Madison Overcomes to Win Again, EGR Emerges to Add to Title Tradition
By
Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com
June 4, 2022
ADA – After four years, Chaniya Madison knew she was out of tomorrows.
The Bridgeport sprinter accepted that the odds of capturing a rare third Lower Peninsula Division 2 Finals title in the 100-meter dash depended largely on health. And if that was the case, Madison admitted a mysterious knee that has baffled doctors for four years would have much to say about the final result.
There were dark times because of the injury when Madison thought about giving in to the pain, calling it a career and moving on to something else.
But after Saturday's Finals at Forest Hills Eastern, Madison is glad she didn't.
She won her third championship in the 100 with a time of 12.07. The title comes after winning the event in both her freshman and junior seasons and caps four seasons of ignoring knee pain that nearly ended her career several times. It took nearly four years for doctors to determine Madison suffered from fluid of the knee, first in her left and then in her right knee. Madison said doctors tried since her freshman year to diagnose the problem, which they guessed could have been anything from arthritis to a torn muscle.
Even after the knee was finally drained, Madison said she considered herself only 85-percent healthy.
"I lost my will to participate, my mental health and my will to stick to it," Madison said. "But I took a few days off and decided I didn't care how much pain there was. This is a big relief. After being so tired, I just wanted to cry. This is so emotional for me."
Madison also helped the Bridgeport 800 relay finish first (1:44.14).
While Madison headed the individual winners, East Grand Rapids captured the team title with 66 points to 37.6 for runner-up Grand Rapids Christian. Zeeland East was third with 29 points, Hudsonville Unity Christian fourth with 23.6 and Allendale and New Boston Huron tied for fifth with 21.
The team title was the 146th state championship for the East Grand Rapids athletic program, but first for the girls track & field team. That's a fact coach Mike Dykstra said he carefully passed along to his athletes this season.
"Maybe it's a bit overwhelming," Dykstra said of joining the Pioneers' lengthy history of state championships. "We thought this was a chance to make history, and they bought into it. It was definitely a goal of ours. We have that as a goal at the start of every year. This was a pretty special year."
The Pioneers collected individual titles by Camryn Bodine in the 800 (2:12.46) and Drew Muller in the 1,600 (4:51.41) while also winning the 3,200 relay, which included Muller and Bodine (9:25.89).
Ludington senior RyAnn Rohrer had a big day winning the shot put (41-11) and discus (135-07). Like Madison, Rohrer had to overcome injury to win her titles. She suffered a leg injury after just two meets this spring and had to focus on getting healthy for the next two months. Rohrer not only had to overcome injury, she added the discus this season after a string of prior successes in the shot.
“I had to do a lot of work to improve, a lot of reps," said Rohrer, whose parents were both involved in throwing events in college. "I got very frustrated, so this is a relief. I knew I could do it, but sometimes it takes time and a mental ability. I had goals as a senior in the discus and I thought, ‘Why not take on a new challenge?’ I'm open to new things.”
Warren Regina junior Ella Jenkins won the 300 hurdles (44.99) and nearly won the 100 hurdles, finishing second (14.97) to Chelsea sophomore Leila Wells (14.96).
Jenkins was a Finals qualifier in the 100 hurdles a year ago and was seeded first in both events this season.
"I thought I had a shot," Jenkins said of winning the 100. "I always want to get out strong and finish with what I have left. I compete to win; I have a passion to win."
Grand Rapids Christian senior Madelyn Frens won the 3,200 (10:44.24). She said comparing Saturday's title with winning last fall's Division 2 cross country championship is not a stretch. Both, she said, involved mental strength. She also competed in the 1,600, where she was second, and the 3,200 relay, which finished runner-up to EGR.
"I like cross country because it's a little harder mentally, and it's longer," she said. "But this is more competitive, and it feels like there is more pressure with expectations. You have to push yourself mentally through both."
Elizabeth Anderson of New Boston Huron was a double winner in the 200 (25.07) and 400 (56.28).
Other champions included Linden in the 400 relay (49.41) and Dearborn Divine Child in the 1,600 relay (4:00.83).
In the field events, Natalie Christnagel of Grosse Ile won the high jump (5-4), Jordyn Wright of Tecumseh took the pole vault (12-0) and Lindsay Girard of Marine City took first in the long jump (17-7).
PHOTOS (Top) Bridgeport's Chaniya Madison, middle, crosses the finish line first in the 100 meters Saturday at Forest Hills Eastern. (Middle) East Grand Rapids celebrates its first girls track & field Finals championship. (Click for more from Dave McCauley/Run Michigan.)
Divine Child Piles Up Points Across Several Events to Earn Podium Climb
By
Scott DeCamp
Special for MHSAA.com
June 2, 2024
HAMILTON – After Dearborn Divine Child’s girls track & field team had captured its first MHSAA Finals title in 11 years Saturday at Hamilton’s Hawkeye Stadium, head coach Danny Foster rattled off the names of the coaches on his staff.
Makes sense: The Falcons earned their latest championship largely through a group effort.
Led by freshman Aubrey Wilson and a cast of point-winners, Divine Child seized the Lower Peninsula Division 2 championship by totaling 46 points. Yale was runner-up with 39 points, followed by East Grand Rapids in third (36), Romulus Summit Academy North fourth (33), and Saginaw Swan Valley fifth (25).
“It’s the best feeling in the world, especially when you know what your young people have went through to get to this point – the belief, the hard work,” said Foster, who is in his first season at the Divine Child helm but has coached for more than three decades, much of that time spent in the Detroit Public School League.
“I mean, to understand and know what they go through, it’s awesome. They are a talented group, dedicated to what we do, to what we believe. The girls team, the boys team, we’re all one team and that’s how they’ve worked all year. They come to work.”
Wilson certainly made a mark in her debut season. She took first place in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.33 seconds and runner-up in the 200 (25.15). Wilson also ran a leg on Divine Child’s second-place 800 relay team and fifth-place 400 relay quartet.
Junior Kathryn Kurtinaitis also scored valuable points for the Falcons with her runner-up finish in the 400 (57.92).
Divine Child’s depth made a difference. The Falcons placed first and fourth in the 100, second and seventh in the 200, and eighth in the 1,600 relay.
“It’s incredible. I can’t believe we made it. It’s unbelievable. I’ve been dreaming about this night (for a long time). I’m really happy right now,” Wilson said. “(Winning the 100) was so unexpected. I mean, my start (was not ideal). It was a little wobbly, but I’m proud that I kept going through and I trusted the process.
“The way I got here is that I practiced and I worked at it. I wouldn’t be here today without my motivation from my teammates especially, going to practice every day, cheering me on. It was an incredible season. I’m really happy how it ended.”
Saginaw Swan Valley junior Sydney Kuhn also was very pleased with her day.
Kuhn raced to first-place finishes in the 200-meter and 400 dashes. She ran 24.89 in the 200 and a personal record of 55.06 in the 400, plus she anchored the Vikings’ 1,600 relay team that placed fourth.
“It’s been a great season and just a lot of fun,” said Kuhn, who did not play basketball this year because her focus was on track. “Last year I struggled with a (stress fracture) injury, but this year it’s just been amazing. I’ve PR’d, like, every race I’ve ran so it’s just been a lot of fun.”
For East Grand Rapids senior Drew Muller, who won her third straight Finals title in the 1600-meter run, “fun” was the operative word of her final track season with the Pioneers.
Muller won the 1,600 on Saturday with a season-best time of 4:51.49. She also anchored East Grand Rapids’ first-place 1,600 and 3,200 relay teams and placed sixth in the 800.
Muller was part of MHSAA Division 2 title teams for East Grand Rapids in 2022 and 2023. She was also an individual Finals champ in cross country and part of a team that captured a state title in that sport.
“Individually, I had an OK season, so it felt good to kind of end if off in high school at East in a really good spot,” said Muller, who has signed with University of Virginia.
“I wanted to end on, like, a good attitude and savor all the fun high school moments. Super excited to race next year in college, but I’m going to miss this team so much. I have probably stuck with running because of this team. I’ve been trying to savor every senior moment.”
Chelsea senior Leila Wells also made the most of her final high school track meet. She collected her second 100-meter hurdles title in three years with a PR time of 14.92 despite being seeded fifth in the event. She did not compete at the Finals last year because of an ankle injury.
Wells is taking her athletic talents to Virginia Tech, where the 5-foot-7 shooting guard will play basketball.
“It’s been a whole year, so I was kind of hungry and had that fire to be back all season,” Wells said. “Actually being here was amazing. I came in seeded fifth from the Regional, so I was really passionate about running my best time today.”
Other event champions Saturday included: Goodrich’s Layla Jordan in the 800 (2:09.92), St. Johns’ Ava Schafer in the 3,200 (10:39.77), Yale’s Sadie Dykstra in the 300 hurdles (45.00) and long jump (18-½), Eastpointe’s Kalia Monroe in shot put (45-6), Marysville’s Janae Hudson in discus (140-3), Hastings’ Bella Friddle in high jump (5-5), and Ortonville Brandon’s Allison Shelton in pole vault (11-9).
Summit Academy North won the 400 relay (48.75) and the 800 relay (1:40.95). Coldwater junior Brianna Barle won the 100 and 200 adaptive race championships.
Foster gave a shout-out to his four “awesome” seniors and stressed that Divine Child’s team title came through a team effort.
“They put in so much work. Whatever we asked of them, they put in the extra mile. They look at us sometimes, but they put that smile on and they say, ‘OK, coach.’ And that’s what made them so special and they worked so hard,” he said.
“I mean, these young ladies have worked hard since day one. They’re just a special group.”
PHOTOS (Top) Members of Dearborn Divine Child’s girls track & field team hold up their latest championship trophy Saturday. (Middle) East Grand Rapids’ Drew Muller leads the pack during a relay win. (Click for more from Dave McCauley/RunMichigan.com.)