Frankenmuth Takes Championship Surge Through Final Race
June 5, 2021
ZEELAND – The Frankenmuth boys track & field team knew it had a chance Saturday to win its first MHSAA Finals championship since 2011 – but only if everything went right.
Not everything did – but plenty went better than planned as the Eagles won for the first time in Lower Peninsula Division 2, outpacing runner-up Flint Powers Catholic by 3¾ points to add a third championship to those won in Division 3 in 2005 and 2011.
Frankenmuth’s power in relays paid off in the final event, as the Eagles finished second in the 1,600 relay to Yale, scoring eight points while Powers came in eighth to add only one point to its team total.
That runner-up finish matched another in the 800 relay, and Frankenmuth also won the 400 relay with senior Daniel Barger joining junior Ian Stephens and sophomores Sam Barger and Andrew Braman. Those four ran the 800 together as well, with senior Ryan Brenner and junior Seth Malmo joining Sam Barger and Stephens on the 1,600.
“We knew it came down to the mile relay, and I was pretty easy going the entire time – and then the mile relay hits and we knew Powers had to do something and we knew we had to do something, and I had to be alone for a little while,” Frankenmuth coach Luke Sheppard said. “I just had to sit and soak it all in, but it was a lot of fun – it’s a lot of fun to watch these kids run. They always compete. They always do what they’re supposed to.”
The Eagles’ lone win came in the 400 relay, but they picked up other points throughout the day in the 100 and 200 dashes, 300 hurdles, high jump and discus.
Powers, meanwhile, got a first in the 100 and third in the 200 from junior Austin Hamlin and placed in all four relays among a variety of scoring performances.
Powers had entered seeded first in the 400 relay and Frankenmuth third based on Regional times, but the Eagles crossed the finish line 41 hundredths of a second faster than the runner-up Chargers.
“We always know coming into meets we’ve got to up-seed – be better than what we’re seeded, be better than what we’ve been doing,” said Brenner, who in addition to his 1,600 relay leg contributed a sixth place in the 300 hurdles and seventh in high jump. “That was our mindset through this whole meet, knowing we had to perform at the best of our capabilities to do what we just did.”
Motivation was not in short supply anywhere this weekend, or throughout the season, after COVID-19 led to 2020 spring sports being canceled.
Fremont senior Nathan Walker capped his senior year Saturday by adding wins in the 1,600 (4:16.12) and 3,200 (9:34.30) to the cross country championship he earned in the fall. Edwardsburg junior Luke Stowasser also was a double champion in Division 2, claiming the long jump in 21-10 and high jump in 6-6 after also winning the former two years ago as a freshman.
Hudsonville junior Ryan Shinabery edged Monroe Jefferson junior Alex Mansfield by 15 inches to win the discus with a toss of 163-7, but Mansfield won the shot put by more than eight feet ahead of the field with a toss of 59-2½. Allendale junior Cam Battjes rounded out the field event champions with a pole vault of 14-4.
Romulus junior Troy Cranford won the 200 in 22.84, pacing a race where the top three finishers were separated by a tenth of a second – after he was third and Berrien Springs junior Jamal Hailey second to Hamlin in a 100 decided by less than two hundredths of a second between those three. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s senior Edward Watkins won the 400 in 49.1 seconds, and Marysville senior Evan Woodard won the 800 in 1:55.25. Allendale junior Patrick Adams won the 110 hurdles in 15.19 seconds, then finished second in the 300 as Vicksburg senior Levi Thomas edged him in 40.10.
Fruitport won the 800 relay in 1:29.64, while Yale won the 1,600 in 3:25.85 and Holland Christian won the 3,200 relay by less than a second, in 8:01.26.
PHOTOS: (Top) Frankenmuth’s Daniel Barger, middle, crosses first in a close 400 relay finish Saturday. (Middle) Fremont’s Nathan Walker finishes one of his two championship runs. (Below) Flint Powers Catholic’s Austin Hamlin, middle, edges Jamal Hailey of Berrien Springs (far left) and Romulus’ Troy Cranford in the 100. (Photos by Dave McCauley/RunMichigan.com.)
McCarey Caps Niles Career Among School's All-Time Track Greats
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
June 3, 2025
NILES – For such a decorated athlete, Niles track & field star Ayden McCarey is as humble as they come.
That one trait is what makes him such a joy to coach, says Tony Todd, the Vikings' longtime leader of the boys program.
Todd, a Flint Kearsley graduate and former participant himself in the oval sport, has seen many great performers during his 27 years directing Niles' program. But he contends that McCarey is one of the best he's ever coached.
McCarey, who has signed to run track at the Division II level at Grand Valley State University, capped off a glorious high school career during Saturday's Lower Peninsula Division 2 Finals in Hamilton.
McCarey returned home with all-state honors in two events, finishing second in the 110-meter high hurdles (14.43) and third-place in the 400-meter dash (49.27). His time in the 110s broke the school record. He has the second-fastest time at the school in the 400 dash, less than a second behind 2018 Niles grad Jordan Brown, currently the Vikings' sprint coach, who owns the record at 48.50.
McCarey also qualified in the 300 intermediate hurdles and ran anchor leg for the Vikings' 1,600 relay on Saturday.
"Ayden relishes the competition. The bigger the meet, the more he seems to rise to the occasion and perform well. When someone has a faster time, he can't wait to race against them. He gets excited over the chance to compete against someone faster," Todd said.
Also a standout defender for the Niles boys soccer team, McCarey finished runners-up in both the 110 highs and 400 his junior year. As a sophomore he placed sixth in the 110 and 10th in the 300. He began competing in the 400 midway through his sophomore season.
"It's just nice to know that all your hard work you put in got you to state. There's a lot of competition there. I am just happy to represent my school for a third time," McCarey said.
He credits an increase in distance workouts and his increased focus on the 400 as big reasons for his improvement in that event this season.
"I try and focus on all my events, but it just so happened I spent the most time focusing on the 400 this season,” McCarey said. “You need a lot of stamina to run that event, and it also helps me in the longer hurdle race as well. I've been successful in the 110 highs because I concentrate on attacking it whereas most people sometimes hop over them and that slows them down and hurts their time. I get a good start, and I'm able to maintain my speed throughout the race."
McCarey owned the fastest time in the 400 among Lower Peninsula Division 2 competitors after the Regional meet. He was ranked second in the 110 highs and fourth in the 300 entering the Finals.
"Ayden goes non-stop and never complains. He's one of those kids that will run through a wall for you,” Todd said. “Sometimes I take advantage of that to get that extra effort out of him. He is very humble, and if you try and compliment him he just smiles and puts his head down and keeps going. I worry more than he does if he doesn't get the accolades that he should. He is a quiet kid who leads by example. His form in the hurdles has improved all four years."
McCarey went through his entire high school track career without an injury.
"That's a big thing. Coaches have to learn when to pull back. He's never had a serious injury that left him having to sit out a practice. You can attribute that to his extraordinary work ethic because if you slack off, that's one of the easiest ways to get hurt,” Todd said. “He stays in shape year round with his participation in soccer and track. He is very versatile and can compete at the state level in any event from the 100 up to the 400, along with the hurdles and relays.
"His conditioning and running that he does during his soccer practice builds his endurance for track. In turn, the speed he's developed in track helps him out on the soccer field."
McCarey is looking forward to competing in college.
"I decided to go to Grand Valley because they have a solid track program, and it’s not that far from home. I liked their business program there too," McCarey said.
Todd is looking forward to seeing what McCarey can do at the next level.
"The biggest thing that will make Ayden a valuable competitor in college is that he is a natural athlete. There is only so much you can coach,” Todd said. “It takes a good coach and a good athlete to make a champion. But 90 percent of that is the athlete. If they listen and do the workouts, they will succeed.
"I couldn't be more proud of his four-year high school career. He had the most outstanding track career ever at Niles High School, and he's a great human being and student. This young man is going to do great things at Grand Valley and in life. I'm proud to have been his coach for his entire high school career."
Scott Hassinger is a contributing sportswriter for Leader Publications and previously served as the sports editor for the Three Rivers Commercial-News from 1994-2022. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Niles senior Ayden McCarey leaves the starting block during the 1600-meter relay at his team’s Regional. (Middle) Niles coach Tony Todd, left, takes a photo with McCarey before the start of a practice last week. (Photos by Scott Hassinger.)