Meridian Speedsters Find Home on Track
May 20, 2016
By Bill Khan
Special for Second Half
SANFORD — Nobody had to talk Christian Petre into playing baseball or persuade Hailey Stockford that playing softball might be fun.
Both fell in love with those respective sports early on.
But track and field? THAT took some lobbying from others to get the two sprint stars at Sanford Meridian on the oval.
Both added more titles to championship careers Friday, as each won the 100 and 200-meter sprints at the Lower Peninsula Division 3 Regional at Clare to qualify for the MHSAA Finals on June 4 at Comstock Park. Petre also ran on two winning relays, while Stockford ran on a relay that finished runner-up.
Petre was a freshman when his older brother, Mic, tried to talk him into running track.
"He saw me run during my football games and said he really wanted me to run track," Petre said. "He put some pressure on me. At first, I wasn't really sure, because the only thing I knew was baseball back then. I wasn't really sure about track. I didn't think it was a good idea. I told him 'no,' at first. Eventually, I changed my mind. I said, 'I might as well try it. I don't know where this could lead.'"
In Petre's case, it led to an MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 3 100-meter championship among four all-state finishes last spring while he also played on a Sanford Meridian baseball team that was ranked No. 2 in the state before getting upset in the District Semifinals.
For Stockford, there was a similar reward for adding track and field to her plate in the spring. In her first year on the track, the former softball center fielder won the Division 3 championship in the 100 and 200.
Her speed became apparent when she was faster than many of the boys on the football team in a 40-yard dash in gym class. The instructor for that class was Mike Bilina, who is Meridian's varsity football and boys track and field coach.
"My time was really good," Stockford recalls. "He kept telling me I should join the track team. I'm like, 'No, I'm playing softball; I don't think that's for me.' I ended up changing my mind. I guess at the time I was thinking I wanted to dedicate everything to softball. I thought it would be best to focus on one sport."
Stockford finally came out for track one week into the season last year as a junior. She quickly caught on, winning the 100 in 12.07 seconds and the 200 in 25.11 seconds at the Division 3 Finals, just 45 days after competing in the first meet of her life.
Both became champions while juggling two sports — their first loves and their new loves. Neither has been beaten in the sprints this season as they attempt to close out their high school careers with more championships.
"The coaches are pretty understandable and communicate well with each other on what day I'd be doing what," Petre said. "It's not that difficult for me, really. I put a lot of work in over the offseason. I try to get ahead of the game before the season actually starts, so when the season comes around I can just go about it normally and not have to stress about going back and forth with each sport."
Being able to do two sports in the same season not only benefits student-athletes who are capable of handling the workload, but it benefits the teams at Sanford Meridian, which has an enrollment of 408.
"Because we're so small, if we didn't have dual sports, we'd lose a lot of athletes from one sport to the next," girls track and field coach Jenny Nosakowski said. "We're pretty open. We try to work with the coaches. We've had a lot of kids come over from baseball this year. We try to work it so both of our teams, baseball and track, will benefit."
Running in his first MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 3 Finals, Petre cracked the top four in all four of his events to help Meridian place fourth as a team. He won the 100-meter dash in come-from-behind fashion with a time of 11.13 seconds. He anchored the fourth-place 800 relay team and third-place 400 relay team before finishing third in the 200 in 22.72 seconds.
Petre is convinced that the competition he's experienced in other sports helped him cope with the pressure of track and field Finals.
"Especially since I was on varsity as a freshman in football and baseball," he said. "Just playing on a bigger stage at only 14 years old really helped me. I was really nervous at state last year. I had a lot of adrenaline pumping. I didn't know what to expect. I feel like the past experience really did help. I wasn't as nervous as I could have been."
Running at a high level all day may have caught up with Petre in the 200, his final event. He had the fastest time in the preliminaries (22.44) before taking third.
"I don't want to make any excuses," he said. "I had a long day with prelims and relays. I guess I didn't train my body as well as I could have last year, so I got a little fatigued and came up a little bit short. I didn't run the race I expected in the 200."
Coming up short in the 200 wasn't the biggest disappointment on that day for Petre. In the middle of the meet, he learned that his baseball teammates were upset, 13-8, by Beaverton in the District Semifinals. The Mustangs had a 29-6 record going into that game.
"I was really hoping to come back after states and play with my team," Petre said. "It did kind of put a little downer on the day, but it was what it was."
Petre made a different decision the previous year, opting to play in the baseball Districts rather than run in the track and field Finals. He helped the Mustangs win the District championship before they lost in the Regional Semifinals, 3-2 to Cass City. The track and field team, meanwhile, won the MHSAA Division 3 title.
"It was tough, because at that point I was still new to track," Petre said. "I didn't really know what was going on. Back then, I always said baseball would be first; that's what I decided on that day."
There is a chance that Petre could compete for two MHSAA championship teams this spring. The baseball team has a 25-1 record and is ranked No. 3 in Division 3. The track and field team has been in the top four at the MHSAA Finals the last two years.
"We've talked about it ever since the beginning of both seasons," Petre said. "It's crazy to think that could happen. As of right now, we have to keep working on the little things and keep moving forward, so when it comes time to do this, we're ready to compete."
Petre's speed was also put to good use as Meridian's starting quarterback the last four years. Petre led Meridian to a school-record 10 victories last fall. The Mustangs won their first 10 games before losing to eventual Division 6 champion Ithaca in the second round. He had a 30-10 record as Meridian's quarterback, having been promoted from the junior varsity early in his freshman year.
"I was the head JV coach," Bilina said. "He was taken from me in Week 2. We knew he was a special athlete early on. He was just faster than everyone as a freshman. He was forced into a position where he had to go up a little bit quicker. He handled it very well. He's the winningest quarterback in Meridian history. He's received a lot of individual and team honors. He's in the history books here at Meridian, that's for sure."
Petre, a center fielder and pitcher, isn't sure which sport he'll play in college.
"I have a preferred walk-on to Northwood for football," he said. "Davenport has offered me for track. Saginaw Valley is still talking to me for track. I'm going to see how the summer plays out for baseball."
Petre legged out four triples in a doubleheader sweep of Gladwin on Tuesday, including two in the first inning of the opening game. For the season, Petre is hitting .541 with six triples, a homer, 22 RBI and 40 runs.
As one could imagine, stealing bases was a big part of Stockford's game on the softball diamond.
"A lot of teams we play pretty much expect it," said Stockford, who was a center fielder.
Stockford also played volleyball at Sanford Meridian, but softball had always been her favorite sport.
"I played since I was little in T-ball," she said. "My dad was a really good baseball player, so it was just in the family. My brother and sister also played."
Another family member, cousin Sarah Stockford, helped close the deal in getting Hailey to run track last season.
"A week into the season, I just got the urge to run it," Hailey said. "My cousin was on the team, and I'm really close with her. I figured it'd be a good year to try it if I was going to. I had been told I was fast. I knew I was fast based on stealing in softball."
Less than seven weeks after getting started in the sport, Stockford found herself on the track at Comstock Park as a championship contender in both sprint events.
"You never know what to expect, especially it being my first year running, but that's obviously the outcome I was hoping for," Stockford said. "I just wanted to go in there and see what I could do.
"It's a great atmosphere. It could be overwhelming. There are a lot of schools there. You know how important the meet was. It was a different experience, but it was fun. In every other sport I played, you relied on your teammates. Being there in an individual sport in such an important meet was different for me."
Stockford has never been beaten in the 100 in her high school career, losing in the finals of the 200 only three times. Her talent caught the eye of Saginaw Valley State University, which offered her a track and field scholarship. So, the girl who thought of herself primarily as a softball player will be competing in a different sport on the college level.
"I had coaches talk to me about playing softball in college, but I see potential in myself in track," Stockford said. "I've done good so far. I'm hoping to get better and see how I can do. I thought it would be something I might regret if I didn't try it."
Bill Khan served as a sportswriter at The Flint Journal from 1981-2011 and currently contributes to the State Champs! Sports Network. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Sanford Meridian's Christian Petre leads the pack during a sprint at Beaverton on April 27. (Middle) Meridian's Hailey Stockford takes off from the blocks, also during the Beaverton meet. (Photos courtesy of the Sanford Meridian athletic department.)
Preview: Watch for Falling Records
June 2, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
If there is one theme that can be drawn across all seven MHSAA Girls Track & Field Finals to be run Saturday, it’s probably this:
There are plenty of standouts who have climbed the medal stand before – and could knock down a number of records on their way back up.
Read on for some of the teams and individuals to watch at Saturday's girls meets. Click for meet information including all qualifiers and come back Saturday night for results as they come in. Check out MHSAA.TV for live streaming of running events from both peninsulas, available with subscription.
LP Division 1 at East Kentwood
Top Regional scores: 1. East Kentwood 193, 2. Ann Arbor Pioneer 174, 3. Rockford 169½.
Ann Arbor Pioneer: Last season’s runner-up could score major distance points with junior Anne Forsyth, whose 1,600 (4:47.74) and 3,200 (10:21.92) top times are the fastest in the division this season. Senior Alice Hill’s top 800 time ranks among the top four, and junior Britten Bowen’s top 100 dash and 100 hurdles times both rank second and she’s the reigning champion in the latter. The 3,200 relay has the fastest time (9:02.69) by 17 seconds, and the 400 relay has come in second fastest.
Oak Park: The three-time reigning champion could be in line for a fourth straight title paced again by speedy relays – the 400 (47.38), 800 (1:39.03) and 1,600 (3:53.01) have run the division’s fastest times in those events this spring, and the 3,200 (9:19.68) has the second-fastest time. Senior Tamea McKelvy has top-three times in both the 100 and 200, and senior Carlita Taylor has the second-fastest 300 hurdles time. Dorriann Coleman is the reigning 800 champion.
Rockford: The Rams also could make a move on the title powered by relays. All four have run times that rank among the top five in LP Division 1 this season; the 800 and 1,600 relays have run the second-fastest times this spring.
Anavia Battle, Wayne Memorial senior: Battle finished fifth in the 100 and second in the 200 last season, and her top 100 time this spring (11.53) would push the all-Finals record.
Landon Kemp, Greenville senior: The reigning pole vault champion already holds the all-Finals record of 13 feet, 4 inches, and the second highest vault this season of 12-9 – plus the best long jump by more than five inches at 18-11 after finishing second in that event last season.
Taylor Manson, East Lansing senior: After finishing fifth in the 200 and second in the 400 last season, Manson enters this weekend with the fastest times in the division this season in both races – 23.90 and 54.96, respectively.
Grace Stark, White Lake Lakeland sophomore: Stark has run top-10 times in LP Division 1 in the 100, 200 and 100 hurdles, and that hurdles time (13.54) is especially notable because it came a week ago and would break the all-Finals record set in 2003.
Quiara Wheeler, Grand Blanc senior: After winning the discus championship last season by five feet, she has the best throw in the division this season (153-4) by more than four feet.
LP Division 2 at Zeeland
Top Regional scores: 1. Dearborn Divine Child 210, Ada Forest Hills Eastern 144, Zeeland East 137.
Holland Christian: Junior Kayla Windemuller is the reigning champion in the 1,600 and 3,200 and has the fastest times in the division this season in both races, 4:55.82 and 10:38.49, respectively, and is part of the the fastest 3,200 relay time (9:28.19). That 10:38 would set a meet record.
Lansing Waverly: The Warriors are coming off their first MHSAA team title, and could add a second with the top 400 (50.04) and 800 (1:44.88) relay times in the division entering the weekend after winning both last year. Freshman Priscilla Trainor has the third-fastest times in both the 100 and 200, and junior Malin Smith has the longest shot put (45-9¼) and second-longest discus toss (140-5).
Zeeland East: The Chix finished fifth last season and could make a move led by junior hurdler Suenomi Norinh, who has top-five times in both races in the division this spring. Sophomore Aliyah Boeve has top six throws in both, and Norinh has the top high jump (5-9¼) and second-best long jump (17-6¾) in LP Division 2. She won the high jump last season, and her best this season would break the meet record.
Jakarri Alven, Grand Rapids Catholic Central sophomore: The reigning champion in the 400 and runner-up in the 200 has run top eight times in the division this season in those races and the 100.
Ieisha Davis, Romulus senior: After placing third twice and runner-up in a third sprint last season, Davis is seeking her first title with the second-fastest times in the 100 and 200 and ninth-fastest time in the 400 this spring.
Zoe Eby, Carleton Airport senior: Eby has the fastest 100 (11.97) and 200 (24.35) times in the division this season, and the 200 would be a meet record while her best 100 would threaten the record in that race. She won the 200 and finished third in the 100 last season.
Casey Korte, Gaylord senior: Last season’s long jump champion (and fourth-place finisher in the high jump) has posted jumps among the top seven in the division this season in both events, although she is not doing high jump this weekend.
Gabriella LeRoux, Spring Lake senior: The reigning pole vault champion is tied for the top vault this season (12-0) and also will run on a top 800 relay.
LP Division 3 at Comstock Park
Top Regional scores: Clinton Township Clintondale 221, Pewamo-Westphalia 170, Saugatuck 168.
Adrian Madison: The Trojans finished second last season, 3½ points back, and have the firepower to take the next step. Senior Megan Rosales ran on two winning relays and was runner-up in the 300 hurdles last season, and she has the top times in the division this spring in that race (44.77) and the 400 (57.56).
Pewamo-Westphalia: The Pirates won in 2013 and 2015, making this their season again by that pattern. They should be able to back up that hope led by senior Brenna Wirth, whose fastest 200 time (25.74) is tops in the division this season while she also ranks among the fastest in the 100 and 400. Three relays also have posted times among the top four in the division.
Shepherd: Picking a third team to rise in this division is tough because the top performers are spread out over a number of possible contenders. But the Bluejays get the call because of the potential scoring of sophomore Amber Gall. She has the division’s top time in the 800 this season (2:14.83) and also ranks among the top performers in the 1600 and 3,200 and as part of 1,600 and 3,200 relays that have posted times among the top four in the division.
Adelyn Ackley, Hart sophomore: After winning the 3,200 last season as a freshman, Ackley could be in line for more. She has the division’s best time in that race (10:29.45), the second-fastest in the 1,600 (4:54.31) and also ranks as part of a top 3,200 relay. Her best 3,200 individual time would break the meet record by six seconds.
Hannah Hall, Millington junior: The reigning champion in the high jump has the division’s top jump this spring at 5-6, two inches higher than when she won a year ago. That jump Saturday would tie the meet record.
Brooklin Klopf, Montrose senior: As a junior, Klopf won the shot put and didn’t place in the discus, but she enters the weekend with the top throws in both this spring: 44-4½ and 143-6, respectively.
Kasey Staley, Clare senior: Staley broke the meet record last season winning with a vault of 12-4, and she’s gone 12-6½ this spring.
Olivia Theis, Lansing Catholic junior: Her top 3,200 time (10:31.03), while second to Ackley’s, also would break the meet record by four seconds. Theis also has the top time this season in the 1,600 (4:53.74).
LP Division 4 at Grand Rapids Houseman Field
Top Regional scores: 1. Fowler 208, 2. Manton 193, 3. Muskegon Western Michigan Christian 147.
Fowler: The Eagles are going for their second straight championship and fourth this decade. Fowler won last season with three relay titles but no individual wins; those relays are again strong, but sophomore Alyssa Vandegriff in particular has a chance to shine individually. She has the second-fastest time in the 100 hurdles and 10th-fastest in the 300, and the top high jump (5-3). The 1,600 relay (4:08.89) also has the fastest time for that event this spring.
Pittsford: The Wildcats’ lone top-two team finish in this sport was a runner-up in Class D in 1994, but they have the standouts to make a run. Most notably, the 400 relay (52.33) and 800 relay (1:49.72) have run the fastest times this season in those events, and senior Maddie Clark – runner-up in discus last season – has the top discus toss (138-3) by 16 feet and the second-farthest shot (36-11). Senior Katie Clement’s 11-0 top pole vault is a foot better than the field.
Southfield Christian: A pair of standouts will give the Eagles a chance to move all the way up from eighth last season. Junior Chika Amene has the top times in the 100 (12.58) and 200 (25.71) and second-fastest 400 (58.21) in the division this season. Junior Kaelin Ray has the fastest 300 hurdles (46.42) and third-fastest 100 hurdles times.
Baleigh Irelan, Reading junior: Irelan has posted only the eighth-best time in the division in the 300 hurdles – but her winning time last season would be the best.
Erika Lechner, Harbor Springs senior: Last season’s shot put champion has added nearly four feet to that title-winning throw with her best this spring being 45-10 – nine feet farther than the rest of the pack. She’s also a discuss contender.
Mary Leighton, Mendon senior: The reigning 100 hurdles champion also set the meet record last year at 14.93 seconds. She has the division’s best time this season (15.40) and the fourth-best in the 300 hurdles after finishing fourth a year ago in that race.
Samantha Saenz, Concord junior: Her division-best time in the 1,600 (5:05.69) is more than 10 seconds better than the rest, and she’s also among the top six in the 3,200 and 800 after winning the 1,600 and finishing third in the 3,200 last year.
Ava Strenge, Battle Creek St. Philip senior: Strenge will try to add at least one more title to a celebrated career. She finished first in the 3,200 last season, has the fastest time this season (11:02.79) by nine seconds and the second-fastest in the 1,600.
UP Division 1 at Kingsford
Top Regional scores: 1. Marquette 75, 2. Sault Ste. Marie 49, 3. Houghton 47.
Marquette: The Redettes have won six straight U.P. Division 1 titles and remain favorites even after graduating some stars last spring. Marquette won all four relays at its Regional, and senior Izabelle Peterson was first in the 200 and second in the 100 after winning both races at last season’s Finals.
Sault Ste. Marie: The Blue Devils tied for second at the Finals last season and finished second to Marquette at this year’s Regional, but had the winner in three of eight running events in the latter. Senior Courtney Arbic was a relay standout at last year’s Finals, but enters this one with a first place in the 800 and second place in the 400 at the Regional.
Olivia Allen, Kingsford sophomore: The reigning 400 champ and 200 runner-up won both races and was second in the 100 at her Regional.
Jenny Brandt, Escanaba senior: She won the discus last season by eight feet, and won it at her Regional by 17 in addition to finishing third in shot put and high jump.
Clara Johnson, Negaunee junior: She won the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 at her Regional, setting herself up well to add to last season’s Finals title in the 3,200.
Sydney Mills, Gladstone junior: The reigning high jump champion won that event and was second in the long jump at her Regional.
Kendra Monette, Houghton junior: She’ll be favored to win the shot put again after doing so by nearly five feet a year ago and by more than five at her Regional; she also won the 100 at the latter.
UP Division 2 at Kingford
Top Regional scores: 1. Ishpeming 70, 2. St. Ignace 64, 3. Munising 50.
Ishpeming: The Hematites have won the last two championships and return two significant scorers for one last high school meet –reigning discus and shot put title winner Marissa Maino, and reigning 800, 1,600 and 3,200 winner Khora Swanson. Junior Katie Loman won both hurdles races at the Regional and could make another sizable contribution.
St. Ignace: The Saints are going for their fifth championship this decade and after finishing third a year ago. Junior Linnie Gustafson is the reigning high jump champ and has gone 5-3, three inches higher than at last year’s Finals. Sophomore Emily Coveyou also will be key to contention; she won the 200 and 400 at her Regional.
Taylor Bryant, Newberry senior: She won the 100 hurdles in Division 3 last season but is competing in Division 2 this time. So far, so good: she won the 100 and 300 hurdles at her Regional.
Emmy Kinner, Iron River West Iron County senior: She’s won seven individual Finals titles, including the 100, 200 and 400 two straight seasons. She won all three at her Regional, two races by significant margins.
UP Division 3 at Kingsford
Top Regional scores: 1. Lake Linden-Hubbell 91½, 2. Stephenson 64, 3. Pickford 59.
Lake Linden-Hubbell: The Lakes should make a good run at their first Finals title since 1994. Junior Laura Lyons was the long jump champion by five inches last season and posted top-four finishes in the 400 and 200; she won all three and the 100 at the Regional, where the Lakes took first in four of five field events and three of four relays.
Stephenson: The Eagles are seeking their first title – and top-two finish – since 1993. Their highest placer last season was a third in the 200, but that could change with sophomore sprinter Amanda Starzynski riding the wave of Regional championships in the 100, 200 and 400.
Ashtyn Buss, Engadine junior: After winning the shot put and finishing runner-up in discus a year ago, Buss helped her team to a Regional title with wins in both events.
Camryn Croasdell, Rock Mid-Peninsula freshman: She’s a reigning champion despite being a freshman, having finished first in the 200 last year as an eighth grader. She took first at her Regional and also finished second in the 100.
PHOTO: Newberry’s Taylor Bryant charges over a hurdle during last season’s U.P. Division 3 Finals. (Photo by Cara Kamps.)