Saints Make It 4 Straight Championships
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
June 2, 2013
KINGSFORD — The St. Ignace girls didn't let anything stand in their way in winning the Upper Peninsula Division 3 track championship Saturday with 121 points.
Two-time defending champion Brimley settled for runner-up honors this time with 57, and third-place Crystal Falls Forest Park scored 47.
St. Ignace senior Sarah Cullip was a triple winner, taking the 800-meter run in 2 minutes, 29.38 seconds, the 1,600 (5:36.43) and 3,200 (12:30.12).
Sophomore teammate Lilly Calcaterra was runner-up in the 800 (2:33.79), third in the 1,600 (5:42.57) and 3,200 (12:55.55) and helped the winning 1,600 relay.
"This wasn't my best time (in the 1,600), but I'm glad to win it as a senior," said Cullip, who plans to run at Grand Valley State University next season. "But I thought Lilly ran well today. She works hard in the summer. I think she's going to be pretty special."
St. Ignace, which captured the D-2 title the past three seasons, scored just two points in the first three events this time. The Saints, however, got on track with a victory in the 400 relay.
Junior Rachel Hetherington, who had a false start in the 100, bounced back to help the winning 800 relay, place third in the 400 (1:04.24) and second in the 200 (27.47).
"We had a few things go wrong early in the meet," said St. Ignace coach Trudy Olsen. "But when Rachel came across (in the 800 relay), I knew we'd be okay. Sarah and Lilly took care of things in the distances. Between the two of them, they scored 50 points which is huge. The girls were supporting each other, and that's what it takes. They were there to pick each other up."
The Saints' 800 relay was clocked at a U.P meet-record 1:51.48, topping the previous best (1:52.31) by Forest Park three years ago.
St. Ignace senior Hailee Brown added a first in the 300 hurdles (49.41) and helped the winning 800 and 1,600 relays.
Brimley freshman Kerri Chartrand was runner-up in the 300 hurdles (49.53). Engadine freshman Aspen Hood, the pre-meet favorite in the hurdles races, didn't run in those due to a knee injury.
"I usually have Aspen there to push me, and the Brimley girl and I are usually neck-and-neck," said Brown, who will attend Lansing Community College this fall. "She beat me in the Regional. I didn't have a good 100 hurdles today. I got ahead of everybody and felt I needed to stay there. I got a little too anxious."
Bark River-Harris senior Sydni Petrie set the U.P. Final discus record (116-1), topping the previous standard (115-7 ¾) by Bark River-Harris’ Kerrie Meyers set in 2009.
Chassell senior Jamie Dompiere won the 400 in a school-record 1:00.62. She also took the 100 (12.83) and 200 (26.38).
"Three-for-three, that's awesome," Dompiere said. "As crazy as this season was, I had a great season. When we finally had our first outdoor meet (at Lake Linden-Hubbell on May 10), it felt like a season opener all over again because we hadn't had a meet since the one at the Superior Dome (in Marquette on April 18). We just had to fight through all the bad weather.
“I ran a good 100 time today. Only, I didn't do as well as in the Copper Country Conference meet (12.38). We had the false start in our heat, and everybody became more cautious. We didn't want to risk it."
PHOTOS: (Top) St. Ignace's Sarah Cullip, here in the 1,600, won that race and both the 800 and 3,200 on Saturday. (Photo by Paul Gerard. Click to see more photo coverage from RunMichigan.com.) (Middle) The St. Ignace girls track and field team poses with its fourth-straight MHSAA championship trophy. (Photo courtesy of St. Ignace High School.)
Just Halfway Done, Tatum Well on Way to Rewriting West Bloomfield Record Book
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
April 18, 2025
WEST BLOOMFIELD – Batting .500 is impressive in baseball or softball, but it’s even more so these days when talking about the track & field program at West Bloomfield.
When gazing at the school record book for the girls program, junior Kamryn Tatum has her name listed at the top for six of the 12 running events.
She owns the school records in the 100, 200 and 400-meter dashes and is a part of three relay teams (400, 800, 1,600) that own school records.
All of those have been established over the last two years. And if all that wasn’t enough evidence that it’s been quite a start to her high school career, Tatum already also owns three individual MHSAA Finals championships.
Two years ago as a freshman, Tatum won the 200 (24.20) and 400 (55.74) dashes at the Lower Peninsula Division 1 state meet, and followed those up by winning the 200 (24.63) at last year’s MHSAA finale at East Kentwood.
So, what’s the expected encore this spring? Well, more championships and really fast times, of course.
“She’s always a student of the sport, but she’s always driven to beat her previous times,” West Bloomfield head coach Nick Stration said. “She’s always trying to get better. You don’t have to coach her much because she always wants to get better.
“Her will to win is what stands out. She is one of the fiercest competitors I’ve been around.”
Tatum is the younger sister of two past West Bloomfield standouts – current assistant coach Raven Tatum, who ran at Wayne State and Indiana Tech; and current Michigan State football player Dillon Tatum.
Kamryn said she has never actually raced Dillon, but good-naturedly said she’d have a good shot if they did now.
“I believe I would win, especially since Dillon is all about football now,” Kamryn said. “He’s much stronger and bigger, so that makes a difference on how fast or slow he can run. However, back in high school he would have beaten me for sure.”
Kamryn said she started running track at age 7, but didn’t really enjoy it at first, only doing it because her siblings were racing.
But the love of the sport eventually developed.
“When I got to middle school, that’s when I started having fun,” she said. “I was breaking school records, winning, and getting lots of exposure. Overall, I am somewhat searching for my purpose and enhancing my passion in running.”
It certainly didn’t take long for Tatum to make her mark on the rest of the state with those two Finals titles as a freshman, and the thought of her still having two more seasons at West Bloomfield to go faster has to make other runners cringe.
As a junior, Tatum’s college recruitment is peaking. At the moment, she said she has not received any scholarship offers, but she has been communicating with both in-state and out-of-state coaches.
“My biggest goal right now is to work on my self-confidence,” she said. “From my perspective, it’s been a little tough so far, but I will continue to put in the work and believe in the plan God has for me. I would love to beat my freshman personal records and break more school records and hopefully earn a medal (or two) at the state meet and nationals.”
Keith Dunlap has served in Detroit-area sports media for more than two decades, including as a sportswriter at the Oakland Press from 2001-16 primarily covering high school sports but also college and professional teams. His bylines also have appeared in USA Today, the Washington Post, the Detroit Free Press, the Houston Chronicle and the Boston Globe. He served as the administrator for the Oakland Activities Association’s website from 2017-2020. Contact him at keithdunlap78@gmail.com with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
PHOTOS (Top) West Bloomfield’s Kamryn Tatum (5) runs the final leg of the 400 relay at last season’s LPD1 Finals. (Middle) Tatum, left, leads the 200 last spring at East Kentwood. (Photos by John Brabbs/RunMichigan.com.)