Classic Sprint, Oak Park Run Highlight D1
May 31, 2014
By Bill Khan
Special to Second Half
ROCKFORD — It was arguably the greatest high school girls 200-meter race ever in Michigan.
Sophomores Sekayi Bracey of East Kentwood and Anna Jefferson of Oak Park posted two of the seven fastest times in Michigan history at the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 Track and Field Finals on Saturday at Rockford High School.
Bracey edged Jefferson at the finish, crossing the line in 23.98 seconds. Jefferson was second in 24.03. Bracey's time is the fifth-fastest ever run in any Finals meet in Michigan, while Jefferson's is seventh.
Both the winner and runner-up enjoyed the duel, having rarely faced competition during the high school season.
"I love races like that," Jefferson said. "When I have her with me in the 200, I know she's going to make me work. I know I'm going to have a good race."
This wasn't the first duel between the two and, with two years of eligibility remaining for both of them, certainly won't be the last.
"I'm actually friends with her," Bracey said. "We've been running together since we were young."
Bracey and Jefferson were the individual stars of the meet, each winning three events and taking second in another.
Bracey won the long jump with a leap of 18 feet, 7.25 inches, the 100 in 11.88 seconds and the 200. She was on a second-place 400 relay team. Last year, Bracey was third in the long jump and won three events.
Jefferson greatest performance came in the 400, where her time of 53.50 seconds set an all-MHSAA Finals record, breaking the mark of 54.29 set by Southfield's Latipha Cross in 2011.
"When they said 53.50 officially, I screamed," said Jefferson, whose previous best was 54.30. "I was like, 'Oh, my gosh.' I went to pick up my teammate (fourth-place Johnyce Powell) and hug her but she was exhausted, so I had to give her a minute. I still couldn't believe I ran 53. I've been aiming for that for the past few years."
Jefferson was also on the winning 800 and 400 relay teams, helping Oak Park win the team championship in a rout, 92-50 over Northville. The 92 points are the most by a girls team in any division in seven years.
"I love my team," Jefferson said. "We've had a fantastic season compared to last year. We didn't have as many people, but we had high quality. Even though we're one of the smallest schools, we still have some of the top runners in the nation."
Oak Park will be a heavy favorite to win it all again next year, as there were no seniors among nine girls who scored points for the Knights. Scoring for Oak Park were freshmen Drew Coleman, Tamea McKelvy and Carlita Taylor; sophomores Jefferson, Lashae Bowens and Brianna Holloway; and juniors Jayla Fleming, Kailsi Latta-Thompson and Powell.
The Knights won three relays and were fourth in the 3,200 relay.
Birmingham Seaholm junior Audrey Belf, one of the nation's premier distance runners, ran an anchor leg of 2:08 in the 3,200 relay to help the Maples post the second-fastest time ever in an MHSAA Finals, 8:59.08. The other team members were Rachel Dadamio, Brooke Callaghan and Patty Girardot. Belf’s final leg was a personal best in the 800.
"When you get down to the end and your girls have done that much hard work, you don't want to mess it up," Belf said. "I know how much we wanted it. I wanted to finish it and make sure we got that victory."
Belf got a lengthy rest after that and dominated the 3,200, winning in 10:17.08. Northville senior Rachel Coleman, who won the 1,600 in 4:45.76, took second in 10:24.58. The top nine girls broke 10:46.
"I don't like running in the heat, but I made the best of it," Belf said. "I ran a little more conservatively."
Sterling Heights Stevenson senior Jailah Mason set an LP Division 1 record in the high jump, going 5-9.25.
Grosse Pointe South junior Ersula Farrow took aim at the Finals record in the 800 set last year by former teammate Hannah Meier. Farrow came up just short, finishing in 2:07.63 to win convincingly by 3.33 seconds.
"I wanted to go after the record," Farrow said. "I didn't get it this year, but I'm definitely going to try again next year. Hannah and (twin sister) Haley told me I was going to be the leader of the team. I did my best to be the leader of the team."
PHOTO: East Kentwood's Sekayi Bracey (left) and Oak Park's Anna Jefferson race toward the finish of the 200 on Saturday in Rockford. They posted two of the fastest times in the race in MHSAA Finals history. (Click to see more from RunMichigan.com.)
Preview: Restart Could Reveal New LP Girls Contenders
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
June 4, 2021
A year away because of COVID-19 makes anticipating champions at Saturday’s Lower Peninsula Girls Track & Field Finals even more difficult than usual.
Of course, frequent favorite Oak Park is back in Division 1 and is almost assured of being in that title mix with a few more speedy teams including Detroit Renaissance. But as for the other three divisions? There are plenty of possibilities, including teams that haven’t been in the conversation much before.
Events begin at 10 a.m. (EDT) and tickets to attend can be purchased online only at GoFan. The meets also will be broadcast on MHSAA.tv and viewable with subscription. Click to watch each division: LPD1 | LPD2 | LPD3 | LPD4.
Below is a glance at team contenders and individuals to watch in all four divisions.
Division 1 at East Kentwood
Top Regional scores: Northville 164, Macomb Dakota 144, Detroit Cass Tech 143.
Team forecast: Oak Park has won the last two Division 1 championships and four of the last five (finishing runner-up in 2017). The Knights might be the team to chase again with top seeds in four events and two more lower-seeded relay contenders. Detroit Renaissance was runner-up in 2019 and should be in the mix with high finishes in the sprints and sprint relays, while Ann Arbor Huron has contenders all over the running events plus the top-seeded long jumper.
Fatouma Conde, Ann Arbor Huron: If Huron is to make a team title run, Conde most certainly will play one of the largest parts. She’s seeded second in the 100 and 200 and is expected to run on the top-seeded 400 relay (47.46) and second-seeded 1,600 relay.
Audrey DaDamio, Birmingham Seaholm: The Division 1 cross country champion in the fall will be looking to add a few more titles in her final meet for the Maples. She’s seeded first in the 1,600 (4:50.01) – which her sister Rachel won in 2015 – and also in the 3,200 (10:40.72), and she’s the third seed in the 800.
Kaila Jackson, Detroit Renaissance: Jackson made an immediate impact in her Finals debut in 2019 with championships in the 200 and as part of the 800 relay to go with a runner-up finish in the 100. Now a junior, her top-seeded 11.58 in the 100 lines her up to chase the all-Finals record of 11.54, and her top-seeded 23.71 in the 200 is faster than the all-Finals record of 23.74. She’ll also run on the top-seeded 800 relay (1:37.91) and second-seeded 400 relay.
Opal Jackson, Macomb L’Anse Creuse North: The senior thrower is the favorite in both the shot put (47-3) and discus (145-2) with her Regional tosses in those events two and four feet, respectively, farther than the next best in these fields.
Jada Roundtree, Oak Park: One of many Oak Park standouts, Roundtree is the top seed in the 400 (55.47) and will run on the top-seeded 1,600 relay (3:50.9) and second-seeded 800 relay.
Nonah Waldron, Oak Park: Part of the next generation of Oak Park stars, Waldron is a sophomore and seeded first in the 100 hurdles (13.77) and 300 (43.31) at her first Finals. She also will long jump and run on the 800 relay.
Division 2 at Zeeland
Top Regional scores: Dearborn Divine Child 214, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood 134, Chelsea 134.
Team forecast: Six teams have won this meet over the last seven seasons, with Corunna the most recent champ in 2019. A number of teams appear contenders this time, with Divine Child, Petoskey and Parma Western among the intriguing possibilities. Divine Child is running for its first title since 2013 backed by strong relays and qualifiers in a variety of events. Petoskey’s only top-two Finals finish was a Class B runner-up in 1992, but the Northmen could compete for championships in four distance events. Western also has never won a team title but has top-four seeds in six events.
Hannah Antkoviak, Allegan: She finished second in the 300 and fourth in the 100 hurdles in 2019 as a sophomore, and she enters this weekend as the top seed in the 300 (45.16) and long jump (17-2¾) and third in the 100 hurdles.
Madelyn Frens, Grand Rapids Christian: The 3,200 runner-up as a freshman two years ago is the second seed in the 1,600 and third in the 3,200 and was third in Division 2 cross country in the fall.
Chaniya Madison, Bridgeport: The lone returning champion from the 2019 Division 2 meet won the 100 that spring as a freshman and will run that race, the 200 and on the 400 relay this time.
Reese Powers, Marysville: The Vikings standout junior should make a run at two individual championships as the top seed in the 800 (2:18.03) by nearly two seconds and a close second seed in the 400.
Emma Squires, Petoskey: The Division 2 cross country champion this past fall, she posted top-eight finishes in the 1,600 and 3,200 as a sophomore in 2019 and is seeded first in the 1,600 (5:08.52) and second in the 3,200 this time. She’ll also run the 800 and as part of the top-seeded 3,200 relay (9:27.52).
Division 3 at Jenison
Top Regional scores: Clare 180½, Pewamo-Westphalia 161½, Adrian Madison 143, Montague 143.
Team forecast: Pewamo-Westphalia is the reigning champion and has won three of the last seven championships. The Pirates have six top-five seeds this weekend and should be in the mix again especially if the meet is low-scoring. Grass Lake is seeded third or better in all five events in which it will participate, and Adrian Madison and Byron also are intriguing at a meet where individual champions can drive team scoring.
Carly Anschuetz, Adrian Madison: She’s the top seed in the 100 hurdles (15.81) and 300 (47.29) and also will high jump and run on the 800 relay. She was third in the 300 as a sophomore in 2019.
Lexus Bargesser, Grass Lake: The champion in the 100 and 200 two years ago as a freshman is the top seed in the 200 (25.32) and 400 (55.15) and second seed in the 100 this time, and she’ll also run on the top-seeded 1,600 relay (4:08.97).
Allison Chmielewski, Roscommon: The junior distance standout has the top seed in the 1,600 (4:53.68) by nearly 18 seconds with a time only 4.28 seconds off the meet record. She was fourth in both the 1,600 and 3,200 as a freshman and also will run the 800 and on the 3,200 relay this time.
Renae Kutcha, Jackson Lumen Christi: She may be the second seed in the 400, but Kutcha is looking to add her third championship in that race after earning the titles as a freshman and sophomore. She also will run the 200 and as part of the 1,600 relay.
Sarah Marvin, Byron: The champion in both the discus and shot put as a sophomore in 2019 is seeded first in both this weekend at 151-0 and 49-10¾, respectively. That shot put is more than three feet longer than the LPD3 Finals record.
Abby VanderKooi, Muskegon Western Michigan Christian: A three-time Cross Country Finals champion, VanderKooi also claimed the Division 3 3,200 title as a freshman two years ago and is seeded first (10:49.44) in that race this weekend by more than 21 seconds.
Division 4 at Hudsonville Baldwin Middle School
Top Regional scores: Hillsdale Academy 179, Lutheran Westland 149, Allen Park Cabrini 136.
Team forecast: Before COVID, Fowler had won two straight Division 4 titles and three of the last four, with Pittsford the runner-up in both 2018 and 2019. Hillsdale Academy was sixth in 2019 but could make the move for its first team championship with qualifiers all over the lineup and strong relays. Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart also should be a contender for its first championship with lots of points possibilities in the running events.
Olivia Findlay, Marlette: The freshman enters her first Finals with the top seed in the long jump (16-1½) and tied for the top seed in the high jump (5-3). She also will run on the 800 relay.
Ashley Plum, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart: The Irish senior sprinter is the top seed in the 200 (26.58) and also will run the 100 and 400 and on the top-seeded 1,600 relay (4:14.35). She was part of the winning 1,600 relay in 2019.
Makenna Scott, Maple City Glen Lake: The standout junior is the top seed in the 3,200 (12:03.63) by more than 16 seconds and the second seed in the 1,600 after also running both as a freshman in 2019. She’ll also run on the 1,600 relay.
Tara Townsend, Frankfort: She won the pole vault championship two years ago as a freshman and is the top seed by a foot at 11-0. She’ll also run the 100, 200 and on the 400 relay. She was seventh in the 100 in 2019.
Tess VanDyk, Kalamazoo Christian: The junior thrower is a favorite in both events, entering the weekend with the top-seeded shot put (36-7) and second-seeded discus toss.
PHOTO: St. Charles’ Lindsey Pumford anchors her 400 relay to a Division 3 Regional championship two weeks ago at Shepherd. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)