Meyers Gives Kentwood Crowd Final Show
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
June 3, 2017
Khance Meyers put on one final show in an East Kentwood uniform Saturday, and did it on his home track.
The senior sprinting star won the 100 and 200 meters for the second straight year at the Lower Peninsula Division 1 Boys Track & Field Finals, and anchored the winning 800 relay team also to a repeat championship.
“Doing all this on my home turf feels amazing,” said Meyers, who also anchored the runner-up 1,600-relay team. “Just knowing that you’re at home, competing against the best, the top in the state, some even nationally ranked, it’s just amazing. Coming out here, giving the fans what they want, giving them a show – all I can say is I thank God that I’m able to do this.”
Meyers’ performance led an all-around remarkable day for the Falcons, who finished with 78½ points to claim their first MHSAA team title since 2014. It was the school’s sixth title under coach Dave Emeott. Rival Rockford was second with 62 points, followed by defending champion Oak Park in third with 44.
“Ultimately it was a full team approach,” Emeott said. “We won a bunch of events, and we set a state record in the long jump and ended up second place; that doesn’t happen very often. Our kids were on fire, every event. I’m so proud of them.”
Meyers set the Division 1 meet record in the 100 meters with his time of 10.53 seconds. He just missed breaking his own 200-meter record, winning in 21.27. He joined teammates Al Jeffries, Jacobie Welch and Stephan Bracey to run 1:26.07, breaking the Division 1 meet record East Kentwood set a year ago.
“People ask me all the time, ‘Khance, how does it feel to be No. 1 in the state?’ or ‘How does it feel to be competing at the top level?’” Meyers said. “Just being No. 1 in the 100, 200 and dropping your times -- all I can say is, I just thank God.”
Meyers wasn’t the only Falcon to take home an individual title, as sophomore thrower Logan Brown won the shot put with a toss of 60 feet, 1½ inches.
He also wasn’t the only record setter on the day. Salem’s Mason Phillips won the long jump with a leap of 24-2¾, the best mark not only in Division 1 meet history, but for all Finals.
Rockford’s 400-meter relay team did the same, as their time of 41.2 seconds is a new top mark in MHSAA Finals history. The team included Melvin Moseley, Noah Stallworth, Josh Patterson and Nicholas Isley.
Like Meyers, Oak Park’s Cameron Cooper came away with three titles and one runner-up finish. He won the 800 in 1:51.22, teamed with Dewan Hawthorne, Bryce Pickett and Javonne Kirksey to win the 1,600 relay in 3:17.58, and teamed with Hawthorne, Kirksey and Michael Campbell to win the 3,200 relay in 7:44.85. He was second in the 1,600 meters, edged out at the line by Rockford’s Cole Johnson.
“I just ran it,” Cooper said of the 800. “I had to come back after all of those events -- I can’t really feel my legs. I’m kind of used to (running four events) because I do it throughout the year, sometimes even doing two meets a week. I’m really strong, so I can come back and still run the same thing.”
For Johnson, his 1,600 win was a redemption story. He stumbled early in the race a year ago, but bounced back to take third. This year, he got out fast and won in 4:08.60, despite a late push from Cooper.
“Since I wanted to run fast, I had to be out there pushing the pace,” Johnson said. “I definitely learned from my fall last year to get out fast. I knew that I could go out in sub-60 (seconds on the first lap) because that’s what I went out at in an MSU meet earlier this year. I definitely wanted to get out fast.”
East Lansing’s Kentre Patterson doubled in the hurdle races, winning the 110 in 13.84 and the 300 in 38.23 seconds despite not running in the final heat. It was the second straight title for Patterson in the 110 hurdles.
“I always love competition, but being in the slow heat, kind of controlling the race was pretty good,” Patterson said. “It let me relax and do my own thing. I didn’t put my clothes back on until after (the final heat).
“I just had it in my head that this is the last race of the season, last time running the 300 hurdles. My coaches had me thinking about it all week, telling me I could do it coming out of the slow heat.”
Ypsilanti Lincoln’s Matthew Moorer won the 400 meters in 47.42 seconds. Fenton’s Dominic Dimambro won a tight 3,200-meter race in 9:07.79.
Randy Prince of Portage Northern won the discus with a throw of 173 feet. Connor Bush of Plymouth won the high jump with a jump of 6-6. Cale Snyder of Macomb Dakota won the pole vault, clearing 15-6.
PHOTO: East Kentwood's Khance Meyers pushes past his competitors during a sprint win Saturday. (Photo by Carter Sherline/RunMichigan.com.)
Machiniak Sets Pace as Berrien Springs Edges Corunna in Matchup of Recent Champs
By
Scott DeCamp
Special for MHSAA.com
June 1, 2024
HAMILTON – After a rainy afternoon Saturday, the precipitation let up long enough for Berrien Springs’ boys track & field team to put the finishing touches on another MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 2 Finals championship.
After Shamrocks head coach Jon Rodriquez collected his program’s second team title in three years, rain fell again at Hamilton High School’s Hawkeye Stadium, only heavier this time.
The reign returned for Berrien Springs.
“It feels great, man. It’s hard to say what it feels like,” said Shamrocks senior standout Jake Machiniak, who sprinted to first-place finishes in the 100- and 200-meter dashes plus anchored winning 400 and 800 relays.
“This team, they worked all offseason. This is the hardest group of workers I’ve ever had. All these guys, all the guys that scored, they’ve all come year-round. The relays, we performed. I performed in the opens. It’s great. It’s a great feeling, man. Two times, man. Two times. Second time winning the state. It’s fantastic, man.”
Machiniak, a Grand Valley State University commit, repeated in the 100 with a time of 10.74 seconds. He won the 200 in 21.76 seconds in addition to running the closing leg on Berrien Springs’ first-place 400 relay (42.13) and victorious 800 relay (1:28.24).
Machiniak powered Berrien Springs to 40 points as a team, allowing the Shamrocks to edge runner-up Corunna (38 points), the 2023 champion. DeWitt was third (34) and Charlotte fourth (28), followed by Pontiac Notre Dame Prep and Parma Western tied at fifth (26).
Last year, Berrien Springs tied for seventh, which fueled the Shamrocks’ hunger all offseason.
“Jake was on that team two years ago. He ran the 4x100 for us,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve kind of had our eyes on this the last two years. Last year we fell short a little bit, and this year the kids were hungry. They worked their butts off all year long, running in the summertime, running in the hallways in the wintertime, just getting ready for this moment. It’s awesome. It’s awesome to see.”
In the 400 relay, Machiniak was joined by Zander White, Samuel Magesa, and Kameron Autry. In the 800, it was Magesa, White, and Noah Jarvis.
Notre Dame Prep senior Zachary Mylenek took first place in the 400, finishing nearly a second better than his personal-record time of 48.49 seconds, and he was runner-up in the 200 (with a personal season-record 21.92).
Bound for Purdue University, where he plans to study mechanical engineering and perhaps walk on to the Boilermakers’ track team, Mylenek also anchored Notre Dame Prep’s seventh-place 1,600 relay team.
He adapted to his circumstances and performed at a high level.
“The rain sucked, but I’ve been fortunate enough because we’ve been running in the rain a lot this year and I ran last year in it,” he said. “I just ran my race and other guys, I was listening, they don’t like running in the rain. It’s a mindset thing, and I just dialed in.”
Grosse Ile junior Sam Vesperman repeated in pole vault with an effort of 14 feet, 7 inches.
Vesperman was not expected to win last year, and he pulled it off. Being ranked No. 1 in pole vault coming into Saturday’s meet created more pressure for him.
“It was definitely different because I was projected to win it (this season),” Vesperman said. “Last year I was the second guy, right – I wasn’t the big name. It was definitely different having everybody (saying), ‘Oh, that’s the guy to get, so … .’”
Vesperman’s official personal record in pole vault is 15-3. On Saturday, he was pushed by Whitehall senior Ca’Mar Ready, who turned in a PR effort of 14-4, but Vesperman was able to execute when needed.
“Yeah, it’s really nice to win, but we just keep chasing that next bar, that next height. That’s definitely the motivational factor,” Vesperman said.
Other event winners included: Clio’s Elliott Sirianni in the 800 (1:55.09 PR), Freeland’s T.J. Hansen in the 1,600 (4:11.31), Pinckney’s Paul Moore in the 3,200 (9:07.53), Grand Rapids Catholic Central’s Mill Coleman in the 110 hurdles (14.49), Charlotte’s Cutler Brandt in the 300 hurdles (38.48), Coopersville’s Gabe VanSickle in the shot put (61 feet, 2 inches), Wayland’s Adam Huff in discus (172-0), and Stevensville Lakeshore’s Declin Doroh in high jump (6-7) and Kaden Griffiths in long jump (22-9.25).
Hamilton won the 1,600 relay (3:23.40), while Marshall took first place in the 3,200 relay (7:48.49). Chelsea senior Jacob Nelson won the 100, 200 and 400 adaptive events.
Rodriguez started coaching at Berrien Springs in 2012, and he became head coach in 2014.
He said the Shamrocks improve in practice because there’s a lot of competition. Everybody is chasing Machiniak.
“I mean, we have Jake Machiniak, one of the top sprinters in the state, in practice and the kids want to beat him. They don’t just want to just, like, run with him; they want to try and beat him, so that competition in practice has been huge,” Rodriguez said.
“I’m just very proud of them. We showed up on the days that were important. On a big meet like this, it’s about being your best today – we had our best on the best day.”
Like Vesperman, Machiniak entered the 2024 season with a lot of pressure. He noted, however, that the only way to improve is to put oneself in pressure situations.
Machiniak said this team title feels better than the one won in 2022 because he played a bigger role. There’s strength in numbers, though, and Berrien Springs has been known to possess depth, especially in the sprints.
“That’s all Coach Rodriguez. Best coach in Michigan – it’s not even close,” Machiniak said. “He has us training in the offseason. He has us training winter, summer, spring, fall – all the time, man. We have a lot of guys at the state meet that come (put in the work) in the offseason, all year round. Year-round athletes that do speed training. As far as the sprints, that’s all Jonny Rodriguez – best coach in the nation.
“This group, I’ve grown up with this group, man. I’ve known these guys for a while. I’ve grown with them, I’ve trained with them, I’ve cried with them. You know, these are the guys that I’ve grown up with.”
PHOTOS (Top) Berrien Springs’ Jake Machiniak, second from left, crosses the finish line first in the 100 during the Lower Peninsula Division 2 Finals on Saturday. (Middle) Pontiac Notre Dame Prep’s Zachary Mylenek, left, and Corunna’s Wyatt Bower race to the finish in a 200 prelim. (Click for more from Dave McCauley/RunMichigan.com.)