Standout Leads Corunna in Close Finish
June 1, 2019
By Matt Schoch
Special for Second Half
ZEELAND – It’s essentially an individual sport, but the importance of teamwork was on display Saturday at the MHSAA Division 2 Girls Track & Field Finals at Zeeland Stadium.
Teammates pushed each other to the end with one-two finishes in the 100- and 1,600-meter races, highlighting a day that had a three-and-a-half-hour delay and then another of 45 minutes – with one more delay of more than two hours for good measure.
In the 100, freshman Chaniya Madison of Bridgeport edged teammate Payten Williams, last year’s champion, at 12.41 seconds.
“I was trying to run against her, keep up to her, push her, go harder – and it made me go harder,” Madison said. “It’s exciting. I don’t really feel like it’s real. It feels fake, like a dream come true.”
Holland Christian kept the tradition alive in the 1,600 after Kayla Windemuller won the last three Finals titles.
This time, it was junior Gillian Fiene running a 4:57.05 to top second-place Michelle Kuipers, together keeping the Maroons on top of the podium, both noting their faith in a post-race interview.
“I knew I was running it with God and with Michelle, and to know that I have those two walking right alongside me is just such a great feeling and the most comforting thing in the world,” said Fiene, who moved to Holland Christian this year from a school in Illinois.
Added Kuipers: “I don’t feel the pressure as much (from the program’s past success), just more of excitement just to keep going to see what we can do as a team. Just to see how God has blessed us this year even more.”
The pair also helped Holland Christian to a title in the 1,600 relay at 3:58.40.
However, in the team competition, Corunna carried the day with 54 points, while Holland Christian was second with 49. Rounding out the top five were Zeeland East (37), East Grand Rapids (33), and Bridgeport (31).
Corunna was carried by a standout day from junior Hannah Hollister, who won individual titles in the 300-meter hurdles (44.12) and 200 meters (25.26). She also anchored a 400-meter relay winner in which Corunna (49.56) edged Frankenmuth by one hundredth of a second, coming from behind for the win.
Hollister also took third in the 110 hurdles, won by Marysville’s Kaia Scheffler (14.36).
Hollister said she ran the full slate of events last week at the Regional to prepare for what turned out to be a long day.
“It was kind of hard to bounce back from running the 200 prelims and then 15 minutes later in the 100 hurdles, so I’m happy with how that went,” Hollister said. "At the beginning, it was a little rough with all the nerves and not being able to run our first race, but then after that, it was almost nice and it gave us a longer break.”
Another multiple champ, Adrian sophomore Marr Day’Anna, won the high jump competition at 5 feet, 4 inches, and the long jump at 18-10.25, a Division 2 Finals record.
“I was going for 19 (feet),” Day’Anna said. “But I’m happy that I could jump this and beat the state record. My last couple jumps in my last couple meets were really good, so once I got to state meet, I was just working my way up to this.”
Day’Anna said her second-place finish in the long jump last season served as motivation throughout this spring.
Rounding out the field events, senior Mohogany Wells of Lansing Sexton won the shot put at 42 feet, 8 inches, Zeeland East senior Taylor Waterway won the discus at 135-2 and senior Tricia Pierce of Ortonville Brandon won the pole vault at 12-6.
On the track, senior Jakarri Alven of Grand Rapids Catholic Central won the 400 meters at 57.55 seconds, her third Finals title in four seasons and after missing last season’s championship meet with an injury.
St. Johns junior Taryn Chapko won the 800 at 2:15.14, and Plainwell junior Makenna Veen won the 3,200 at 10:38.35.
Eighth-seeded East Grand Rapids pulled an upset in the 3,200 relay, winning at 9:15.00 to edge top-seeded Holland Christian, which set the meet record last year. Holland Christian took second this year at 9:21.15 after its third runner was hobbled with an injury down the stretch.
Williamston won the 800 relay at 1:43.59.
PHOTOS: (Top) Corunna's Hannah Hollister clears a hurdle while leading her team to the LP Division 2 championship. (Middle) Holland Christian's Gillian Fiene paces the field on the way to a win. (Photos by Kevin Fowler. Click to see more from RunMichigan.com.)
Oak Park, Returning Individual Champs Lead Chase Again at Star-Filled Finals
By
Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com
June 1, 2024
Abby Russell has no problem throwing as the favorite with everyone else hoping to catch her.
In fact, the Allen Park senior embraces summoning up her best efforts in both the discus and shot put every time she lines up to throw. Russell said she's never equated success with the pressure of being a state champion.
"To be honest, no," said Russell, who closed out a stellar career by winning those two events at Saturday's Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals at East Kentwood. "I just focus on myself. Going to see a sports psychologist has helped me a lot with that. We talk about the work you have to put in, and (success) being a consistency thing."
Whether it's pure talent or seeking professional guidance or the ability to deal with pressure, Russell finished off an outstanding career in winning the discus (156-6) and the shot (46-10) on Saturday. The two titles are added to a first as a sophomore and third as a junior in the shot. She's now a three-time champ in the discus.
The wins at East Kentwood were also personally rewarding to Russell, who didn't place in the shot as a freshman at Falcon Stadium. It's one of the few places where the University of Michigan-bound Russell figures she could have done better.
"I was real bad as a freshman, so I was happy to get back here again," she said. "I had a great time back then. I just didn't do what I wanted."
While Russell was among those dominating the individual meet Saturday, Oak Park was sweeping its way to a team title. The Knights finished with 88 points to easily outdistance runner-up Ann Arbor Pioneer's 42. Detroit Renaissance was third with 35 points, East Kentwood was fourth with 34 and Saginaw Heritage had 30.
Oak Park coach Brandon Jiles, whose team collected its eighth Finals title under his leadership, said he wasn't sure what type of showing a young team would make Saturday. Of the 35 athletes on the roster, just three are seniors.
Still, Jiles thought the team would be in the hunt along with Pioneer, Renaissance and Detroit Cass Tech. At least part of the success was winning the 800 (1:38.10), 400 (47.53) and 1,600 (3:47.99) relays. The other firsts were by senior Morgan Roundtree in the 300 hurdles (41.31), freshman Nevaeh Burns in the 400 (55.02) and senior Kylee King (2:10.53) in the 800.
"We thought we had a shot. We just take it one event at a time and do what we have to do. We only have three seniors, but they're really good kids. We'll have some good girls back next year, and they know they'll have to step up and score," Jiles said.
"I'm a very competitive person when I see other teams that are good. I think the girls are like that too. We're ready when it comes to championship time."
Roundtree said her two chief goals at the meet were accomplished. She wanted to join a long list of successful Oak Park sprinters while also leading a young team to a championship.
"I want to motivate my teammates, and I think I was able to do that," said Roundtree, whose 300 time is ninth best in the country. "We've had some good sprinters here, and I really wanted to become one of them."
Among the other champions was Lena Cleveland of Rochester, who went from finishing fourth in the long jump a year ago to winning (18-2) that event Saturday. Cleveland is a former sprinter who traded the 100 and 200 for the long jump a couple of years ago.
"I wanted to try the long jump, and it's worked out," she said. "I put in a lot of hard work over the summer and in indoor. I also worked hard in strength training in the gym. I didn't used to have access to a (long jump) pit, but I was able to put in the work."
Rachel Forsyth of Ann Arbor Pioneer won the 1,600 (4:38.28) and 3,200 (10:15.57) to cap an outstanding four-year career. A two-time cross country Finals champ, Forsyth overcame illness to win the 1,600 a year ago. She was coming off a trip to the Trial of Miles meet in New York a couple of weeks ago, but said the Finals featured virtually no mental letdown.
"Maybe a little, but you can't control it," she said. "You can only control what you're doing that day. And I think I ran well. It was great because my sister was in the same three events I was in in 2017."
The other champions Saturday were Kamryn Tatum of West Bloomfield in the 200 (24.63), Brooke Bowers of Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central in the pole vault (12-9), Madison Morson of Salem in the high jump (5-10), Maya Rollins of Ann Arbor Pioneer (13.86) in the 100 hurdles, Willow Mason of Saginaw Heritage in the 200 (24.66) and Keyanna O'Tey of Sturgis in the 100 (12.08). West Ottawa won the 3,200 relay (9:00.27), and Fenton sophomore Molly Katic (100), Clarkston freshman Allison Thurman (200) and Sturgis freshman Vivian Massey (shot put) were the adaptive event champions.
PHOTOS (Top) Oak Park celebrates its latest LP Division 1 team championship Saturday at East Kentwood. (Middle) Ann Arbor Pioneer’s Rachel Forsyth leads the pack in the 1,600. (Click for more from John Brabbs/RunMichigan.com.)