haslett	400m
3rd	Nalaya Fricke	Big Rapids	400m
4th	Kate Ort	Stevensville Lakeshore	400m
5th	Layla Jordan	Goodrich	400m
6th	Grace Lorenz	Coopersville	400m
7th	Katie Kurtinaitis	Dearborn Divine Child	400m
8th	Madison Cooke	Pinckney	400m

Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Layla Jordan	Goodrich	800m
2nd	Kate Ort	Stevensville Lakeshore	800m
3rd	Adeline Armstrong	East Grand Rapids	800m
4th	Natalie Foltz	Frankenmuth	800m
5th	Eliana Hufton	Lake Fenton	800m
6th	Georgia Babcock	Edwardsburg	800m
7th	Kayla Shellenbarger	Goodrich	800m
8th	Elena Figueroa	St. Joseph	800m
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Emma Hoffman	Otsego	1600m
2nd	Katie Berkshire	Gaylord	1600m
3rd	Ava Schafer	St. Johns	1600m
4th	Elena Figueroa	St. Joseph	1600m
5th	Sadey Seyferth	East Grand Rapids	1600m
6th	Sophy Skeels	Adrian	1600m
7th	Jaelyn Ray	Pinckney	1600m
8th	Courtney Bovair	Carleton Airport	1600m
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Emma Hoffman	Otsego	3200m
2nd	Katie Berkshire	Gaylord	3200m
3rd	Ava Schafer	St. Johns	3200m
4th	Brooklynn Brown	Cadillac	3200m
5th	Mia May	Sparta	3200m
6th	Jaelyn Ray	Pinckney	3200m
7th	Sophy Skeels	Adrian	3200m
8th	Annabelle Lowman	Ludington	3200m

Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Ava Gary	Gladwin	100h
2nd	Jayden VandenAkker	Allegan	100h
3rd	Lynzi Evans	Cranbrook Kingswood	100h
4th	Zion Ellis	Berrien Springs	100h
5th	Sadie Dykstra	Yale	100h
6th	Abby Lambers	Hudsonville Unity Christian	100h
7th	Amaya Brown	Wyoming Godwin Heights	100h
8th	Jaylah Wilkins	Dearborn Henry Ford Academy	100h
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Sydney Kuhn	Saginaw Swan Valley	300h
2nd	Gabrielle Hufnagel	Owosso	300h
3rd	Ava Gary	Gladwin	300h
4th	Jayden VandenAkker	Allegan	300h
5th	Macy Subka	Spring Lake	300h
6th	Sadie Dykstra	Yale	300h
7th	Kambria Moored	Hopkins	300h
8th	Sophia Smith	Trenton	300h

Boys Event Predictions

Place	Team	Event
1st	Petoskey	4×1
2nd	Berrien Springs	4×1
3rd	River Rouge	4×1
4th	Williamston	4×1
5th	Detroit Country Day	4×1
6th	Harper Woods	4×1
7th	Three Rivers	4×1
8th	Flint Powers Catholic	4×1
Place	Team	Event
1st	River Rouge	4×2
2nd	Flint Powers Catholic	4×2
3rd	Berrien Springs	4×2
4th	Harper Woods	4×2
5th	Saginaw Swan Valley	4×2
6th	Detroit Country Day	4×2
7th	Portland	4×2
8th	Summit Academy	4×2
Place	Team	Event
1st	Parma Western	4×4
2nd	Saginaw Swan Valley	4×4
3rd	Lake Odessa Lakewood	4×4
4th	Battle Creek Harper Creek	4×4
5th	Portland	4×4
6th	New Boston Huron	4×4
7th	Williamston	4×4
8th	Grand Rapids Catholic Central	4×4
Place	Team	Event
1st	Allendale	4×8
2nd	Forest Hills Eastern	4×8
3rd	Marshall	4×8
4th	Alma	4×8
5th	Grand Rapids Christian	4×8
6th	Parma Western	4×8
7th	Flint Powers Catholic	4×8
8th	Flat Rock	4×8

Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Dustin Warner	Sparta	Discus
2nd	Eli Bickel	North Branch	Discus
3rd	Will Decker	Coopersville	Discus
4th	Alex O’Dell	Berrien Springs	Discus
5th	Zach Cowper	Gaylord	Discus
6th	Adam Huff	Wayland Union	Discus
7th	Alex Lutgring	Battle Creek Pennfield	Discus
8th	Rusty Klaer	St. Joseph	Discus
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Zach Cowper	Gaylord	Shot Put
2nd	Brennan Vainner	Parma Western	Shot Put
3rd	Dustin Warner	Sparta	Shot Put
4th	Eli Bickel	North Branch	Shot Put
5th	Jackson Reilly	Coldwater	Shot Put
6th	Zach Kitchen	Battle Creek Harper Creek	Shot Put
7th	Alex O’Dell	Berrien Springs	Shot Put
8th	Rusty Klaer	St. Joseph	Shot Put
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Ben Goran	Spring Lake	Pole Vault
2nd	Sam Vesperman	Grosse Ile	Pole Vault
3rd	Drake Ross	Gladwin	Pole Vault
4th	Ethan Reeves	Clare	Pole Vault
5th	Mason Jahnke	Stevensville Lakeshore	Pole Vault
6th	Nickolas Savoie	Gaylord	Pole Vault
7th	Kieran Whitlam	Macomb Lutheran North	Pole Vault
8th	Xander Anthor	Howard City Tri-County	Pole Vault
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Declin Doroh	Stevensville Lakeshore	High Jump
2nd	Zachary Overmyer	Edwardsburg	High Jump
3rd	Ayden Mendoza	Whitehall	High Jump
4th	Tre’Quon Cotton	Battle Creek Harper Creek	High Jump
5th	Camden Thompson	Whitehall	High Jump
6th	Jalen Daniels	Clarenceville	High Jump
7th	Zander Wheatley	Freeland	High Jump
8th	Gavin Valley	Goodrich	High Jump
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Kaden Griffiths	Stevensville Lakeshore	Long Jump
2nd	Joseph DeCasas	Pontiac Notre Dame Prep	Long Jump
3rd	Conan Weeks	Clare	Long Jump
4th	Tommy Pratt	Williamston	Long Jump
5th	Braylon Holmes	Charlotte	Long Jump
6th	Jalen Daniels	Clarenceville	Long Jump
7th	Nolan Oaks	Battle Creek Harper Creek	Long Jump
8th	Blake Stewart	Three Rivers	Long Jump

Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Jaiden Melton	River Rouge	100m
2nd	Darryl Carter	Detroit Country Day	100m
3rd	Donpaul Keith	River Rouge	100m
4th	Carter Buckingham	Eaton Rapids	100m
5th	DeAndre Bidden	Harper Woods	100m
6th	Porter Westdorp	Cadillac	100m
7th	Nolan Cullens	St. Johns	100m
8th	Elijah Davis-Moore	Ferndale	100m
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Donpaul Keith	River Rouge	200m
2nd	Grant Roberts	Flint Powers Catholic	200m
3rd	Jackson Jones	Parma Western	200m
4th	Carter Buckingham	Eaton Rapids	200m
5th	Sam Mitas	Petoskey	200m
6th	Boston Streng-Beougher	Saginaw Swan Valley	200m
7th	Delshawn Laird	Romulus	200m
8th	Brayden Petre	Freeland	200m
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Hunter Mihal	New Boston Huron	400m
2nd	Ayden McCarey	Niles	400m
3rd	Donald Wells	Lake Odessa Lakewood	400m
4th	Grayson Tidd	Grand Rapids Catholic Central	400m
5th	Ethan Miller	Hudsonville Unity Christian	400m
6th	Boston Streng-Beougher	Saginaw Swan Valley	400m
7th	Adam Johnson	Milan	400m
8th	Thomas Kann	North Branch	400m

Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Henry Dixon	Forest Hills Eastern	800m
2nd	Jack Bruder	Ogemaw Heights	800m
3rd	Callum Bell	Carleton Airport	800m
4th	Ryan Good	Parma Western	800m
5th	Nolan Longuski	Shepherd	800m
6th	Duncan Palmer	Williamston	800m
7th	Tyler Endres	Forest Hills Eastern	800m
8th	Sullivan Zietlow	Three Rivers	800m
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Jack Bidwell	Marshall	1600m
2nd	Henry Dixon	Forest Hills Eastern	1600m
3rd	Jonah Workman	East Grand Rapids	1600m
4th	Colin Murray	Dearborn Divine Child	1600m
5th	Thomas Larson	Alma	1600m
6th	Bryce Gross	Flint Powers Catholic	1600m
7th	Will Engbers	Holland Christian	1600m
8th	Ezekiel Baltierra	Alma	1600m
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Jack Bidwell	Marshall	3200m
2nd	Edison Lopeman	Parma Western	3200m
3rd	Colin Murray	Dearborn Divine Child	3200m
4th	Jonah Workman	East Grand Rapids	3200m
5th	Moises Salazar Jr.	Adrian	3200m
6th	Thomas Larson	Alma	3200m
7th	Dominic Lowrie	Battle Creek Harper Creek	3200m
8th	Abraham McHugh	Marshall	3200m

Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	DJ Wood	Battle Creek Harper Creek	110h
2nd	Dylan Hudkins	New Boston Huron	110h
3rd	Braden Hartsuff	Corunna	110h
4th	Ayden McCarey	Niles	110h
5th	Logan Herrick	Corunna	110h
6th	Camden Thompson	Whitehall	110h
7th	Christopher Churchill	Alma	110h
8th	Carter Rice	Three Rivers	110h
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	DJ Wood	Battle Creek Harper Creek	300h
2nd	Titan Parker	Parma Western	300h
3rd	Aiden Saduba	Trenton	300h
4th	Zander Wheatley	Freeland	300h
5th	Remington Haworth	Shepherd	300h
6th	Conan Weeks	Clare	300h
7th	Tyler Travis	Shepherd	300h
8th	Bryce Pratl	St. Johns	300h

STATE RECORDS

Girls 800m – 2:00.53

Well, this record was a bit slower prior to this past weekend. But I would say this – any record is in reach with Emmry Ross on the track. My estimation is that in shooting for the back-to-back quad victories (a feat only accomplished once in Lower Peninsula history!), Ross might leave a little in the tank for the 3200m. By that thought, state records might be out of the equation, but watch out for the national meets to come.

Girls Shot Put – 52’ 10.75”

On the other hand, there’s nothing to hold back in the throws. And Addyson Stiverson is so calloused from years of training, throwing, and lifting that a few honest attempts at a record won’t be a hindrance. After all, it’s her own record, established earlier this year.

STATE MEET RECORDS

Lightly Stressed

Girls 100m – 11.94

Giuliana Nastale is your candidate here. She’s been a consistent figure in the low-12’s thus far in 2025 and she showed last season that she’s capable of running her best on this Kent City track.

Boys 4×1 – 42.94

Gotta say, I didn’t see this level of performance from Standish Sterling. Their 44.13 to win The Hurd Invite was solid, then they blasted a 43.41 for a Jack Pine championship. When their A squad is together, they’re undefeated in the past month, and while pressed, who knows what’s possible?

Boys Shot Put – 63’ 9.5”

Inching closer and closer has been Mason Mayne. Two years ago, the Lawton Blue Devil threw 55’ in a runner-up finish. Last spring, it was a 60’ toss with the same placing. He comes in as the favorite this time around, just recently reaching a 61’ 3” personal best.

Feeling Pressure

Girls 4×1 – 49.57

It’s not as if any one team has the main shot, it’s that many teams are within range. Traverse City St. Francis, Kingsley, Olivet, Coloma, Hart, Grass Lake, and Erie Mason have all run under 51.00 this season.

Girls Discus – 160’ 0”

For her “lesser” event, Addyson Stiverson owns the #2 disc in Michigan and #7 mark for sophomores nationwide. She’s also gained 20’ in the past year, what’s another 6.5?

Boys 400m – 48.17

One of my favorite subjects – year to year improvement. Dennis Jackson must have noticed the exploits of Darnell Hall and Geoffrey McBurrows and thought that he belonged at their level. Because 53.5 has become 48.43 in a years’ time.

Boys Discus – 187’ 1”

Perhaps a little more accessible for Mason Mayne. The senior has already blasted into the 180’s, now only a few feet from the State Meet record. He’s picked up a title here last year and now has the opportunity to etch his name further into history.

Under Duress

Girls 400m – 55.15

Girls 800m – 2:09.61

Girls 1600m – 4:48.89

I stated earlier that Emmry Ross may conserve energy throughout the day. I’m happy to report that even while conserving energy, these are all within sight.

Girls Shot Put – 50’ 9.5”

A lil’ consolatory prize if Addyson Stiverson doesn’t pass the state record. It’s hard to believe in her early history of throwing shot that this record does NOT already belong to her.

Boys 100m – 10.71

Boys 200m – 21.76

The magnificent, Dartmouth-bound senior Santino Cicarella has shown an ability to rise to the level of competition. He’s ran with the D1 kids at both Farmington and the Oak Park Spring Classic, running sub-22 and 10.6 in these respective events. Both events are indicators that he won’t shy away from competition capable of running these times, such as Trevor Smith and Dennis Jackson.

With Hall of Fame capable athletes gracing our events, I’ll go on a limb and say 4 State Meet Records and one State Record falls on Saturday.

Intriguing Events and Happenings

Many Candidates in the Boys Hurdles

Athletic.net has created these helpful charts (used in many of the predictions here) to compare the top athletes in each discipline. And you can see here that Max Ward, Caleb Walker, Leland VanAlstine, Aden Nystrom, and Zander Goodwin are all prominent names that can win in the hurdles. Take the 300’s for instance. Ward has the fastest time of the year, a 38.74 at Ken Bell. A week later, Walker nearly matched that with a 38.93. Walker ran up a significant margin on VanAlstine at Region 30, but VanAlstine nearly shut down that time gap with a 39.14 at Greater Lansing. Goodwin stamped his name as a candidate on Tuesday, notching a 39.16 at Hillsdale County. You could write a similar script for the 110’s.

How Long Will the Pole Vault last?

You’ve got 42 boys and 31 girls that are entered in the vault, a total that HAS to be the highest of any event, any division. I believe that the method used for the EQ was an average of the 6th place finish at the State Finals for the past few years. For the Additional Qualifier, it’s an average of the 2nd place regional finishes from the past few years. These aren’t subjective standards, which then means that the D3 vault strength is at an all-time high.

An Unblemished Finals Career?

Two paragraphs about the vault? You betcha, especially when Tryce Tokar is vying for his fourth individual title. His season is going the way many have, full of victories and putting together his best material at season’s end. In the past few weeks, he’s twice matched his personal best of 15′, winning Region 30 and at Team State. Beyond the vault, he’s entered in all of the sprint relays, a logistical and physical challenge that only an experienced senior can pull off.

Potential Girls Team Champions

Generally, I tend to think this is pretty simple. One needs elite athletes, the advantage being more of them. Those elite athletes need to score what they’re capable of, buoyed by those who would be stepping up when less expected.

Erie Mason – the prime case of elite athletes and supplementary pieces. The Eagles benefit from having Giuliana Nastale and Beth Sweeney in separate events, then using those two as prime pieces in relays. Of course, those relays are also enhanced by the presence of Paige Konrad and Bailey Meiring.

Lansing Catholic – have a ton of upside from the sheer amount of pieces. Stella Gates, Josie Bishop, Grace Wonch, Isabelle Currie, Frances Melinn are all athletes that can pick up a few more points in their respective events. Added together and combined with their relay strength, that may be enough to challenge for the win.

Traverse City St. Francis – has two elite athletes in Helen Biggar and Sophia Tucker. Both have the ability to hit the podium in short sprints, then add enough spice to the relays to challenge for the wins. Unfortunately for the Glads state title hopes, they run the same events, thus limiting the potential points.

Olivet – like Lansing Catholic, a team with potential upside. Emily Peters is no stranger to state success, but she faces an improved field in the hurdles. Sophia Pell has been leaping at a high level all year, then is in the mix in the high hurdles. Add in a Celina Sinclair and the relay combinations that follow and one could conjure up scenarios where the Green n’ Black hoist a trophy.

Onsted – Last spring, all of Emmry Ross’s 40 points were what it took to attain 2^nd place. Sadly for the above teams, she’s a stronger and faster runner. I don’t think 40 points will be enough to win, but it puts a number and pressure for the above teams.

Potential Boys Team Champions

Chesaning – using the old Pioneer and current Oak Park route. Concentrate around a dominant hurdler (Caleb Walker), find other points in the sprints (Zach Harlan), combine those two in the relays. Add in an Eric Barancik, a high jumper that hasn’t been beaten in over a month and you’ve stirred up a state-contending concoction.

Pewamo-Westphalia – is it me, or are they always in contention. The thing is, with the Pirates, it can be anyone. They had some incredible throwers the past few years that have moved on. Nowadays, it’s Trevor Smith, someone I’ve personally witnessed lay waste to fields at Bluejay. He’ll combine with others on sprint relays, where the Pirates will need to place ahead of Chesaning and push them down to have a chance.

Lansing Catholic – Coach Simpson loves his relays (they were a major reason that LC took home the 2022 title) and the Cougars have a real shot at podium finishes in all four. I’ve loved the career of Leland VanAlstine, who seemingly improves in every race in each hurdle discipline. Maybe an upset victory is in the cards?

GIRLS TEAM PREDICTIONS

BOYS TEAM PREDICTIONS

Girls Event Predictions

Place	Team	Event
1st	Traverse City St. Francis	4×1
2nd	Kingsley	4×1
3rd	Hart	4×1
4th	Coloma	4×1
5th	Olivet	4×1
6th	Grass Lake	4×1
7th	Erie Mason	4×1
8th	Midland Bullock Creek	4×1
Place	Team	Event
1st	Olivet	4×2
2nd	Traverse City St. Francis	4×2
3rd	Grass Lake	4×2
4th	Lansing Catholic	4×2
5th	Kingsley	4×2
6th	Coloma	4×2
7th	Hart	4×2
8th	Remus Chippewa Hills	4×2
Place	Team	Event
1st	Lansing Catholic	4×4
2nd	Erie Mason	4×4
3rd	Olivet	4×4
4th	Remus Chippewa Hills	4×4
5th	Constantine	4×4
6th	Elk Rapids	4×4
7th	Onsted	4×4
8th	Saginaw Valley Lutheran	4×4
Place	Team	Event
1st	Pewamo-Westphalia	4×8
2nd	Lansing Catholic	4×8
3rd	Stanton Central Montcalm	4×8
4th	Newaygo	4×8
5th	Jackson Lumen Christi	4×8
6th	Remus Chippewa Hills	4×8
7th	Ithaca	4×8
8th	McBain	4×8

Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Addyson Stiverson	Montrose	Discus
2nd	Brenna McDonald	Schoolcraft	Discus
3rd	Jenna Spitzley	Pewamo-Westphalia	Discus
4th	Kaylee Kopulos	Springport	Discus
5th	Isabel Rozeveld	McBain	Discus
6th	Niki McNeil	Saugatuck	Discus
7th	Shayler McIntyre	Caro	Discus
8th	Tess Farkas	St. Louis	Discus
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Addyson Stiverson	Montrose	Shot Put
2nd	Brenna McDonald	Schoolcraft	Shot Put
3rd	Isabel Rozeveld	McBain	Shot Put
4th	Mattie LaFreniere	Manton	Shot Put
5th	Mariah Kerley	East Jackson	Shot Put
6th	Tess Farkas	St. Louis	Shot Put
7th	Jenna Spitzley	Pewamo-Westphalia	Shot Put
8th	Kaylee Kopulos	Springport	Shot Put
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Emma Wildt	Homer	Pole Vault
2nd	Natalie Gibson	Remus Chippewa Hills	Pole Vault
3rd	Clara Vollmar	Remus Chippewa Hills	Pole Vault
4th	Mattie LaFreniere	Manton	Pole Vault
5th	Julia Sergeant	Houghton Lake	Pole Vault
6th	Carly Sicilia	The Potter’s House	Pole Vault
7th	Ava Iverson	Benzie Central	Pole Vault
8th	Megan Robertson	Lawton	Pole Vault
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Elli VanDusen	Kalamazoo Christian	High Jump
2nd	Beth Sweeney	Erie Mason	High Jump
3rd	Sophia Pell	Olivet	High Jump
4th	Ereni Polhamus	Comstock	High Jump
5th	Ava Thomas	Kalamazoo Christian	High Jump
6th	Joselyn Flores	Hart	High Jump
7th	Jaidyn Klimp	Galesburg-Augusta	High Jump
8th	Ayva Reynolds	Napoleon	High Jump
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Sohanny Gonzalez-Castillo	The Potter’s House	Long Jump
2nd	Morgan Andres	Newaygo	Long Jump
3rd	Samantha Hopkins	Harrison	Long Jump
4th	Destiny McDaniels	Bath	Long Jump
5th	Sophia Tucker	Traverse City St. Francis	Long Jump
6th	Taylor Carlson	Durand	Long Jump
7th	Sadie Larson	Lake City	Long Jump
8th	Madilynn Thorn	Ottawa Lake-Whiteford	Long Jump

Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Giuliana Nastale	Erie Mason	100m
2nd	Helen Biggar	Traverse City St. Francis	100m
3rd	Chloe Basner	Millington	100m
4th	Audrey Huizinga	Manistee	100m
5th	Sophia Tucker	Traverse City St. Francis	100m
6th	Taylor Carlson	Durand	100m
7th	Aneah Wilson	Clintondale	100m
8th	Adela Iles	Monroe St. Mary CC	100m
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Giuliana Nastale	Erie Mason	200m
2nd	Naika Rath	Hudson	200m
3rd	Sophia Tucker	Traverse City St. Francis	200m
4th	Audrey Huizinga	Manistee	200m
5th	Helen Biggar	Traverse City St. Francis	200m
6th	Celina Sinclair	Olivet	200m
7th	Adela Iles	Monroe St. Mary CC	200m
8th	Nyah Bell	Evart	200m
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Emmry Ross	Onsted	400m
2nd	Audrey Huizinga	Manistee	400m
3rd	Stella Gates	Lansing Catholic	400m
4th	Naika Rath	Hudson	400m
5th	Katelyn Wendling	New Lothrop	400m
6th	Alina Martinson	Saugatuck	400m
7th	Peyton Nellis	Remus Chippewa Hills	400m
8th	Grace VanderKooi	Muskegon WMC	400m

Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Emmry Ross	Onsted	800m
2nd	Grace VanderKooi	Muskegon WMC	800m
3rd	Hope Miller	Blissfield	800m
4th	Whitney Werner	Pewamo-Westphalia	800m
5th	Frances Melinn	Lansing Catholic	800m
6th	Megan Gottschall	Lake City	800m
7th	Josie Bishop	Lansing Catholic	800m
8th	Alaina McClain	Ottawa Lake-Whiteford	800m
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Emmry Ross	Onsted	1600m
2nd	Eliza Bush	Ypsilanti Arbor Prep	1600m
3rd	Josie Bishop	Lansing Catholic	1600m
4th	Kyah Hoffman	Stanton Central Montcalm	1600m
5th	Ashley Choponis	Stanton Central Montcalm	1600m
6th	Hope Miller	Blissfield	1600m
7th	Whitney Werner	Pewamo-Westphalia	1600m
8th	Grace Wonch	Lansing Catholic	1600m
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Emmry Ross	Onsted	3200m
2nd	Eliza Bush	Ypsilanti Arbor Prep	3200m
3rd	Kyah Hoffman	Stanton Central Montcalm	3200m
4th	Alyssa Kramer	Pewamo-Westphalia	3200m
5th	Eliana Max	Kent City	3200m
6th	Samantha Schroeder	Jackson Lumen Christi	3200m
7th	Ashley Choponis	Stanton Central Montcalm	3200m
8th	Grace Wonch	Lansing Catholic	3200m

Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Julia Hughes	Ida	100h
2nd	Beth Sweeney	Erie Mason	100h
3rd	Norah Galton	Kingsley	100h
4th	Brookelyn Parker	Quincy	100h
5th	Sophia Pell	Olivet	100h
6th	Sadie Larson	Lake City	100h
7th	Elli VanDusen	Kalamazoo Christian	100h
8th	Mazie Robison	Saugatuck	100h
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Emily Peters	Olivet	300h
2nd	Beth Sweeney	Erie Mason	300h
3rd	Norah Galton	Kingsley	300h
4th	Hannah Abbott	Remus Chippewa Hills	300h
5th	Brookelyn Parker	Quincy	300h
6th	Isabelle Currie	Lansing Catholic	300h
7th	Faith Stump	Pewamo-Westphalia	300h
8th	Julia Hughes	Ida	300h

Boys Event Predictions

Place	Team	Event
1st	Standish Sterling	4×1
2nd	Warren Michigan Collegiate	4×1
3rd	Lansing Catholic	4×1
4th	Pewamo-Westphalia	4×1
5th	University Liggett	4×1
6th	Hart	4×1
7th	Comstock	4×1
8th	Lawton	4×1
Place	Team	Event
1st	Chesaning	4×2
2nd	Pewamo-Westphalia	4×2
3rd	Ovid-Elsie	4×2
4th	Hart	4×2
5th	Lansing Catholic	4×2
6th	Michigan Center	4×2
7th	Olivet	4×2
8th	Burton Atherton	4×2
Place	Team	Event
1st	Chesaning	4×4
2nd	Traverse City St. Francis	4×4
3rd	Hart	4×4
4th	Lansing Catholic	4×4
5th	Parchment	4×4
6th	Hanover-Horton	4×4
7th	Brooklyn Columbia Central	4×4
8th	Ovid-Elsie	4×4
Place	Team	Event
1st	Pewamo-Westphalia	4×8
2nd	Traverse City St. Francis	4×8
3rd	Muskegon WMC	4×8
4th	Lansing Catholic	4×8
5th	The Potter’s House	4×8
6th	Ann Arbor Greenhills	4×8
7th	Jonesville	4×8
8th	Hanover-Horton	4×8

Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Mason Mayne	Lawton	Discus
2nd	Chase Bott	Kingsley	Discus
3rd	Brock Spitzley	Ovid-Elsie	Discus
4th	Lucas Sidlauskas	Cheboygan	Discus
5th	Mason Brodie	Clinton	Discus
6th	Chris Tetloff	Midland Bullock Creek	Discus
7th	Kyler Cook	Standish Sterling	Discus
8th	Gradyn Wilson	Mason County Central	Discus
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Mason Mayne	Lawton	Shot Put
2nd	Chris Tetloff	Midland Bullock Creek	Shot Put
3rd	Mason Brodie	Clinton	Shot Put
4th	Lucas Sidlauskas	Cheboygan	Shot Put
5th	Gradyn Wilson	Mason County Central	Shot Put
6th	Carter Helsel	Manton	Shot Put
7th	Seth Schlicht	Chesaning	Shot Put
8th	Braden Burtch	Chesaning	Shot Put
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Tryce Tokar	Ovid-Elsie	Pole Vault
2nd	Corey Turner	Quincy	Pole Vault
3rd	Chandler Webb	Perry	Pole Vault
4th	JaLonn Borders	Adrian Madison	Pole Vault
5th	Jaxon Bolster	Ida	Pole Vault
6th	Tucker Wiginton	Springport	Pole Vault
7th	Chase Battani	Almont	Pole Vault
8th	Luke Skidmore	Bath	Pole Vault
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Benjamin Rodenbaugh	McBain	High Jump
2nd	Tayden Redding	Warren Michigan Collegiate	High Jump
3rd	Eric Barancik	Chesaning	High Jump
4th	Noah Rufenacht	Quincy	High Jump
5th	Mason Gugle	LeRoy Pine River	High Jump
6th	Mason Chesser	Onsted	High Jump
7th	Ashton Thornsbury	Hillsdale	High Jump
8th	Quentin Lange	Mason County Central	High Jump
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Jaden Villalpando	North Muskegon	Long Jump
2nd	Aiden Coggins	Standish Sterling	Long Jump
3rd	Dominic Oldham	University Prep Science & Math	Long Jump
4th	Jack Deitsch	Reed City	Long Jump
5th	Xavier Luea	Lansing Catholic	Long Jump
6th	Cass Stanberry	Saugatuck	Long Jump
7th	Noah Rufenacht	Quincy	Long Jump
8th	Brent Wofford	Mt. Morris	Long Jump

Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Santino Cicarella	University Liggett	100m
2nd	Trevor Smith	Pewamo-Westphalia	100m
3rd	Zach Harlan	Chesaning	100m
4th	Aiden Coggins	Standish Sterling	100m
5th	Greyson Burrous	Lawton	100m
6th	Cobey Cureton	Dearborn Advanced Technology	100m
7th	Marvin Hatfield	University Liggett	100m
8th	Aaren Buck-Hooper	Cassopolis Ross Beatty	100m
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Santino Cicarella	University Liggett	200m
2nd	Trevor Smith	Pewamo-Westphalia	200m
3rd	Dennis Jackson	Detroit Edison PSA	200m
4th	Zach Harlan	Chesaning	200m
5th	Cobey Cureton	Dearborn Advanced Technology	200m
6th	Travis Collins	Michigan Center	200m
7th	Brayden Connell	Perry	200m
8th	Chase Lorenz	Hart	200m
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Dennis Jackson	Detroit Edison PSA	400m
2nd	Johnny Walters	Jackson Lumen Christi	400m
3rd	Ethan Miller	Centreville	400m
4th	Travis Collins	Michigan Center	400m
5th	Chase Lorenz	Hart	400m
6th	Carter Ramseyer	Hart	400m
7th	Shawn Butler	Parchment	400m
8th	Jess Saylor	Ottawa Lake-Whiteford	400m

Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Gus Rohde	Reed City	800m
2nd	Matthias Morse	Muskegon WMC	800m
3rd	Caleb Blonde	Jonesville	800m
4th	Barrett Nance	North Muskegon	800m
5th	Hunter Eaton	Charlevoix	800m
6th	Clay Powell	Ovid-Elsie	800m
7th	Paul Saladin	Reed City	800m
8th	Blaise Demko	Lansing Catholic	800m
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Gus Rohde	Reed City	1600m
2nd	Mitchell Hiatt	Onsted	1600m
3rd	Landon Pestrue	St. Louis	1600m
4th	Gage Hoffman	Stanton Central Montcalm	1600m
5th	Barrett Nance	North Muskegon	1600m
6th	Daniel Mandujano	Watervliet	1600m
7th	Hunter Eaton	Charlevoix	1600m
8th	Luke Herron	Caro	1600m
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Mitchell Hiatt	Onsted	3200m
2nd	Josh Slocum	Traverse City St. Francis	3200m
3rd	Landon Pestrue	St. Louis	3200m
4th	Nole Lorenzen	Rochester Hills Lutheran NW	3200m
5th	Daniel Mandujano	Watervliet	3200m
6th	Gage Hoffman	Stanton Central Montcalm	3200m
7th	Landen Styka	Ithaca	3200m
8th	Hunter Eaton	Charlevoix	3200m

Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Caleb Walker	Chesaning	110h
2nd	Leland VanAlstine	Lansing Catholic	110h
3rd	Max Ward	Elk Rapids	110h
4th	Aden Nystrom	Olivet	110h
5th	Drew Garcia	Olivet	110h
6th	Caleb Moore	Warren Michigan Collegiate	110h
7th	Zander Goodwin	Jonesville	110h
8th	Tayden Redding	Warren Michigan Collegiate	110h
Place	Name	Team	Event
1st	Max Ward	Elk Rapids	300h
2nd	Caleb Walker	Chesaning	300h
3rd	Zander Goodwin	Jonesville	300h
4th	Leland VanAlstine	Lansing Catholic	300h
5th	Evan Pipe	Grand Rapids Covenant Christian	300h
6th	Clayton Benson	Quincy	300h
7th	Tayden Redding	Warren Michigan Collegiate	300h
8th	Nolan Schaap	Kalamazoo Christian	300h