Marquette Rises to Match Challengers
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
June 2, 2018
KINGSFORD — The Marquette boys continued their hold on the Upper Peninsula Division 1 track title Saturday, winning for the fourth straight season with 110 points.
Houghton edged Gladstone 86-76 for runner-up honors.
“Competition in D-1 was the tightest I’ve seen in a long time,” said Marquette coach Kyle Detmers. “It was very competitive. It was a battle until the 3,200 when it was just a seven-point difference between us and Houghton.
“It was just packed. I haven’t been in a D-1 Track Finals that was this competitive to the end.”
Senior Garrett Rudden helped the Redmen gain some separation by placing third in the 3,200-meter run in 10 minutes, 14.41 seconds and helping the winning 1,600 relay (3:35.87). Teammate Garrett Zueger took fourth in the 3,200 (10:28.68) and helped the Redmen take the 3,200 relay (8:30.74).
The Redmen had a double winner in junior Raphael Millado, who captured high jump (6-2) and long jump (19-6).
“Raphael has jumped as high as 6-6 and more than 21 feet (in long jump),” said Detmers. “The wind swirling around down there may have affected the jumping events. We also had a guy (Ethan Martysz) pull up with a hamstring injury in the 100 and pull out of the 200, but the guys fought through it. Drew Thomas taking second in the 110 hurdles and Garrett’s second in the 1,600 were huge for us, and Matt (Pillifant) was seeded seventh and placed fourth in pole vault. We stayed steady and scored in all the field events. I’m thankful for the guys’ resilience and ability to pick each other up. Every point mattered.”
Houghton senior Clayton Sayen won four individual events, taking the 100 (11.47), 200 (23.19), 400 (51.25) and 800 (1:59.31), in the last edging Negaunee senior Colton Yesney (2:00.24).
“It was fun,” said Sayen, who plans to continue his track career at Michigan Tech. “I rely on my speed for everything. I’m thankful for our coaches who always knew that was best for me. Without their guidance, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve what I did. I also want to make a special shout-out to Seth Helman. Running against him in the 800 was a bittersweet moment. He’s my closest friend; I’m really going to miss the time we had together. I’m thankful for the competition we had.”
Houghton coach Dan Juntilla said he was pleased with the team’s effort.
“Our guys gave it their all, but Marquette was a little too deep for us,” he added. “I’m real proud of the guys. Seth and Clayton had a great day, and placing second in the 3,200 relay set the tone. Plus, taking three places in pole vault gave us some big points.
“We’re looking forward to having our new facility next year and really excited about what the taxpayers of Houghton did for us.”
Yesney, who plans to continue his running career at the University of Michigan, won the 1,600 in a school-record 4:23.49 and 3,200 (9:54.43), missing the U.P. meet record by four tenths of a second.
“I’m a little bummed out,” he said. “I thought I had the record. I could envision myself getting the school record in the 1,600. Usually, when that happens it works out well. I thought I had (Sayen) in the 800, but he has that sprinter’s speed and just enough endurance to get it done.
“I’m really looking forward to going to U-M, running for one of the best programs in the nation and running against some of the best runners in the nation.”
Gladstone’s leader was freshman Calvin Thibault, who won the 110 hurdles (16.12) and 300s in a school-record 40.04 seconds.
“I knew what was at stake with us being so close to Marquette (before the 300s),” said Thibault, who’s battling an asthmatic condition. “My family and girlfriend (junior Hannah Christe) were here, and I thought about them during the race. Hannah makes sure I get enough rest and energy to run. At the beginning of the season, I didn’t think I’d be able to do this well, especially in the 300 hurdles. I didn’t know what to expect.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Marquette’s Raphael Millado clears the bar on one of his high jumps. (Middle) Houghton’s Clayton Sayen, left, outkicks Negaunee’s Colton Yesney to win the 800. (Photos by Cara Kamps. Click for more at RunMichigan.com.)
Ovid-Elsie Running Legend Darling Seeking to 'Win the Day' on Trading Floor
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
August 13, 2024
Maverick Darling’s competitive running days have been behind him for nearly a decade, but the eight-time MHSAA Finals champion from Ovid-Elsie isn’t done competing.
Darling, who was also a five-time All-American at Wisconsin, is now fighting for wins on the Viking Forest Products lumber trading floor in Minnesota.
“Our trading floor is very unique,” Darling said. “We have 60 traders, and probably 30-35 of them are former student-athletes in college. It’s very competitive, but kind of like a locker room. It’s kind of a unique way for me to still be competitive even though I’m not in athletics. I really love it.”
Darling is a commodity trader at Viking Forest, trading mostly OSB, plywood and dimensional lumber to buyers throughout the United States. He lives with his fiancé Danielle and their two dogs in Plymouth, Minn., a suburb of Minneapolis.
Lessons learned while working toward Finals titles on the dirt roads of Ovid and national goals on the trails of Madison, Wis., are helping him find success again.
“My lessons I learned from running and the reward, whether good, great or OK, is that no matter the day, you have to go put in the effort and work, and it carries over to my work,” he said. “I now literally start over every day. We had a saying: ‘Win the day.’ And ‘Win the day’ kind of means something different for every day. I try to apply that to my life. It’s motivating to be successful every day.”
Friendly competition between teammates leading to greater success also carried over from cross country and track to the trading floor.
“We have a department where it feels almost like my cross country team in college,” he said. “One guy will put up 30 orders that day, and we’re all happy for that person. The synergy between the group is awesome. But it motivates me to be like, tomorrow that’s going to be me.”
Darling had spent his first three years out of Wisconsin running professionally and had coaching stops at Iona and Cal-Berkeley after that. But when the pandemic hit, he stepped away from coaching and made the move to trading.
That ended a spectacular career in the sport, which was actually second choice for most of Darling’s childhood.
Growing up, he was a top snowmobile racer, along with his brother.
“My first (high school) cross country race, I took seventh,” Darling said. “I didn’t know better, but that’s pretty good. My mom was like, ‘Seventh? You know, we’re used to first or second (in snowcross).’ We’re not a running family. I started at about 18 minutes in the 5K, and at the state meet I finished eighth and ran 16:13. I was like, ‘OK, maybe this is something I can really be good at.’”
It was at the end of his junior year, after winning his heat at the Nike Outdoor Nationals, that Darling turned his entire focus to running. By that time, he had already won two Division 3 cross country titles, two 3,200-meter titles and one 1,600 at MHSAA Finals.
He was training often, but knew he was undertrained because of the limitations on where and when he could run during mid-Michigan winters. Colleges knew it, too, and that led to a barrage of communication as soon as they were able to reach out.
“I probably had 150 of those (hand-written letters) sent to the house,” Darling said. “I would get two to three phone calls a night after July 1. It wasn’t like overwhelming, because I was pretty confident at that point where I wanted to go to school.”
Darling committed to Wisconsin on the day of the Lower Peninsula Cross Country Finals his senior year. He also won his third Finals title that day with a then-Division 3 record time of 14:52. At the time, it was the third fastest time ever run in Michigan.
He would later win his second straight 1,600/3,200 double at the Track & Field Finals, running 8:58 in the 3,200 during the season, which was the 12th-best high school time in the country that year.
The choice to go to Wisconsin was based on his drive to be challenged as much as possible.
“I thought, ‘If I come into this room, I’m probably the eighth or ninth best runner in this room – maybe,’” Darling said. “I had such a great recruiting trip. I grew up in Ovid, and everything I ran there was pretty much dirt roads. Wisconsin has a lot of dirt trails, and I kind of loved that. I could run from our locker room and be on a trail in a mile, mile and a half.”
Darling’s collegiate career proved he had made the right decision. He was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year for the 2009 cross country season, and an All-American in 2010 and 2012. He was a three-time All-American in track, as well.
The Badgers also had massive team success during Darling’s tenure, winning a cross country national title in 2011, four Big Ten cross country titles and two Big Ten track & field titles.
Darling was surrounded by great runners throughout his time in Madison, including close friend Mohammed Ahmed, who finished fourth in the 10,000 meters at this Olympics, one spot behind another Michigan distance star, Grand Blanc’s Grant Fisher.
Watching the results of a distance boom he was a big part of has been a joy for Darling this summer.
“I thought I was pretty good, then watching these guys – it’s jealousy,” he said with a laugh. “And also, it’s just cool to see. Michigan is one of the best distance states men’s and women’s-wise. It’s great to see them not only be on the international level, but to have that success.”
2024 Made In Michigan
August 8: Shores Star Walker Continues Drive for Hoops Greatness as College Coach - Read
August 6: MCC's Glover Fills Key Role as Athletic Trainer for Super Bowl Champions - Read
August 1: Lessons from Multi-Sport Experience Guide Person in Leading New Team - Read
July 30: After Successful 'Sequel,' Suttons Bay's Hursey Embarking on Next Chapter - Read
July 24: East Kentwood Run Part of Memorable Start on Knuble's Way to NHL, Olympics - Read
July 22: Monroe High Memories Remain Rich for Michigan's 1987 Mr. Baseball - Read
July 17: Record-Setting Viney Gained Lifelong Confidence at Marine City - Read
July 11: High School 'Hoop Squad' Close to Heart as Hughes Continues Coaching Climb - Read
July 10: Nightingale Embarking on 1st Season as College Football Head Coach - Read
June 28: E-TC's Witt Bulldozing Path from Small Town to Football's Biggest Stage - Read
PHOTOS (Top) At left, Maverick Darling crosses the finish line during a race as an Ovid-Elsie senior in 2007; at right Darling poses with fiancé Danielle. (Middle) Darling rounds a turn during a high school race. (Below) Darling and Danielle enjoy a sunset over the water with her parents. (Photos courtesy of Maverick Darling.)