Duckett's Mentorship Continues to Inspire as Standout Pair Help Set Pace for Loy Norrix
By
Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com
April 29, 2026
KALAMAZOO — After losing their longtime mentor and coach, the Kalamazoo Loy Norrix track & field teams are dedicating their seasons to Ted Duckett, who died unexpectedly Jan. 8.
“We’re still feeling it now,” said head coach Bradley Schmidt, who leads both the boys and girls programs. “When you lose that wealth of knowledge, parts of seven decades of coaching.
“He knew so much. Not just the knowledge of how track works, the Xs and Os, but how to get the most out of kids. There are a lot of kids who ran just because he was the coach. To lose him was tough.”
Senior high jumper Jaylind Motton is one of those drawn to the sport by the legendary coach.
“When I was a sophomore, I was in basketball and I’ve been able to dunk since eighth grade year, so I’ve just had the ability to jump high,” Motton said.
“Coach Duckett convinced me to join track because of it and do high jump.”
Senior Jackson Lam, who owns two school records, also credits Duckett with his success.
“Coach Duckett gave me such good advice,” Lam said. “Compliments didn’t come often from him, but when he did, I knew I was doing something right.
“It’s definitely hard with him gone. It took me a while to get over it. I think I will be able to turn it around and use it as motivation to run the season in honor of him.”
Part of that motivation came during Friday’s Don Lukens Invitational hosted by Norrix.
Lam was named the Coach Duckett Male VIP Award recipient.
The award isn’t new, but the name of the award has been changed to honor the former coach.
A year ago, Lam set the 1,600 school record at the Invitational when his time of 4:13.32 bested the 4:19 mark set by Gary Harris in 1968.
"It was an incredible day for me,” Lam said. “I felt like everything I worked for paid off.
Earlier this season he broke that record again, turning in a personal-best 4:12.07.
Although the Knights boys team finished second to Portage Central on Friday, Lam bested that mark once more at 4:10.6, which is also a meet record.
Using that second-place finish as motivation, Schmidt hopes the team improves on its 33rd-place finish at last year’s MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals.
“It helps that kids are getting more mature, getting more training,” said Schmidt, who finished his fifth Boston Marathon a week ago. “It’s nice to see improvement in kids who did some offseason work. If you just rely on the work in-season, it’ll never happen.”
Lam is one who works on his running all year and already has qualified for the Finals in the 1,600 meters.
“It’s almost like having an unpaid coach,” Schmidt said of Lam. “He talks to the kids at their level, makes sure they’re warming up, they’re stretching, they’re warming down, they’re getting ready at the right times for their events, they’re eating right and sleeping right.
“It’s one thing to come from a coach, it’s another thing to come from a peer, a teammate. It’s nice to have that experience on the team for sure.”
Adapting to change
Going from middle school to high school was a big adjustment for Lam.
“I learned a lot,” he said. “I learned that middle school is nothing like high school running. I came out of middle school feeling good. Like, man, I’m good, I can beat people.
“Then I get to high school and I’m racing guys who are half a foot taller than me, and they’ve been running double the amount of time I’ve been running. They taught me a lot of good things.”
Lam first tasted success in high school in 2023 on the 3,200 relay team as the only freshman running with three seniors – Samuel Allen, Oskar Wiedenhoeft and Gryffin Hurley.
Lam said he looks up to Allen as a mentor. Allen currently holds Norrix’s 800 record of 1:51.1, a mark Lam is chasing.
“He taught me a lot about the 800 – how you pace it, how you prepare yourself for it,” Lam said. “The best way to learn is by watching, so I was able to watch him.”
Another runner who pushes Lam to improve is Hackett Catholic Prep standout Marek Butkiewicz. The two train together often, including on the Kal Haven Trail.
Since Norrix is in Division 1 and Hackett is Division 4, the two don’t compete head-to-head.
“We both like to push each other in runs and workouts,” Butkiewicz said. “We’re close in fitness and that also helps.
“He’s a great kid, super smart, super nice, very down to earth, intelligent, mature. A super hard worker.”
One thing they don’t agree on is colleges. Lam is headed to University of Michigan, while Butkiewicz is going to Michigan State on a track scholarship.
“We both have similar goals,” Butkiewicz said. “He’s going to Michigan academically so there’s a little rivalry there, but it’s healthy.”
Although Lam does not have a spot waiting on the U-M track team, he plans to continue running. “My goal since I was a kid is to break 4 minutes in the mile,” he said.
Soaring to new heights
While dunking a basketball is a lot different than soaring over a horizontal bar in track, Motton uses the spring in his step to reach new heights.
As a sophomore, his personal best was 6-foot-4, “but I was inconsistent with it, going from 6-2 to 5-10 to 5-8,” he said. “My junior year I had a growing (spurt) and was stuck between 5-10 to 6-2.”
Motton, who is 6 feet tall, is having a breakout senior season, and no one is more surprised than he is at his performance: “I came out at the indoor meet and jumped 6-9, then currently PR-ed at 6-10.”
That personal record set a school record as well and was special in many ways.
“Since last year, I didn’t really take track that serious,” Motton said. “I was doing it just for fun. Coach Duckett’s passing sparked something inside of me, made me more determined to do better for him. I went out and jumped for him, PR-ed, broke the school record and I feel good for it.”
Schmidt said going from 6-4 last season to 6-9 during the indoor season and 6-10 at the Eastern Michigan University Relays on March 21 was impressive.
“To see that type of improvement is inspiring to all the kids,” he said. “They can see he put in the time, he put in the effort, he put in the work, watching videos, trying different drills to work on his craft.
“To make that much gain in such a short time is unheard of. It shows the kids that wherever you’re at, you can still improve.”
Motton said the key to being a good high jumper is not the spring in your step, but technique.
“If you have a good form, you can be a good jumper,” he said. “It’s not really about jumping high; it’s how you approach it.”
Motton is not satisfied with the school record.
“My current goal is to clear 7-foot,” he explained, “but once I clear 7-foot, my actual goal is to go 7-3.”
Pam Shebest served as a sportswriter at the Kalamazoo Gazette from 1985-2009 after 11 years part-time with the Gazette while teaching French and English at White Pigeon High School. She can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Kalamazoo Loy Norrix’s Jaylind Motton, left, and Jackson Lam are among those competing this year inspired by past coach Ted Duckett’s memory. (2) Knights track coach Bradley Schmidt. (3) Lam shows off his Coach Duckett Male VIP Award won this season. (4) Motton. (Action and meet photos courtesy of the Loy Norrix athletic department. Headshots by Pam Shebest.)
Finals Preview: Opportunities Abound
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 31, 2013
This weekend's MHSAA Boys Track and Field Finals couldn't be set up better for new traditions and standouts to be born.
Predicting team champions is tougher than usual with individual contenders spread evenly among a number of schools at just about every meet. And while there are a few names and faces to recognize, many are lesser-known at this point – with opportunities for that to change by Sunday morning.
See below for some of the teams and individuals that look most likely to supply memorable performances Saturday.
Click for meet information including all qualifiers and also Saturday night for results as they come in. And check out MHSAA.tv for live streaming coverage of running events from both peninsulas. (NOTE: "Top ranked" aren't listed for U.P. divisions because the coaches association does not produce U.P. rankings for this sport.)
LP DIVISION 1 at East Kentwood
Top ranked: No. 1 East Kentwood, No. 2 Davison, No. 3 Traverse City Central.
East Kentwood: The Falcons tied for eighth last season coming off three straight Division 1 championships, but are favored again thanks in part to three top-five qualifying relays including the best Regional finisher in the 400 (42.2). Junior Devin McKinney tied for the second-fastest Regional time in the 110 hurdles (14.0) and sophomore Kevin Smith did the same in the 100 (10.6).
Davison: After finishing in the middle of the pack in 2012, Davison should improve this season. Senior Gabe Hodge had the top qualifying time in the 400 (48.4) and two relays ran among the top six in the division at Regionals.
Lake Orion: The reigning champion was unranked at the end of the regular season. But with qualifiers spread out among so many teams in this division, Lake Orion looks good to make another impressive showing. The team has seven individual qualifiers including five with Regional times among the top eight in their events, and all four relays also qualified – including the top-running 3,200 (7:49.2).
Walled Lake Central’s Cullen Prena: The senior had the best Regional discus throw, 195-3, by nearly 20 feet and should approach the Division 1 Final record of 197-11 set by Portage Northern’s Joey Sarantos in 2001. Prena also had the second-best Regional shot put.
Birmingham Brother Rice’s Justin Flynn: Six sprinters went 10.6 or faster at Regionals in this division. But Flynn, a senior, was the lone runner to time 10.5 – which would beat Ricco Hall of East Kentwood’s record time of 10.55 at last season’s Final.
Utica’s Freddie Crittenden: The senior ran the Regional in 13.7, which would approach Kenneth Ferguson of Detroit Mumford’s record time of 13.65 set in 2002. Crittenden also had the fastest Regional time, 37.0, in the 300.
Other returning individual champions: Kevin Weiler, Swartz Creek (shot put, qualified first this season, fifth in discus), Brian Kettle, Highland-Milford (1,600, qualified third this season and tied for 17th in the 800), Jacorey Lipsey, Portage Northern (300 hurdles, qualified third this season and tied for fourth in the 110).
LP DIVISION 2 at Ada Forest Hills Eastern
Top ranked: No. 1 Zeeland West, No. 2 Williamston, No. 3 Adrian.
Zeeland West: The Dux have seven individual qualifiers and also will run all four relays – three relays posted Regional times that ranked among the top six in the division. Three individual qualifiers rank among the top eight in their events for West, which finished sixth last season.
Williamston: The Hornets should contend for their first team title since 2008 thanks to nine individual qualifiers – including five that rank among the top four in their events by Regional performance. Senior Austin Loewen is the favorite in both the 110 (14.2) and 300 hurdles (38.9) and won the former in 2012. All four relays also will run.
Chelsea: Also unranked at the end of the regular season, last season’s third-place team has two athletes who posted the top Regional performances in the division – senior Michael Hovater in pole vault (14-10) and senior Berkely Edwards in the 100 (10.4) – plus eight more qualifiers who rank among the top eight in their events based on Regional finishes.A 10.4 by Edwards would break the meet record and tie the all-Finals mark.
Cadillac’s Riley Norman: Last season’s shot put champion as a junior had the top Regional throw by nearly three feet of 57-6.5. He also had the eighth-best Regional discus toss of 152-9.
Petoskey’s Louis Lamberti: The senior will look to repeat as high jump champion, and his 6-8 jump at the Regional equaled his winning launch from the 2012 Final.
Cedar Springs’ Connor Mora: Division 2’s top distance runner is the reigning 800 and 1,600 title winner, but is changing up a bit from what he ran as a junior. He had the top Regional time in the 1,600 by more than six seconds at 4:11.1 and the best in the 3,200 by 18 seconds with a 9:13.9.
Allegan's Gary Jones: He won the 200 as a sophomore in 2011, and last month tied for the top Regional long jump (23-0) while posting the top time in the 200 (21.5).
LP DIVISION 3 at Comstock Park
Top ranked: No. 1 Lansing Catholic, No. 2 Ithaca, No. 3 Hanover-Horton.
Hanover-Horton: With reigning champion Lansing Catholic bringing only three qualifiers Saturday, Hanover-Horton could be the favorite with five individual qualifiers and three relays that posted times among the top seven at the division’s Regionals – including the top 3,200 relay (8:06.8). Senior Bryce Stroede is the reigning individual 3,200 champ and posted the second-best Regional time in that race (9:40.5), the 1,600 (4:18.1) and the best in the 800 (1:55.4).
Wyoming Kelloggsville: The fourth-ranked team at the end of the regular season could end up on top boasting the top Regional relay performer in the 400 (44.2), 800 (1:31.7) and 1,600 (3:27.8). Kelloggsville also qualified eight times in individual events, with senior T.J. Burnett tops in the 400 (49.6) and second in the 110 hurdles (14.7).
Standish-Sterling: Although ranked No. 6, Standish-Sterling could move into the mix with six individual qualifiers and three relays also running. Junior Clayton Walderzak is one of the division’s top throwers, coming in with the top Regional shot put (55-4.5) and second-best discus toss (163-10).
Niles Brandywine’s Evan Hartman: He had the top Regional discus throw by more than 15 feet of 179-3, less than two feet off the Division 3 Final record. He won the event last season; he also will compete in shot put.
Dillon Brooks, Perry: His 100 time at his Regional, 10.3, is simply incredible and would beat the all-Finals record by a tenth of a second. He also ran the top 200 Regional time, 22.1, and tied for the fourth-fastest 400 time with a 50.6.
Morley-Stanwood’s Travis McCuaig: The high jump champion as a junior, he looks good to add up to three more titles in his final weekend. He tied for the top Regional high jump of 6-5 after winning the Final last season at 6-8, and posted top-four times in both hurdles races. He’ll also compete in long jump.
LP DIVISION 4 at Hudsonville Baldwin Street Middle School
Top ranked: No. 1 Evart, No. 2 Saugatuck, No. 3 Petersburg-Summerfield.
Evart: The Wildcats will compete for their first MHSAA team title with strength throughout the lineup. Four of the team’s 10 individual qualifiers are among the top eight in the division based on their Regional performances, and all four relays also will run. Three of those four relays posted Regional times among the top nine in the division.
Saugatuck: Also competing for its first MHSAA team title, Saugatuck might be the favorite with a number of athletes expected to score big. Five individual qualifiers and two relays are among the top five in their respective events based on their Regional finishes, with senior Sean Kelly posting the second-fastest times in both the 1,600 (4:28) and 3,200 (9:48.1). He is the reigning champion in the 3,200.
Albion: Despite being unranked at the end of the regular season, Albion is an intriguing possibility. The Wildcats shared the Division 4 team title in 2011 and won it outright last season, but the school is closing after this spring. The team brings 12 qualifiers and lots of scoring potential into its last Final. Eight of those qualifiers are ranked among the top eight in the division in their events based on Regionals, with Nolen Bright-Mitchell topping the lists in the 100 (10.6) and 200 (21.7). If he runs those times again Saturday, he’ll own two MHSAA meet records to go with his shared championship in the 400 last season. The 1,600 relay (3:30.5) also is a favorite.
Litchfield’s Jacob Patrick: The senior set the Division 4 Final discus record last season at 190 feet, and threw 189-6 at this spring’s Regional. He also tossed the division’s fourth-best shot put, 49-0.
Climax-Scotts’ Alexander Lodes: While Bright-Mitchell’s 100 time at the Regional would be fast enough to break this Final meet's record, so too would Lodes’ Regional time of 10.7. He’s also behind only Bright-Mitchell in the 200 with a Regional time of 21.9. Lodes won both races at the 2012 Final.
Morenci’s Austin Sandusky: With a time going down to the thousandth of a second, Sandusky tied with Bright-Mitchell for the 400 title in 2012. Now a sophomore, Sandusky enters Saturday tied for fourth-fastest with a time of 11.0 in the 100, fifth on the 200 list with a time of 22.9 and tied with Peck’s Cody Abrego for the best Regional time in the 400, 50.7.
UP DIVISION 1 at Kingsford
Gladstone: The Braves finished runner-up to Marquette last season and are looking for their first title since finishing a run of six straight in 2009. They won their Regional with ease and have an incredible number of field event qualifiers – 13 – plus three relays that posted the second-fastest Regional times in their respective races. Thrower Jared Vuksan had the top Regional shot put of 52-2, which would break the record of 52-0.5 set three seasons ago, and is the reigning champ in that event. Teammate Justin Pederson ran the 100 in 10.78 at the Regional, which would erase Garrett Pentecost’s record time of 10.95 set last year for Marquette. Senior Justin Pederson is the favorite in multiple events, the long jump and 100.
Kingsford: The Finals hosts are seeking their first championship since 1990 and are coming off a Regional title as well. Kingsford can keep up with Gladstone with points from 10 individual race qualifiers plus four relays – and big performances by top Regional discus thrower Hilding Beaudoin and pole vaulter Ryan Camp. Beaudoin is the reigning champion in his event.
Escanaba’s Andrew Stenberg: The senior is the reigning champion in the 1,600 and had the third-fastest Regional time, 4:41.34. He also posted the third-fastest in the 3,200, 10:18.97.
Marquette’s Andrew Bannitt: He won the 800 last season as a freshman and had the fastest Regional time this spring, 2:03.79, by more than two seconds.
Menominee’s Bryan Hines: The senior comes in with the top Regional times in both the 110 (15.82) and 300 hurdles (42.86).
UP DIVISION 2 at Kingsford
Manistique: The Emeralds finished third in Division 1 last season and dominated their Division 2 Regional with wins in eight events. They come into Saturday with the top Regional performer in six events – including last season’s Division 1 300 hurdles champion, now-senior Kennar Broulire. His Regional time of 40.67 would best the Division 2 Final record of 41 seconds set in 2004, and he also comes in with the best Regional time in the 100 (11.34). Junior Ryan Ramey had the fastest Regional times in the 200 (23.37) and 400 (52.64), and the 3,200 relay (8:56.13) was more than 23 seconds faster than anyone else in the division.
Ishpeming: Also a Regional champion, Ishpeming has only one qualifier coming in off a Regional-best time – the 1,600 relay (3:41.66). But the Hematites have 19 qualifiers overall. Senior Hunter Wirtanen in the 100 and 200 and sophomore Nate Meyer in the 400 and 800 should put up big points as Ishpeming pursues its first team title since 2003. Meyer won the 400 last season.
Newberry’s James Sutton: He set the high jump record of 6-3.5 as a junior last season and jumped 6-7 at this season's Regional. He also had the top Regional long jump of 19-6 and is a contender in both hurdles races. He won the 110 hurdles last season and finished runner-up in the 300.
Ironwood’s Cole Stevens: The senior finished second in the pole vault last season at 11-0, but went 13-0 at this year’s Regional – which would be more than enough to break the Division 2 Final record of 12-6 set in 2001.
Ishpeming Westwood’s Vincente Carlson: He was the runner-up in the 110 hurdles as a freshman, and his 15.4 in the Regional a few weeks ago would tie the Division 2 Final record set in 2003. He also will run the 300.
Other returning individual champions: Conner Cappaert, Stephenson (3,200, qualified second this season and third in the 1,600).
UP DIVISION 3 at Kingsford
Bessemer: The Speedboys have four individual qualifiers among the top five in their events by Regional performance, but will rely on strong relays if they are to emerge from a strong group of potential contenders. The 800 relay (1:39.2) posted the fastest Regional time in the division and the 400 relay had the second-fastest in that event; the 1,600 and 3,200 also fell among the top eight. Junior Alex Smith had the second-longest long jump and tied for the best 100 time, 11.42.
Pickford: The reigning champion gets the nod over a few others who should be in the mix – including 2012 Division 2 champ St. Ignace, Rapid River and Felch North Dickinson – because of five individual qualifiers and two relays that posted top-five Regional performances in the division. Senior Jared Lavingne had the top 300 time, 42.93, and the third-fastest in the 100 hurdles (16.78). The 1,600 relay also comes in as a top seed after running a 3:46 at the Regional.
Rock Mid-Peninsula’s Brett Branstrom: The senior set the meet record for discus of 154-8 last season and had the top throw of these Regionals of 146-3. He also had the second-best shot put and high jump of this division’s Regionals.
St. Ignace’s Parker Simmons: He won the 100 and 200 in Division 2 last season as a junior and will compete in those and both jumps.
Other returning individual champions: Robert Metter, Rapid River (pole vault, qualified second this season), Jacob Pikka, Wakefield-Marenisco (shot put, qualified sixth this season and seventh in discus), Richard Bentley, St. Ignace (Division 2 pole vault, qualified third this season), Joe Ostman, St. Ignace (Division 2 shot put, qualified third this season and sixth in the 400).
PHOTO: Perry's Dillon Brooks (middle) won three titles at his Division 3 Regional and posted a 100 time of 10.3, good enough to set an all-Finals record if he can run that fast Saturday. (Click to see more at HighSchoolsSportsScene.com.)