With Fast Fall Finish, Alpena's Day Arrives
April 13, 2016
By Dennis Chase
Special for Second Half
ALPENA – Mitchell Day, who had a breakout second-place finish in the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 Cross Country Final last November, is gearing up for what he hopes will be an equally strong track season.
The Alpena junior is one of the state’s top returning 3,200-meter runners. He finished 10th in LP Division 1 a year ago, and followed that up with a second-place finish at the Michigan Indoor Track Series state meet in late February.
“I feel very confident going into spring,” the 16-year-old said. “But I know there’s a lot of work to do, and I’m prepared to do it.”
Day started focusing on track during the winter with workouts designed to build base and improve strength. He said he hopes the results will translate into a faster, stronger kick.
Joe Donajkowski, who coaches the team’s distance runners, said Day is in a good spot, especially when it comes to his endurance.
“He knew he had to put the miles in to get better, and he’s certainly done that,” Donajkowski said. “He has a good base right now. I expect we’ll see some good performances from him throughout the season, as long as he stays healthy.”
Staying healthy is a key. An illness almost cost Day a spot in the MHSAA Final last June.
“I got sick a week or two before the Regional, and missed four or five days of training,” he said. “We were thinking it was walking pneumonia. Thankfully, it wasn’t, but I couldn’t train (properly). I remember the first mile went well, we went through at 4:40, then it hit me like a wall. I struggled to finish and qualify (for the championship meet).”
Day placed fifth at the Regional in 9:38.65, which earned him the 28th seed at the Final. Given time to recover, Day came back and ran nearly 17 seconds faster in a school record 9:21.76 to take 10th in LP Division 1.
That time came as no surprise to coach Bob Bennett, who called Day a “driven” athlete who once he focuses on a goal “gets after it.”
Day also runs the 1,600 meters, as well as relays, but it’s the 3,200 that he enjoys most.
“The 1,600 is too short for my liking,” he said. “The 3,200 gives me a little bit more time to wear out my opponents.”
Day was a dual-sport fall athlete as a freshman and sophomore, splitting his time playing varsity soccer and running cross country. He also played travel soccer during the summer.
But he decided to give up soccer to focus on running.
“We’re happy he went that way, although I don’t know if our athletic director/soccer coach (Tim Storch) was that happy about it,” Bennett said with a laugh.
Day won two of the three Big North Conference cross country jamborees, claimed the Regional, then took second at the MHSAA Final.
Despite that success, he was second team all-conference. In the third and final league jamboree, which counted 50 percent in the team and individual standings, Day was tripped and lost his balance with about a mile to go.
“I was already dealing with an Achilles problem, and I got hit in the Achilles,” he said.
Down he went – and he didn’t get up right away, which proved costly. He finished back in the pack.
“It was frustrating, but it (motivated) me heading into the state meet,” he said.
Day’s training for the Final went well, so well “we knew I was in for a huge PR,” he said.
Initially, Day was hoping to run close to 15:05, but the wind that day made for a slower race.
“The mile splits were 4:50, and then 5:03-5:05, and then back down to 4:47-4:49,” he said. “The wind played a huge factor. A lot of us had to just hide behind a few of the guys and wait for the last three-quarters of a mile to duke it out.”
When it came to the three-quarter mile mark, the lead pack had whittled to include Rockford’s Isaac Harding and Cole Johnson, Grand Rapids Northview’s Enael Woldemichael, Traverse City Central’s Anthony Berry and Day.
Sizing up the leaders, Day didn’t necessarily like his chances.
“Cole Johnson is a 4:10 miler, Anthony is a 4:08, Isaac’s outstanding, so is Enael,” he said. “I was surrounded by some really good talent and I was like, ‘Shoot, I don’t know if I can keep up with these guys the last 1,200 meters. I don’t know if I have that kind of kick in me.’”
Harding eventually surged, and Day went with him.
“I had another gear I didn’t know I had,” he said. “It was second nature to take off with him.”
Harding won in 15:10.4. Day was three seconds back.
“I was happy with how that turned out,” he said. “I realized there was more in me than what I had shown in the past.”
His time of 15:13.4 was 13 seconds faster than his previous best – and it’s helped attract more interest from college recruiters.
Now, Day’s attention is on track, as a lingering winter finally seems to be giving way to spring.
Alpena’s first meet, last week’s Freeland Invitational, was canceled, but once the season finally gets underway, Day said his goal will be fairly simple.
“I just want to make sure I give it my all,” he said. “I’ll be satisfied if I can do that. I don’t really have any times I would like to hit. Sure, I would like to PR, but it’s more about knowing that I put it all out there and had no regrets.”
Bennett expects nothing less from his star runner.
“We just want him to run as well as he can,” Bennett said. “Physically, he’s a little bigger, more mature. Mentally, he’s right on course. We’re hoping he’s going to have a breakout year.”
Just like he had in cross country.
Dennis Chase worked 32 years as a sportswriter at the Traverse City Record-Eagle, including as sports editor from 2000-14. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Alpena’s Mitchell Day competes during the fall’s Lower Peninsula Division 1 Cross Country Final at Michigan International Speedway. (Middle) Day, far left, emerges from the pack during the 3,200-meter championship race at last spring’s MHSAA LP Division 1 Track & Field Final at Rockford. (Photos courtesy of the Day family.)
Preview: Team Title Races Could Highlight UP Boys Track & Field Finals
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 31, 2024
We’re guaranteed at least one new team champion at Saturday’s Upper Peninsula Boys Track & Field Finals, and that may be just the start of changes at the top of the podium to conclude this season.
All three team title races appear to have multiple strong contenders, and Division 2 especially will require frequent score updates as reigning champion Pickford is likely to receive a strong challenge from Munising, which won Division 3 a year ago but is competing in Division 2 this weekend.
We’re guaranteed at least one new team champion at Saturday’s Upper Peninsula Boys Track & Field Finals, and that may be just the start of changes at the top of the podium to conclude this season.
All three team title races appear to have multiple strong contenders, and Division 2 especially will require frequent score updates as reigning champion Pickford is likely to receive a strong challenge from Munising, which won Division 3 a year ago but is competing in Division 2 this weekend.
All three divisions will again be contested at Kingsford High School, with preliminaries leading off the day at 9 a.m. local (Central) time. Tickets cost $11 and are available digitally only via GoFan.
MHSAA.tv will live-stream the meets beginning at 9 a.m. (CDT)/10 a.m. (EDT), viewable with subscription. Check out the Boys Track & Field page for meet information and lists of all qualifiers. Those described as "seeded" below have received those seeds based on Regional performances.
Following is a glance at team contenders and individuals to watch in all three divisions:
Division 1
Team forecast: Marquette has won the last three championships and Kingsford has finished runner-up the last two seasons, last year separated by 20 points and Marquette prevailing by just one point in 2022. Sault Ste. Marie might be the strongest challenger for the Sentinels this time, able to mix contenders in sprints and challengers in the distance events where Marquette often stacks points.
Darrent Butler, Menominee sophomore: He gave Menominee its third-straight Division 1 high jump champion last season and could run the streak to four as the top seed with a jump (6-2) three inches higher than his winner last year.
Wyatt Demers, Manistique senior: He won the 100 in Division 2 last season and was on a relay champ as a sophomore, and will run the 100, 200 and on the top-seeded 1,600 relay (3:40.97) this weekend.
Michael Floriano, Kingsford senior: He won the 200 as a sophomore and the 100 last spring while also finishing second in the 200 and running on the championship 800 relay and runner-up 400 relay. He’s seeded second in the 200 (23.90), third in the 100 (11.59) and will run again on two relays.
Noah Johnson, Kingsford senior: The reigning discus champion and shot put runner-up is seeded first in both throws at 165-9 and 49-5½, respectively, and also will compete in long jump.
Gabe Litzner, Sault St. Marie sophomore: Already a two-time UPD1 cross country champion, Litzner was second in the 3,200 and third in the 1,600 at his first Track Finals and is seeded first in both this weekend at 9:45.65 and 4:33, respectively.
Rayce Rizzo, Sault Ste. Marie senior: The reigning pole vault champion enters Saturday as the top seed (13-6) and also will compete in long jump.
Ryver Ryckeghem, Sault Ste. Marie senior: He’s surged as a senior and enters the weekend as the top seed in the 100 (11.47) and 200 (23.77) and running on the 800 relay.
Garrett Veale, Kingsford senior: He won the shot put as a junior and is the second seed to teammate Johnson in that throw (45-11) and also among contenders in discus.
Division 2
Team forecast: Pickford won Division 3 in 2022 and then moved into Division 2 last year and claimed a second-straight team title by a commanding margin. Last year’s runner-up Manistique is in Division 1 this season, but 2023 Division 3 champ Munising is in Division 2 this time and could be the strongest challenger to a Pickford lineup that still has contenders across several events.
Matthew Colavecchi, Iron Mountain senior: After winning the 100 and 200 dashes and running on two championship relays in Division 2 as a sophomore, he finished third in the 100 in Division 1 last spring. He returns to Division 2 as the top seed in the 100 (11.51), 200 (23.87) and long jump (18-9½) and running on the top-seeded 400 relay (45.87).
Dan Goss, Munising junior: He could make a big jump after finishing third in the 3,200 and sixth in the 1,600 in Division 3 last year, entering this weekend seeded first in Division 2 in the 800 (2:08.24), 1,600 (4:43.65) and 3,200 (10:58.55).
Hayden Hagen, Pickford senior: Last season’s champ in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200, and part of the runner-up in the 3,200 relay, Hagen is seeded third in the 400, second to Goss in the 800 (2:09.67) and 1,600 (4:47.88), and fifth in the 3,200.
Joe Kelley, Munising senior: He ran both hurdles races and on a fourth-place relay in Division 3 last season, but this time he’s the Division 2 top seed in the 110 (16.25) and 300 hurdles (41.92) and will run on the top-seeded 1,600 relay (3:46.98) and second-seeded 400 relay (46.90).
Brayden Martin, Ishpeming senior: The reigning discus champion and fourth-place finisher in the shot put, Martin is the second seed in the shot put (40-8) and third in the discus (111-8).
Division 3
Team forecast: The last two Division 3 team champions are competing in Division 2 this season, but 2023 runner-up Newberry was only 22.5 points off Munising’s pace last year and might be the favorite this time. St. Ignace also is back in Division 3 after finishing fourth in Division 2 last season and has a couple of potential high scorers in the mix.
Chris Hopson, Newberry senior: He won the 300 hurdles as a junior and will run that race and as part of the 1,600 relay.
Jonny Ingalls, St. Ignace senior: The Saints’ basketball star is the top seed this weekend in the 110 hurdles (16.85) and 300 hurdles (43.74) and running on the top-seeded 1,600 relay (3:48.07) and second-seeded 400 relay (46.30).
Matthew Jokela, Lake Linden-Hubbell senior: He’s expected to contribute significantly coming off fourth places last season in the 200 and 400 and this time seeded first in both at 23.85 and 52.17 seconds, respectively, plus third in the 100 and running on the second-seeded 800 relay.
Kalvin Kytta, Chassell junior: Last year’s 3,200 champ and 1,600 third-place finisher is seeded first in the 800 (2:08.80), 1,600 (4:45.47) and 3,200 (11:00.34).
Owen Lester, St. Ignace senior: He won the pole vault in Division 2 last season and is tied for the top seed in that event (11-6) and will run on three top-three relays including the favored 1,600 with Ingalls.
Matthew Rahilly, Newberry junior: He won long jump, was runner-up in high jump and ran on the winning 800 and runner-up 400 relays as a sophomore. He enters this time top-seeded in the long jump (19-4), tied for the top seed in the high jump (5-10) and running on the top-seeded 800 relay (1:37.81) and third-seeded 400 relay.
PHOTO Kingsford's Michael Floriano, center, edges Marquette's Jacob MacPhee in the 100 dash May 10 in Negaunee. (Photo by Cara Kamps.)