Prep Track and Field: Monroe County athletes excel at Regional meets

Monroe County athletes excel at Regional meets

MILAN – Call it senior-itis.

That's Airport boys track and field coach Frank Stasa's leading theory on Nik Hammond.

Hammond leaped a career-best 21-0.25 to win the Division 2 Regional championship in the long jump Friday at Milan.

"I think it was just a matter of timing," Stasa said. "He's finally understood this is the end of the line. When he finally understood that this was his senior year and he has nothing left, he really concentrated hard."

Hammond has always been a great athlete, Stasa said, but a little extra motivation helped to push him to the state finals for the first time in his career.

Stasa also credited the work of assistant coach John McAvoy.

"John knows exactly what these kids should be doing and what they should be working at," Stasa said. "We kept saying that Nick has it in him, but he just has to connect and do it when it counts. By God, he did.

"It was awesome. Such a great kid. Such a hard worker."

Hammond will be joined at state by teammate Joben Sayles, who took first place in the 300-meter low hurdles with a time of :41.13.

Sayles only started running the hurdles at the end of last season.

"We knew all along that he could be good, but he didn't believe it himself at first," Stasa said. "We had to convince him that he could do the hurdles."

Sayles' Regional meet got off to a rough start after he stumbled on the first jump in the high hurdle event and was disqualified.

"John worked him and said, 'You can do this,'" Stasa said. "He got his mind right and just dominated the 300."

Hammond and Sayles were two of the 11 Monroe County Region athletes to win Regional titles in the Milan Regional Friday.

New Boston Huron’s Elizabeth Anderson won three titles, defending the three she won last year. She went :12.45 in the 100 meters, :25.48 in the 200 and :56.9 in the 400.

Her teammate Madelyn Barbour won the low hurdles in :47.7 and was fifth in the highs.

Alex Mansfield of Jefferson was the boys champ in both the shot-put (59-8) and discus (151-5). His throw in the shot was a personal best.

"Alex did what Alex does, he always delivers," Jefferson coach Josh Ludwick said. "What was really cool was his daily training partner, Nathan Masserant, also qualified in the shot. ... They work together every day, and who better to learn under then the defending state champ."

Milan’s boys had two champs. Zach Spradlin won the high hurdles in :16.11 and Ethan Budd ruled the high jump in 6-4. Both also placed in other events. Spradlin was fourth in the low hurdles and Budd took eighth in the long jump.

Joining Hammond and Sales as Regional champs for Airport was Mara Szuper, who placed first in the 1,600 with a time of 5:21.5. Szuper also was third in the 800 meters.

Jefferson’s girls had the best team finish for Region schools, scoring 92 points to take runner-up honors behind Tecumseh (117).

The Bears got championships from Jenna Pilachowski (3,200 12:10.63), Madison McKinney (discus 113-7), and the 3,200 relay of Veronica Fitzgerald, Kim Miller, Alyssa Masserant and Jenna Pilachowski (10:06.14).

Alexa Glancy will be making a trip to state after finishing second to Anderson in the 100, 200 and 400. Fitzgerald was second in the 800 and ran on the runner-up 1,600 relay with Ellie Hintz, Alyssa Masserant and Glancy.

Other top finishes for the Bears came from Pilachowski (fourth 1,600), Riley Peer (fifth 1,600, fifth 3,200), McKinney (fifth shot-put), Miller (sixth 3,200) and Masserant (seventh 400).

"I am completely amazed by what these girls can do and by what they have done throughout the season by their sheer will and determination," Jefferson coach Phil Speare said.

New Boston Huron’s girls placed fourth with 60.25, Airport seventh with 43, Milan eighth with 41.25, Flat Rock 12th with 16 and Dundee 14th with 13.75.

Huron’s Kelsey Trombly qualified for state by taking second in the shot-put. Teammate Jordan Hickey took fifth in the long jump.

Jenna Griffin of Milan hit the qualifying distance while placing third in the long jump.

The Big Reds were third in the 400 relay with Griffin, Lauren Fairbanks, Emma Budd and Ryan Legier and got high places from Marissa Beck (fourth discus), Cami Heath (fifth low hurdles, seventh 100), Malea Wourman (fifth high jump), Olivia Henry (sixth shot-put) and Hannah Segrist (eighth 1,600).

Flat Rock’s Alyssa Bonanno made state by taking second in the discus. Other leaders for the Rams were Megan Woelkers (fourth 3,200) and Emily Pederson (eighth discus).

Courtney Bovair (third 3,200), Tara Szuper (fifth 400, sixth 800), Madison Wright (fifth high jump), Marie Redlin (sixth discus) and Gianna LaFata (eighth 400) had good days for Airport.

Dundee’s Joslyn Ball placed third in the discus. Other top placers for the Vikings were Madison LaVoy (sixth pole vault), Brianna Cousino (sixth pole vault) and Mylee Salenbien (eighth high jump).

Pinckney won the boys meet with 95 points, 22 better than Chelsea. Jefferson was fourth with 66.5, New Boston Huron fifth with 62, Milan seventh with 57.5, Airport ninth with 34 and Dundee 11th with 29.

Nathan Masserant (second shot-put) and Garret Thomas (second high jump) and Carter McCallister of Jefferson (fourth 3,200) qualified for state. The Bears were third in both the 1,600 relay (Caleb Smiley, Von Wiggins, Blake Schroder, Isaac Merkel) and 3,200 relay (Wiggins, Merkel, Schroeder, McCallister). Ben Merkel (fifth long jump, seventh high jump) also performed well.

"Everything was earned," Ludwick said. "Nothing was free."

Cole Hubbell (second discus) and Jacob Fenbert (second pole vault) made state for Dundee and Noah Nieman (fourth pole vault) and Johnny Swisher (fourth high hurdles) were close.

Milan boys in the top eight included Cole McElvany (fourth 100), Will Walline (fifth shot-put), Trent Spradlin (sixth high jump), Brayden Humes (sixth 800), Tim Stapleton (sixth shot-put), Noah Bussel (sixth long jump) and Ronny Johnson (eighth high jump).

Antonio Talley (second 400) and Miles Fichtner (second high hurdles) of New Boston Huron punched their tickets to state along with the 400 relay of Isaac Smith, Gabe Anthony, Xander Scannell and Caleb Henniger.

Huron also got strong performances from Fichtner (third low hurdles), Smith (fourth 200, fifth high jump), Anthony (fourth long jump), Talley (sixth 200), Evan Town (seventh 400) and Griffin Mentzer (eighth 1,600).

Airport throwers Matthew Foor (third discus, fourth shot-put) and Brayden Ratliff (seventh discus) did well.

Division 1 at Saline 

SALINE – Monroe’s boys made a strong showing, taking fifth place with 61 points.

Bedford was right behind the Trojans with 57 and Gibraltar Carlson finished 10th with 27. Saline won the Regional with 118.

Monroe scored most of its points in the throws. Teegan Simmons won the discus in 144-4 and was fourth in the shot-put. Brayden Richard was second in the discus and third in the shot and Jordan Bassler finished sixth in the shot-put and seventh in the discus.

Andrew McCarthy took second in the 400 meters and anchored the second-place 1,600 relay with Noah Stein, Karon Rollins and Alex Apetroaei.

Tayshaun Nichols was fourth in the high jump and Stein sixth in the 400.

Micah Scheffer (long jump 22-10.5) and Collin Balla (long jump 22-10.5) won individual events for Bedford and ran with Owen Przybylski and Caleb Kochendoerfer on the winning 1,600 relay (3:25.4). Ethan Lingle also qualified for state while placing fifth in the pole vault.

Other high places for the Mules came from Alexander Ortiz (third 1,600), Alexander Beck (sixth pole vault), Przybylski (eighth 400), Mason Shultz (eighth shot-put) and Sam Travis (eighth discus).

Carlson’s Ben Przytula won the shot-put in 49-3.5 and was fourth in the discus. Christian Fort (fourth high jump), Aidan Nagy (sixth low hurdles) and Van Price (seventh long jump) also placed for the Marauders. Cody Britt reached the finals of the high hurdles but was disqualified.

Ann Arbor Huron ruled the girls meet with 121. Monroe was seventh with 46, Bedford eighth with 29, and Carlson ninth with 18.

Monroe and Bedford both had Regional champs.

Kamryn Bice of Monroe won the discus with a toss of 117-7 and was third in the shot-put.

Madison Foster captured first in the 3,200, running 11:08.33.

Meredith Soule will jo Bice at state for Monroe after taking second in the high hurdles and hitting an additional qualifying time in the lows. Faith Butler made state while placing third in the high jump.

Other highlights for the Trojans came from Isabella Seger-Wagasy (fifth high jump) and Matley Rose (fifth long jump, eighth 400).

Other high placers for Bedford were Jaelyn Hall (fourth high jump), Rebekah Asselin (seventh 800), Lauren Sancrant (eighth 3,200), Veda Legeza (eighth shot-put) and Elizabeth Cochran (eighth long jump).

Gibraltar Carlson’s Elyse Miller will run at state in the 100 and 200 meters after taking second in both events.

Emily Petty finished eighth in the high hurdles for the Marauders.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Prep Track and Field: Monroe County athletes excel at Regional meets