There's No Limiting Boyne City Vaulter
May 4, 2018
By Dennis Chase
Special for Second Half
BOYNE CITY – Anna Harmeling is a smart, multi-talented, grounded 18-year-old.
Well, grounded except when she’s tracking her speed down the runway, then hurtling her 5-foot-5 frame into the air to clear a bar in the pole vault.
It’s an event in which she’s become quite accomplished. In a meet last Thursday at Harbor Springs, the Boyne City senior broke her own school record three times, clearing 11-6, 11-9 and finally 12 feet.
Harmeling is now the fourth vaulter in the state, and the first in Lower Peninsula Division 3, to clear 12 feet this weather-abbreviated season, according to athletic.net.
“Going for four PRs in a day is tough – she almost had 12-4,” Ramblers pole vault coach Andy Bryant said. “It’s an emotional rollercoaster. You’re celebrating one jump, but then you have to quickly re-focus for the next.”
That breakout afternoon was a confidence builder for Harmeling, who admittedly has struggled adjusting to a bigger 13-foot pole. She went 11-1 a year ago to break Katie Martin’s school record, but then had trouble finishing jumps and exceeding that height, including during the indoor season, as she tried to transition to the new pole.
“I was stuck there for almost a year,” she said.
Then, the Ram Scram at Harbor Springs happened.
“She’s finally getting comfortable with the longer pole,” head coach Andy Place said. “We’re excited for her. It’s been an adjustment. You need a longer pole to go higher, but you have to adjust your steps, and when to bend the pole. There’s a technique to it.”
Even at Harbor Springs, Harmeling reverted to her old pole to clear 10-6.
“Then, (Bryant) said, ‘OK, you’re going back to the new pole,’” Anna’s mother Andrea said. “It just clicked for her after that.”
“I had to apologize to Anna afterwards,” Bryant said. “I didn’t celebrate that much when she went 11-6 and 11-9 because I knew she was going to make 12.
“I told her when she changed (poles) she had to be patient. The timing is different. It’s hard to jump from one pole to another. But I knew once she started to get it down, the heights would come - and it finally happened. It’s a lot of stress off her shoulders now. She knows she can do it. Now, it’s working on the technical things that college vaulters work on.”
Like form.
Harmeling said with better technique she could have cleared 12-4 that day.
“I had the height, but I need to work on tightening my form to keep pushing that record up,” she said.
How high can she jump? She doesn’t know.
“I don’t know what my limits are,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve reached my peak. There’s more to learn. And I’m going to keep trying until I hit those limits, which is hopefully never.”
It’s been an interesting journey for the Stanford-bound Harmeling – and Bryant, who recruited her as a freshman.
Since few athletes gravitate to pole vaulting, Bryant, a science teacher at the high school, looks for students who are athletic and coachable.
This was an exception: Harmeling was not an athlete.
But Bryant, who had her in class, saw potential.
“Physically, I probably wouldn’t have approached her,” he said. “She was a teeny little freshman who had never played sports. But I saw her determination in the classroom, how she attacked her academics. I thought let’s give this a try. She’s a clean slate. She has no bad habits (from playing other sports).”
Bryant, who has been coaching the sport 20-plus years, had to not only convince Anna, but her parents Mike and Andrea, too.
“We went to a parent-teacher conference and met with the science teacher,” Andrea recalled. “My husband and I are doctors, so we’re science people. We were excited about the conference. Andy Bryant was her science teacher. When we walked in he said, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, she’s good. She’s fine with science. Now, has she chosen a sport?’ My husband and I looked at him and said we’re not really sports people. I said we think of math as a sport.”
“That’s part of why Anna wanted to try it – to prove to us math wasn’t the only sport,” added Mike, laughing.
“(Bryant) said he thought she would be really good at pole vaulting. It sounded interesting, so we said, ‘Sure, why not, let her try.’”
Pole vaulting is not an easy event to learn. Anna quickly found that out.
Boyne City has a vault box in its gymnasium floor so vaulters can work on their craft during the offseason. Training sessions typically draw vaulters from across the region, who come to train with Bryant, a former vaulter at Central Michigan University.
It’s also a testing ground for new vaulters to see if they will like it before spring practice begins.
Harmeling, however, had research to do first.
“I had to look it up online and watch a video,” she acknowledged. “I didn’t understand the concept. That first day wasn’t good at all. I had no idea what I was doing. I was terrified trying my first jump. But, I thought, I can’t end it on a bad day. I, at least, have to do well enough before I quit.”
Well enough was good enough for Bryant.
“That first practice I ran her through some preliminary drills, and she just floored me,” he said. “I remember telling my wife I haven’t been this excited about a kid in a long time. She’s not only coachable, she’s smart.
“When you meet her, you can see that determination in her eyes. I could tell the first week of school (her freshman year). She is a kid who will find a way to get more out of an assignment, more out of a question, than you intended. You ask any teacher and they’ll say she challenges you in a good way. You put something in front of her and she’ll make it better. She’s always pushing that limit. That’s the quality I zeroed in on.”
Harmeling tackled pole vaulting like she does her classwork – with a vengeance. If she wasn’t practicing or working on plyometrics, she was in the weight room gaining strength.
“A lot of young athletes today want the quick hit,” Bryant said. “They want to be No. 1 with minimal work. It’s so refreshing to see a kid work her tail off to reach her goals. In season, out of season, she’s there. Now, she has a great chance to win at the state meet.”
Harmeling finished fourth at the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 3 Finals the last two years.
It took one year to make her way on to Bryant’s classroom wall, where he posts pictures of vaulters. He started with collegiate and world class vaulters, but he’s gradually replaced those with his own jumpers. The standards: Boys must jump at least 12 feet, girls 10.
“He told me, ‘If you jump high, I’ll put your picture up here, but you have to work hard,” Harmeling said.
Bryant started the board to attract interest in the discipline.
“Kids look at the wall and begin to understand what it’s all about,” he said. “Then they’ll say, ‘What’s the story here?’ That’s the hook. That’s when I say, ‘Want to try it?”
Today, Harmeling, a team leader, owns the school record that Martin, a 2004 MHSAA champion, had previously set at 11 feet.
“I thought that record would stand for a while, and it did,” Bryant said. “But as soon as I saw Anna as a freshman I remember telling her parents when they were trying to understand what pole vaulting was about that if Anna doesn’t challenge for a state title, there’s something wrong with my program. That’s the kind of kid she is. If you want to know how good your program is, you put Anna through it, and you’ll find out because this kid does everything you ask.”
And more.
Harmeling is also the lead runner on the 400 relay, and Tuesday in the Boyne City Invitational she tried the long jump for the first time after the pole vault was cancelled due to strong winds.
“She has never long jumped and had not practiced it,” Place said. “She used her pole vault approach … and won the event with a jump of 15-6, which makes her one of Boyne City’s top four jumpers ever. A 15-9 is the MHSAA state qualifying mark in Division 3, so after some practice we may have her jump again.”
Off the track, Harmeling, who carries a 4.048 grade points average, excels in other curriculars, too. She was the technical director for the Rambler Sports Network, which broadcasts football, basketball and volleyball games online. She was a section leader for the Rambler Rowdies, one of three finalists for the MHSAA Battle of the Fans VII championship. She was a state champion in a DECA business competition that qualified her for the international career development conference. And she plays stand-up bass in the family band that performs around the area.
“That’s kind of who she is,” Andrea said. “She’s not afraid to try new things – and when she does she goes all out. It’s been fun to watch. We would not have predicted any of these things for her when she started high school. She starts them, loves them and she’s good at them.”
That’s what happened when she needed to pick up some arts credits and came across a TV production class.
Bryant is a broadcaster during basketball season and works closely with Harmeling.
“She sits in the truck with all the TVs and camera angles (usually four cameras) coming into that feed, and she is the one picking out the camera shot, talking in my ear when to go to replay, when to go to commercial. She’s coaching me.
“I told her teacher, if you take her, she’ll be running this thing in a year. And she was.”
“I loved it,” Harmeling said. “I’m still part of the program now. I’m helping edit a final senior year video. It’s such an interesting platform to be part of because it’s so high-paced. I got to work with great people. It’s so interesting to learn the people side – figure out what the viewer wants to see, how things should be visually organized – and the technical side of programming. It’s like a puzzle.’
As for the family band, Mike is a banjo player in the Horton Creek Bluegrass Band. He also plays in the family band with Anna (stand-up bass), Katie (fiddle), Megan (guitar) and Ben (guitar).
Katie, a junior, and Megan, a freshman, play on the Ramblers soccer team. Ben, a seventh-grader, also plays soccer.
Anna, after posting a 1550 out of 1600 on the SAT, is off to Stanford in the fall. She also was accepted at Harvard. The Harmelings visited Stanford in February.
“I loved the people, the campus, the academics,” Anna said. “It was amazing. It became my dream school.”
Plus, it had something Harvard couldn’t offer in the winter – warm weather.
Harmeling has touched base with the Stanford track coaches about the possibility of walking on. That didn’t seem too promising until she cleared 12 feet last week.
“They told her to keep them posted so when she popped 12 one of the first things she said is, ‘I’ve got to send the Stanford coach an e-mail,’” Bryant said. “I don’t know if there’s a coach in the country that wouldn’t take a 12-foot walk-on.”
If it happens, it would be awesome, Harmeling said. If not, academics will keep her busy and she’s interested in contacting the school’s broadcasting program, too.
“I would love to work in sports broadcasting,” she said.
She’s also interested in international business.
There’s so much in the air right now, including how high she can go in the pole vault.
“Fingers crossed at this point,” she said. “I’m just trying to have fun and see how high I can go and not put any number in my head I have to reach.”
Dennis Chase worked 32 years as a sportswriter at the Traverse City Record-Eagle, including as sports editor from 2000-14. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Boyne City’s Anna Harmeling prepares to begin her pole vault approach. (Middle) Harmeling clears the bar during a meet. (Below) Harmeling points to her spot on coach Andy Bryant’s board of honored pole vaulters. (Photos courtesy of Anna Harmeling.)
VIDEO: Boyne City’s Anna Harmeling clears 12 feet for the first time during a meet April 26 at Harbor Springs. (Video courtesy of Anna Harmeling.)
Preview: Anticipating New Title Possibilities
June 1, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
With power programs shifting into different divisions and the next contenders emerging, Saturday’s MHSAA Girls Track & Field Finals appear full of opportunities to shake up the standings and watch a new batch of champions shine.
Below is a look at some of the teams and individuals to watch at Saturday’s girls meets. All events begin at 9 a.m. local time on both peninsulas.
Click for meet information including all qualifiers. Check out MHSAA.TV for live streaming of running events from both peninsulas, available with subscription, and come back Saturday night for results as they come in and coverage of all seven meets on Second Half.
The MHSAA Track & Field Finals are presented by the Michigan Army National Guard. (All times/measurements referenced below were achieved during Regional competition.)
LP Division 1 at East Kentwood
Top Regional scores: 1. Rockford 204, 2. East Kentwood 190 2/3, 3. Northville 177.
Oak Park won three straight LPD1 titles from 2014-16 and finished runner-up four points back a year ago. Lansing Waverly won the last two LPD2 championships but moved into LPD1 this season. East Kentwood was third and Rockford fourth a year ago, and both figure to be in the mix again this weekend as well.
Lansing Waverly: Senior Malin Smith and sophomore Priscilla Trainor provide plenty of star power for the Warriors. Smith is seeded second in both the shot put (46-8½) and discus (135-9), and Trainor is seeded second (tied) in the 100 (12.15), first in the 200 (24.77) and fifth in the 400 (57.35).
Oak Park: The Knights have the top-seeded 800 (1:38.6), 1,600 (3:56.7) and 3,200 (9:23.2) relays, plus the second-seeded 400 relay (47.68). Oak Park won the 400, 800 and 1,600 relays at last year’s Finals. Senior Miyah Brooks (57.06) and freshman Jada Rountree (57.08) ran the two fastest 400 Regional times in the division, and senior Doriann Coleman posted the second-fastest in the 800 (2:13.52) and won that race at the 2016 Finals. Sophomore Aasia Laurencin is seeded second in the 100 hurdles (14.28) and 200 (24.87).
Rockford: The Rams’ power will come in distance and relay events. Junior Ericka VanderLende is seeded first in the 1,600 (4:45.85) and 3,200 (10:29.10). The 800 relay (1:42.4) is seeded third, the 1,600 relay (4:00.6) fourth and the 3,200 relay (9:23.3) second and only a tenth of a second behind Oak Park.
East Kentwood’s Corinne Jemison: The reigning champion in the discus is seeded first in both that event (151-9) and the shot put (46-10½) as a senior.
Ann Arbor Pioneer’s Anne Forsyth: Entering her last Finals, the Pioneers’ senior is seeded third in the 1,600 (4:57.01) after winning that event a year ago and second in the 3,200 (10:32.75) after coming in runner-up in that race in 2017.
White Lake Lakeland’s Grace Stark: Another senior star will look to improve on last year’s runner-up finishes in the 100 hurdles and dash; she’s seeded first in both at 13.58 and 12.12 seconds, respectively.
LP Division 2 at Zeeland
Top Regional scores: 1. Dearborn Divine Child 212, 2. South Lyon East 119, 3. Frankenmuth 118½.
The championship is open with two-time reigning winner Waverly in LPD1 this weekend. Divine Child will look to return to the top for the first time since winning three in four seasons in 2010, 2012 and 2013. Zeeland East finished only a point behind Waverly a year ago and might be the favorite. Detroit Country Day and Holland Christian should be able to ride relay successes into the hunt.
Detroit Country Day: The Yellowjackets tied for sixth last season and are keyed by senior sprinter Alexis Officer, who is seeded fourth in the 100 (12.59) and third in the 200 (25.92), and sophomore Ahvon Mitchell, who has the top seed in the 100 hurdles (14.71). Country Day also carries the top seeds in the 400 (49.68) and 800 (1:47.1) relays.
Holland Christian: Last season’s third-place team has the top seeds in the other two relays – 4:04.9 in the 1,600 and 9:24.4 in the 3,200 – and one of the state’s best distance runners in senior Kayla Windemuller. She’s seeded first in the 1,600 (4:54.6), third in the 3,200 (11:07.3) and sixth in the 800 (2:18.2).
Zeeland East: The Chix should have one of the day’s biggest stars in any division – senior Suenomi Norinh has the top seeds in both the high jump (5-5) and long jump (18-0¼) and won the former the last two seasons, and also is seeded second in the 100 hurdles (14.99) and third (tied) in the 300 (46.08). The throws also will be big; junior Aliyah Boeve is the top seed in discus (138-6) and fifth in shot put (38-8¾), and junior Taylor Waterway is the fourth seed in the discus (128-3).
Grand Rapids South Christian’s Mariel Bruxvoort: The reigning champion in both hurdles races will try for two more titles in her final high school meet, seeded fourth in the 100 hurdles (15.08), first in the 300 (44.44) by a second and also fifth in the 200 (26.07).
Lansing Catholic’s Olivia Theis: The Cougars’ senior has risen to national prominence this year for her cross country times, and she also won the 1,600 and 3,200 in LPD3 a year ago; she’s seeded second in the 1,600 this weekend (5:04.6) to Windemuller, second in the 3,200 (10:58.6) to sophomore sister Jaden and fourth (tied) in the 800 (2:17.6).
Bridgeport’s Payten Williams: After finishing fourth in the 100 and 200 a year ago, Williams is set to move up as a junior seeded first in the 100 (12.27) and tied for first in the 200 (25.80).
LP Division 3 at Comstock Park
Top Regional scores: 1. Ida 194, 2. Pewamo-Westphalia 186, 3. Saugatuck 149.
Adrian Madison went from runner-up in 2016 to champion last spring, and Pewamo-Westphalia has won two titles and finished runner-up once over the last five seasons. Ida is in the mix after competing in LPD2 last year, and Hillsdale, Shepherd and Onsted are other hopefuls in what could be a wide-open meet.
Adrian Madison: The Trojans still have their share of standouts after winning last season by 15½ points. Junior Kaiya Wall is seeded third (tied) in high jump (5-2) and fourth in the 100 hurdles (15.69), and won the latter in 2016. Senior Kiarah Horn is third-seeded in pole vault (10-6), and freshman Carly Anschuetz also is among those seeded in high jump at 5-2. The team’s 1,600 relay (4:08.9) is seeded second and was the champion a year ago.
Onsted: The Wildcats should make a big jump from 10th a year ago, based solely on their possible relay successes. The 400 relay (51.18) is seeded third, the 800 relay (1:47.7) is seeded second and the 1,600 relay (407.6) is seeded first. Senior Harlie Sweet is seeded first as well in long jump (17-9½), and sophomore McKenna Russell is seeded second in 300 hurdles (47.41).
Pewamo-Westphalia: The Pirates tied for fifth last season and have potential scorers all over the lineup, led by the top-seeded 800 relay (1:47.3). Senior Grace Trierweiler is seeded fourth in pole vault (10-4) and junior Amelia Thelen is tied for fifth (10-0), and sophomore thrower Katie Lehman is seeded fourth in discus (115-9) and could make a run at a top-eight placing in shot put as well.
Shepherd’s Amber Gall: The champion in the 800 last season as a sophomore, she’s seeded first in that race (2:16.9) and fourth in the 1,600 (5:10.7).
Grass Lake’s Ella Suliman: She will look to repeat in the long jump as a senior and is seeded second in that event (17-4¾), third in the 200 (26.27) and fifth in the 400 (59.96).
Clinton’s Amanda Schaare: The reigning discus champion enters her final high school meet as the top seed in that event (144-6) by nearly 25 feet; she’s also seeded second in shot put (40-7).
Parchment’s Shiyon Taylor: She won the 100 and 200 last season as a junior and will run those races one more time, seeded first in the 100 (12.58) and fourth in the 200 (26.52).
LP Division 4 at Hudsonville
Top Regional scores: 1. Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest 185, 2. Deckerville 175, 3. Lutheran Westland 174.
Fowler is a regular at the top with recent championships in 2011, 2012 and 2016 and runner-up finishes in 2015 and last spring. Pittsford could be a strong challenger as it goes for its first title after finishing fourth last season. After that, it’s a tougher call with lots of individual standouts that could carry teams in the standings. Hillsdale Academy is an intriguing possibility to contend.
Fowler: The Eagles are all over this meet again, starting with top-seeded relays in the 400 (50.90), 1,600 (4:13.43) and 3,200 (10:14.12) and second-seeded 800 relay (1:49.29). Junior Alyssa Vandegriff is the top seed at high jump (5-3) after taking first a year ago, and senior Ciara Weber is the top seed at pole vault (10-0); both run hurdles as well, Vandegriff seeded second in the 100 and third in the 300. Junior Morgan Goerge brings another high seed, third in the 800 (2:24.66).
Hillsdale Academy: The Colts have a handful of individual qualifiers, most notably junior Katie Vanhavel seeded fourth in long jump (16-7½). But the key will be the fourth-seeded 800 relay (1:51.23) and second-seeded 1,600 (4:17.26) and 3,200 (10:14.61) relays.
Pittsford: The Wildcats may have enough to topple Fowler with a combination of high seeds individually and in relays. Starting with the latter, Pittsford is seeded first in the 800 relay (1:47:57), second in the 400 (52.11) and fourth in the 3,200 (10:24.11). Junior Alison Toner is seeded fourth in the 100 hurdles (16.14) and second in the 300 (46.77). Sophomore Rachael Patterson leads three contenders in the pole vault, seeded second (9-9).
Southfield Christian’s Chika Amene: As a junior, she played the biggest part in Southfield Christian’s team title with wins in the 100, 200 and 400; she’s seeded first in the 100 (12.56), fifth in the 200 (26.68) and second in the 400 (59.67).
Ubly’s Haili Gusa: The reigning champion in the 800 is seeded fourth (2:26.80) in that race.
Addison’s Ally McLouth: The long jump champion last year as a freshman is seeded first (17-1) in that event and fourth in the 300 hurdles (47.63).
Concord’s Samantha Saenz: The senior is the reigning champion in the 1,600 and seeded first in that race (5:10.37), the 800 (222.28) and second in the 3,200 (11:36.29).
UP Division 1 at Kingsford
Top Regional scores: 1. Negaunee 71, 2. Marquette 57½, 3. Sault Ste. Marie 57.
Marquette has won seven straight U.P. Division 1 championships, last year’s by 27 points ahead of runner-up Negaunee. Negaunee won its Regional two weeks ago, but Marquette was at a different site – where it barely fended off Sault Ste. Marie.
Marquette: Junior Ahnika Puskala is the reigning champion in the 100 hurdles and is seeded fifth in that race (17.75). The Redettes have the top seeds in two more events but a host of other competitors who should keep the team running for another title.
Negaunee: Senior Clara Johnson won the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 and ran on the winning 3,200 relay last season. That 3,200 relay is seeded first (10:26.21), while she’s seeded second in the 800 (2:26.43) and 1,600 (5:30.03) both times to sophomore teammate Emily Paupore (2:22.43 and 5:18.69, respectively). Johnson is seeded third in the 3,200 (12:11.44), where Paupore is again seeded first (11:29.76).
Houghton’s Kendra Monette: She’s the reigning champion in the 100 and seeded first (13.29) in her final meet, while also seeded first in shot put (37-1½) and fourth in the 200 (28.6).
Kingsford’s Olivia Allen: The reigning champion the 200 and 400 is now a junior and seeded second in the 100 (13.52), first in the 200 (27.77) and second in the 400 (1:01.79).
UP Division 2 at Kingsford
Top Regional scores: 1. St. Ignace 98, Iron Mountain 74, Ishpeming 49½.
St. Ignace broke Ishpeming’s two-year hold on Division 2 last season with its sixth championship over the last eight years. Iron Mountain is competing for its first team title since 2004. Together have the top seeds in all but two events.
St. Ignace: Reigning individual champions Linnie Gustafson and Libby Becker are back for the Saints. Gustafson, a senior, is seeded first in high jump (4-9), while the junior Becker is seeded first in the 800 (2:22.45), 1,600 (5:13.86) and 3,200 (12:38.13). St. Ignace has six other top seeds.
Iron Mountain: The Mountaineers were seventh in UPD1 last season. They have the top seeds in five events, with two standouts earning two apiece: senior Taylor Talerico in the 100 dash (13.35) and 300 hurdles (50.09) and senior Olivia Berutti in the 100 hurdles (17.12) and 200 (27.82).
UP Division 3 at Kingsford
Top Regional scores: 1. Lake Linden-Hubbell 94, 2. Brimley 61½, 3. Felch North Dickinson 54.
Coming off its first MHSAA championship in this sport since 1994, Lake Linden-Hubbell is undefeated this season and dominated its Regional. Additionally, nine athletes who won a combined 11 individual titles last year also will be back Saturday.
Lake Linden-Hubbell: The Lakes are loaded, led by three-time individual and two-time relay champion Laura Lyons. She’s seeded second in the long jump (15-3¾), fifth in the 100 (13.9), fifth in the 200 (28.69) and second in the 400 (1:04.48) after winning long jump and the 200 in 2017. Jamie Hendrickson is the reigning champion in the high jump and seeded first (5-0), Sienna Anderson the reigning champion in the 100 hurdles and seeded first in that race (17.78), and Mariah Willmer is the reigning champion in the 800 and also seeded first for her repeat attempt (2:32.99).
Engadine’s Ashtyn Buss: The shot put champion the last two seasons is seeded first in that event (36-6) and third in discus (96-5) as a senior.
Pickford’s Clare Cottle: Last season’s pole vault champion is among eight who vaulted 7-0 or better at their Regionals; she was a winner at hers.
Cedarville’s Mackenzie Barr: She won the discus last spring and is seeded sixth in that event (88-0) and ninth in shot put (29-9).
Bark River-Harris’ Hailee Demers: The reigning champion in the 100 dash and 300 hurdles will run both hurdles races this time as a junior, seeded sixth in that 100 (18.56) and first in the 300 (51.58).
Chassell’s Lela Rautiola: She won the 3,200 last season as a sophomore but Saturday will run the 400 and potentially on the top-seeded 3,200 relay.
PHOTO: Negaunee's Clara Johnson, right, here running during her Regional, was a three-time Finals champion in 2017 and will compete again Saturday. (Photo by Cara Kamps.)