Preview: Star Power Expected to Shine
June 2, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The MHSAA Track & Field Finals again will draw one of the largest groups of competitors of any championship event in the state this school year.
And fans surely will recognize a number of names from Finals past – including, on the boys side, a number of seniors looking to add to their previous piles of titles.
See below for some of the teams and individuals who should be among those in the championship mix at Saturday's boys meets. Click for meet information including all qualifiers and come back Saturday night for results as they come in. And be sure to 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: East Kentwood 171½, Macomb Dakota 163, Rockford 160.
East Kentwood: The Falcons finished third a year ago, but a few years doesn’t erase memories of the program’s five Division 1 championships between 2009-14 and runner-up finish in 2015. Senior Khance Meyers could pile up points again as the reigning champion in the 100 and 200 meters – he has the division’s fastest times in both of those events this season (10.55 and 21.02, the latter wind-aided). The Falcons’ 800 relay also has run the fastest time in LP Division 1 and in the 1,600 the second fastest, and East Kentwood athletes have division top-three performances in three other events as well this spring.
Oak Park: Reigning 800 champion Cameron Cooper is back to pace the team champion, and he’s run the fastest race at that distance in LP Division 1 at 1:50.80 and had the fastest Regional 1,600 by more than a second. All four of Oak Park’s relays have run times among the top four in the division this season, with Cooper’s 1,600 relay has the fastest in that race at 3:16.56.
Rockford: The Rams finished nine points back of Oak Park last season but could make it much closer this time around. Junior Cole Johnson has run the division’s fastest 1,600 (4:09.43) and second-fastest 800 this season. Rockford also ran the division’s fastest 400 relay just last weekend (41.64), and has run the third-fastest times in the 800 and 1,600.
Ann Arbor Skyline junior Anthony Giannobile: The reigning champion in the 1,600 has run only the seventh fastest time in the division this spring, but should contend again.
East Lansing senior Kentre Patterson: The reigning champion in the 110 hurdles has run the fastest time in LP Division 1 in that race this spring (13.95) and the second-fastest time in the 300 (38.80).
Salem senior Mason Phillips: He returned to track & field this season for the first time since freshman year and started long jumping about a month ago – but his wind-aided season high of 24 feet, 1 inch, would tie the all-Finals record if he can replicate it Saturday without the breeze.
LP Division 2 at Zeeland
Top Regional scores: Dearborn Divine Child 179, Coldwater 150½, Zeeland East 144.
Corunna: The Cavaliers should be contenders for their first team championship since winning Class B back-to-back in 1998 and 1999. On Tuesday, senior Noah Jacobs ran the division’s fastest 3,200 this season (9:17.55) and sophomore brother Ben Jacobs ran the fastest 1,600 (4:20.46). They also are part of the 3,200 relay (7:57.58) that posted the division’s fastest time in the event over the weekend.
Grand Rapids Christian: The Eagles have top-10 performances this season in six individual events and three relays, with senior Faida Muriithi entering this weekend with the top long jump (23-1¾) this spring. The 800 relay (1:30.52) also has the fastest time in this division in that event.
Lansing Waverly: The Warriors look good to contend for their first MHSAA team title after the girls team won its first last spring. Waverly on Tuesday ran the division’s fastest 1,600 relay (3:25.96) and senior Wanya’ Sanders ran the fastest 400 (49.38). Sophomore Keshaun Harris has run top-three times in both hurdles races and he and Sanders are part of an 800 relay that has the second fastest time in the division.
Pierre Brown, Romulus junior: He finished third in the 100 last season and enters this weekend with the top time in the 100 (10.82) in the division this spring.
Noah Caudy, Lake Odessa Lakewood senior: The reigning champion in the 110 hurdles (and fourth-place finisher in the 300) could claim two titles; his 14.12 from his Regional is the fastest in the 110 race, and his 37.71 in the 300 earlier this week also is an LP Division 2 best.
Johnathon Sholl, Sturgis senior: Although his 22.63 is only the eighth fastest 200 time in the division this spring, he is the reigning champion in the event after running a time last year that would be the fastest this season.
LP Division 3 at Comstock Park
Top Regional scores: 1. Warren Michigan Collegiate 151, 2. Clare 147½, 3. Chesaning 146½.
Chesaning: The Indians finished fourth last season with 28 points and could surpass that total just in relays; they have the top 400 (43.76) time in LP Division 3 this season, the fastest as well in the 800 (1:30.20) and the third-fastest in the 1,600. Juniors Sam Forsyth (22-1) and Brandon Keys (22-0½) have the top long jumps in the division this spring as well.
Hillsdale: The Hornets finished runners-up the last two seasons but might have enough to push for their first title. Junior Devin VanDusen ran the division’s second-fastest 100 this season at the Regional and will run on three relays. Senior Rees Nemeth should be a contender in the 110 hurdles, and has the top pole vault (15-9) by nearly a foot in LP Division 3. Senior Spencer Eves is tied for the top high jump (6-6) this spring, and thrower Tristan Burcham and long jumper Nathan Gimenez give Hillsdale contenders in the other three field events as well.
Saugatuck: The LP Division 4 champion two straight seasons and three of the last four will try to add a Division 3 title to the mix, although this time without four-time individual champion Blake Dunn, who was lost to a knee injury early this spring. Still, the team has pushed on led in part by sophomore Corey Gorgas and senior Zachary Pettinga, who both have times among the best in the division in the 3,200 and run on the 3,200 relay that’s posted the division’s fastest time (8:09.50) this season; Gorgas also ranks among the fastest 1,600 runners this spring.
Anthony Evilsizor, Constantine senior: He has the fourth-fastest time in the division in the 800, but is the reigning champ with a time last year that would be the best in the division this spring.
Evan Goodell, St. Louis senior: The reigning 3,200 champion is the one to beat in both distance races, entering with the division’s top times in both the 1,600 (4:18.18) and 3,200 (9:05.06). That 3,200 time would break the meet record by seven seconds.
Thomas Robinson, Wyoming Lee junior: The reigning champion in the 100 and 200 has run the division’s fastest times in both of those events this spring (10.78 and 21.78, respectively). Those times are within hundredths of a second of the meet records in those races.
Dan Stone, Frankenmuth senior: After taking fourth in discus and second in shot put as a junior, Stone has the top throws in both events this spring (183-10 and 59-11, respectively), the discus by nearly 20 feet and the shot put by nearly four.
LP Division 4 at Grand Rapids Houseman Field
Top Regional scores: 1. Whittemore-Prescott 187, Lutheran Westland 179, Manton 161½.
Concord: The Yellow Jackets’ rise from ninth last season could start with senior Daniel Mikovits, the reigning champ in the 800 with the fastest time in that race (1:56.75) in this division this season. Three qualifying relays have posted times among the top eight in the division as well, while seniors Bradley Hawkins (discus) and Justin Detgen (3,200) also are likely contenders.
Evart: Last season’s runner-up graduated a two-event champion but has athletes who have posted top-10 performances in the division this season in two sprints, two distance races and two field events. Junior Scott Martin is tied for top high jump (6-6), and the 400 relay’s best time ranks second.
Whittemore-Prescott: The Cardinals were sixth last season but only six points out of second place. The 800 relay’s top time of 1:32.43 is best in the division this season, and two more relays rank among the top six. Whittemore-Prescott could also get some needed points in the 400, 3,200 and field events and have qualifiers all over Saturday’s lineup.
Jeremy Kloss, Harbor Springs senior: He took only sixth in the 1,600 and 3,200 last season, but has the fastest times in the division in both races this spring (4:26.71 and 9:49.52, respectively).
Alec Muck, Sand Creek sophomore: The reigning 200 champion also took third in the 100 last year; his 22.43 in the 200 at the Regional is the fastest time in the division this spring, and his 11.04 in the 100 last weekend ranks third in that race.
Bryce Washington, Southfield Christian junior: Washington’s 6-3 at his Regional ties for sixth highest in the division this season, but he went 6-5 in winning at last year’s Finals.
Paxton Titus, Brighton Livingston Christian senior: The reigning discus champion also finished seventh in shot put last year, and he has the top tosses in both in 2017 – 182-6 and 58-10, respectively. That best shot put would break the meet record by more than four inches.
UP Division 1 at Kingsford
Top Regional scores: 1. Marquette 92, 2. Houghton 53, 3. Iron Mountain 43.
Marquette: The Redmen have won two straight titles and doubled up the field at their Regional winning all four relays and finishing first in three field events – but with only two individual race champions. Senior Taylor Althouse came in only fourth at the Regional in high jump, but is the reigning Finals champion in that event. Senior Bradley Seaborg is the reigning champion in the 300 hurdles.
Houghton: Last season’s runner-up should again get a major boost from junior Clayton Sayen, who won the 200 and 400 and his Regional and is the reigning 400 Finals champion as well. Senior Casey Lentowich placed among the top six in both hurdles races last season and should score well again.
Ryan Jones, Sault Ste. Marie senior: Last season’s 200 champion actually placed in four events including two as part of relays. He won both the 100 and 200 at his Regional.
Kyle McKenzie, Gladstone senior: McKenzie is the reigning pole vault champ and won his Regional with a vault of 12-0, six inches higher than the next best and also six inches higher than his Finals height a year ago.
UP Division 2 at Kingsford
Top Regional scores: 1. Newberry 104, 2. Ishpeming 67, T-3. Iron River West Iron County & St. Ignace, 29.
Newberry: The Indians are up a division after finishing third in UP Division 3 in 2016. They had the first-place finisher in every relay and all but one race at the Regional, while senior John Paramski got field event victories in the discus and shot put. Senior hurdler Alex Johnson and junior sprinter Andre James also both had multiple Regional wins.
Ishpeming: The Hematites are trying for their fourth straight Division 2 championship after pulling off the feat last year without an individual champion (but by winning three relays). Senior Grady Kerst should lead the charge; he won the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 at his Regional.
Alex Dewald, Hancock senior: He won both the 100 and 200 as a junior, and will need to make a jump after finishing fourth in both at his Regional this year.
David LaVake, St. Ignace senior: He was only fourth in his individual events at the Regional, the 100 and 400, but won the 400 last season at the Finals when he also ran on three relays.
Mitchell Peterson, St. Ignace senior: The reigning pole vault champion won by six inches last season, with the same distance (11-6) putting him second at the Regional last month.
Bryan Schram, Iron River West Iron County sophomore: After winning the shot put as a freshman (and finishing second in discus), Schram will try to win both throws after earning Regional titles in both.
UP Division 3 at Kingsford
Top Regional scores: 1. Rapid River 93, 2. Pickford 87½, 3. Bessemer 84.
Rapid River: The reigning Division 3 champion returns reigning discus champion and shot put placer junior Logan Hardwick and crushed its Regional by winning every relay and all but one individual race (plus two field events). Junior Lucas Sundling won the 100, 200 and 400 at the Regional and won the 400 at the Finals last year for Big Bay de Noc.
Pickford: The Panthers should make a nice jump after tying for seventh last season. Pickford won three relays at its Regional and likely has the lead jumper in freshman Nick Edington, who won both the long and high at the Regional.
Garrett O’Neil, Felch North Dickinson senior: After winning both hurdles races as a junior, O’Neil is a strong favorite to repeat in both after winning them at his Regional by significant margins.
PHOTO: St. Louis' Evan Goodell, left, and Corunna's Noah Jacobs, here at the Ithaca Invitational this spring, are favorites to win distance championships while competing in different divisions at this weekend's MHSAA Track & Field Finals. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Performance: Oxford's Connor Bandel
June 1, 2016
Connor Bandel
Oxford senior – Track & Field
Bandel could’ve been a selection most weeks this season; the spring has included that many highlights for the reigning Lower Peninsula Division 1 champion in shot put and discus. He was perhaps most dominant at his Regional on May 20 at Lake Orion, winning shot put by 16 feet with a toss of 63, 7 inches, and discus by nearly 28 feet at 189-2 to earn the Michigan National Guard Performance of the Week for May 16-22.
Bandel went on to win the Oakland County Championship titles Friday in both at 67-2½ and 192-0, respectively, and his top throws this spring are that shot put and a discus toss of 204-2 on April 23 at the Oxford Invitational. He will compete in the LP Division 1 Finals this weekend with opportunities to break the all-Finals records in shot put (Todd Duckett, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix, 64-0½, 1999) and discus (Cullen Prena, Walled Lake Central, 210-1, 2012). Prena is among those Bandel has consulted for advice as he’s improved significantly over the last few seasons; his top throws in 2016 are six feet better in shot put and 11 in discus from a year ago.
The 6-foot-4, 230-pound senior also played goalkeeper for Oxford’s varsity soccer team the last four seasons and will be the second sibling from his family to play at the Division I college level; he’s signed for track & field with the University of Florida, while his older sister Darien plays volleyball at Oakland University. Connor also played basketball as a freshman and carries a 3.3 grade-point average; he’s considering majoring in chemical or biomedical engineering.
Coach Matt Johnson said: “The number one thing Connor brings is (his example) that track and field is a year-round event, from conditioning to weight training to building camaraderie with his teammates around the track. … He’s a dedicated athlete, he sets goals for himself, and that would be a value set that I’d say could be passed on to another level of student. He’s not just setting benchmarks for things within reach; he’s setting dreams he’s going to work toward. Early on last year, he told me he’s aiming not for the state record, he’s aiming to become an international competitor, and that raises the bar right there. Most high school kids are not even thinking (about that) at that point.”
Performance Point: “I’m trying to improve every meet; that’s always the goal. But this past week I started to improve more. I’m constantly moving the benchmark forward a bit. … Sometimes I just can’t really explain how much emotions I'm feeling when something (like a personal record) just happened. When you PR something that you’ve never reached, it’s just so satisfying to actually do that.”
Expert advice: “The biggest thing with (my sister) was her type of dedication and trying to do the same thing as her. Another big thing was the recruiting process; it was nice to have a sibling because not only did I get to learn from her but my parents got to learn a lot from her about the questions to ask coaches and that kind of deal. (From Prena), I learned definitely technique from him; it’s nice to have him having worked with his college coach, because … then he could teach me a lot of what he had learned. I always ask him about summer track, nationals and international competition. Even though he hasn’t gone to an international competition, he went to meet qualifiers for those, and if I have questions about what the atmosphere is like, things like what I need to bring, he’s always a good resource.”
The mental game: “For me, it’s not to get really tense. If I get really tense, really focus on trying to throw as far as I can, I’m not going to throw as well. The more relaxed you are, the longer you’ll be, the more comfortable you’ll be. Not getting tight and seized up and that sort of deal, that’s the biggest thing to me, to really relax … and trust what I’ve been doing the last couple of years, be comfortable and have fun with it. If you have a smile on your face, you’ll probably throw farther … (and) I’m just trying to throw farther than I did before.”
Final countdown: “I’d definitely, now that I’ve won (in 2015), I would like to re-break the shot put record, and I would like to break the discus record for the first time. I really want to hit my goals; I wrote them down before the season, and I’m still on pace. I feel like breaking 79 (feet in shot put) and 215 (in discus) before the season is over, that would be absolutely fantastic.”
Create and explore: “I’ve always really been into math and science, always really liked the engineering aspects of creating and exploring new ideas. I thought with how much petroleum that the United State is using, and with how many athletes have injuries, I thought it would be cool to create new ways to produce energy, or for athletes the fastest ways to recover.”
– Geoff Kimmerly, Second Half editor
Every week during the 2015-16 school year, Second Half and the Michigan National Guard will recognize a “Performance of the Week" from among the MHSAA's 750 member high schools.
The Michigan Army National Guard provides trained and ready forces in support of the National Military Strategy, and responds as needed to state, local, and regional emergencies to ensure peace, order, and public safety. The Guard adds value to our communities through continuous interaction. National Guard soldiers are part of the local community. Guardsmen typically train one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer. This training maintains readiness when needed, be it either to defend our nation's freedom, or protecting lives and property of Michigan citizens during a local natural disaster.
Previous 2015-16 honorees
May 18: Kalyn Breckenridge, Birch Run girls soccer - Read
May 11: Morgan Beadlescomb, Algonac boys track & field - Read
May 4: Abby Krzywiecki, Farmington Hills Mercy softball - Read
April 27: Mike Mokma, Holland Christian baseball - Read
April 20: Abby Divozzo, Cadillac girls soccer - Read
March 30: Cassius Winston, Detroit U-D Jesuit boys basketball - Read
March 23: Kierra Fletcher, Warren Cousino girls basketball - Read
March 16: Jacob Montague, Grosse Pointe South swimming & diving - Read
March 9: Kyle Tuttle, St. Charles boys bowling - Read
March 2: Brittney Schnicke, Caledonia girls bowling - Read
Feb. 24: Kamari Newman, Detroit East English boys basketball - Read
Feb. 17: Jason Whitens, Powers North Central boys basketball - Read
Feb. 10: Rachel Hogan, Grand Ledge gymnastics - Read
Feb. 3: Nehemiah Mork, Midland Dow swimming & diving - Read
Jan. 27: Mardrekia Cook, Muskegon girls basketball - Read
Jan. 20: Sage Castillo, Hartland wrestling - Read
Jan. 13: Rob Zofchak, Dexter swimming & diving - Read
Jan. 6: Tyler Deming, Caro wrestling – Read
Dec. 15: Jordan Weber, East Jordan boys basketball – Read
Dec. 8: Kaitlyn Geers, Kent City girls basketball – Read
PHOTOS: (Top) Oxford's Connor Bandel unloads a shot put during a meet this season. (Middle) Bandel is the reigning champion in both the discus and shot put in Lower Peninsula Division 1. (Photos courtesy of Connor Bandel.)