McNeill Regaining Finals Form, Aiming to Best Last Season's Close Seconds
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
May 21, 2026
The number 0.01 might be as miniscule as there is in sports, but it certainly was way more gigantic for Novi High School track sprinter Chance McNeill at last year’s Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals.
First, McNeill nearly won the 100-meter dash but finished 0.01 -- one hundredth of a second -- back of Detroit Catholic Central’s Samson Gash (10.41).
As hard as it was to shake off, McNeill quickly did so and was right in the thick of the 200-meter dash. Ultimately, he finished second in that race as well to Jeremy Dixon of Kalamazoo Central (21.11), once again by 0.01.
Losing out on one Finals title by such a thin margin is tough enough. But falling short by that time twice in a matter of a couple hours? It probably felt like getting kicked in the gut by someone wearing track shoes with all the spikes on the bottom.
“Definitely the first few months after (the Finals), it was crazy,” McNeill said. “I’ve kind of gotten over it by now. But it’s been my motivation for sure.”
Indeed, McNeill is using that experience as fuel for the remaining days of his senior year and as he prepares to compete once again in those events at next week’s Division 1 Finals at Rockford.
Headed to run track next at Alabama, McNeill is actually just ramping back into peak form this spring.
He has been battling a lower leg injury suffered after running a 6.75 in the 60-meter dash during indoor season, saying he sprinted again about three weeks ago for the first time this outdoor season.
McNeill certainly looked to be getting back into form during a competitive Regional last week hosted by Novi.
He won the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.73 and then claimed the 200 meters in a time 21.84. Yes, he and the Novi coaches know he’ll have to be faster to win at the Finals, but it was a great sign of progress given where he has come from – and there is definitely another gear in him.
“To say that he’s back to form probably wouldn’t be accurate,” Novi boys track & field head coach Danny Taylor said. “What I mean by that is given all the personal training that he’s done, given the way in which he’s worked back, I think he’s poised to do great things at the state meet.”
Taylor said that he didn’t know anything about McNeill and his track prowess until he arrived at the high school for his freshman year but discovered quickly that McNeill was more than just an athlete running track to get in better shape for another sport. McNeill legitimately prioritized track & field.
“It seemed that when Chance came to us, he already had that love and that passion,” Taylor said. “We just wanted to stoke it further.”
McNeill said he initially ran track “for fun” when he started high school but got more serious about it when he got more involved with a local club and started running more meets outside of high school season.
Going into this spring, he said he was actually more intent on running the 400-meter dash, but his injury changed those plans.
“I’ve always wanted to do the 400,” he said. “Now, I just have to forget about that, just try it in college.”
McNeill will head to Rockford next week a year older and stronger, but then again so are other competitors. In particular, Gash, a Michigan State football signee, is also back in both events as he hopes to repeat in the 100 meters and improve on a third-place finish in the 200 from last year.
McNeill and Gash are the only top-five finishers in those races from last year who didn’t graduate.
McNeill hopes that he can be at least 0.01 seconds faster this time and end his high school career on top of the podium.
“I think whatever it takes, I’ve got it in me already,” McNeill said.
Keith Dunlap has served in Detroit-area sports media for more than two decades, including as a sportswriter at the Oakland Press from 2001-16 primarily covering high school sports but also college and professional teams. His bylines also have appeared in USA Today, the Washington Post, the Detroit Free Press, the Houston Chronicle and the Boston Globe. He served as the administrator for the Oakland Activities Association’s website from 2017-2020. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Novi’s Chance McNeill crosses the finish line during last season’s 100-meter championship race at the LPD1 Finals. (Middle) McNeill, second from right, races eventual champion Jeremy Dixon from Kalamazoo Central in last year’s 200, with DCC’s Samson Gash, far left, also among those in the field. (Click for more from RunMichigan.com/Carter Sherline.)
Ironwood Savors Home-Track Advantage in LaBlonde Memorial Invitational Sweep
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
May 15, 2025
IRONWOOD — Most high school tracks have at least six lanes and are 400 meters.
But there’s an exception to every rule.
That’s the case at Ironwood, where the Red Devils run on a 350-meter, five-lane asphalt surface.
“That’s something we’ve addressed,” Ironwood coach Cecilia Aho said “We’re probably the last ones who have a track this small, although the distances are the same. When we do mile repeats the kids don’t like it, but it’s better than not having a track. We make it work. Some of the smaller schools don’t have a track.”
Both Ironwood teams retained their titles Saturday afternoon at the Jim LaBlonde Memorial Invitational at Longyear Field, with the boys scoring 74 points to stay ahead of Hurley, Wis., at 57, and the Ironwood girls collecting 104 points to pull away from the field.
“The kids come here and have fun,” Aho said. “We have a nice group of kids who are working real hard.”
Ironwood junior Talon Hughes, who had a hand in four meet records, said the smaller track provides some challenges.
“It’s a pretty unique track,” he added. “We have different lanes and it’s hard to switch lanes. It can be intimidating for visiting teams. It’s sometimes hard for them to adapt, although we get used to it through practice. The biggest adjustment for us on 400-meter tracks is they have longer straightaways.”
Hughes won the 100-meter dash in 11.74 seconds and also took first in the 200 (24.42), 110 hurdles (16.84) and helped the Red Devils take the 800 relay (1:40.37).
“It’s a great feeling to win at home,” he said. “Many of your friends are here to cheer you on. We’re looking forward to our last few meets.”
The different exchange zones appeared to affect the Bessemer girls 800 relay the most. After a fast start, the Speedgirls struggled with all three handoffs, dropping them to third place (2:06.05), fewer than two seconds behind the winning team from Ironwood.
“I think it has a mental block on you,” Bessemer sophomore Sarah Hoffenberg said. “It really depends on the person. In my opinion, I think it helps if you don’t think about it. It’s really a learning experience.”
Hoffenberg later helped the Speedgirls bounce back with a victory in the 400 relay (1:01.38).
Ironwood senior Aubrey Smith, who will be attending classes at University of Michigan this fall, said it’s like having a homecourt advantage.
“It’s a little confusing,” she added. “It’s a little less than 4½ laps for a mile. It’s hard to tell where everyone is.”
Smith dominated the distances, taking the 800 (2:38.84), 1,600 (5:59.53) and 3,200 (11:58.87).
The Red Devils also ran in Wednesday’s Upper Peninsula Division 2 Regional at West Iron County, the boys team winning and the girls finishing runner-up to the host Wykons. Ironwood travels to Lake Linden-Hubbell for the Copper Mountain Conference meet Monday before ending the season at the Upper Peninsula Finals on May 31 at Kingsford.
“Our seniors are looking forward to their last couple meets,” Aho said. “I’m going to miss them. Our school is 100 years old. We started celebrating our centennial last July. We’re in the process of finishing up our celebration.”
John Vrancic has covered high school sports in the Upper Peninsula since joining the Escanaba Daily Press staff in 1985. He is known most prominently across the peninsula for his extensive coverage of cross country and track & field that frequently appears in newspapers from the Wisconsin border to Lake Huron. He received the James Trethewey Award for Distinguished Service in 2015 from the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.
PHOTO Skyla Ballew clears a hurdle during a race at Ironwood High School. (Photo by Jason Juno/Ironwood Daily Globe.)