• Using a deep, deep sprint corps that dominated the relays and scored all over the place individually, East Kentwood's boys set a D1 record with 79 points.  Their best included MW#1 marks of 41.40 4x100 (meet record) and 1:26.72 (D1 meet record); they also won the 4x4 in 3:21.14.  They also got a 1-2 in the 100 and a win in the 300H
• With Christienne Linton involved with every point and getting a pivotal win in the 300H over defending champ Ariel Roberts, Romulus pulled out the 1-point win in D1 over Rockford with Ann Arbor Pioneer another point back.  Linton won the LJ (18-08.25 nwi), 300H (D1 meet record 42.86), and was 2nd in the 100H (14.19 nwi).  She anchored the winning 4x400 to cap it off in 3:52.53
• Troy jr Michael Achtoo leads D1 1600 wire to wire for a US#2 4:07.71.  He was also 4th in the 800
• Rochester jr Megan Goethals lets the pack pace 2:28/3:44 in the D1 1600, then kicks in with 65.9 for 4:51.20 victory.  Livonia Stevenson's Courtney Calka (4:51.97) and Grand Haven's defending champ Becca Addison (4:52.10) were next in a deep field.  Goethals also ran a leg on her 4x8 team, and capped off the day by pacing a D1 meet record 3200 in 10:37.50
• Rockford jr Sarah Birkmeier flew to a US#7 and all-time state record 13-00 PV in D1
• Allendale's Zack Hill, already the new all-time state shot put record-holder, settled for a D3 finals mark 63-09.50 and the same in the DT with a 181-00
• Flushing's Jeff Kline set a meet record in the D1 LJ with 24-01
• Detroit Catholic Central took a tight D1 4x800 over Rochester Adams, 7:47.57 to 7:47.67
• Temperance-Bedford's Nick Kaiser 1:52.13 D1 800
• Waterford Mott girls 9:13.13 4x800 in D1.   Mott's Shannon Osika was also 4th in the 1600 (4:54.21) and 2nd in the 3200 (10:44.32)
• Flint Southwestern Academy super soph Dynasty McGee took the 400 in 56.03, anchored the winning 4x200 (1:42.29), was 4th in the 200 (25.87) and anchored the 4th-place 4x400 team (3:58.26).
• West Bloomfield's Emelle McConney 5-08 HJ over defending champ Ariel Roberts
• Shelby's Rachel Hoffman was the only triple individual winner in any class, taking the D3 LJ (17-03.25 nwi), 100H (15.16 nwi), and 200 (46.09)
• Madison Heights Lamphere's Stephen Murphy topped Otsego's Tommy Brinn in the D2 400, 47.94-48.08.  Brinn came back to win the 800 in 1:55.49
• Auburn Hills Oakland Christian's Kurt Schneider set a D4 meet record 6-10.50 in the HJ
• Standish-Sterling's Ashlyn Gulvas doubled the DT (144-09) and SP (44-05.25) in D3
• After the tough 1600 loss, Addison came back to defend her D1 800 title in 2:12.50

D1 1600s: Troy's Michael Atchoo went from the gun and ran to a state meet record 4:07.71, while Megan Goethals (4:51.20) showed what a kicker she's become by closing in 65.9. Photos by Davey, runmichigan.com

• LP Div. 1 - East Kentwood boys 79 over Portage Northern 34; Romulus girls 38 over Rockford 37
• LP Div. 2 - Hamilton boys 61 over Williamston 38; East Lansing girls 36 over DeWitt 34
• LP Div. 3 - Albion boys 61.50 over Allendale and Kent City 43; Frankenmuth girls 68 over Benzie Central 48
• LP Div. 4 - Potterville boys 64 over Pewamo-Westphalia 37; Potterville girls 51 over Fowler 43
• UP Div. 1  - Gladstone boys 101 over Marquette 88; Marquette girls 92 over Calumet 83
• UP Div. 2  - Ironwood boys 81 over Munising 72; Munising girls 81 over Ispeming Westwood 71
• UP Div. 3  - Crystal Falls Forest Park boys 75 over Iron Mtn North Dickinson 72.50; Brimley girls 84 over Crystal Falls Forest Park 68

• D1 Girls 1600: Megan Goethals vs. Becca Addison – Two of the best girls distance runners in the country will clash in this one, with Rochester junior Goethals trying to dethrone Grand Haven sr Addison.  With her 2:05.61 800-meter speed (2nd at Nike Outdoor last year) and a slightly better 1600 meter PR (4.50.80 to 4:51.9), Addison would have been considered the favorite … until Goethals ripped a stunning US#3 4:47.04 last week at the Oakland County meet, a stunning turn of speed for the Foot Locker Finals 3rd-place finisher from last fall.  She finished with a 68, too.

Addison is also in fine form, though, having doubled a 4:53.8/2:10.6 at regionals a few days earlier.  Also not to be overlooked is Waterford Mott soph Shannon Osika, the defending 3200 champ who PR’d with 4:51.27 at Oakland County.  Osika will, however, also be running in the 4x800 earlier, where she and her teammates are top-seeded at 9:24.  Goethals will be favored over Osika, though, in the 3200 as both try and double back.  She is the state leader at 10:29.1h.  Addison will look to win again in the 800, where she is the top seed and again, defending champ.

• Zack Hill in D3 boys shot and discus – The Allendale sr became the best thrower in state history, and 5th-best in the country this year, when he threw 67-00.50 at the West Ottawa Relays in early May.  He improved that to 67-11.25 at regionals (ed. note: the shot put area at the meet where the 67-11.25 was achieved was found to have a slope that exceeds the permissable 1:1000 in the rules for records).  He’s had an incredible progression all year, going from 64-07.50 in mid-April to more than three feet further now.  While he obviously will have his mind on bigger goals, he’ll hope to throw at least 64-00.50, so he can get the all-class state meet record, too.  He’ll also be favored in the D3 discus; he’s the third best with the platter overall in Michigan.

• D1 Girls 300H – This seems to be the event where most of the state’s best girls all-around athletes will convene.  You have Ann Arbor Pioneer sr Ariel Roberts, the FAT leader at 43.68, who is the state’s top high-jumper (5-10).  You have handtimed leader (42.4) and Romulus sr Christienne Linton, who is also the state’s top long-jumper (18-09.75i) and 2nd best 100 hurdler.  You have Bridgette Owens-Mitchell, the Southfield junior who leads Michigan in the 100H (14.08), but has also run under 44 in the 300s.  Finally, you have Jaelynn Pryor, the Jackson standout who is 2nd on both 300H lists.

Roberts is defending champ, beating Linton by just .05 last year.

• Roberts, Owens-Mitchell, and Linton: in their other events – Of course, you can hardly go without mentioning the events where the above-mentioned stars are at their best.  Roberts, having finally gotten over 5-10, can now mentally focus on 6 feet in the high jump.  Owens-Mitchell is obviously a threat to get under 14.00 in the 100H, while Linton will hope to pull the upset.  Linton is the favorite and looks to the 19 foot barrier in the LJ, while also hoping to lead her team to 4x400 gold.  Roberts beat Linton last year at state in the LJ, though, as she was 2nd and Linton 5th. 

• Tommy Brinn in D2 400 and 800 – The Otsego senior will likely be the biggest star at the D2 meet.  Owner of a 1:51.07 800 PR from last year, he just this week finally came close to that with a 1:51.3, showing he’s starting to peak at the right time.  He also owns the state’s only sub-48 mark (hand-timed 47.9).  Though he may not be pushed too hard in the 800, he’ll likely get a good battle from Madison Heights Lamphere sr Stephen Murphy (auto leader at 48.53), who is in his first year of track.

• Sarah Birkmeier in the D1 pole vault – The defending champ, Birkmeier made national waves with a US#5 12-08 clearance indoors.  Outdoors, the Rockford junior’s best has been 12-01 as she’s struggled with injury, so she’ll be aiming to get back to that level.

• Stephen Walker vs. Michael Achtoo (in D1 boys 1600) and Reed Kamyszek (in D1 boys 3200) – Walker, the state D1 cross-country champ, may be the best all-around distance runner in Michigan, but he will arguably be the underdog in both races.  Achtoo has run 4:13.7h outdoors after a US#6 4:11.14 mile at NSIC indoors for 2nd.  Kamyszek had a big breakthrough 9:13.0h at his regional meet.  Walker’s PRs are 4:16.1h and 9:16.77, but he’ll have special motivation after losing a big lead in the state 1600 last year.