3 Upper Peninsula Athletes Among History-Makers in 1st Finals Adaptive Events

By John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com

June 17, 2022

KINGSFORD — A trio of Upper Peninsula wheelchair athletes were among five statewide who concluded their seasons June 4 competing in first-time adaptive events at MHSAA Finals.

This spring, the MHSAA Track & Field Regionals and Finals included its first adaptive 100, 200 and 400-meter dashes and shot put.

“Learning the technique and staying motivated is very challenging,” Houghton senior Maria Valet said after the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference meet May 31 at Calumet. “I go to regional competition downstate and in Indiana and Wisconsin. I also do little bit of weight training, but practice mostly on the track. I also work a little bit with Dean Juntunen (a longtime wheelchair racer from Ontonagon), who gives me some pointers. It’s good to have something to work for and see other people do it.”

Houghton track & fieldJoining Velat at the Upper Peninsula Finals in Kingsford were Marquette freshman Jim Bennett and Sault Ste. Marie freshman Johnny Osborn.

Velat covered the 100 in 26.56 seconds, 200 (51.15) and 400 (1:35.96) and recorded a 10-foot toss in shot put.

Her effort in the 400 at the Finals was nearly a personal-best.

“My best time in the 100 is 25.7 and I’ve done the 200 in approximately 48 seconds,” she said. “I think the 100 is my hardest event because it’s harder to gain momentum.”

Velat will attend the University of Michigan and major in biology. She will also be on the track team.

Bennett shattered his previous best time in the 200 by more than 2½ seconds was clocked at 24.31 in the 100 and 1:39.74 in the 400.

“It feels real good to race against other people,” he said. “I haven’t had the opportunity to do this before. There are so many opportunities available. Colleges are looking for wheelchair racers.

Sault Ste. Marie track & field“Today was my best time in the 200 (47.52). It feels great to do that. I had my best time in the 100 (23.15) in Marquette. The longer distances are more challenging for me. Right now I’m building up.”

Osborn threw the shot 13-4 at Kingsford, missing his personal best by just two inches.

“It means a lot to me to get a chance to compete,” he said. “This helps bring out the competitive spirit. I do cross country, which gives me more endurance and definitely helps me for track. I also manage the basketball team at our school.”

Osborn finished the 100 in 33.18, 200 in 1:17.95 and 400 in 2:21.03.

In the Lower Peninsula, Chelsea junior Jacob Nelson competed in the Division 2 100 meters, and Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett junior Jacob Juip competed in the Division 3 100 and 200.

John Vrancic has covered high school sports in the Upper Peninsula since joining the Escanaba Daily Press staff in 1985. He is known most prominently across the peninsula for his extensive coverage of cross country and track & field that frequently appears in newspapers from the Wisconsin border to Lake Huron. He received the James Trethewey Award for Distinguished Service in 2015 from the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.

PHOTOS (Top) Marquette's Jim Bennett races during the UP Finals on June 4. (Middle) Houghton's Maria Velat competed in all four adaptive Finals events in UPD1. (Below) Sault Ste. Marie's Johnny Osborn also competed in all four events at Kingsford. (Photos by Cara Kamps/Run Michigan.)

Self-Taught Overholt Firing Record Tosses

By Wes Morgan
Special for MHSAA.com

May 10, 2019

We’re all students at YouTube University now, with information — some useful — accessible from experts around the globe. Trending this week are videos ranging from Gordon Ramsay’s breakfast tacos tutorial to step-by-step guides for picking locks with hairpins.

Centreville senior Tyler Overholt made better use of his online browsing time, eventually stumbling upon Poland’s two-time Olympic silver medalist in the discus, Piotr Malachowski. Though he doesn’t know it, Malachowski became Overholt’s coach.

An immeasurable amount of determination, and countless hours of watching film of Malachowski, led Overholt to break a 42-year-old school record earlier this year — a mark he since has bettered twice. At the White Pigeon Invitational in April, Overholt registered a distance of 155 feet, 7 inches to surpass Trent Grossman on the Bulldogs’ record board. A week later, Overholt made a toss of 160-6 in a meet that wasn’t officially finished due to inclement weather. In the following meet, he recorded a throw of 158-1.

Let me tell you, I don’t smile much, but I had a big smile on my face,” said the soft-spoken Overholt, who earned Division 4 all-state status with a seventh-place finish after posting a mark of 138-3 at last year’s MHSAA Finals. “I was jumping up and down.”

Centreville jumped up to Division 3 this year, but Overholt’s marks still make him one of the favorites a few weeks from now at this year’s Finals at Jenison High School. Yet, you probably wouldn’t assume that with just a passing glance.

As a lanky freshman, Overholt was encouraged to try something other than discus. Still lanky now at 6-foot-6, 192 pounds, Overholt doesn’t look like a prototypical thrower.

But his fascination with the event only grew. As a sophomore, he approached new head coach Mike Hunter about giving it a try. Hunter, like most coaches at smaller schools, does the most he can to instruct his athletes in a wide variety of events. But he’s honest about a lack of expertise in the discus.

“He worked hard at the discus basically by himself,” Hunter said of Overholt. “He did some research and found some people. The hard thing with track is it is hard to coach every event if you don’t understand it, so to speak. I never did field events. I’ve tried to do the best I could to help him, but he’s done a lot on his own.

“He has just worked hard and has great technique. It’s not just arming the thing out there. He’s been great to coach, and he’ll do what you ask him to do. He’s right (in the state championship mix) if he can relax and throw with confidence.”

Overholt, who also took on the shot put and hurdles for the first time this spring, knew mastering the technique could trump strength. So he studied Malachowski and other high-level throwers, had his mother, Debra, record his meets, and he broke down that film as well.

For the first year, I just searched a lot of Olympic discus throwers and tried to copy them,” he said. “Then I started applying details into the spin. There was a lot of improvement, especially my junior year.”

Gaining 20 pounds over the last year has factored in as well after Overholt begrudgingly followed Hunter’s advice to spend more time in the weight room.

“I wasn’t really into it at first,” Overholt said. “It took me until my senior year to really start lifting. Now I’m a lot stronger.”

And more confident and experienced. He admitted that his performance at the

Finals last year was far from his best as he wrestled with the nerves that often come into play for first-timers. Overholt entered this season with the school record in his crosshairs, and now that he’s crossed that off his list, he’s chasing 170 feet. As a result of his success in the circle, his future plans have been altered in the last week.

Instead of going into the Navy after graduation, Overholt is headed to Olivet College, where he’ll throw for the Comets. He still intends to enlist in the Navy when he’s done.

“Some people are amazed by what I do and want to know the secret,” he said. “I’ve surprised myself.”

Wes Morgan has reported for the Kalamazoo Gazette, ESPN and ESPNChicago.com, 247Sports and Blue & Gold Illustrated over the last 12 years and is the publisher of JoeInsider.com. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.

PHOTOS: (Top) Centreville’s Tyler Overholt watches one of his discus tosses soar. (Middle) Overholt unloads a toss during a meet this spring. (Photos courtesy of JoeInsider.com.)