Category: Uncategorized

Track is back, baby.

The Best Crews have been a thing around here for the past few years. They take their cues from USTFCCCA’s event squads and the World Athletics scoring system, combining the two ideas in order to compare Michigan’s teams against events in their common areas.

The goal of this is to help recognize the athletes and coaches that create cultures, history, and traditions in their respective event areas. Think about it like this: Minnesota always has great hockey, basketball hoops are nailed to Indiana barns, Texas churns out football talent, every Iowa boy has cauliflower ear. Where in Michigan does hurdling reign supreme? Is there a town where kids learn to shot put before they can tie their shoes?

2023’s explanation goes through much of it, but two things have changed for this year.

• the Boys 200m points have been re-mathed and edited, as previous versions sold short athletes such as Jeremy Dixon and Jake Machiniak when it came to season end rankings.
• instead of using a team’s top-four athletes to generate their total for an event, I’m using their top-three. Belleville’s hurdlers are the main reason for this, there’s no way they shouldn’t have been the top D1 squad last year. I feel this will better portray a team’s top athletes.

Here are the figures that show the points for each mark:

BOYS TABLES

GIRLS TABLES

In the past, I’ve struggled grasping exactly what I want to write about for each event or division. Thankfully, these early qualifiers make it easy! If you’ve qualified in the timeframe before your event area has been posted or in between those posts, you’ll get a little sentence or three.

These contain results uploaded to athletic.net by Thursday (4/10) at 10pm.

Early Qualifiers

Laila Hawkins, Detroit Cass Tech

14.74 – 100 Hurdles – DDC Early Season All-Comers

One race in and she’s already 0.2 seconds faster than last year, a season that resulted in a 6th place D1 finish.

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Points	Event
12	Brooklyn Harmon	15.06	Middleville Thornapple-Kellogg	446	100h
11	Mia Hilton	46.91	Middleville Thornapple-Kellogg	418	300h
9	Amya Gater	16.72	Middleville Thornapple-Kellogg	346	100h
11	Mia Hilton	16.86	Middleville Thornapple-Kellogg	337	100h

Rank	Team	100h	300h	Total
1	Middleville Thornapple-Kellogg	1129	418	1548
2	Okemos	679	745	1424
3	Belleville	807	479	1286
4	Detroit Cass Tech	804	376	1181
5	Salem	736	359	1095
6	Ann Arbor Pioneer	667	366	1032
7	Byron Center	422	378	800
8	Caledonia	397	368	766
9	Lake Orion	381	375	756
10	Ann Arbor Huron	370	377	747
11	Clarkston	365	361	726
12	Rockford	352	346	698
13	Rochester Adams	677	–	677
14	Taylor	454	–	454
15	Utica Ford	382	–	382
16	Holland West Ottawa	–	372	372
17	Grand Ledge	371	–	371
18	Romeo	–	369	369
19	Oxford	–	360	360
20	Woodhaven Brownstown	–	348	348
21	Ann Arbor Skyline	335	–	335
22	Mount Pleasant	330	–	330
23	Troy	326	–	326
24	Holt	324	–	324

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Points	Event
12	Michael Wilkerson	14.80	Rochester Adams	448	110h
12	Lachlan Tillotson	15.05	Rochester Adams	429	110h
12	Michael Wilkerson	41.00	Rochester Adams	404	300h
12	Lachlan Tillotson	41.18	Rochester Adams	398	300h
12	Steven Wilkerson	15.60	Rochester Adams	387	110h
12	Steven Wilkerson	42.45	Rochester Adams	358	300h

Rank	Team	110h	300h	Total
1	Rochester Adams	1265	1161	2426
2	Belleville	1345	382	1728
3	Greenville	811	808	1619
4	Temperance Bedford	1214	360	1574
5	Holland West Ottawa	756	375	1131
6	Walled Lake Western	427	425	851
7	West Bloomfield	344	405	749
8	Detroit Cass Tech	368	378	745
9	Grosse Pointe South	365	376	740
10	Lowell	352	381	732
11	Ann Arbor Huron	–	442	442
12	Saline	–	422	422
13	Rockford	–	381	381
14	Caledonia	–	377	377
15	Byron Center	–	370	370
16	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	–	368	368
17	Howell	366	–	366
18	Southgate Anderson	–	358	358
19	Farmington	355	–	355
20	Livonia Churchill	346	–	346
21	Grand Ledge	343	–	343
22	Portage Central	342	–	342
23	Grandville	342	–	342
24	Beverly Hills Groves	341	–	341

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Points	Event
12	Sydney Kuhn	44.76	Saginaw Swan Valley	469	300h
10	Aubrey Hare	49.27	Saginaw Swan Valley	363	300h
10	Aubrey Hare	17.54	Saginaw Swan Valley	296	100h

Rank	Team	100h	300h	Total
1	Saginaw Swan Valley	296	832	1128
2	Owosso	650	392	1043
3	Sturgis	589	315	903
4	Allegan	416	423	839
5	Hudsonville Unity Christian	364	349	712
6	Gladwin	357	324	682
7	Trenton	343	325	669
8	Plainwell	288	351	638
9	Portland	278	354	633
10	Shepherd	306	320	627
11	Spring Lake	317	300	617
12	Dearborn Divine Child	289	318	607
13	Parma Western	307	297	604
14	Forest Hills Eastern	289	312	602
15	Holland Christian	277	298	575
16	Chelsea	569	–	569
17	Monroe Jefferson	562	–	562
18	Cranbrook Kingswood	409	–	409
19	Fruitport	334	–	334
20	Freeland	–	316	316
21	Hopkins	–	297	297
22	Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard	277	–	277
23	Bay City John Glenn	272	–	272
23	Eaton Rapids	272	–	272
25	Otsego	269	–	269

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Points	Event
11	Conan Weeks	16.00	Clare	356	110h
12	Logan Carstensen	42.72	Clare	350	300h
11	Conan Weeks	42.78	Clare	348	300h
12	Logan Carstensen	16.79	Clare	295	110h
12	Ty Allbee	16.83	Clare	292	110h

Rank	Team	110h	300h	Total
1	Clare	944	698	1642
2	Parma Western	705	720	1425
3	Battle Creek Harper Creek	1056	–	1056
4	Shepherd	–	747	747
5	Freeland	377	342	719
6	Coldwater	709	–	709
7	Alma	677	–	677
8	Three Rivers	331	336	667
9	Trenton	280	333	613
10	Orchard Lake St. Mary’s	388	–	388
11	Corunna	363	–	363
12	Saginaw Swan Valley	–	357	357
13	Jackson Northwest	352	–	352
14	Grand Rapids South Christian	–	348	348
15	Grand Rapids Christian	–	336	336
16	Gladwin	335	–	335
17	Marshall	332	–	332
18	Hazel Park	308	–	308

Early Qualifiers

Julia Hughes, Ida

15.66 – 100 Hurdles – Hillsdale Jack Beilfuss Invitational

An off-season dedication to strength and power led to the ability to consistently three step. Which then brought about her first sub-16 ever.

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Points	Event
11	Julia Hughes	15.66	Ida	410	100h
11	Julia Hughes	48.34	Ida	385	300h
12	Mackenzie Dollison	52.41	Ida	289	300h
12	Mackenzie Dollison	17.89	Ida	275	100h
11	Grace May	17.97	Ida	270	100h

Rank	Team	100h	300h	Total
1	Ida	955	674	1629
2	Pewamo-Westphalia	277	616	893
3	Standish Sterling	570	271	841
4	Quincy	362	332	693
5	Bath	414	267	681
6	Kent City	277	295	571
7	Union City	257	271	528
8	Chesaning	–	523	523
9	Napoleon	285	–	285
10	The Potter’s House	–	281	281
11	Ovid-Elsie	275	–	275
12	Ravenna	262	–	262
13	Muskegon Western Mich. Christian	–	249	249
14	Stanton Central Montcalm	246	–	246

Early Qualifiers

Caleb Walker, Chesaning

14.72 – 110 Hurdles – Fowlerville Early Season Open

Twice All-State in the high hurdles, this is Caleb’s second foray into the 14’s – and the earliest in the season that he’s reached that mark.

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Points	Event
12	Zander Goodwin	42.78	Jonesville	348	300h
12	Zander Goodwin	16.13	Jonesville	346	110h
10	Reece Rundquist	44.22	Jonesville	303	300h
10	Reece Rundquist	16.80	Jonesville	295	110h

Rank	Team	110h	300h	Total
1	Jonesville	641	651	1292
2	Chesaning	832	357	1189
3	Ravenna	301	680	981
4	Bath	579	374	953
5	Hillsdale	618	297	916
6	Elk Rapids	408	431	840
7	Burton Atherton	708	–	708
8	Adrian Madison	706	–	706
9	Hudson	291	288	578
10	Stockbridge	229	294	524
11	Ann Arbor Greenhills	–	389	389
12	Quincy	376	–	376
13	Grand Rapids Covenant Christian	332	–	332
14	Napoleon	327	–	327
15	Pewamo-Westphalia	–	321	321
16	Brooklyn Columbia Central	312	–	312
17	Leslie	301	–	301
18	Laingsburg	–	288	288
19	Ida	273	–	273
20	Hanover-Horton	272	–	272
21	Almont	267	–	267
22	Hesperia	264	–	264
23	Burton-Bendle	251	–	251
24	Standish Sterling	236	–	236

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Points	Event
12	Payton Haynes	16.49	Mason County Eastern	360	100h
9	Aubrey Myers	17.81	Mason County Eastern	280	100h
10	Annabelle Zwagerman	18.39	Mason County Eastern	245	100h
9	Aubrey Myers	54.66	Mason County Eastern	236	300h
12	Payton Haynes	55.64	Mason County Eastern	213	300h

Rank	Team	100h	300h	Total
1	Mason County Eastern	884	450	1334
2	Petersburg-Summerfield	675	260	936
3	Fowler	239	631	870
4	Vestaburg	405	264	669
5	Hillsdale Academy	303	293	596
6	Lansing Christian	328	–	328
7	Kalamazoo Hackett	–	272	272
8	International Academy of Flint	265	–	265
9	Brown City	234	–	234
10	Holland Calvary Christian	232	–	232
11	Potterville	–	226	226
12	Morrice	222	–	222
13	Fulton	220	–	220
14	Pentwater	215	–	215
15	Tri-unity Christian	192	–	192

Early Qualifiers

Dawson Scharer, Hillsdale Academy

15.85 – 110 Hurdles & 40.82 – 300 Hurdles – Hillsdale Jack Beilfuss Invitational

2024’s 2x All-Stater can cruise into the State Finals knowing that he’s got a chance to repeat that same feat – or attain higher goals. Considering he opened last year with 16/42+ efforts, he’s in a good spot to be in contention come late May.

Logan Smith, Morrice

41.90 – 300 Hurdles – Fowlerville Early Season Open

Smith joined Scharer as a duplicate All-Stater. Like Dawson, Logan is far ahead of 2024’s pace. Having opened last season over 44, he’s already 3 sec. ahead of pace.

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Points	Event
12	Kris Vigars	42.09	Riverview Gabriel Richard	370	300h
12	Sebastian Martinez	44.23	Riverview Gabriel Richard	302	300h
12	Austin Louzon	16.72	Riverview Gabriel Richard	301	110h
9	Ty Patterson	44.90	Riverview Gabriel Richard	281	300h
12	Austin Louzon	44.96	Riverview Gabriel Richard	280	300h
12	Kris Vigars	18.06	Riverview Gabriel Richard	198	110h

Rank	Team	110h	300h	Total
1	Riverview Gabriel Richard	498	954	1452
2	Hillsdale Academy	652	721	1374
3	Fowler	402	384	786
4	Petersburg-Summerfield	458	212	670
5	Morrice	152	376	527
6	Vandercook Lake	264	263	526
7	Detroit Frederick Douglass	169	294	464
8	Coleman	208	230	439
9	Royal Oak Shrine	156	244	400
10	International Academy of Flint	358	–	358
11	Kalamazoo Hackett	283	–	283
12	Saginaw Nouvel	–	255	255
13	Dansville	–	242	242
14	St Joseph Our Lady of the Lake Catholic	–	241	241
15	Jackson Preparatory	–	222	222
16	Eau Claire	204	–	204
17	Athens	201	–	201
18	Morenci	200	–	200
19	Brown City	169	–	169
20	Decatur	121	–	121

Track is back, baby.

The Best Crews have been a thing around here for the past few years. They take their cues from USTFCCCA’s event squads and the World Athletics scoring system, combining the two ideas in order to compare Michigan’s teams against events in their common areas.

The goal of this is to help recognize the athletes and coaches that create cultures, history, and traditions in their respective event areas. Think about it like this: Minnesota always has great hockey, basketball hoops are nailed to Indiana barns, Texas churns out football talent, every Iowa boy has cauliflower ear. Where in Michigan does hurdling reign supreme? Is there a town where kids learn to shot put before they can tie their shoes?

2023’s explanation goes through much of it, but two things have changed for this year.

• the Boys 200m points have been re-mathed and edited, as previous versions sold short athletes such as Jeremy Dixon and Jake Machiniak when it came to season end rankings.
• instead of using a team’s top-four athletes to generate their total for an event, I’m using their top-three. Belleville’s hurdlers are the main reason for this, there’s no way they shouldn’t have been the top D1 squad last year. I feel this will better portray a team’s top athletes.

Here are the figures that show the points for each mark:

BOYS TABLES

GIRLS TABLES

In the past, I’ve struggled grasping exactly what I want to write about for each event or division. Thankfully, these early qualifiers make it easy! If you’ve qualified in the timeframe before your event area has been posted or in between those posts, you’ll get a little sentence or three.

These contain results uploaded to athletic.net by Tuesday (4/8) at 9PM.

Grade	Name	Mark	Team	Points	Event
12	Emma Young	116′ 6″	Livonia Churchill	422	Discus
12	Charlotte Minor	110′ 5″	Livonia Churchill	405	Discus
12	Charlotte Minor	34′ 4″	Livonia Churchill	393	Shot Put

Rank	Team	Shot Put	Discus	Total
1	Livonia Churchill	393	828	1221
2	Jenison	499	440	940
3	Rockford	447	441	888
4	Zeeland East	787	–	787
5	Northville	385	397	782
6	Forest Hills Northern	761	–	761
7	Detroit Renaissance	386	374	760
8	Midland	448	–	448
9	Plymouth	430	–	430
10	Grosse Pointe South	–	410	410
11	Middleville Thornapple-Kellogg	404	–	404
12	Ypsilanti Lincoln	403	–	403
13	Howell	399	–	399
14	Holland West Ottawa	394	–	394
15	Brighton	–	393	393
16	East Lansing	387	–	387
17	Macomb Dakota	–	387	387
18	Grand Ledge	–	386	386
19	Bay City Western	380	–	380
20	Livonia Stevenson	379	–	379
21	Holly	379	–	379
22	Forest Hills Central	379	–	379
23	Novi	374	–	374
24	Monroe	373	–	373

Early Qualifiers

Ty Ellis, Grand Ledge

159′ 6″ Discus – Hillsdale Jack Beilfuss Invitational

Commonly, it’s taken Ellis a few meets to get in the groove. But not in 2025, as he ripped his best opener in the discus by 30 feet. This is what he normally throws at the end of the year, which gives great thought as to what might occur in two months.

Grade	Name	Mark	Team	Points	Event
12	Ray Glory Ejoyohak	186′ 2″	Beverly Hills Groves	514	Discus
12	Ryan Yoder	152′ 9″	Beverly Hills Groves	429	Discus
12	Colin Vincent	46′ 3″	Beverly Hills Groves	392	Shot Put
12	Ryan Yoder	45′ 4″	Beverly Hills Groves	385	Shot Put
12	Ray Glory Ejoyohak	45′ 3″	Beverly Hills Groves	384	Shot Put

Rank	Team	Shot Put	Discus	Total
1	Beverly Hills Groves	1161	943	2104
2	Grand Ledge	780	1241	2021
3	Monroe	844	913	1757
4	Livonia Churchill	790	851	1641
5	Hudsonville	777	830	1607
6	Dexter	382	1155	1537
7	Midland	1318	–	1318
8	Warren DeLaSalle	810	417	1227
9	Byron Center	378	848	1225
10	Portage Central	450	404	854
11	Swartz Creek	822	–	822
12	Cedar Springs	817	–	817
13	Fraser	411	404	814
14	Caledonia	–	811	811
15	Livonia Stevenson	384	405	789
16	Saginaw Heritage	788	–	788
17	Lapeer	404	372	776
18	Rockford	391	382	773
19	Hartland	389	374	763
20	Harrison Twp. L’Anse Creuse	443	–	443
21	Grosse Pointe South	–	433	433
22	Detroit Catholic Central	432	–	432
23	Holt	–	427	427
24	Macomb Dakota	417	–	417
25	Rochester Adams	–	416	416

Grade	Name	Mark	Team	Points	Event
12	Ellianna Foley	38′ 4.5″	Coldwater	437	Shot Put
10	Marie Powers	35′ 8″	Coldwater	408	Shot Put
12	Ellianna Foley	104′ 8″	Coldwater	389	Discus
11	Danika Cox	31′ 11.5″	Coldwater	367	Shot Put

Rank	Team	Shot Put	Discus	Total
1	Coldwater	1212	389	1601
2	Gladwin	782	353	1135
3	Hudsonville Unity Christian	770	360	1130
4	Otsego	743	359	1102
5	Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard	507	381	888
6	Plainwell	399	428	827
7	Sturgis	397	427	824
8	St. Clair Shores South Lake	399	394	793
9	Whitehall	789	–	789
10	Orchard Lake St. Mary’s	380	395	775
11	Grand Rapids Christian	411	352	763
12	Hopkins	365	390	756
13	Holland Christian	381	359	740
14	Howard City Tri-County	357	368	725
15	Linden	356	369	725
16	North Branch	442	–	442
17	Chelsea	428	–	428
18	Portland	–	408	408
19	Shepherd	405	–	405
20	Flint Powers Catholic	395	–	395
21	Allegan	390	–	390
22	Owosso	390	–	390
23	Battle Creek Harper Creek	383	–	383
24	Gaylord	378	–	378
25	Charlotte	377	–	377

Grade	Name	Mark	Team	Points	Event
11	Jackson Reilly	49′ 10″	Coldwater	421	Shot Put
11	Jackson Reilly	147′ 4″	Coldwater	416	Discus
12	Garrett McVicker	48′ 7″	Coldwater	411	Shot Put
12	Alex Crabtree	43′ 8″	Coldwater	372	Shot Put

Rank	Team	Shot Put	Discus	Total
1	Coldwater	1203	416	1618
2	Otsego	1194	407	1602
3	Wayland Union	803	794	1598
4	Hudsonville Unity Christian	1109	367	1477
5	Dearborn Divine Child	811	382	1193
6	Three Rivers	766	380	1146
7	Battle Creek Harper Creek	768	377	1145
8	Gaylord	878	–	878
9	Parma Western	453	375	827
10	Battle Creek Pennfield	386	423	809
11	Sparta	390	397	787
12	Haslett	786	–	786
13	Howard City Tri-County	381	387	768
14	Portland	364	374	738
15	Niles	734	–	734
16	Marshall	–	730	730
17	St. Joseph	427	–	427
18	Stevensville Lakeshore	412	–	412
19	Hamilton	404	–	404
20	Carleton Airport	395	–	395
21	Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard	–	393	393
22	Hopkins	393	–	393
23	Redford Union	389	–	389
24	Owosso	383	–	383
25	Flint Kearsley	–	382	382

Grade	Name	Mark	Team	Points	Event
12	Megan Mackinder	103′ 2″	Stockbridge	385	Discus
12	Megan Mackinder	31′ 9″	Stockbridge	365	Shot Put

Rank	Team	Shot Put	Discus	Total
1	Stockbridge	365	385	750
2	Ann Arbor Greenhills	351	372	723
3	Kent City	344	369	714
4	Leslie	358	348	706
5	Quincy	–	702	702
6	Harrison	343	357	700
7	Hemlock	698	–	698
8	Montrose	582	–	582
9	Schoolcraft	449	–	449
10	Blissfield	408	–	408
11	Saginaw Valley Lutheran	400	–	400
12	Manton	392	–	392
13	Buchanan	388	–	388
14	Morley-Stanwood	387	–	387
15	Union City	–	380	380
16	Saugatuck	378	–	378
17	Burton Atherton	372	–	372
18	Holland Black River	368	–	368
19	Hesperia	367	–	367
20	Jonesville	–	364	364
21	Ottawa Lake-Whiteford	–	363	363
22	Reed City	359	–	359
23	Centreville	355	–	355
24	Ravenna	–	355	355
25	Hart	354	–	354

Early Qualifiers

Mason Brodie, Clinton

169′ 2″ Discus – Clinton Redwolves Invitational

It’s been a momentous week for Brodie, signing with Detroit Mercy, then ripping a 10+ foot personal best in his home invite. The senior hopes to get back on the medal stand in the discus, a feat he was able to accomplish in 2023.

Grade	Name	Mark	Team	Points	Event
12	Seth Schlicht	44′ 1″	Chesaning	375	Shot Put
11	Braden Burtch	43′ 11″	Chesaning	374	Shot Put
12	Seth Schlicht	130′ 2″	Chesaning	372	Discus
12	Brayden Florian	42′ 11.5″	Chesaning	366	Shot Put
11	Braden Burtch	120′ 1″	Chesaning	346	Discus

Rank	Team	Shot Put	Discus	Total
1	Chesaning	1114	718	1833
2	Lawton	500	794	1294
3	Stanton Central Montcalm	774	393	1167
4	Napoleon	372	397	768
5	Ovid-Elsie	744	–	744
6	Hillsdale	366	367	733
7	Onsted	356	361	718
8	Clinton	–	471	471
9	Centreville	406	–	406
10	Montague	383	–	383
11	Hudson	374	–	374
12	Carrollton	370	–	370
13	Ithaca	359	–	359
14	Quincy	358	–	358
15	Kent City	358	–	358
16	Parchment	357	–	357
17	Leslie	–	355	355
18	Ida	354	–	354
19	Jonesville	354	–	354
20	Saugatuck	353	–	353

Grade	Name	Mark	Team	Points	Event
11	Jaylyn Sisco	95′ 0″	Beal City	362	Discus
10	Bryn Gilde	31′ 2.5″	Beal City	359	Shot Put
10	Bryn Gilde	93′ 9″	Beal City	359	Discus
12	Brianna Stack	91′ 9″	Beal City	353	Discus
10	Katelyn Schultz	29′ 1.5″	Beal City	336	Shot Put
10	Mady Stack	84′ 4″	Beal City	332	Discus
11	Jaylyn Sisco	28′ 0.5″	Beal City	324	Shot Put
12	Brianna Stack	27′ 7″	Beal City	319	Shot Put

Rank	Team	Shot Put	Discus	Total
1	Beal City	1020	1074	2094
2	Decatur	672	334	1005
3	Petersburg-Summerfield	339	357	695
4	Athens	677	–	677
5	Lutheran Westland	–	402	402
6	Carson City-Crystal	383	–	383
7	Morrice	378	–	378
8	Southfield Christian	374	–	374
9	Morenci	–	363	363
10	Bridgman	353	–	353
11	Portland St. Patrick	352	–	352
12	Allen Park Cabrini	343	–	343
13	St Joseph Our Lady of the Lake Catholic	337	–	337
14	International Academy of Flint	320	–	320

Early Qualifiers

Oliver Long, Morrice

52′ 1″ Shot Put – Fowlerville Early Season Open

As a freshman, Long showed tremendous promise in the Shot Put, placing 4th in Division 4 and attaining the 2nd best mark across all of Michigan’s 9th graders. Last year, he built on that potential, earning a Division 4 Championship in the event. Whereas he peaked at 52′ last spring, he’s already begun his junior campaign at an even higher 53’+ mark.

Grade	Name	Mark	Team	Points	Event
11	Oliver Long	53′ 3″	Morrice	448	Shot Put
11	Oliver Long	139′ 0″	Morrice	394	Discus

Rank	Team	Shot Put	Discus	Total
1	Morrice	448	394	842
2	Breckenridge	836	–	836
3	Detroit Frederick Douglass	718	–	718
4	Hillsdale Academy	363	353	716
5	Allen Park Cabrini	340	359	699
6	Pentwater	348	339	687
7	Kingston	670	–	670
8	Marcellus	389	–	389
9	Muskegon Catholic Central	–	381	381
10	Britton Deerfield	–	370	370
11	Riverview Gabriel Richard	–	362	362
12	Eau Claire	–	348	348
13	Southfield Christian	346	–	346
14	Petersburg-Summerfield	335	–	335
15	Bridgman	331	–	331
16	Saginaw Arts and Sciences	324	–	324
17	Clarkston Everest Collegiate	324	–	324
18	Coleman	–	321	321

Track is back, baby.

The Best Crews have been a thing around here for the past few years. They take their cues from USTFCCCA’s event squads and the World Athletics scoring system, combining the two ideas in order to compare Michigan’s teams against events in their common areas.

The goal of this is to help recognize the athletes and coaches that create cultures, history, and traditions in their respective event areas. Think about it like this: Minnesota always has great hockey, basketball hoops are nailed to Indiana barns, Texas churns out football talent, every Iowa boy has cauliflower ear. Where in Michigan does hurdling reign supreme? Is there a town where kids learn to shot put before they can tie their shoes?

2023’s explanation goes through much of it, but two things have changed for this year.

• the Boys 200m points have been re-mathed and edited, as previous versions sold short athletes such as Jeremy Dixon and Jake Machiniak when it came to season end rankings.
• instead of using a team’s top-four athletes to generate their total for an event, I’m using their top-three. Belleville’s hurdlers are the main reason for this, there’s no way they shouldn’t have been the top D1 squad last year. I feel this will better portray a team’s top athletes.

Here are the figures that show the points for each mark:

BOYS TABLES

GIRLS TABLES

In the past, I’ve struggled grasping exactly what I want to write about for each event or division. Thankfully, these early qualifiers make it easy! If you’ve qualified in the timeframe before your event area has been posted or in between those posts, you’ll get a little sentence or three.

These contain results uploaded to athletic.net by Sunday (4/6) morning.

Grade	Name	Mark	Event	Points	Team
12	Greta Caprathe	5′ 8″	High Jump	517	Rockford
12	Greta Caprathe	17′ 6″	Long Jump	418	Rockford
12	Ashley Williams	16′ 5″	Long Jump	373	Rockford
11	Elise Watkins	5′ 0″	High Jump	363	Rockford
12	Layla Visser	5′ 0″	High Jump	363	Rockford
11	Elise Watkins	15′ 7″	Long Jump	338	Rockford
12	Kierra Clum	4′ 10″	High Jump	324	Rockford
10	Lucy Mason	4′ 10″	High Jump	324	Rockford
9	Mj Obenauf	15′ 1.75″	Long Jump	320	Rockford

Rank	Team	High Jump	Long Jump	Total
1	Rockford	1242	1130	2372
2	East Kentwood	324	1078	1403
3	Zeeland East	725	406	1132
4	Ann Arbor Pioneer	725	345	1071
5	Middleville Thornapple-Kellogg	–	999	999
6	Grand Haven	649	342	990
7	Mason	440	378	818
8	Clarkston	401	350	752
9	Holt	–	736	736
10	Macomb Dakota	725	–	725
11	Woodhaven Brownstown	401	323	725
12	Brighton	363	339	702
13	Livonia Churchill	324	373	697
14	Byron Center	–	683	683
14	Northville	–	683	683
16	Lake Orion	324	352	676
17	Hudsonville	324	349	673
18	Grosse Pointe South	–	659	659
19	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	649	–	649
20	Troy	324	321	645
21	Grosse Pointe North	324	317	642
22	Zeeland West	–	639	639
23	Dearborn Edsel Ford	–	441	441
24	Harrison Twp. L’Anse Creuse	401	–	401
25	Muskegon Reeths-Puffer	–	399	399

Grade	Name	Mark	Event	Points	Team
10	Zay McGinnis	21′ 11.5″	Long Jump	421	Mount Pleasant
10	Zay McGinnis	21′ 8″	Long Jump	408	Mount Pleasant
12	Jackson Griffin	6′ 0″	High Jump	377	Mount Pleasant
12	Sam Henrie	5′ 10″	High Jump	349	Mount Pleasant

Rank	Team	High Jump	Long Jump	Total
1	Mount Pleasant	726	829	1556
2	East Kentwood	349	1198	1547
3	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	698	768	1466
4	Canton	726	537	1263
5	Hudsonville	419	781	1201
6	Harrison Twp. L’Anse Creuse	811	355	1166
7	Grand Haven	405	746	1151
8	Zeeland West	377	771	1148
9	Holland West Ottawa	783	345	1127
10	Rockford	726	345	1071
11	Jenison	726	343	1069
12	Belleville	349	465	814
13	Woodhaven Brownstown	434	375	808
14	Portage Central	391	384	775
15	Northville	377	387	764
16	Walled Lake Western	405	349	754
17	Bay City Western	754	–	754
17	Forest Hills Northern	754	–	754
17	Lapeer	754	–	754
20	Traverse City Central	–	746	746
21	Ann Arbor Huron	–	744	744
22	Dexter	726	–	726
23	Grand Rapids Northview	–	721	721
24	Jackson	349	355	704
25	Troy	–	449	449

Grade	Name	Mark	Event	Points	Team
9	Morgan Willick	5′ 0″	High Jump	363	Grand Rapids West Catholic
12	Aislynn Sweedyk	4′ 10″	High Jump	324	Grand Rapids West Catholic
12	Alexis Szymanski	15′ 0″	Long Jump	314	Grand Rapids West Catholic
9	Mackenzie Clancy	4′ 8″	High Jump	286	Grand Rapids West Catholic
12	Mia Henne	4′ 8″	High Jump	286	Grand Rapids West Catholic

Rank	Team	High Jump	Long Jump	Total
1	Grand Rapids West Catholic	973	314	1287
2	Holland Christian	363	791	1154
3	Detroit Country Day	687	370	1057
4	Gladwin	706	336	1042
5	Hudsonville Unity Christian	649	312	961
6	Coldwater	572	332	904
7	Allendale	572	317	889
8	Hastings	440	406	846
9	Dearborn Divine Child	324	432	757
10	Ferndale	–	748	748
11	Charlotte	725	–	725
12	Stevensville Lakeshore	286	430	716
13	Shepherd	324	366	690
14	Eaton Rapids	324	357	682
15	Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard	324	353	677
16	Wayland Union	324	336	661
17	East Grand Rapids	324	315	639
18	Williamston	286	352	638
19	Battle Creek Pennfield	286	335	621
20	Forest Hills Eastern	286	323	608
21	Benton Harbor	–	430	430
22	Battle Creek Harper Creek	401	–	401
22	Edwardsburg	401	–	401
22	Yale	401	–	401
25	Grand Rapids Catholic Central	–	388	388

Early Qualifiers

Joey DeCasas, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep

21’4″ – Long Jump

A senior that began in the sport just one year ago. He’s been a quick learner in the long jump, placing 2nd in Oakland County and 3rd in Division 2 last year.

Grade	Name	Mark	Event	Points	Team
12	Joe Strabbing	6′ 4″	High Jump	434	Holland Christian
11	Jayden Rees	6′ 0″	High Jump	377	Holland Christian
12	Josh Bruxvoort	20′ 5.25″	Long Jump	356	Holland Christian
11	Isaac DeMaster	5′ 10″	High Jump	349	Holland Christian
11	Isaiah Myaard	20′ 1″	Long Jump	341	Holland Christian

Rank	Team	High Jump	Long Jump	Total
1	Holland Christian	1160	697	1857
2	Wayland Union	1075	348	1423
3	Whitehall	952	327	1279
4	Orchard Lake St. Mary’s	740	331	1072
5	Wyoming Godwin Heights	698	346	1043
6	Battle Creek Harper Creek	–	966	966
7	Stevensville Lakeshore	419	406	825
8	Clarenceville	405	378	784
9	Dearborn Divine Child	377	398	775
10	Adrian	–	755	755
11	Grand Rapids West Catholic	754	–	754
12	Howard City Tri-County	740	–	740
13	Pontiac Notre Dame Prep	–	738	738
14	Belding	–	730	730
15	Niles	–	721	721
16	Dundee	391	323	715
17	Coldwater	–	710	710
18	Sturgis	377	327	704
19	Shepherd	698	–	698
20	North Branch	670	–	670
21	St. Joseph	–	668	668
22	Jackson Northwest	–	661	661
23	Benton Harbor	349	309	658
24	Saginaw Swan Valley	335	313	648
25	Marshall	–	624	624

Grade	Name	Mark	Event	Points	Team
12	Mckenzie Derusha	5′ 0″	High Jump	363	Saginaw Valley Lutheran
11	Ava Kelsey	15′ 9″	Long Jump	345	Saginaw Valley Lutheran
10	Hannah Burhop	4′ 10″	High Jump	324	Saginaw Valley Lutheran
9	Lindsey Cmeyla	14′ 9″	Long Jump	303	Saginaw Valley Lutheran

Rank	Team	High Jump	Long Jump	Total
1	Saginaw Valley Lutheran	687	649	1336
2	Ithaca	533	688	1221
3	The Potter’s House	725	411	1137
4	Remus Chippewa Hills	896	–	896
5	Ida	495	317	812
6	Olivet	363	310	673
7	Schoolcraft	363	296	659
8	Harrison	324	330	655
9	LeRoy Pine River	649	–	649
10	Ravenna	324	319	643
11	Lansing Catholic	324	307	631
12	Stanton Central Montcalm	286	336	622
13	Manton	610	–	610
14	Coloma	305	303	608
15	Grass Lake	286	314	600
16	Napoleon	286	312	598
17	Centreville	572	–	572
18	Ann Arbor Greenhills	533	–	533
18	Blissfield	533	–	533
18	Chesaning	533	–	533
18	Hanover-Horton	533	–	533
18	Quincy	533	–	533
23	Newaygo	–	370	370
24	Hart	363	–	363
24	Jonesville	363	–	363

Early Qualifiers

Noah Rufenacht, Quincy

6′ 3″ – High Jump

On five separate occasions before 2024’s Regional meet, Noah had leapt over 6 feet, Division 3’s additional qualifying standard. In a tough region where 5 high jumpers qualified, Noah was 6th place, only getting to 5′ 10″. Eleven months later, he’s made it, without having to sweat regional day. Pressure off and judging by his indoor marks, I bet there’s more to come.

Grade	Name	Mark	Event	Points	Team
9	Rae’Kwon Smith	5′ 8″	High Jump	321	Parchment
12	Cameron Warner	5′ 8″	High Jump	321	Parchment
12	Shawn Butler	19′ 6″	Long Jump	316	Parchment
12	Jaden Taylor	19′ 2″	Long Jump	302	Parchment

Rank	Team	High Jump	Long Jump	Total
1	Parchment	642	618	1260
2	Ithaca	906	297	1203
3	Saginaw Valley Lutheran	726	384	1110
4	Chesaning	726	323	1050
5	Jackson Lumen Christi	962	–	962
6	Clinton	613	330	944
7	Jonesville	321	621	942
8	Quincy	419	327	746
9	Reed City	349	394	743
10	Hillsdale	726	–	726
10	LeRoy Pine River	726	–	726
12	Stanton Central Montcalm	391	310	701
13	Leslie	349	341	690
14	Carrollton	670	–	670
14	Grand Rapids Covenant Christian	670	–	670
16	Grass Lake	642	–	642
16	The Potter’s House	642	–	642
18	Burton-Bendle	–	619	619
19	Grandville Calvin Christian	613	–	613
20	Blissfield	585	–	585
21	Onsted	434	–	434
22	Lansing Catholic	405	–	405
23	Holland Black River	377	–	377
24	Grayling	349	–	349
25	Hanover-Horton	349	–	349
25	Ida	349	–	349
25	Montrose	349	–	349
25	Olivet	349	–	349
25	Watervliet	349	–	349

Grade	Name	Mark	Event	Points	Team
12	Eva Bauer	15′ 8″	Long Jump	342	New Buffalo
12	Jane Funk	4′ 10″	High Jump	324	New Buffalo
10	Lydia Denham	4′ 5″	High Jump	228	New Buffalo

Rank	Team	High Jump	Long Jump	Total
1	New Buffalo	552	342	894
2	Petersburg-Summerfield	572	–	572
2	Morrice	572	–	572
4	Clarkston Everest Collegiate	247	298	546
5	Coleman	363	–	363
5	Decatur	363	–	363
7	Breckenridge	–	349	349
8	Royal Oak Shrine	–	326	326
9	Byron	324	–	324
9	St. Charles	324	–	324
11	Vestaburg	–	316	316
12	Grand Traverse Academy	–	297	297
13	International Academy of Flint	–	290	290
14	Portland St. Patrick	–	282	282
15	Beal City	247	–	247
15	Kalamazoo Hackett	247	–	247
17	Harbor Beach	228	–	228
17	Mt Clemens	228	–	228

Grade	Name	Mark	Event	Points	Team
12	Jamarron Taylor	5′ 10″	High Jump	349	Muskegon Heights
9	Kaevouhn Sims	5′ 10″	High Jump	349	Muskegon Heights
12	Jamarron Taylor	19′ 0.5″	Long Jump	297	Muskegon Heights

Rank	Team	High Jump	Long Jump	Total
1	Muskegon Heights	698	297	995
2	Kalamazoo Hackett	613	274	887
3	New Buffalo	405	288	693
4	Holland Calvary Christian	321	335	656
5	White Cloud	434	–	434
6	Petersburg-Summerfield	377	–	377
7	International Academy of Flint	349	–	349
8	Breckenridge	321	–	321
8	Brown City	321	–	321
8	Holton	321	–	321
8	Whitmore Lake	321	–	321
12	Montabella	–	313	313
13	Southfield Christian	–	302	302
14	Britton Deerfield	293	–	293
14	Lutheran Westland	293	–	293
16	Clarkston Everest Collegiate	–	286	286
17	Bridgman	–	284	284
18	Morrice	–	277	277
19	Coleman	–	271	271
20	Saginaw Arts and Sciences	–	267	267