Category: Uncategorized

Back here with the sixth 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. The 300 hurdles stats were compiled on Sunday, the 100/110 hurdles on Monday. I know there will results past that date and I know that’ll be the case for other events over these next few 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

Everything changes, yet stays the same. Another June rolls around and another bevy of Oak Park girls are dominating in the hurdles. Nonah Waldron has bounced back from a rough end to the 2022 season, setting a Michigan record in the 300 hurdles. Morgan Roundtree previously held that record and has worked on her speed, lowering her 100 hurdle best from 14.10 to 13.85. Looking ahead to those two has been Carrie VanNoy, who won the Oakland County 300 hurdle title. Of course there are others across the division. Detroit Renaissance will look to extract points here via Celeste Davis, Martia Williams, and Lauren Bickerdt. Cass Tech’s Lindsay Johnson is coming in hot off her 2^nd consecutive sweep of the PSL. Off a two year break from hurdling has been Pioneer’s Maya Rollins, she of great hurdling bloodlines, reaching down below 14.00 twice in the spring.

100 Hurdles

Stats

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.
12	Nonah Waldron	Oak Park	13.62	13.60
11	Maya Rollins	Ann Arbor Pioneer	14.15	14.17
11	Morgan Roundtree	Oak Park	14.27	14.26
10	Carrie VanNoy	Oak Park	14.58	14.45
11	Lindsay Johnson	Detroit Cass Tech	14.81	14.75
12	Margaret Monaghan	Port Huron Northern	15.08	15.04
10	Celeste Davis	Detroit Renaissance	15.16	15.06
12	Kylei Anderson	Walled Lake Central	15.16	15.39
10	Lauren Bickerdt	Detroit Renaissance	15.27	15.13
10	Aliyah Ferguson	Ann Arbor Huron	15.38	15.30
12	Selga Jansons	Grosse Pointe South	15.42	15.50
10	Mia Barnett	Chippewa Valley	15.55	15.74
11	Ciara Rosenzweig	Rockford	15.65	15.65
12	Martia Williams	Detroit Renaissance	15.68	15.35
10	Abbie Terry	East Kentwood	15.77	15.83
12	Kennedy Gardner	Portage Central	15.82	15.89
12	Shravya Ghantasala	Plymouth	15.87	15.55
12	Emma Stewart	Salem	15.91	15.88
12	Keiyera Johnson	Jackson	16.05	15.87
11	Lydia Michelin	Highland-Milford	16.07	16.18
11	Cadence Drougal	Rockford	16.39	16.45
12	Kaitlyn Ward	Howell	16.47	16.43
10	Lauren Gilbert	Mount Pleasant	16.62	16.56
11	Abiona Bailey	Mount Pleasant	16.91	16.17

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Nonah Waldron	Oak Park
2	Morgan Roundtree	Oak Park
3	Maya Rollins	Ann Arbor Pioneer
4	Lindsay Johnson	Detroit Cass Tech
5	Carrie VanNoy	Oak Park
6	Celeste Davis	Detroit Renaissance
7	Margaret Monaghan	Port Huron Northern
8	Lauren Bickerdt	Detroit Renaissance

300 Hurdles

Stats

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.
12	Nonah Waldron	Oak Park	41.17	42.03
11	Morgan Roundtree	Oak Park	41.62	41.72
11	Lindsay Johnson	Detroit Cass Tech	43.29	44.53
10	Lauren Bickerdt	Detroit Renaissance	44.06	44.17
10	Carrie VanNoy	Oak Park	44.71	45.54
11	Maya Rollins	Ann Arbor Pioneer	45.05	46.00
12	Melanie Macias	Ypsilanti Lincoln	45.08	46.52
12	Maya Goncalves	Ypsilanti Lincoln	45.32	46.60
11	Abiona Bailey	Mount Pleasant	45.53	46.67
9	Alana Bracey	East Kentwood	45.53	47.12
11	Jayla Martin	Woodhaven-Brownstown	45.83	48.11
12	Margaret Monaghan	Port Huron Northern	45.85	46.49
11	Lydia Michelin	Highland-Milford	46.05	46.68
11	Ashley Krahe	Northville	46.14	48.14
12	Shravya Ghantasala	Plymouth	46.14	46.40
12	Kennedy Gardner	Portage Central	46.56	48.05
10	Mel Holman	Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills	46.61	48.00
10	Rachel Ifezue	Utica Ford	46.73	49.07
9	Nadia Prieditis	Grand Haven	46.76	47.80
11	Janell Brown	East Lansing	46.95	48.73
10	Taylor Brodeur	Oxford	47.59	48.69
9	Kylie Ball	Traverse City Central	47.60	48.72
12	Keiyera Johnson	Jackson	47.68	48.11
12	Selga Jansons	Grosse Pointe South	47.92	48.60

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Morgan Roundtree	Oak Park
2	Nonah Waldron	Oak Park
3	Lindsay Johnson	Detroit Cass Tech
4	Lauren Bickerdt	Detroit Renaissance
5	Carrie VanNoy	Oak Park
6	Maya Rollins	Ann Arbor Pioneer
7	Maya Goncalves	Ypsilanti Lincoln
8	Melanie Macias	Ypsilanti Lincoln

DIVISION TWO

It’s been an abbreviated season for Warren Regina’s Ella Jenkins, but it appears she’s primed to be in position to grab another state title. Last year, it was in the 300 hurdles, this year she’s healthily established herself as the D2 leader in the 100s. For the longer race, similar dominance abounds. Charlotte’s Annabelle Densmore has dropped almost 2.5 seconds from her junior best on her way to stringing along an undefeated season. Riley Gill and Megan Zahnow have been solid in each event and Sadie Dykstra will be coming back from a surefire podium finish in the long jump to compete here as well.

100 Hurdles

Stats

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.
12	Ella Jenkins	Warren Regina	15.07	15.07
11	Riley Gill	Mason	15.60	15.90
11	Megan Zahnow	Vicksburg	15.67	15.68
11	Lizzie Haines	Gladwin	16.03	16.25
12	Rowan Cebulski	Grand Rapids Christian	16.06	16.00
12	Brianna Rhodea	Tecumseh	16.08	16.10
9	Sadie Dykstra	Yale	16.18	16.33
12	Lily Buckland	Portland	16.18	16.34
12	Makayla Neelands	Clio	16.32	16.19
12	Haven Vasold	Freeland	16.33	16.49
11	Annabelle Gill	Three Rivers	16.48	16.63
12	Jeralyn Hoppes	Hamilton	16.53	16.05
11	Cassidy Hart	Frankenmuth	16.58	16.66
9	Zion Ellis	Berrien Springs	16.61	17.08
12	Ellie Sickles	Shepherd	16.63	16.79
10	Sophia Smith	Trenton	16.66	16.73
11	Reygan Acox	Linden	16.68	16.68
11	Mallory Huttenga	Grand Rapids South Christian	16.81	16.39
10	Paris Adams	University Prep Art and Design	17.07	16.94
10	Julia Smith	Fruitport	17.09	17.15
10	Kayla Slade	Dearborn Divine Child	17.45	17.58
10	Lynzi Evans	Cranbrook Kingswood	18.35	16.84

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Ella Jenkins	Warren Regina
2	Megan Zahnow	Vicksburg
3	Riley Gill	Mason
4	Sadie Dykstra	Yale
5	Annabelle Gill	Three Rivers
6	Lizzie Haines	Gladwin
7	Rowan Cebulski	Grand Rapids Christian
8	Brianna Rhodea	Tecumseh

300 Hurdles

Stats

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.
12	Annabelle Densmore	Charlotte	44.60	45.47
9	Sadie Dykstra	Yale	47.00	50.00
12	Ella Jenkins	Warren Regina	47.55	47.55
11	Riley Gill	Mason	47.66	49.01
11	Kaitlyn Molnar	Grosse Ile	47.87	48.55
9	Jayden VandenAkker	Allegan	47.97	49.82
11	Addey Nickels	Hastings	47.99	48.78
12	Makayla Neelands	Clio	48.00	49.81
12	Kirsten Krause	Berrien Springs	48.12	48.84
12	Madelyn Barbour	New Boston Huron	48.23	49.40
11	Megan Zahnow	Vicksburg	48.36	48.71
12	Haven Vasold	Freeland	48.45	49.21
11	Lizzie Haines	Gladwin	48.45	49.28
12	Jeralyn Hoppes	Hamilton	48.60	48.81
11	Audrey Geer	Frankenmuth	48.84	51.74
11	Addilyn Tober	Spring Lake	48.86	50.13
12	Madison Hipshire	Riverview	48.92	49.44
9	Mia Hilton	Middleville Thornapple-Kellogg	48.92	50.11
12	Marie Schafer	Williamston	49.48	50.81
12	Han Zhang	Detroit Country Day	51.71	53.00
11	Ainsley Oliver	Dearborn Henry Ford Academy	51.76	52.63
10	Kayla Slade	Dearborn Divine Child	51.89	52.51

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Annabelle Densmore	Charlotte
2	Ella Jenkins	Warren Regina
3	Riley Gill	Mason
4	Kaitlyn Molnar	Grosse Ile
5	Jayden VandenAkker	Allegan
6	Kirsten Krause	Berrien Springs
7	Haven Vasold	Freeland
8	Megan Zahnow	Vicksburg

DIVISION THREE

It’s underclassmen galore over here!  Mazie Robison is someone that caught my eye as a freshman, placing 3^rd here in the high hurdles. She’s stepped it up a notch in championship season, hitting sub-16 in 2 of her past 3 races. Back in early May, I particularly liked her win at Shepherd. Her prelim wasn’t the most optimal race, she put that behind her to win in the final. That sort of mental fortitude could pay dividends in a pressure-filled environment. The youth movement is even more apparent in the longer hurdles, where the four best times in the event are taken by 9^th graders. Emily Peters has the top spot and she’s had a marvelous season, defeated only by Densmore, and reaching into the 46’s come championship season.

100 Hurdles

Stats

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.
10	Mazie Robison	Saugatuck	15.85	16.16
10	Destiny McDaniels	Bath	16.20	16.27
11	MaryAlice Lynch	Monroe St. Mary CC	16.58	16.45
	Mia Hinz	Hillsdale	16.64	16.40
11	Ava Harton	Clare	16.67	16.73
11	Kenna Barber	Clare	16.76	16.80
10	Hannah Abbott	Remus Chippewa Hills	16.78	16.89
12	Megan Neitzel	Olivet	16.78	17.05
10	Nevada Gillons	Union City	16.82	16.89
9	Emily Peters	Olivet	16.84	17.32
10	Sadie Larson	Lake City	16.94	17.05
12	Kaylie Bash	Erie Mason	17.02	17.06
12	Rylee Cohoon	Lake City	17.18	17.26
11	Laura Bitely	Hart	17.19	18.34
10	Melyssa McJennett	Brooklyn Columbia Central	17.23	17.23
11	Helen Ludka	Traverse City St. Francis	17.24	17.36
11	Jasmyne Villanueva	Hart	17.25	17.25
10	Amanda Cederquist	Montague	17.36	17.37
10	Sophia Orton	Schoolcraft	17.42	17.76
10	Essence Weston	Detroit Voyageur	17.43	18.05
9	Gwen Maike	Chesaning	17.44	17.45
9	Brooke Fluty	Elk Rapids	17.65	17.49
11	Gracee Robidou	Stockbridge	17.69	17.69
11	Alexis Girolami	Lawton	17.74	17.94
11	Katelyn Louis	Reese	18.03	17.91
12	Isabella Langmaid	Caro	18.14	18.17
12	Gabby Irvin	Madison Heights Bishop Foley	18.77	18.77
12	Navannah Jones	Clawson	19.21	19.19

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Mazie Robison	Saugatuck
2	Mia Hinz	Hillsdale
3	MaryAlice Lynch	Monroe St. Mary CC
4	Destiny McDaniels	Bath
5	Ava Harton	Clare
6	Hannah Abbott	Remus Chippewa Hills
7	Nevada Gillons	Union City
8	Kenna Barber	Clare

300 Hurdles

Stats

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.
9	Emily Peters	Olivet	46.19	46.88
9	Julia Hughes	Ida	47.75	50.14
9	Faith Stump	Pewamo-Westphalia	47.91	48.36
9	Frances Melinn	Lansing Catholic	48.16	49.20
11	Gracee Robidou	Stockbridge	48.30	49.47
10	Beth Sweeney	Erie Mason	48.47	48.79
12	Analiese Fredin	McBain	48.57	50.19
12	Allie Koch	Manchester	48.59	49.58
10	Mazie Robison	Saugatuck	48.98	50.42
11	Josie Barriger	Sanford-Meridian	49.04	49.79
10	Hannah Abbott	Remus Chippewa Hills	49.65	51.79
11	Annabelle Gapp	Ottawa Lake-Whiteford	49.72	50.52
11	Jasmyne Villanueva	Hart	49.72	50.52
10	Marykate Thomas	Kalamazoo Christian	49.72	50.52
12	Olivianna Watkins	Hanover-Horton	49.72	50.52
11	Ava Harton	Clare	49.94	50.79
10	Mckenzie Derusha	Saginaw Valley Lutheran	50.34	51.27
10	Melyssa McJennett	Brooklyn Columbia Central	50.39	51.41
12	Quianna Murray	Cassopolis Ross Beatty	50.59	52.38
11	Kenna Barber	Clare	50.76	51.12
10	Bethany Olthof	Ravenna	50.84	51.73
11	Kendra Ratajczak	Reese	51.61	52.29
10	Charmaine Allen	Dearborn Advanced Technology	51.94	54.21
12	Vanessa Gadd	Algonac	54.24	56.22
11	Samyah Ford	Warren Michigan Collegiate	56.63	56.92

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Emily Peters	Olivet
2	Faith Stump	Pewamo-Westphalia
3	Julia Hughes	Ida
4	Frances Melinn	Lansing Catholic
5	Allie Koch	Manchester
6	Beth Sweeney	Erie Mason
7	Mazie Robison	Saugatuck
8	Gracee Robidou	Stockbridge

DIVISION FOUR

Let’s put it this way: on the track surface in 2023, she’s undefeated. All running events. 100m, 200m, high hurdles, low hurdles. Molly Brown has knocked a whole 1.7 seconds from her 2022 freshman self in the 100s, dipping under 15.00 once and nearly hitting it on the nose on other occasions. That is perhaps her most dominant event, but she’ll be lacing it up in the 300 as well. Where she might find an adversary. Anna Plum is on track to defend her crown. She ran in the low-47’s to gain the gold last year and has dropped more than 1.5 seconds off that mark as we’ve ran it back.

100 Hurdles

Stats

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.
10	Molly Brown	Addison	15.28	15.44
12	Larissa Huffman	Indian River Inland Lakes	16.37	16.25
11	Sophia Schrauben	Portland St. Patrick	16.69	16.86
10	Payton Haynes	Mason County Eastern	16.69	16.90
12	Jocelyn Hall	Athens	16.80	17.00
11	Leah Rorick	Morenci	17.04	17.66
10	Ava Mallar	Pittsford	17.27	17.39
11	Sophia Peter	Dryden	17.45	17.57
11	Emily Zelinko	St. Charles	17.51	17.56
10	Madison Sallows	Hillsdale Academy	17.55	17.64
11	Olivia Findlay	Marlette	17.60	17.69
11	Rosalinda Gascho	Johannesburg-Lewiston	17.64	17.84
11	Carly Hendershot	Mayville	17.70	18.09
9	Gracie Schultz	Mendon	17.91	18.06
12	Presley Bartley	Frankfort	17.91	18.11
11	Maggie Alchin	Fairview	18.12	18.18
9	Lynnae Podolak	Fulton	18.13	18.13
10	Sofia Salinas	Birmingham Roeper	18.19	18.15
11	Jenna Boye	Lutheran Westland	18.30	18.25
12	Gemma Lerchen	Maple City Glen Lake	18.34	18.07
10	Megan VerMerris	The Potter’s House	18.34	18.39
11	Paige Fraley	Climax-Scotts	18.58	18.82
12	Jada King	Mendon	18.73	18.91
11	Sasha Murphy	Riverview Gabriel Richard	19.14	19.43

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Molly Brown	Addison
2	Larissa Huffman	Indian River Inland Lakes
3	Payton Haynes	Mason County Eastern
4	Jocelyn Hall	Athens
5	Sophia Schrauben	Portland St. Patrick
6	Rosalinda Gascho	Johannesburg-Lewiston
7	Leah Rorick	Morenci
8	Ava Mallar	Pittsford

300 Hurdles

Stats

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.
12	Anna Plum	Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart	45.40	47.19
10	Molly Brown	Addison	46.82	47.43
9	Paige Thelen	Fowler	47.54	49.20
10	Ava Mallar	Pittsford	47.86	48.94
11	Sophia Schrauben	Portland St. Patrick	48.40	49.35
12	Larissa Huffman	Indian River Inland Lakes	48.44	49.86
10	Madison Sallows	Hillsdale Academy	48.86	49.96
10	Tamerah Peterson	Sterling Heights Parkway	48.99	50.04
11	Sophia Peter	Dryden	49.68	50.31
11	Leah Rorick	Morenci	49.79	51.51
10	Payton Haynes	Mason County Eastern	49.86	51.62
11	Rosalinda Gascho	Johannesburg-Lewiston	49.86	50.61
10	Rebecca Moeller	Deckerville	49.94	50.94
12	Gabriela Gashaj	Marine City Cardinal Mooney	50.06	50.93
11	Emily Zelinko	St. Charles	50.07	51.11
11	Ella McDonnell	Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart	50.14	51.97
12	Grace Epkey	Fowler	50.21	51.84
11	Leah Kroge	Auburn Hills Oakland Christian	50.68	51.96
8	Lucy Cote	Hillsdale Academy	50.79	52.22
10	Karah Stiver	Potterville	50.95	52.38
11	Madelyn Hardy	East Jordan	51.09	51.88
9	Maria Wieber	Fowler	51.19	52.75
11	Abby Kissling	Brethren	51.40	52.65
12	Maura Gum	Royal Oak Shrine	51.54	52.27
10	Alyson Tripp	Gobles	51.77	52.74
11	Carly Hendershot	Mayville	51.92	53.91
11	Jenna Boye	Lutheran Westland	52.11	52.29
12	Brooklyn Vantilburg	Marcellus	53.37	54.56
9	Addisen Harrand	Buckley	53.73	55.14

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Anna Plum	Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart
2	Molly Brown	Addison
3	Ava Mallar	Pittsford
4	Paige Thelen	Fowler
5	Sophia Schrauben	Portland St. Patrock
6	Madison Sallows	Hillsdale Academy
7	Larissa Huffman	Indian River Inland Lakes
8	Tamerah Peterson	Sterling Heights Parkway

DIVISION ONE

The past two years, we’ve seen varying levels of hurdle races for Braxton Brann. As a sophomore he placed 10^th in the 300h, as a junior he concentrated on the short sprints, nabbing All-State in each. As a senior, it appears he’s all-in on the high hurdles. He still has that 100/200m speed, ranking among the best in the State for each respective event. But the hurdles are where we’ve seen the most progress. Undefeated on the year and in his regional championship, he blasted through the 14.00 barrier. Hurdle and Cass Tech Technician Michael Davis-Hawkins has had a year in the longer race, sub-40 each time out, even reaching down as low as sub-38 to capture the Region 7 crown. There are plenty of other competitors right there in the mix, doubling in both: Wallace Tupper II, Kayenn Mabin, Seneca Moore, Nakia Willis, Josh Hurt, amongst many others.

100 Hurdles

Stats

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.
12	Braxton Brann	Ann Arbor Huron	14.09	14.43
12	Joshua Hurt	East Kentwood	14.20	14.37
12	Kayenn Mabin	Kalamazoo Central	14.39	14.35
12	Trevor Watts	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	14.66	14.72
10	Elijah Dotson	Detroit U-D Jesuit	14.86	14.88
12	Nakia Willis	East Kentwood	14.89	14.91
10	Michael Piggee Jr.	Muskegon	14.91	14.94
12	Seneca Moore	Holt	14.94	15.05
11	Owen Hager	Caledonia	15.08	15.24
9	Zacchaeus Brocks	Detroit Catholic Central	15.11	15.18
11	Wallace Tupper II	Traverse City West	15.12	15.13
11	George Brown	Rockford	15.20	15.20
12	Liam Kinney	Brighton	15.25	15.07
10	Keaton Hendricks	Zeeland West	15.32	15.62
12	Colin Bastuba	Clarkston	15.37	15.51
12	Liam McHugh	Muskegon Reeths-Puffer	15.42	15.20
12	Teon Parks	Detroit Martin Luther King	15.43	15.30
12	Camron Krebs	Walled Lake Northern	15.52	15.49
11	Jackson Hayward	Ann Arbor Huron	15.60	16.28
11	RJ McCuien	Traverse City Central	15.63	15.73
12	Josh Slimak	Troy Athens	15.63	15.71
12	Derrick Graves II	Canton	15.67	15.40
11	Vincent Dancel	Rochester Adams	15.69	15.18
12	Jaden Jennings	Detroit U-D Jesuit	15.81	15.85
12	Johnell McCurdy	St. Clair Shores Lakeview	15.82	15.64
12	Chad Jacobs	Harrison Twp. L’Anse Creuse	15.82	15.91
11	Connor Curtis	Livonia Stevenson	16.10	15.90

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Braxton Brann	Ann Arbor Huron
2	Kayenn Mabin	Kalamazoo Central
3	Joshua Hurt	East Kentwood
4	Nakia Willis	East Kentwood
5	Wallace Tupper II	Traverse City West
6	Trevor Watts	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix
7	Michael Piggee Jr.	Muskegon
8	Elijah Dotson	Detroit U-D Jesuit

300 Hurdles

Stats

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.
12	Michael Davis-Hawkins	Detroit Cass Tech	39.06	39.21
12	Kayenn Mabin	Kalamazoo Central	39.38	39.03
11	Wallace Tupper II	Traverse City West	39.80	39.80
11	Elyan Gregory	Beverly Hills Groves	39.93	39.96
12	Joshua Hurt	East Kentwood	40.02	40.06
12	Trevor Watts	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	40.06	39.72
12	Seneca Moore	Holt	40.40	40.38
12	Camron Krebs	Walled Lake Northern	40.44	40.56
12	Ashton Clark	Walled Lake Central	40.80	41.54
12	Trevor Wallar	Zeeland West	40.83	40.99
12	Andrew Bradley	Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills	40.89	40.64
11	Davis Barr	Battle Creek Lakeview	40.93	40.59
12	Liam Kinney	Brighton	40.98	39.97
9	Schmar Gamble	Belleville	41.02	39.99
10	Ashton Brann	Ann Arbor Huron	41.15	41.30
12	Timothy Bawar	H.H. Dow	41.39	42.74
10	Elijah Dotson	Detroit U-D Jesuit	41.66	41.36
11	Connor Curtis	Livonia Stevenson	41.74	41.61
11	Zachary Conley	Utica	41.82	42.44
12	Carter Peet	Dearborn	41.94	42.17
12	Josh Slimak	Troy Athens	42.06	42.51
12	Teon Parks	Detroit Martin Luther King	42.40	42.37

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Michael Davis-Hawkins	Detroit Cass Tech
2	Wallace Tupper II	Traverse City West
3	Kayenn Mabin	Kalamazoo Central
4	Joshua Hurt	East Kentwood
5	Trevor Watts	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix
6	Elyan Gregory	Beverly Hills Groves
7	Schmar Gamble	Belleville
8	Liam Kinney	Brighton

DIVISION TWO

Jaxson Tober was ranked as 2022’s top all-around athlete, prominent in a few sprints, the long jump, and especially the hurdles. In that junior campaign, he placed 2^nd in the 110’s and was unable to qualify in the 300. Boy, he’s more than made up for that in 2023. He’s been unbeaten in that event and ranks #2 in the entire state. The high hurdles may be more of a thrill. Tober still holds the top time, but he’ll be fending off an Andrew Miller who beat him at Region 12, Mill Coleman who blasted a 14.78 to win in Region 13, and Tyler Baker, another multi-event marvel.

100 Hurdles

Stats

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.
12	Jaxson Tober	Spring Lake	15.03	15.18
11	Tyler Baker	Mason	15.06	15.57
11	Mill Coleman	Grand Rapids Catholic Central	15.15	15.24
10	Charles (DJ) White	Orchard Lake St. Mary’s	15.40	15.41
10	Isaiah Fox	Adrian	15.61	15.58
11	Ian Ruatto	Macomb Lutheran North	15.62	15.90
11	Logan Lipka	Frankenmuth	15.63	15.74
11	Zach Taylor	Trenton	15.72	15.79
11	Daniel Romero	Fremont	15.72	16.12
12	Nick Wheeler	Gladwin	15.81	16.00
10	Aydan Mccarey	Niles	15.84	15.77
12	Tyler Hufnagel	Owosso	15.89	16.24
11	Joey DeRose	BC Harper Creek	15.90	16.12
11	Austin Graham	Wayland Union	15.94	16.01
12	Jacob Ferry	Goodrich	16.02	16.20
11	Aaron West	Paw Paw	16.06	15.65
11	Marcus Nystrom	Grand Rapids Catholic Central	16.08	15.64
12	Andrew Miller	Hudsonville Unity Christian	16.14	15.27
11	Jack Bartus	Orchard Lake St. Mary’s	16.41	16.11
12	Teegan Baker	Cadillac	16.42	16.64
11	Conor Morrow	Dearborn Divine Child	16.88	16.90
11	Eli Craig	Clarenceville	17.37	17.47

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Mill Coleman	Grand Rapids Catholic Central
2	Jaxson Tober	Spring Lake
3	Andrew Miller	Hudsonville Unity Christian
4	DJ White	Orchard Lake St. Mary’s
5	Tyler Baker	Mason
6	Isaiah Fox	Adrian
7	Logan Lipka	Frankenmuth
8	Aaron West	Paw Paw

300 Hurdles

Stats

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.
12	Jaxson Tober	Spring Lake	39.31	39.84
11	Avery Snook	Vicksburg	40.99	41.14
11	AJ Martel	Mason	41.06	41.06
11	Zach Taylor	Trenton	41.19	42.02
11	Michael Armetta	Monroe Jefferson	41.19	41.79
12	Tyler Hufnagel	Owosso	41.33	41.78
11	Joshua Veneziano	Parma Western	41.46	42.42
11	Tyler Baker	Mason	41.54	41.79
11	Aaron West	Paw Paw	41.65	41.52
11	Daniel Romero	Fremont	41.72	41.59
12	Nick Wheeler	Gladwin	41.72	41.99
12	Isaiah Ware-Marshall	Adrian	41.85	41.81
12	Ben Shuman	Petoskey	41.86	41.88
12	Kenny Youngs	Vicksburg	41.99	42.23
11	Jack Bartus	Orchard Lake St. Mary’s	42.11	41.74
11	Mill Coleman	Grand Rapids Catholic Central	42.26	42.03
10	Charles (DJ) White	Orchard Lake St. Mary’s	42.45	42.50
12	Kyle Coenen	Armada	42.61	42.64
12	Tyler Swick	Grosse Ile	42.75	42.47
12	Aidan Hoard	Frankenmuth	42.85	43.37
11	Conor Morrow	Dearborn Divine Child	42.87	43.17
10	Aydan Mccarey	Niles	43.01	43.01
9	Nate Shoemaker	Middleville Thornapple-Kellogg	43.52	43.61
12	Jeric Asencio	Garden City	44.28	43.48

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Jaxson Tober	Spring Lake
2	AJ Martel	Mason
3	Avery Snook	Vicksburg
4	Isaiah Ware-Marshall	Adrian
5	Aaron West	Paw Paw
6	Daniel Romero	Fremont
7	Michael Armetta	Monroe Jefferson
8	Tyler Hufnagel	Owosso

DIVISION THREE

It’s been all green for Napoleon’s Holden Van Poppel in the high hurdles. The junior has been undefeated in the regular season, blasting below 15.00 on multiple occasions, a considerable D3 lead. The 300’s are about as wide open as you’ll see among both genders, all divisions. There are plenty of candidates to win, such as Dominick Hernandez, whose 40.50 to win in Region 30 grabbed the D3 lead. Dominick was defeated at MITCA Team State by Mitchell Vaske, who will be making his first voyage to the State level in his career. Don’t be shocked when Cameron Tigner sticks his nose in there, as he’s been sub-42 all throughout May.

100 Hurdles

Stats

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.
11	Holden Van Poppel	Napoleon	15.00	15.02
11	Torren Mapes	Delton-Kellogg	15.59	15.60
10	Caleb Walker	Chesaning	15.63	15.79
12	Diego Lebron	Homer	15.71	15.77
12	Louden Murbach	Erie Mason	15.77	15.77
12	Taurian Dorty	University Liggett	15.91	15.89
11	Gavrik Belcourt	Napoleon	15.94	16.34
10	Grant Wheaton	Lakeview	15.95	15.92
11	Logan Miles	Bad Axe	16.00	16.71
12	Mitchell Vaske	Charyl Stockwell Academy	16.00	16.07
11	Trace Englemann	Caro	16.01	16.07
12	Noah Murphy	Benzie Central	16.01	16.34
12	Michael Benson	Adrian Madison	16.04	16.22
12	Wyatt Allbee	Clare	16.07	16.21
12	Damion Scharer	Jonesville	16.08	16.22
12	Zachary VanBaren	GR Covenant Christian	16.11	16.20
9	Devante Deleon	Burton Atherton	16.22	16.82
11	Austin Birner	Bangor	16.22	16.36
12	Caleb Pohl	Pewamo-Westphalia	16.31	16.47
11	Tyrone Brouillet	Benzie Central	16.36	16.56
12	Dominick Hernandez	Chesaning	16.38	16.65
11	Elijah Dyer	Springport	16.40	16.27
11	Caleb Westerbeek	Hart	16.48	16.56
10	Max Ward	Elk Rapids	16.51	16.65
11	Peyton Scott	Charlevoix	16.53	16.57
10	Caleb Moore	Warren Michigan Collegiate	16.58	16.60
11	Rhys Bedford	Delton-Kellogg	16.62	16.53
12	Cameron Tigner	Harrison	16.63	17.05
12	Will Ayers	Saugatuck	16.70	16.90
10	Derek Finlay	Ravenna	16.81	16.94
12	Shelby Hopkins	Morley-Stanwood	17.29	17.28

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Holden Van Poppel	Napoleon
2	Torren Mapes	Delton-Kellogg
3	Louden Murbach	Erie Mason
4	Diego Lebron	Homer
5	Caleb Walker	Chesaning
6	Logan Miles	Bad Ace
7	Trace Englemann	Caro
8	Taurian Doty	University Liggett

300 Hurdles

Stats

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.
12	Dominick Hernandez	Chesaning	41.31	42.54
12	Cameron Tigner	Harrison	41.41	41.44
12	Colin Hagerman	Bath	41.67	41.91
12	Mitchell Vaske	Charyl Stockwell Academy	41.69	42.12
11	Torren Mapes	Delton-Kellogg	41.72	42.26
12	Wyatt Allbee	Clare	41.90	41.97
12	Joe Vance	Charyl Stockwell Academy	41.91	42.58
11	Matthew Johnston	Hemlock	41.92	42.32
11	Elijah Dyer	Springport	41.98	41.83
10	Aidan Paquin	Onsted	42.17	43.22
10	Max Ward	Elk Rapids	42.21	42.21
11	Ryin Ruddy	Ottawa Lake-Whiteford	42.39	42.27
12	Caleb Pohl	Pewamo-Westphalia	42.42	42.89
12	Riley Parker	Caro	42.65	42.27
11	Holden Van Poppel	Napoleon	42.66	42.66
9	Drew Enright	Schoolcraft	42.70	43.62
11	Caleb Ritsema	Grandville Calvin Christian	42.72	43.04
10	Grant Wheaton	Lakeview	42.73	43.06
12	Michael Benson	Adrian Madison	42.85	43.33
11	Tyrone Brouillet	Benzie Central	42.91	42.98
11	Izaiah Lentz	Reed City	43.22	43.22
11	Britain Philip	Buchanan	43.23	42.60
11	Mason Green	Roscommon	43.28	43.84
11	Logan Miles	Bad Axe	43.32	43.93
12	Zachary VanBaren	Grand Rapids Covenant Christian	43.32	42.99
12	Taurian Dorty	University Liggett	43.38	43.83
9	Leland VanAlstine	Lansing Catholic	43.41	43.51
12	Louden Murbach	Erie Mason	43.43	44.01
9	Devante Deleon	Burton Atherton	43.45	43.45
10	Hayden Reed	Stanton Central Montcalm	43.50	44.05
12	Shelby Hopkins	Morley-Stanwood	43.84	43.67
11	Zander Johnigan	Manton	43.87	44.35
12	Noah Murphy	Benzie Central	43.88	44.11
11	Aiden Webber	Madison Heights Bishop Foley	46.39	47.31

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Cameron Tigner	Harrison
2	Dominick Hernandez	Chesaning
3	Colin Hagerman	Bath
4	Mitchell Vaske	Charyl Stockwell Academy
5	Wyatt Allbee	Clare
6	Torren Mapes	Delton-Kellogg
7	Elijah Dyer	Springport
8	Joe Vance	Charyl Stockwell Academy

DIVISION FOUR

I love the mix of all-around success and individual event greatness. For Brady Feldpausch, it’s debatable as to what’s his hurdle specialty. In each of the two hurdle events, he’s unbeaten, running his best to close the year, has top-2 times in the division, and has dropped considerable time since 2022. Also, is it just me or does Fowler always have hurdlers, sprinters, and mid-distance athletes? He’ll be running into Tayshawn Bester in the high hurdles, Tayshawn having snuck under 15.00 earlier in the year, and hoping to avenge his 2022 Regional DQ. Landon Bennett is the other guy in the 300’s. Bennett hasn’t been beat since late-April and has given sub-40 a serious challenge on one occasion. He’ll be in the same boat as Bester, hoping to avenge some demons, if anything I know he’ll improve on his 25^th place finish from last June.

100 Hurdles

Stats

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.
11	Tayshawn Bester	Reading	15.27	15.27
10	Brady Feldpausch	Fowler	15.72	15.85
11	Landon Bennett	Athens	15.91	16.28
11	Tristan Smith	Fowler	16.41	16.50
12	Shane Braughton	Dansville	16.42	16.39
12	Luke Witte	Lutheran Westland	16.46	16.64
11	Aquavius McInteyre	International Academy of Flint	16.49	16.07
11	Kaden Bruce	Kingston	16.55	16.56
12	Max Cote	Hillsdale Academy	16.56	16.65
12	Kadin Straus	Beal City	16.60	16.76
10	Logan Shooks	East Jordan	16.67	16.80
10	Logan Smith	Morrice	16.73	16.72
12	Tyler Zelinko	St. Charles	16.75	17.02
12	Mason Salisbury	Marion	16.83	17.06
10	Carter Long	Mio Ausable	16.85	17.16
11	Ashton Easterwood	Concord	16.94	17.06
12	J.R. Hildebrand	Martin	17.08	17.48
12	James Blackburn	Martin	17.29	17.40
12	Lucas Stapley	Brethren	17.45	17.32
12	Kyle Wetter	Capac	17.58	17.58
10	Austin Louzon	Riverview Gabriel Richard	17.71	17.71
12	Thomas Williams	Clarkston Everest Collegiate	17.90	17.73
9	Cole Upper	Lincoln-Alcona	18.01	18.50
12	Luke VanderGriend	The Potter’s House	18.64	17.00

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Tayshawn Bester	Reading
2	Brady Feldpausch	Fowler
3	Shane Braughton	Dansville
4	Landon Bennett	Athens
5	Aquavius McInteyre	International Academy of Flint
6	Tristan Smith	Fowler
7	Kaden Bruce	Kingston
8	Max Cote	Hillsdale Academy

300 Hurdles

Stats

Grade	Name	Team	Best 5	May Avg.
11	Landon Bennett	Athens	40.63	41.08
10	Brady Feldpausch	Fowler	40.98	41.08
12	Max Cote	Hillsdale Academy	42.46	42.85
12	Maverick Messenger	Reading	42.57	42.57
12	Jacoby Holiday	Flint Beecher	42.66	42.66
12	Bruce Thelen	Fulton	42.90	43.05
12	Mason Salisbury	Marion	43.05	43.17
12	James (J.R.) Hildebrand	Martin	43.23	43.68
11	Jadin Mix	Onaway	43.26	43.26
12	Shane Braughton	Dansville	43.41	43.21
11	Tristan Smith	Fowler	43.47	43.70
10	Kris Vigars	Riverview Gabriel Richard	43.54	43.91
11	Landon Husereau	Novi Christian Academy	44.16	44.16
9	Cullen Greene	Rochester Hills Lutheran NW	44.25	44.55
9	Tyrus Davidson	Mayville	44.65	44.78
12	Isaac Bowden	McBain Northern Michigan Christian	44.72	45.33
12	Luke VanderGriend	Wyoming Potter’s House	44.90	44.48
12	James Blackburn	Martin	45.14	45.14
9	Nicholas Pung	Portland St. Patrick	45.18	45.33
11	Kaden Bruce	Kingston	45.30	45.36
12	Mitchell Hall	Johannesburg-Lewiston	46.48	46.48
12	Nick Sturgeon	Manistee Catholic	47.04	47.46

Common Competitions

Predictions

Place	Name	Team
1	Landon Bennett	Athens
2	Brady Feldpausch	Fowler
3	Max Cote	Hillsdale Academy
4	Maverick Messenger	Reading
5	Jacoby Holiday	Flint Beecher
6	Shane Braughton	Dansville
7	Jadin Mix	Onaway
8	Bruce Thelen	Fulton

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