Jackson-Area Runners Shine at MHSAA Track, Field

Napoleon High School runner Holden Van Poppel repeated as champion in the 110-meter hurdles Saturday at the MHSAA Division 3 state track and field finals at Kent City High School.

Commentary By Jeff Steers
JTV Sports

(June 2, 2024 8:12 AM ET) Mutual respect.

It showed up on the track and off Saturday during the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s Division 3 state track and field finals at Kent City High School.

Lumen Christi Catholic High School runner Madison Osterberg faced Onsted’s Emmry Ross for maybe the last time in the 800-meter and 1,600-meter runs.

Ross got the better of the two on Saturday – winning a staggering 400-, 800-, 1,600, and 3,200-meter individual championships.

After a grueling 1,600-meter race Ross’s dad gave both runners a cooling towel just after the two runners hugged after the end.

Ross may have won the four toughest distance events, but Osterberg was just as happy with the team championships in the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter relays. She teamed with Sydney Fazekas, Macy Fazekas, and Layla Lopez to win the 1,600-meter relay (4:09.68) and the Fazekas, and Samantha Schroeder to win the title in the 3,200-meter relay (9:35).

Osterberg finishes her career at Lumen Christi with 14 all-state medals in track and three in cross country.

Mirror images of one another – both Ross and Osterberg are 4.0 students, great runners, and two of the humblest athletes you would like to meet – maybe someday they could run together in college.

Jackson area earned a bevy of medals at the D-3 meet at Kent City despite the rain midway through the state meet.

In the boys’ state final Alex Pastoriza of Lumen Christi (11.0) and Graham Gumper (11.01) finished seventh and eighth respectively in earning all-state medals in the 100-meter dash. It is the third consecutive year Gumper has earned all-state honors in that event. Gumper also finished seventh in the 200-meter dash in 22.44 seconds.

Travis Collins of Michigan Center placed fourth in the 400-meter dash (50.05); Holden Van Poppel repeated as champion in the 110-meter hurdles (14.60) despite an injury. The Napoleon senior pulled a hamstring about a month ago and feared he would miss the chance to repeat as state champion. But he took it “day by day,” found the energy to train, while holding out in a number of events. He expects to compete at Siena Heights University to run the decathlon – which could be a great fit for the talented three-sport athlete.

Eli Dyer of Springport was edged by one one-hundredth of a second in finishing second in the 300-meter hurdle (38.54); Napoleon finished fifth in the 1,600-meter relay (3:27.78) with a team of Haden McLain, Jamison Swope, Gavrik Belcourt, and Kyler Pequet; Napoleon senior DeVonta Habern placed third in the long jump (21-6.25) and placed in the high jump – although results were not posted in that event.

In the girls’ D-3 state finals, Grace Bullock of Grass Lake placed fifth in the 200-meter dash (26.68); Sophie Reynolds of Hanover-Horton placed sixth (59.50); Osterberg finished second in the 800-meter run (2:13.38) and Reynolds was fifth (2:19.28); Osterberg placed third in the 1,600-meter run (4:59.76); Grass Lake finished eighth in the 400-meter relay (50.84) with a team of Ashleigh Simon, Brooke Starkey, Kate Starkey, and Bullock and eighth in the 800-meter relay (1:49.0) with a team of Bullock, Kate Starkey, Ava Viegelahn, and Mya Viegelahn; and Hanover-Horton finished fourth in the 1,600-meter relay (4:11.84) with a team of Reynolds, Brynlee Swihart, Olivia Perrine, and Chelsea Russ.

In Division 2, Western High School placed four athletes on the boys’ podium on Saturday. Sophomore Edison Lopeman proved he could be one of the best distance runners in the state finishing fifth in the 3,200-meter run (9:16.51); Brennan Faber finished second in the shot put (59-10.5); Noah Shaw placed second in the discus (166-1); and Josh Veneziano placed third in the high jump (6-5).

Hudson Cooper of Northwest finished eighth in the 400-meter dash (50.36) to earn all-state honors.

In Division 4, Concord finished eighth in the boys’ 800-meter relay (1:33.79) with a team of Tylend Allen, Tyreke Brown, Trenton Frazer, and Mekhi Wingfield and third in the 1,600-meter relay (3:33.86) with Allen, Wingfield, Frazer, and Connor Stevens; East Jackson placed fourth in the 3,200-meter relay (8:19.76) with Javin Mericle, William Kennedy, Randy Reddick, and Michael Allen; and Wingfield finished fourth in the long jump (20-10) for the Yellowjackets.

In the girls’ D-4 finals Mariah Kerley of East Jackson threw a personal best (35-8.5) in finishing fourth in the shot put.

In Division 1, Ahmad Ameen of Jackson finished fifth in the 200-meter dash (22.30) and fourth in the 400-meter dash (47.92) earning all-state honors in both events. The junior still has one more year in track and field.