Uncategorized – Page 376 – Michigan XC Speed Ratings

Best Hurdle Crews: Girls Week Three

April 13, 2023 mixcspeedratings

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

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

Here’s the process:

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

BOYS TABLES

GIRLS TABLES

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

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

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Event	Points
12	Nonah Waldron	13.71	Oak Park	100h	528
11	Morgan Roundtree	14.56	Oak Park	100h	477
10	Carrie VanNoy	15.25	Oak Park	100h	435

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

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

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Event	Points
12	Nonah Waldron	13.71	Oak Park	100h	528
11	Morgan Roundtree	42.64	Oak Park	300h	518
11	Morgan Roundtree	14.56	Oak Park	100h	477
10	Carrie VanNoy	15.25	Oak Park	100h	435

D1 Rank	Team	100h	300h	Total
1	Oak Park	1440	518	1958
2	Ypsilanti Lincoln	698	820	1518
3	East Kentwood	714	731	1445
4	Detroit Cass Tech	442	425	866
5	Plymouth	364	397	761
6	Oxford	362	389	751
7	Portage Central	364	363	727
8	Northville	357	363	720
9	Byron Center	328	362	690
10	Ann Arbor Pioneer	478	0	478
11	Port Huron Northern	426	0	426
12	Walled Lake Central	410	0	410
13	Highland-Milford	0	385	385
14	Jackson	0	383	383
15	Traverse City West	0	351	351
16	Caledonia	351	0	351
17	East Lansing	0	341	341
18	Auburn Hills Avondale	338	0	338
19	Zeeland East	337	0	337
20	Lake Orion	334	0	334

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

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Event	Points
11	Leila Wells	16.29	Chelsea	100h	372
11	Leila Wells	51.16	Chelsea	300h	318
9	India Barney	17.22	Chelsea	100h	315

D2 Rank	Team	100h	300h	Total
1	Chelsea	687	318	1006
2	Freeland	592	366	958
3	Grand Rapids Christian	646	298	944
4	Middleville Thornapple-Kellogg	371	372	743
5	Charlotte	285	401	686
6	Mason	358	302	659
7	Hopkins	318	314	632
8	Hastings	308	306	613
9	Kingsley	570	0	570
10	Vicksburg	376	0	376
11	Clio	350	0	350
12	Wayland Union	340	0	340
13	Three Rivers	337	0	337
14	Ogemaw Heights	335	0	335
15	Tecumseh	329	0	329
16	Shepherd	323	0	323
17	Portland	318	0	318
18	Frankenmuth	317	0	317
19	Gaylord	0	314	314
20	Grand Rapids South Christian	0	310	310

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

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Event	Points
9	Emily Peters	47.66	Olivet	300h	401
9	Emily Peters	17.22	Olivet	100h	315
10	Sophia Pell	52.19	Olivet	300h	294
12	Alyssa Kennedy	18.17	Olivet	100h	258
12	Megan Neitzel	18.36	Olivet	100h	246
10	Sophia Pell	18.39	Olivet	100h	245

D3 Rank	Team	100h	300h	Total
1	Olivet	1064	695	1759
2	Clare	857	512	1369
3	Pewamo-Westphalia	663	698	1361
4	Remus Chippewa Hills	300	309	608
5	Erie Mason	288	319	608
6	Hillsdale	598	0	598
7	Hanover-Horton	264	326	590
8	Quincy	265	301	566
9	Lansing Catholic	257	307	564
10	Saugatuck	265	257	522
11	Bath	309	0	309
12	Grand Traverse Academy	277	0	277
13	Lawton	276	0	276
14	Manistee	0	267	267
15	Caro	264	0	264
16	Bronson	0	264	264
17	Saginaw Valley Lutheran	0	257	257
18	Ottawa Lake-Whiteford	0	256	256
19	Mason County Central	0	251	251
20	Ida	0	250	250

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

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Event	Points
10	Rebecca Moeller	53.65	Deckerville	300h	260
10	Aubree Moeller	18.21	Deckerville	100h	255
10	Rebecca Moeller	18.24	Deckerville	100h	254
10	Aubree Moeller	54.71	Deckerville	300h	235

D4 Rank	Team	100h	300h	Total
1	Deckerville	509	495	1004
2	Morenci	380	556	936
3	Mason County Eastern	514	244	758
4	Fowler	404	349	753
5	Addison	375	352	728
6	Portland St. Patrick	323	351	674
7	Dryden	257	294	551
8	Mayville	272	242	514
9	St. Charles	234	238	472
10	Frankfort	222	237	458
11	Fulton	229	209	438
12	Indian River Inland Lakes	0	347	347
13	Pittsford	302	0	302
14	Mio Ausable	0	269	269
15	The Potter’s House	0	256	256
16	Fairview	255	0	255
17	Brethren	0	253	253
18	International Academy of Flint	0	244	244
19	Genesee	0	225	225
20	Marcellus	217	0	217

And as the only Upper Peninsula team to qualify…

UP Rank	Team	100h	300h	Total
1	Sault Ste. Marie	511	285	796

Uncategorized

Best Vault Crews: Week Three

April 12, 2023 mixcspeedratings

Ah, finally a new event category! The pole vaulters get their own, which they deserve. The event uses combination of strength, speed, agility, and most importantly – fearlessness. And it’s truly like no other. You’ll get a few crossovers with vaulters that sprint or jump (or if you’re Lilliane Aittama, you do every event), but for the most part, they do their own thing.

Here’s the process:

BOYS TABLES

GIRLS TABLES

Both the boys and girls contain meets that were posted to athleticnet as of Tuesday Night. I went five deep on the images, ten deep on the charts, with a few ties for different spots.

Since this is the singular event in the event category, I’m experimenting with the writeups. First I’ll set a baseline with some basic facts about who’s returning, then try to find different stories building up towards the State Finals.

2022 Winner	Sophia Mettes – 13′ 0″
Top 8 Returning	5 of 8
Best Returner (Place)	Brooke Bowers – 3rd
Best Returner (Height)	Brooke Bowers – 12′ 9″

Grade	Name	Height	Team	Points	Team Score
9	Raiden Kipfmiller	11′ 6″	Dexter	460	1221
9	Debbie McCoy	10′ 0″	Dexter	400
12	Mikala Sposito	9′ 0″	Dexter	360

D1 Rank	Team	Team Score
1	Dexter	1221
2	Rockford	1181
3	Salem	880
4	East Kentwood	840
4	Plymouth	840
6	Zeeland West	760
7	Oxford	740
8	Cedar Springs	460
8	Forest Hills Central	460
10	Lowell	440
10	St. Joseph	440

2022 Winner	Ethan Lingle – 15′ 9″
Top 8 Returning	4 of 8
Best Returner (Place)	Joey Bonacci – 4th
Best Returner (Height)	Dolan Gonzales – 15′ 6″

Grade	Name	Height	Team	Points	Team Score
11	Clark Sheldon	13′ 6″	Dexter	426	1245
11	Benjamin Sackman	13′ 0″	Dexter	409
11	Kaden Korcek	13′ 0″	Dexter	409

D1 Rank	Team	Team Score
1	Dexter	1245
2	Brighton	477
3	Saline	409
4	Grand Haven	392
4	Greenville	392
4	Howell	392
4	Lowell	392
4	Walled Lake Central	392

2022 Winner	Jordyn Wright – 12′ 0″
Top 8 Returning	6 of 8
Best Returner (Place)	Jordyn Wright – CHAMPION
Best Returner (Height)	Jordyn Wright – 12′ 0″

Grade	Name	Height	Team	Points	Team Score
9	Evie Mathis	11′ 6″	Wayland Union	460	880
10	Kennedy Jasinski	10′ 6″	Wayland Union	420

D2 Rank	Team	Team Score
1	Wayland Union	880
2	Owosso	840
3	Ortonville Brandon	447
4	Tecumseh	420
5	Hastings	390
6	Grand Rapids Christian	380
7	Allendale	360
7	Belding	360
7	Pinckney	360
10	Chelsea	344

2022 Winner	Landon Cosby – 15′ 9″
Top 8 Returning	3 of 9 (tie for 8th)
Best Returner (Place)	Sam Vesperman – 14′ 4″
Best Returner (Height)	David Conrad – 15′ 7″

Grade	Name	Height	Team	Points	Team Score
12	Conor Trotter	12′ 6″	Pinckney	392	768
11	Colton Spinelli	12′ 0″	Pinckney	375

D2 Rank	Team	Team Score
1	Pinckney	768
2	Ludington	734
3	Hastings	426
4	Eaton Rapids	409
5	Dundee	392
5	Whitehall	392
7	Coldwater	375
7	Hamilton	375
7	Sparta	375
10	Mason	359

2022 Winner	Ally Olszewski – 11′ 0″
Top 8 Returning	6 of 8
Best Returner (Place)	Ally Olszewski – CHAMPION
Best Returner (Height)	Ally Olszewski – 11′ 0″

Grade	Name	Height	Team	Points	Team Score
12	Rylee Oxley	8′ 6″	Lawton	340	941
10	Megan Robertson	7′ 6″	Lawton	300
10	Alyssa McNally	7′ 6″	Lawton	300

D3 Rank	Team	Team Score
1	Lawton	941
2	Hart	901
3	Almont	841
4	Grand Rapids West Catholic	700
5	St. Louis	640
6	Clare	620
6	Hudson	620
6	Quincy	620
9	Erie Mason	600
10	Chesaning	560
10	Lake City	560

2022 Winner	Tryce Tokar – 14′ 3″
Top 8 Returning	3 of 8
Best Returner (Place)	Tryce Tokar – CHAMPION
Best Returner (Height)	Jack Borgman – 14′ 7″

Grade	Name	Height	Team	Points	Team Score
10	Corey Turner	11′ 6″	Quincy	359	701
10	Kaleb Handy	11′ 0″	Quincy	342

D3 Rank	Team	Team Score
1	Quincy	701
2	Ovid-Elsie	446
3	Grandville Calvin Christian	435
4	Harrison	392
4	Chesaning	392
6	Almont	375
6	Erie Mason	375
6	Ottawa Lake-Whiteford	375
6	White Cloud	375
10	Bad Axe	359
10	Hudson	359
10	Ida	359
10	Lake City	359

2022 Winner	Tara Townsend – 11′ 6″
Top 8 Returning	7 of 9 (three way tie for 7th)
Best Returner (Place)	Addisyn Rudd – 2nd
Best Returner (Height)	Addisyn Rudd – 9′ 6″

Grade	Name	Height	Team	Points	Team Score
10	Aubree Moeller	8′ 0″	Deckerville	320	901
10	Rebecca Moeller	7′ 6″	Deckerville	300
11	Maryanne Sanford	7′ 0″	Deckerville	280

D4 Rank	Team	Team Score
1	Deckerville	901
2	Marlette	650
3	Fulton	600
3	Pittsford	600
5	Marcellus	590
6	Mason County Eastern	340
7	East Jackson	320
8	Frankfort	300
8	Sand Creek	300
8	Wyoming Potter’s House	300

2022 Winner	Isaiah Biers – 13′ 4″
Top 8 Returning	6 of 9 (tie for 8th)
Best Returner (Place)	Isaiah Biers – CHAMPION
Best Returner (Height)	Isaiah Biers – 13′ 4″

Grade	Name	Height	Team	Points	Team Score
11	Logan Malloy	13′ 0″	Marlette	409	785
11	Tyler Izydorek	12′ 0″	Marlette	375

D4 Rank	Team	Team Score
1	Marlette	785
2	Brown City	683
3	Frankfort	649
4	Coleman	409
5	Britton Deerfield	375
6	Lincoln-Alcona	344
7	Montabella	342
8	Sand Creek	325
9	New Buffalo	316
10	Akron-Fairgrove	308
10	Manistee Catholic	308
10	Marion	308
10	Morrice	308
10	Pittsford	308

Uncategorized

Best Jump Crews: Boys Week Three

April 11, 2023 mixcspeedratings

WEEK ONE JUMP CREW

Just taking a glance at the meet schedules throughout the state over the next few days, there’s a good chance we’ll get some great efforts in the vault and hurdles. Hopeful to get those events analyzed and ranked this week.

Here’s the process:

BOYS TABLES

GIRLS TABLES

Here’s an example of one of the better early season crews, the East Kentwood Boys high jumpers. The Falcons are always one of the more well-rounded teams in the State, 2023 looks to be no different.

Grade	Name	Team	Division	Height	Points
12	Nakia Willis	East Kentwood	1	6′ 0″	377
11	Elisee Kanda	East Kentwood	1	5′ 10″	349
12	Marshaun Flakes	East Kentwood	1	5′ 10″	349

These are from this season only, containing meets up until MONDAY and included on the athleticnet lists.

One of the better all-around athletes on one of the better teams is back for another round of it, hoping to help lead his Falcons to a State Title. At 2022’s MITCA Team State, Nakia Willis placed in the top-10 in the 110h, High Jump, and Long Jump, a major factor in their third place finish as a team. Already this year, he’s found new lengths in the Long Jump, hitting over 21’ on both of his early season meets. Over the previous two years, he’d been 21’+ only twice. A new dimension for someone capable of contributing to a team goal come early June.

Grade	Name	Team	Height/Dist.	Points
12	Nakia Willis	East Kentwood	21′ 9.75″	415
12	Nakia Willis	East Kentwood	6′ 0″	377
11	Elisee Kanda	East Kentwood	5′ 10″	349
12	Marshaun Flakes	East Kentwood	5′ 10″	349

D1 Rank	Team	High	Long	Score
1	East Kentwood	1075	415	1490
2	Canton	881	452	1333
3	Warren Cousino	405	400	805
4	Ypsilanti Lincoln	349	412	761
5	Northville	405	349	754
6	Fraser	377	361	738
7	Lansing Waverly	377	357	734
8	Portage Central	726	0	726
9	Caledonia	349	368	717
10	North Farmington	377	339	716
11	Holland West Ottawa	363	341	704
12	Dexter	349	352	701
13	St. Joseph	419	0	419
14	Battle Creek Lakeview	0	407	407
15	Oxford	405	0	405
16	Ann Arbor Skyline	0	401	401
17	Rockford	0	394	394
18	Zeeland East	391	0	391
19	Sterling Heights	0	391	391
20	Detroit Catholic Central	0	384	384
21	Grand Blanc	0	381	381
22	Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills	0	380	380
22	Grand Haven	0	380	380
24	Grosse Pointe South	377	0	377
24	Muskegon Reeths-Puffer	377	0	377
24	South Lyon	377	0	377

Funny how when you evaluate the jumpers, you get those multi-event kids who can handle pretty much anything. Ben Merkel is another one. In addition to his 6’2 High Jump (tied for the State Lead in D2), he contributed to Jefferson’s 4×2, 4×4, and long jumped to top it off. Look back to last year, he hurdled, he ran an 800. Back to that 6’2 though, it ties his personal best and is his second effort ever over 6’. I’m not sure what the future holds at the state level, but I know he’s the early favorite for the Huron League title.

Grade	Name	Team	Height/Dist.	Points
12	Gage Vanalstine	Charlotte	6′ 0″	377
12	Joe Davis	Charlotte	5′ 10″	349
12	Gage Vanalstine	Charlotte	19′ 8.5″	325
12	Kaeden Maynard	Charlotte	19′ 5.25″	314
11	Cutler Brandt	Charlotte	19′ 5″	313

D2 Rank	Team	High	Long	Score
1	Charlotte	726	951	1678
2	Whitehall	726	373	1099
3	Wayland Union	0	766	766
4	Pinckney	405	339	745
5	Ferndale University	0	744	744
6	Mason	349	391	740
7	Orchard Lake St. Mary’s	0	733	733
8	Parma Western	405	327	732
9	Ortonville Brandon	335	352	687
10	Freeland	0	680	680
11	Corunna	0	434	434
12	Grand Rapids Catholic Central	405	0	405
12	Monroe Jefferson	405	0	405
12	Sturgis	405	0	405
15	Lake Fenton	377	0	377
15	Tecumseh	377	0	377
17	Hopkins	0	363	363
17	Milan	0	363	363
19	Three Rivers	363	0	363
20	Forest Hills Eastern	349	0	349
20	Ludington	349	0	349
20	Marshall	349	0	349
20	Richland Gull Lake	349	0	349
20	Shepherd	349	0	349
20	Stevensville Lakeshore	349	0	349
20	Wyoming Godwin Heights	349	0	349
20	Lake Odessa Lakewood	0	341	341

Even the best fail. Andrew Phillips failed at the 2022 Regionals, where he missed a state qualifier by an inch. Those failures are necessary on the road to success. His 21’9 season opener was the exact opposite of a failure. A school record by 6”, 1.5 feet longer than his regional leap, and the best mark in D3 thus far. Many early mornings, hour long winter drives, and intense dedication led to this. In over a month, lord willing and the creek don’t rise, he’ll get a chance to redeem those past failures.

Grade	Name	Team	Height/Dist.	Points
12	Shea Ruddy	Ottawa Lake-Whiteford	6′ 2″	405
11	Kolby Masserant	Ottawa Lake-Whiteford	20′ 2.5″	346
9	Mason DeBarr	Ottawa Lake-Whiteford	5′ 8″	321

D3 Rank	Team	High	Long	Score
1	Ottawa Lake-Whiteford	726	346	1073
2	Manton	349	412	761
3	Hillsdale	377	357	734
4	Durand	405	313	718
5	Montague	698	0	698
6	Quincy	321	362	683
7	Chesaning	335	316	651
8	Napoleon	0	640	640
9	Springport	321	318	639
10	Hart	321	290	610
11	Vassar	405	0	405
12	Grand Traverse Academy	377	0	377
12	Lakeview	377	0	377
14	Clare	0	359	359
15	Hudson	0	350	350
16	Clinton	349	0	349
16	Grandville Calvin Christian	349	0	349
16	Homer	349	0	349
16	Reed City	349	0	349
20	Saginaw Valley Lutheran	0	348	348
21	Delton-Kellogg	0	336	336
22	Harrison	0	334	334
23	Clintondale	0	327	327
24	Holland Black River	0	323	323
25	Bronson	321	0	321
25	Cass City	321	0	321
25	Ida	321	0	321
25	Schoolcraft	321	0	321

Top-8 marks, a Regional title in the Long Jump, all was set for Mekhi Wingfield to cause a scene at the 2022 D4 State Finals. Unfortunately, he was unable to compete and better his 3^rd place Long Jump finish from his freshman year. Now in 2023, his early season marks have put D4 on notice. He’s high jumped 2” higher than his previous best, he’s hit 22’ for the first time ever. That long jump is quickly turning into a must-see event. Anthany Buford has already been over 22’ and you know Alex Affer ain’t giving up the crown that easily. June can’t come soon enough.

Grade	Name	Team	Height/Dist.	Points
11	Mekhi Wingfield	Concord	22′ 4″	437
11	Mekhi Wingfield	Concord	6′ 4″	434
12	Anthony Evans	Concord	19′ 10.5″	332

D4 Rank	Team	High	Long	Score
1	Concord	434	769	1203
2	Marion	377	666	1043
3	Detroit Frederick Douglass	0	698	698
4	Britton Deerfield	585	0	585
4	Marcellus	585	0	585
6	Petersburg-Summerfield	293	277	570
7	Pentwater	0	566	566
8	Unionville-Sebewaing	293	262	555
9	Beal City	0	348	348
10	The Potter’s House	335	0	335
11	Lawrence	0	309	309
12	East Jackson	0	297	297
13	Marlette	293	0	293
14	Holland Calvary Christian	0	291	291
15	Ubly	0	284	284
16	Mesick	0	281	281
17	Mt Clemens	0	263	263