Selby Showcase: Walker Combines Athletic Ability, Heavy Training for Success

By Jeff Steers
JTV Sports

(May 7, 2022 8:00 AM) Spectators watching the Columbia Central High School tri-meet this past week may have seen CCHS runner Jacob Walker talking to a Hillsdale runner during the 3,200-meter run.

He wasn’t chirping and trash talking his opponent … Walker was pacing the runner trying to help the Hillsdale runner get under 11 minutes in the event.

That may all you need to know about the CCHS senior.

Walker has improved by leaps and bounds the last two years just by pushing himself to get better.

“Running – especially distance running – teaches you to go above and beyond what you think you can,” Walker said after winning the 800-, 1,600-, and 3,200-meter races at the tri-meet. “I have put in the endurance the past two years.”

Walker finished 20th in the state in the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 3 state cross country finals last November at Michigan International Speedway.

He is running in his second season in track and field and was nearly a state qualifier in the 1,600-meter run a year ago.

“I missed it (qualifying for the state) by one second … that really hurt,” Walker said. “I want to qualify in both (1,600-meter and 3,200-meter) events and break the school records.

The senior is only two seconds behind the record (4:26) in the 1,600-meter run and 12 seconds (9:45) behind the CCHS record in the 3,200-meter run. The latter is a record that has stood for nearly 50 years.

Walker just signed to run at Saginaw Valley State University this fall in cross country and track and field. He will graduate fifth in his class next month with a 4.1 GPA.

He expects to go the extra mile in college – studying six years to be a financial advisor. 

 Walker is currently first in the Selby listings in the 1,600-meter run (4:28), first in the 3,200-meter run (9:57), and third in the 800-meter run (2:05). 

The 2022 James R. Selby Track and Field Meet will be held at East Jackson High School on Tuesday, May 31. Pole vaulting begins at 4:30, field events at 5 p.m., and running events at 6:30 p.m. 

Boys Selby Listing

100-meter dash

Holden Van Poppel Napoleon 11.44

Graham Gumper Hanover-Horton 11.52

Malachi Boyd Concord 11.73

Andrew Stockton Grass Lake 11.77

Tyler Carpenter Concord 11.79

Jeff Harvey Jackson 11.81

Ashton Dalton Manchester 11.84

Chad Perrine Jackson 11.84

Lucas Maier Michigan Center 11.86

Nick Marienfeld Napoleon 11.86

200-meter dash

Holden Van Poppel Napoleon 22.94

Andrew Stockton Grass Lake 23.54

Malachi Boyd Concord 23.68

Thomas Daly Western 23.84

Ashton Dalton Manchester 24.04

Ethan Stewart Columbia Central 24.04

Ahmad Ameen Jackson 24.06

Jeff Harvey Jackson 24.11

Jackson Jones Western 24.22

Cody Smith Manchester 24.34

400-meter dash

Nathaniel Hobbs Jackson 51.46

Ahmad Ameen Jackson 52.28

Adair Artis Concord 53.25

Holden Van Poppel 53.34

Maxwell Woods Manchester 53.44

Landon Rambadt Northwest 53.64

Michael VanRiper Michigan Center 53.85

Micah Conner Jackson 54.64

Jeff Palmer Western 55.39

Noah Berdiner Western 55.55

800-meter run

Nathaniel Hobbs Jackson 2:02.92

Nathan Kippnick Manchester 2:04.90

Jacob Walker Columbia Central 2:05.30

Jacob Singleton Western 2:05.33

Rogan Melling Hanover-Horton 2:05.40

Matthew Rankin Grass Lake 2:08.12

Jonathan Mikovits Concord 2:08.21

Adair Artis Concord 2:09.04

Austin Brown Hanover-Horton 2:09.89

Ethan Lubahn Leslie 2:10.80

1,600-meter run

Jacob Walker Columbia Central 4:28.30

Jacob Singleton Western 4:33.88

Rogan Melling Hanover-Horton 4:34.82

Jonathan Mikovits Concord 4:37.59

Matthew Rankin Grass Lake 4:48.36

Nathaniel Hobbs Jackson 4:50.00

Chad Perrine Jackson 4:53.10

Nathan Kippnick Manchester 4:54.00

Peyton Williams Jackson 4:55.18

Samuel Smith Western 4:55.35

3,200-meter run

Jacob Walker Columbia Central 9:57.10

Roger Melling Hanover-Horton 10:12.00

Jacob Singleton Western 10:15.43

Chad Perrine Jackson 10:24.18

Caiden Kippnick Manchester 10:37.00

Kyler Pequet Napoleon 10:51.12

Joe Bulko Concord 10:51.21

Nathan Kippnick Manchester 10:56.10

Micah Bolton Stockbridge 11:09.43

Tyler Hile Leslie 11:09.54

110-meter hurdles

Holden Van Poppel Napoleon 15.71

Jack Easterday Grass Lake 16.20

Brady Plate Western 16.54

Omarion Culliver Concord 16.89

Dylan Gloar Northwest 17.52

Dylan Sanford Springport 17.61

Griffin Benson Homer 17.95

Xavier Gallant Lumen Christi 18.03

Diego Lebron Homer 18.32

Noah Wisniewski Michigan Center 18.46

300-meter hurdles

Lincoln Raczkowski Western 41.50

Jack Easterday Grass Lake 41.94

Holden Van Poppel Napoleon 42.04

Dylan Sanford Springport 43.99

Diego Lebron Homer 44.36

Kyson Cooper Jackson 45.63

Jack Herrington Western 45.64

Titan Parker Western 45.98

Noah Wisniewski Michigan Center 45.99

Ashton Easterwood Concord 46.28

400-meter relay

Concord 45.36

Western 45.81

Jackson 45.89

Michigan Center 46.80

Napoleon 47.24

Columbia Central 47.44

Grass Lake 47.59

Northwest 47.67

Homer 47.79

Leslie 48.29

800-meter relay

Jackson 1:33.63

Concord 1:35.19

Grass Lake 1:36.22

Manchester 1:36.40

Napoleon 1:36.70

Western 1:36.94

Columbia Central 1:37.08

Michigan Center 1:37.41

Springport 1:39.26

Leslie 1:39.90

1,600-meter relay

Jackson 3:36.58

Western 3:40.40

Michigan Center 3:43.10

Columbia Central 3:45.89

Concord 3:46.10

Lumen Christi 3:46.76

Manchester 3:47.30

Grass Lake 3:47.84

Northwest 3:49.47

Hanover-Horton 3:55.60

3,200-meter relay

Western 8:44.21

Manchester 8:44.30

Hanover-Horton 8:53.2

Concord 8:53.33

Jackson 9:09.08

Stockbridge 9:09.84

Grass Lake 9:13.40

Leslie 9:16.91

Napoleon 9:18.11

Homer 9:28.50

Shot put

Luke Smith Lumen Christi 42-11

Adam Pariseau Western 42.8

Milan Weatherspoon Jackson 42-3.75

Brogan Dodge Leslie 42-1.5

Ronald London Western 42-1

Broden Steinke Columbia Central 42-1

Landon Lebel Hanover-Horton 41-7.5

Garrett Corwin Manchester 40-3

Garrett Slider Lumen Christi 40-2.75

A.J. Scutt Leslie 39-5

Discus

Elijah Collins Homer 153-2

Owen Fremeau Western 129-9

Brogan Dodge Leslie 127-5

Adam Pariseau Western 124-9

Luke Smith Lumen Christi 123-6

Steed Scutt Leslie 121-1

Kyle Styles Vandercook 118-5

Max Gamez Napoleon 114-8

Alex Winters Concord 110-6

Jackson Tuckson Leslie 110-6

High jump

Joey Schonhard Lumen Christi 6-2

Jack Easterday Grass Lake 6-2

Mekhi Wingfield Concord 6-2

Joshua Veneziano Western 6-0

Diego Lebron Homer 6-0

Joshua Veneziano Western 6-0

DeVonta Habern Napoleon 5-10

Cody Richardson Columbia Central 5-10

Xavier Ingram Vandercook 5-8

Ethan Monaghan Stockbridge 5-8

Tristan Carr-Hernandez Michigan Center 5-8

Pole vault

Lucas Inosencio Western 11-3

Nick Marienfeld Napoleon 11-0

Trevor Kilpatrick Michigan Center 9-6

Jonathan Warner Michigan Center 9-6

Logan Lockwood Napoleon 9-6

Adam Carlson Western 9-6

Collin Doederlein Western 9-3

Caleb Wendt Springport 9-0

Andrew Staudinger Northwest 9-0

Markus Grebe Manchester 9-0

Benjamin Butler Springport 9-0

Long jump

Mekhi Wingfield Concord 21-1

Holden Van Poppel Napoleon 20-8.5

Ben Conner Leslie 19-10.5

Graham Gumper Hanover-Horton 19-7.5

Chase Strasser Columbia Central 19-6

Jarrell Harrell Jackson 19-6

DeVonta Habern Napoleon 19-5.5

Maxwell Woods Manchester 19-1

Zach Levy Michigan Center 18-10

Andrew Cheney Vandercook 18-9

Girls Selby Listing 

100-meter dash

Alyssa Budd Napoleon 13.34

Melkayla White Jackson 13.40

Lydia Bennett Manchester 13.44

Lilli Luma Western 13.51

Alexa Burgess Napoleon 13.54

Emma Berdiner Western 13.60

Alayna Shackelford Hanover-Horton 13.64

Dezstiny Davis Jackson 13.64

Paige Austin Homer 13.66

Rylie Aylesworth Columbia Central 13.73

200-meter dash

Allie Koch Manchester 27.74

Alyssa Budd Napoleon 28.04

Rylie Aylesworth Columbia Central 28.04

Dezstiny Davis Jackson 28.11

Brynn Mericle East Jackson 28.14

Kaitlyn Pilch East Jackson 28.14

Paige Austin Homer 28.22

Jocie Berry Western 28.31

Lydia Bennett Manchester 28.44

Melkayla White Jackson 28.58

400-meter dash

Lexus Bargesser Grass Lake 1:02.06

Madison Osterberg Lumen Christi 1:02.31

Rylee Tolson Stockbridge 1:02.61

Allie Koch Manchester 1:02.94

Everette Drummond Jackson 1:03.20

Kaitlyn Pilch East Jackson 1:03.79

Kayla Johnson Jackson 1:03.93

Lydia Bennett Manchester 1:04.14

Sophia Reynolds Hanover-Horton 1:04.64

Chelsea Russ Hanover-Horton 1:04.64

800-meter run

Madison Osterberg Lumen Christi 2:17.35

Alyna Lewis Western 2:21.53

Rylee Tolson Stockbridge 2:26.79

Sophia Reynolds Hanover-Horton 2:28.03

Mikayla Butters Jackson 2:34.94

Ava Viegelahn Grass Lake 2:34.95

Lillian Heydenburg Western 2:36.19

Allie Koch Manchester 2:37.06

Justice Prins Western 2:37.96

Jaidyn Smith Leslie 2:40.30

1,600-meter run

Madison Osterberg Lumen Christi 5:15.44

Rylee Tolson Stockbridge 5:20.96

Faith Smith Lumen Christi 5:26.61

Alyna Lewis Western 5:26.82

Brooklyn Rochow Stockbridge 5:38.08

Allie Koch Manchester 5:40.30

Ava Viegelahn Grass Lake 5:42.84

Sophia Reynolds Hanover-Horton 5:47.20

Justice Prins Western 5:52.53

Erin Lubahn Leslie 5:54.90

3,200-meter run

Faith Smith Lumen Christi 10:56.54

Rylee Tolson Stockbridge 11:08.60

Brooklyn Rochow Stockbridge 11:48.65

Erin Lubahn Leslie 12:06.74

Hope Wilkes Columbia Central 12:58.80

Sophia Reynolds Hanover-Horton 13:04.00

Justice Prins Western 13:05.24

McKenna Marsh Manchester 13:22.00

Bella Berry Hanover-Horton 13:31.00

100-meter hurdles

Keiyera Johnson Jackson 15.96

Brynn Mericle East Jackson 16.80

Olivianna Watkins Hanover-Horton 17.44

D’Arie Pierce Jackson 17.47

Anna Burk Western 17.50

Kyle Johnson Jackson 18.12

Kelsea Bradley Napoleon 18.22

Finley Elder Western 18.68

Melyssa McJennett Columbia Central 18.74

Erin Maloney Napoleon 19.54

Kaitelyn Walker Stockbridge 19.54

300-meter hurdles

Alyna Lewis Western 47.91

Anna Burk Western 47.93

Keiyera Johnson Jackson 48.56

Olivianna Watkins Hanover-Horton 50.64

Brynn Mericle East Jackson 51.44

Kayla Johnson Jackson 52.72

Kayda Herrick Western 53.25

Finley Elder Western 54.26

Keegan Schoendorf Napoleon 54.64

Jynelle Lewis Western 54.75

400-meter relay

Western 51.78

Jackson 52.01

Grass Lake 53.71

Napoleon 54.24

Homer 55.06

Hanover-Horton 55.14

Stockbridge 55.96

Northwest 56.04

Michigan Center 57.14

800-meter relay

Jackson 1:48.87

Western 1:48.98

Grass Lake 1:54.91

Hanover-Horton 1:55.10

Napoleon 1:55.50

East Jackson 1:55.90

Manchester 1:59.00

Northwest 2:00.56

Michigan Center 2:01.60

Stockbridge 2:01.85

1,600 meter relay

Western 4:12.44

Lumen Christi 4:27.32

Jackson 4:29.32

Hanover-Horton 4:31.86

Grass Lake 4:39.76

Napoleon 4:41.55

Leslie 4:41.70

Northwest 4:42.39

East Jackson 4:43.07

Manchester 4:45.11

3,200 meter relay

Leslie 10:25.40

Grass Lake 10:51.03

Lumen Christi 10:51.70

Napoleon 10:52.07

Hanover-Horton 10:58.03

Western 11:03.00

Stockbridge 11:25.84

Manchester 11:40.09

Concord 12:29.50

Northwest 12:32.50

Shot put

Mariah Kerley East Jackson 32-10.5

Emme Van Poppel 31-10

Jaylyn Perkins Homer 31-3

Hope Overweg Springport 31-2.75

Katelyn Landa Napoleon 30-11

Tarrin Leffler Michigan Center 30-9

Gabi Lutchka Grass Lake 30-9

Elizabeth Clouse Jackson 30-8.75

Kaylee Kopulos Springport 30-6

Jasmine Carr Grass Lake 29-11.5

Discus

Katelyn Landa Napoleon 105-8

Megan Mackinder Stockbridge 99-6

Hope Overweg Springport 98-6

Jaylyn Perkins Homer 97-1

Kaylee Kopulos Springport 91-10

Kylee Derby Northwest 90-2

Karlee Gamet Concord 89-1.5

Ashlyn Hoffman Western 88-8

Brayley Cook Grass Lake 85-8.5

Tracy Ackley Hanover-Horton 84-6

High jump

Morgan Lutton Manchester 5-1

Mara Mitchell Northwest 5-1

Anna Burk Western 5-0

Gracee Robidou Stockbridge 5-0

Kayda Herrick Western 5-0

Bayli Stewart Western 4-10

Lilli Luma Western 4-10

Gabi Lutchka Grass Lake 4-9

Kallie VanBrogelen Manchester 4-8

Carly Cure Hanover-Horton 4-8

Allie Koch Manchester 4-8

Pole vault

Emma Wildt Homer 9-1

Elly Trefry Michigan Center 9-0

Addisyn Rudd East Jackson 8-6

Sara DeLa Grange Western 8-0

Lillian Heydenburg Western 8-0

Natalie Coleman Western 8-0

Aspen Tapley Northwest 7-9

Dylana Whalen Vandercook 7-6

Olivia Butler Homer 7-6

Alayna Shackelford Hanover-Horton 7-0

Savana Jones Napoleon 7-0

Zionah Gardner Homer 7-0

Long jump

Alyssa Budd Napoleon 16-8

Gracee Robidou Stockbridge 15-8.75

Mara Mitchell Northwest 15-8.25

Alexa Burgess Napoleon 14-9

Kaytie Warren Hanover-Horton 14-6

Emma Berdiner Western 14-5

Alexis Kermans Napoleon 14-4.5

Melyssa McJennett Columbia Central 14-4

Maggie Stewart Manchester 14-4

Layne Terry Grass Lake 14-2

Dezstiny Davis Jackson 14-2