In past years, I’ve ranked programs by the number of sub-5/sub-6 milers, but that just concentrates on the distance folks. There are ten other individual events and three more relays. Michigan schools have traditions in jumps, throws, hurdles, sprints, and the vault. We have outstanding individuals who attain national glory both at this level and later in life. It’s my mission here to recognize and rank the teams that excel in the specialized events that make track and field, TRACK AND FIELD.
Over the winter, I ranked college distance programs, and I did an okay job, though I wasn’t impressed with the way I presented the rankings. USTFCCCA does their #eventsquad rankings for each individual event for collegiate teams. I thought I’d blend what they do and what I intend to do, to produce these “best crews”. Prep coaches typically wear many hats, but often you’ll have a throws coach, a hurdles coach, etc. If you have a girl that throws Shot, she’ll typically throw Discus. Instead of dissecting each individual event, I’ll attempt to rank the best hurdle crew (100/110h, 300h), the best throws crew (Disc, Shot), distance (800, 1600, 3200), sprint (100, 200, 400), jumps (HJ, LJ), and finally, Pole Vault getting their own, special category.
The method for the rankings is such:
Top 3 athletes from each team with their best times/jumps/tosses averaged out
The highest rank is given to the team with the highest average in that event
Combining events to form a crew, teams will be ranked by their average rank between events (with ties going to teams with the teams with the higher rank of their worst category)
I will release these on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, with new rankings for each crew coming out every two weeks. The order will likely be Jumps, Distance, Vault, Sprints, Throws, Hurdles. Jumps are here first because many of these indoor meets were able to host both high jump and long jump, but obviously no 300h, 100m, or Discus.
These are NOT intended to be predictive or an overall rank of one’s T&F team. If you’re wondering why a team isn’t ranked, they likely haven’t competed yet or perhaps they don’t have the numbers to qualify. While my cross rankings attempt to project future performance, these are just a show what has already occurred. And maybe for myself, learn a little more of the names and individuals in those “other” events.
For this initial ranking, I did NOT combine the jumps to form a crew, there just isn’t a volume of athletes to create a proper ranking. In future weeks, I’ll have the jumps combined and images for each division. Message me if you need further explanation. I’m not burning the candle at both ends like the end of October, so I might be nice to you!
I’ve probably penned this point a few times in the past, but it’s our March Madness in the run specialty industry. Warm weather + spring races + high school track brings in many customers. When you get a day off to write a bit, you take advantage of it, although keep in mind that my brain is a little fried at the moment. Hopefully there aren’t too many errors…
Just How Strong Are These Standards?
The system of qualifying for the State Meet is well-established at this point. Top 2 at Regionals, then you better hit the additional qualifying standard. With the standard track times, unaffected by course variations that might occur in the fall, the MHSAA doesn’t place so much an emphasis on regional assignments. These additional qualifying standards are meant to graduate a set number of athletes in each event to the State Finals, or at least attempt to.
The process for deriving the qualifying standards isn’t spelled out on the MHSAA site, but if I remember a little intel correctly, they use the past few years times at regional meets to get a certain number of athletes to the State Finals. For instance, if 24 Division 1 boys run under 9:30 in the 3200m in each of the past three years, they’ll move that standard down to 9:30. If our progress reverses and only 24 are able to break 10:00 in the next few years, that standard will increase. Obviously, this is an extreme example and my best guess at the MHSAA methodology, but what I’m getting at is that the standards are based on past performances of our great athletes.
I thought I’d compare the qualifying standards to the World Athletics tables in order to show which are the toughest standards, or from another angle, what we’ve performed best at relative to the world’s elite. The qualifying standards should be equal in relation to the state of the sport in Michigan, but Michigan might have a different demographic compared to the World’s larger sample. As with the MHSAA, the IAAF/World Athletics methodology is difficult to find, once again my guess is that they’re assigning performance scores against years of performances. They’re not meant to be used comparing across gender, but can be used comparing events within the same gender.
I converted feet to meters and 1600/3200m to Mile/2 Mile in order to better align with the tables. I didn’t include shot and disc because the implements are different weights at the world level. I didn’t include 4×8 or 300h because those aren’t listed in the tables.
Trends: Relays are tougher. I surmise this is because it’s much easier to find a relay team from a school compared to from a country. We have much more relays contested at the high school level than at the professional level.
The 3200m has been the weakest distance event. Could be because our aerobic systems in youth aren’t fully developed? Perhaps the order of events plays a role, the 3200m coming after the two main distance events, if athletes ran it fresh, times might decrease.
Technical field events are ranked higher in lower divisions. With less numbers on each team, maybe coaches can spend more time teaching those events. Or are there better technical coaches at the lower levels?
If you wanted to take the analysis a step further, you could compare genders using the Mercier scoring tables. Plugging in the standards there, you’ll find that boys sprints are tougher than girls sprints, jumps are about equal, and girls distance standards are much harder.
Shamrock Shufflin’
Post-college, there aren’t many team competitions available for runners. Former athletes move into full-time positions, become adults, start families, and by consequence, team activities fall by the wayside. There are a few opportunities here in Michigan, you have Great Lakes Relay, Crystal Lake, Lake Lansing. Nationwide, you have Club Cross. In early spring, Chicago is home to the Shamrock Shuffle, a chance to harken back to those college cross days, racing the 8k distance, but now on the roads. Teams from Michigan that made the short trek west included Red Cedar Elite, Great Lakes Running Club, Hansons-Brooks, Playmakers Elite, and Working Man’s
Hansons-Brooks took home the trophies in both the women’s and men’s fields. Natosha Rogers nearly set a club record with her 25:30, Zach Panning was in another kicker’s race, barely sneaking under 23:00. The Hansons crew are my friends, their accomplishments well and good, and I write about them a ton, so I’d like to call attention to some others that are still kickin’ it after all these years:
Johnny Crain – 22:57, 3rd. Former North Central legend and 4-time D3 National Champion. Ran a 2:15 marathon for ZAP Fitness a few years back and has battled a few injuries since. Now residing in East Lansing and running for Playmakers Elite.
Nathan Martin – 23:02, 4th. Jackson HS coach holds the fastest marathon time ever run by a Black man born in the United States (and if I recall correctly, the fastest by anyone that competed at the NAIA level in college). Ran for Three Rivers and Spring Arbor.
Zacc Widner – 24:12, 31st. One of the more genuine guys you’ll meet, Zacc has been a part of the Michigan road racing scene for awhile now. Was part of an All-American DMR team and WHAC Champion 4×8 team while at Siena Heights.
Andrew Cusumano – 24:32, 46th.
Tony Floyd – 24:46, 55th. Took home the NAIA 10k crown last spring.
Michael Cox – 24:47, 56th.
David Evans – 24:52, 61st. Ran for Purdue’s club team, now mixing it up with those that ran on D1 squads. In position to throw down a quality time in a few months at Bayshore.
Connor Mora – 24:57, 66th.
Joel Conn – 24:58, 70th.
Colin Riley – 25:20, 83rd.
Brendan Molony – 25:44, 102nd.
Libby Bigelow – 28:33, 20th. Competed for Central Michigan in the 2000s, took a few years off after collegiate running, then qualified for the 2020 Olympic Trials.
Rachel DaDamio – 28:55, 25th.
Charlotte Etienne – 29:20, 34th. Charlotte is an assistant cross country coach over at Kalamazoo College.
Sarah Brewer – 30:07, 52nd.
Allison Snyder – 31:04, 70th.
Barbara Powers – 31:04, 71st.
Allissa Folger – 31:15, 75th.
Emily Short – 31:29, 80th.
I guarantee if I write about this race in 2027, I’ll have plenty to report back on the competitors and their backstories. It just so happens many here were prominent during a time where I didn’t follow running as much.
3. Andrew Benkovksy – 14:55 ($250) (Eaton Rapids, Olivet)
4. Jesse Becker – 15:02 ($150)
5. Connell Alford – 15:21 (Chelsea, sadly this young buck can’t receive prize money!)
6. Tom Windle – 15:23
7. Lezawe Osterink – 15:31 (The Potter’s House)
St. Patricks Day 5k/8k Bay City, March 19th Results
WOMEN’S 8K
1. Maggie Retelle – 32:10
2. Linda Humpert – 34:09
3. Sara Keough – 34:18
MEN’S 8K
1. Chris Reischel – 25:25
2. Nate Bussiere – 25:30
3. Trevor Thiebaut – 27:13 (Cadillac, Aquinas)
College Signings
Kylea Braman (Ithaca > Lansing CC) I know I give a ton of praise to Ithaca, I love other programs too. But it’s telling that a good number of their seniors, seemingly a majority, go on to run in college. Not just about the talent, there’s a love for the sport as well. Chloe Vines (Detroit Renaissance > Alabama State) Makayla Williams (West Bloomfield > Saginaw Valley State) Eli Baumann (Allendale > Purdue Northwest) Isaac Stone (Traverse City West > Central Michigan) Chaniya Madison (Bridgeport > Saginaw Valley State) Emma Collison (Milford > IPFW) Abby Bonnema (Holland West Ottawa > Michigan) A house divided. Amanda Usrey (Anchor Bay > Rochester) Janiyah Hopkins (Hamtramck > Aquinas) Kierra Flegel (Kent City > Grace Christian) Matthew Crowley (Midland > Saginaw Valley State) Hayden Buck (Menominee > Michigan State)
Anything Else?
Hartland’s Alexander Yon broke a 32-year-old state record in the 200m at adidas Nationals. His mark of 47.75 knocked 0.12 seconds off Darnell Hall’s previous record.
Steven Bastien (Saline, Michigan) finished 6th in the Heptathlon at World Indoors. If you may recall, he finished 2nd in the Decathlon at last summer’s Olympic Trials.
The Holland Sentinel wrote a piece detailing Abby Bonnema’s commitment to Michigan.
MLive wrote a similar article about Faith Smith. Her and I have spoken quite a bit, but I didn’t know she had that long of an injury list following her 2020 cross campaign. Just makes the comeback all the more impressive.
Oakland University has added the Elaine Leigh Invitational to their schedule. The meet will be held on Friday, April 22nd and will feature the 800m, 1600m, 3200m, and 4x800m.
For her senior capstone class, Romeo’s Rachel Felstow is researching the effect of super shoes on performance. Help her out here by getting some good numbers for her survey!
On March 13th, Martina Reyes, a junior from Livonia Churchill who ran cross country this past fall was involved in a car accident. She had to be pulled from the vehicle using the Jaws of Life and was transported to Mott Children’s Hospital. Thankfully, she is still here with us, but has sustained multiple injuries and will require multiple surgeries, along with around the clock care. A GoFundMe has been started to help her family with medical costs. Please donate if you can.
Indoor Championship Season – High School
This past weekend, many Michigan athletes and schools traveled cross the country for their various national championships. Division 1 to Birmingham, Division 2 to Pittsburg (no not that Pittsburgh), Division 3 to the Fast Tracks of South Carolina, and our high school kids took in the Big Apple. Among them, you had team champions in Grand Valley State’s men, new national records from Purple Track Club and Grace Stark, numerous individual champions, and countless opportunities for our athletes to show themselves out on the national stage.
Browsing the coaching forums on the internet, you’ll always find a few complaints with the amount of national championship races at the high school level. Not here. Without a powerful overhead body, it’ll be tough to have one consistent national championship, whether that be for track or cross country. With shoe companies looking to spend for influence, they will try to get their name on national events as well. As a result, this past weekend, you had two “national championships” in the same city, a 100 minute subway ride away from one another. You know what that created? MORE OPPORTUNITIES for our athletes to compete. I’m all for it.
It would be impossible to digest all the performances from NYC, but if you’re looking for a quick summary and where each effort stood in the history books, check out Jeff Hollobaugh’s twitter threads: NBIN Sunday, Nike Sunday, NBIN Saturday, Nike Saturday, and check out the rest of his feed for Friday highlights.
A few highlights that stood out to me were:
Hunter Jones solo’ing a 14:20, winning the 5k title at Nike. We had a conversation earlier this winter where he admitted to struggling in the middle of races and that being a point he was working on during training. We saw evidence of that in Ypsilanti a few weeks ago and further evidence here, where he won by 35 seconds. His paces slightly slowed in the later miles, his splits being 4:30, 4:41, 4:38, but a year ago, that 4:38 would’ve been 4:58.
Our hurdlers, Benny Diaz, Nonah Waldron, and Tamaal Myers II. Each laid their stamp on the 60h at the Armory, with Waldron winning, Diaz and Myers both placing in the top 8.
The Alma contingent at Ocean Breeze. Come Fall 2023, watch out for this distance squad. The Lebron Distance Project is in full effect over there, Gene heading up at the high school level, Allie at the middle school level, and that combo led to four of their middle school kids running 5:10 or better, headed by Thomas Larson’s 4:44.
The Purple Track Club. We’re well familiar with the Pioneer girls at this point, but we hadn’t seen them lose. They did Saturday night, to a worthy Flower Mound squad. In case anyone was curious how they’d respond, another National Record, 8:51 in the 4×800 was the answer.
Of course, there are many more. I could just list results, but that wouldn’t tell everyone’s story. I did reach out to a girl whose story I adore. Talent, injuries, victories, failure, this girl has had it all in her career and she just keeps on rolling with the punches. Those familiar with me know that I’ll always root for the underdogs, antiheroes, those that aren’t perfect and haven’t had every break go in their favor. Thank you to Lani Bloom for letting me toss a few questions her way.
You’ve always been a bit of a star in Ithaca, running with the HS team as a middle schooler and on relays at Indoor State. With that early success, many kids might have a big ego, but you don’t. How have you, along with Coach Lebron managed expectations and continued to stay motivated?
I think what’s kept me motivated throughout my career is how (Gene) Lebron creates such great competitive mindsets in everyone on the team. For me personally, he taught me that there’s always something I can do that will make me faster, whether it’s sleeping an extra hour at night, running slower on an easy run, or pushing the 3rd lap of a mile. It’s helped me stay focused on improving myself as an athlete rather than just improving my times. It also helped to keep our expectations and egos in check because no matter how great everything is going, you can always improve something.
Between your sophomore year of cross country and indoor track, you underwent a huge improvement. To what do you attribute that leap?
My sophomore season ended fairly badly, which made me realize I was really neglecting the things I needed to run fast like food, sleep, and general confidence, and happiness. Between those seasons I made a ton of goals to make sure I would come out stronger. I ate probably 2 to 3 times as much, slept more, and started pushing myself more to make my efforts and recovery good quality. I also attribute a lot of my success to my team, we got insanely close that winter and when a whole group shares the same desire to get better is when things like my jump happen. *I love that last point. Much individual success is owed to the team environment*
You’ve really brought it in championship meets, both on the state and national stage. What allows you to get in the right mindset on race day and be able to compete to the best of your ability?
I really try to treat big races the same as small ones and just enjoy the opportunity to run. I get intensely nervous sometimes, but usually talking to my coach and reminding myself of the all the work I’ve done to that point is going to pay off helps me zone in and focus on going to the line ready to just run because I love running. I try to start every race thinking that I’m ready to show people how hard I’ve worked.
Every big race I’ve seen you run, you take it from the gun. But here, it was a bit more tactical and you came from behind. Can you let us know how the race unfolded and what was going through your head on that final lap?
I really did not expect to be leading that race. I know that in elite races like that one it’s either a tactical sit and kick race or an intense fight from the beginning. When I took the lead, I was scared that Addison would do exactly what she did and make a hard move at the end. I spent the whole race preparing to respond to it and when she went for it, I knew I could either give it my best shot and either win or die trying. I’m glad my kick held up against hers.
What are you looking forward to in outdoor track? Any big goals or races you’re shooting for?
For my last track season, I’m really focused on enjoying my time and preparing myself to go to college. My main goal is to go to every meet and do something to make myself a better athlete or teammate. I’d really like to run at Brooks PR and Hayward this summer, but Lebron and I decided that one step at a time is the best approach to these things so I can be ready when nationals season does come around and still get the most out of my last high school season.
Indoor Championship Season – College
You know I love a good chart.
I was completely wrong when I tied Grand Valley State’s men’s chances to getting points from the 800. The Lakers did clean up in the distance events with Isaac Harding, Caleb Futter, and Tanner Chada racking up 29 points. But it was the other events that contributed to the trophy finding a home in Allendale. Brandon Miller’s 200m victory, Eli Kosiba in the high jump.
What about Cheyenne Williamson? Two consecutive pentathlon titles and she wasn’t finished there, notching All-American honors in the 60h and Long Jump. MLive had a good roundup detailing the Cardinal performances.
I spent much of Friday and Saturday watching Division 3, mainly because the D3 Glory Days folks did such a great job in their coverage. Division 1’s coverage had lapses, blank screens, and coverage breaks. Division 2, a robotic announcer who was shocked any time a top seed lost. The high school races were an impossible ask for anyone to cover with the sheer volume of competitors.
But Division 3 absolutely nailed it. Back stories, analysis, and intimate knowledge of the racers. We were treated to some thrillers, both Calvin’s women and Hope’s men in the DMR Friday night and Derek Plitt in the 60m/200m Saturday evening. Plitt particularly had me on the edge of my seat. In the 200m, with a 6-lane track requiring a 2-section final, his 21.62 in the first section looked to have a great shot at victory, but sadly he was outperformed in the second section. I love a good 200m track, but that’s a major drawback in a championship race. You can watch the DMRs here (starting at the 5:04:00 mark) and the 200m here (starting at the 2:14:00 mark).
Practice Has Begun!
Jacob Tanner provided a great preview of the distance events, two hundred seventy freaking three pages long. I thought I’d cover something a little different, the division switches this week and regional changes/state qualifiers next week. Some of those moving up in division (for instance, 4 to 3) may not appear as if they have times that compare, but as I always say, winners win. When the competition level rises, so do the competitors. Here’s a few people and teams that may shake up the pecking order in their current divisions this year.
Moving to Division One
Coldwater – From Division Two
Cameron Torres – 20’7 Long Jump, 18th Indoor State 60m
Flint Kearsley – From Division Two
Brendan Schanick – 48’7 Shot Put, 7th D2 State Shot Put
Tyler Csintyan – 6’0 High Jump
Sturgis – From Division Two
Rasean O’Tey – 11.30 100m
Brenden Myers – 11.31 100m
Jamiel Brown – 19’8 Long Jump, 2nd Indoor State Triple Jump
Korin Whitcomb – 5’6 High Jump, 2nd D2 State High Jump
Benny Diaz – 10.85 100m, 21.68 200m, 51.58 400m, 14.24 110mH, 39.59 300mH, 20’5 Long Jump, Indoor 60mH Champ, 3rd NBIN 60mH, D4 State 110mH & 300mH Champ, 2nd D4 State 200m, 3rd D4 State 100m (basically, everyone from Division 4 boys sprints is breathing a sigh of relief)
Luke Gorgas – 2:09 800m, 12’0 Pole Vault, 6th D4 State Pole Vault
Casey Matthieu – 6’0 High Jump, 20th D4 State High Jump
Adam Martinson – 4:31 1600m, 9:58 3200m, 10th D4 State 3200m
Cat Pond – 13.53 100m, 9’0 Pole Vault, 4th D4 State Pole Vault
Aerin Baker – 16.69 100mH, 5’0 High Jump, 16’8 Long Jump, 3rd D4 State Long Jump & 100mH, 7th D4 State High Jump
Moving to Division Four
Capac – From Division Three
Annabelle Schneider – 13.32 100m, 28.67 200m, 15’9 Long Jump
Dansville – From Division Three
Melvindale Academy for Business and Tech – Didn’t Have Track
Michigan School for the Deaf – Didn’t Have Track
Muskegon Western Mich. Christian – From Division Three
Jarron Childers – 22.84 200m, 10th D3 State 200m
Grace VanderKooi – D4 All-State XC 2021
Abby VanderKooi – 4x XC State Champ, 2:18 800m, 4:48 1600m, 10:02 3200m, D3 State 3200m Champ
New Life Christian Academy – Didn’t Have Track
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (Girls) – From Division Two
Pontiac Academy for Excellence – Didn’t Have Track
Sigma Academy – Didn’t Have Track
Riverview Gabriel Richard – From Division Three
Andrew Cabalang – 11.92 100m, 24.14 200m
Alex Meszaros – 10:44 3200m, 14th D4 State XC
Rochester Hills Lutheran NW – From Division Three
Madeleine Barge – 5:33 1600m, 23rd D3 State 1600m
Mackenzie Lemke – 5:19 1600m, 11:40 3200m, 10th D4 State XC, 16th D3 State 3200m
Abby Rice – 62.1 400m, 2:29 800m, 30th D4 State XC, 18th D3 State 800m
Royal Oak Shrine – From Division Three
Wolverine – Didn’t Have Track
Any College Signings?
You bet.
Samantha Wells (Zeeland West > Dayton) Brian Langlois (Grand Rapids Catholic Central > Aquinas) Kyle Ackerson (Novi > Kalamazoo College) Gavin VanSolkema (Hudsonville Unity Christian > Ferris State) Kelly Fielder (Hanover-Horton > Adrian) Whitney Farrell (Freeland > Ferris State) Mara Longenecker (Freeland > Michigan) Spencer Mistele (Plymouth Christian Academy > Wheaton College) Mikenna Borie (St. Louis > Saginaw Valley State) Kaitriss DeGroft (Chippewa Hills > Alma) Alyssa Detweiler (Cedar Springs > Aquinas) McKenna Buehler (Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills > Aquinas) Shelby Brant (Saginaw Heritage > Lake Superior State)
Anything Else?
Shepherd’s Carly Judge received MITCA’s Overcoming Obstacles Award and was profiled by The Morning Sun newspaper.
The WeRun313 crew had a radio spot on 107.5 detailing their program and they’re hosting a Connect+Build event on Friday. In terms of urban running clubs in economically depressed areas, you’re not gonna find a larger and friendlier group of people.
This summer, Adrian College will be home to the 2022 Midwest Olympic Development Track and Field Champ. Click here for more info.
The Traverse City Record-Eagle ran a nice piece about Hunter Jones and Mylie Kelly’s races at NSAF Nationals.
The Corktown 5k, a Detroit tradition (it’s a shame it’s no longer a 4 mile race), was slowed by frigid temperatures and blustery conditions, but former and current Michigan students were not. Ryan Exell, who runs for U of M-Dearborn snatched the victory and former MRun studs Charlie Ro, Jacob Sjogren, and Andy Dingwall all were in the top-10. The best overall performance of the day likely belonged to Ferndale’s Amber Dermyre, finishing in 19:04 as the top overall female.
