Meridian Speedsters Find Home on Track
May 20, 2016
By Bill Khan
Special for Second Half
SANFORD — Nobody had to talk Christian Petre into playing baseball or persuade Hailey Stockford that playing softball might be fun.
Both fell in love with those respective sports early on.
But track and field? THAT took some lobbying from others to get the two sprint stars at Sanford Meridian on the oval.
Both added more titles to championship careers Friday, as each won the 100 and 200-meter sprints at the Lower Peninsula Division 3 Regional at Clare to qualify for the MHSAA Finals on June 4 at Comstock Park. Petre also ran on two winning relays, while Stockford ran on a relay that finished runner-up.
Petre was a freshman when his older brother, Mic, tried to talk him into running track.
"He saw me run during my football games and said he really wanted me to run track," Petre said. "He put some pressure on me. At first, I wasn't really sure, because the only thing I knew was baseball back then. I wasn't really sure about track. I didn't think it was a good idea. I told him 'no,' at first. Eventually, I changed my mind. I said, 'I might as well try it. I don't know where this could lead.'"
In Petre's case, it led to an MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 3 100-meter championship among four all-state finishes last spring while he also played on a Sanford Meridian baseball team that was ranked No. 2 in the state before getting upset in the District Semifinals.
For Stockford, there was a similar reward for adding track and field to her plate in the spring. In her first year on the track, the former softball center fielder won the Division 3 championship in the 100 and 200.
Her speed became apparent when she was faster than many of the boys on the football team in a 40-yard dash in gym class. The instructor for that class was Mike Bilina, who is Meridian's varsity football and boys track and field coach.
"My time was really good," Stockford recalls. "He kept telling me I should join the track team. I'm like, 'No, I'm playing softball; I don't think that's for me.' I ended up changing my mind. I guess at the time I was thinking I wanted to dedicate everything to softball. I thought it would be best to focus on one sport."
Stockford finally came out for track one week into the season last year as a junior. She quickly caught on, winning the 100 in 12.07 seconds and the 200 in 25.11 seconds at the Division 3 Finals, just 45 days after competing in the first meet of her life.
Both became champions while juggling two sports — their first loves and their new loves. Neither has been beaten in the sprints this season as they attempt to close out their high school careers with more championships.
"The coaches are pretty understandable and communicate well with each other on what day I'd be doing what," Petre said. "It's not that difficult for me, really. I put a lot of work in over the offseason. I try to get ahead of the game before the season actually starts, so when the season comes around I can just go about it normally and not have to stress about going back and forth with each sport."
Being able to do two sports in the same season not only benefits student-athletes who are capable of handling the workload, but it benefits the teams at Sanford Meridian, which has an enrollment of 408.
"Because we're so small, if we didn't have dual sports, we'd lose a lot of athletes from one sport to the next," girls track and field coach Jenny Nosakowski said. "We're pretty open. We try to work with the coaches. We've had a lot of kids come over from baseball this year. We try to work it so both of our teams, baseball and track, will benefit."
Running in his first MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 3 Finals, Petre cracked the top four in all four of his events to help Meridian place fourth as a team. He won the 100-meter dash in come-from-behind fashion with a time of 11.13 seconds. He anchored the fourth-place 800 relay team and third-place 400 relay team before finishing third in the 200 in 22.72 seconds.
Petre is convinced that the competition he's experienced in other sports helped him cope with the pressure of track and field Finals.
"Especially since I was on varsity as a freshman in football and baseball," he said. "Just playing on a bigger stage at only 14 years old really helped me. I was really nervous at state last year. I had a lot of adrenaline pumping. I didn't know what to expect. I feel like the past experience really did help. I wasn't as nervous as I could have been."
Running at a high level all day may have caught up with Petre in the 200, his final event. He had the fastest time in the preliminaries (22.44) before taking third.
"I don't want to make any excuses," he said. "I had a long day with prelims and relays. I guess I didn't train my body as well as I could have last year, so I got a little fatigued and came up a little bit short. I didn't run the race I expected in the 200."
Coming up short in the 200 wasn't the biggest disappointment on that day for Petre. In the middle of the meet, he learned that his baseball teammates were upset, 13-8, by Beaverton in the District Semifinals. The Mustangs had a 29-6 record going into that game.
"I was really hoping to come back after states and play with my team," Petre said. "It did kind of put a little downer on the day, but it was what it was."
Petre made a different decision the previous year, opting to play in the baseball Districts rather than run in the track and field Finals. He helped the Mustangs win the District championship before they lost in the Regional Semifinals, 3-2 to Cass City. The track and field team, meanwhile, won the MHSAA Division 3 title.
"It was tough, because at that point I was still new to track," Petre said. "I didn't really know what was going on. Back then, I always said baseball would be first; that's what I decided on that day."
There is a chance that Petre could compete for two MHSAA championship teams this spring. The baseball team has a 25-1 record and is ranked No. 3 in Division 3. The track and field team has been in the top four at the MHSAA Finals the last two years.
"We've talked about it ever since the beginning of both seasons," Petre said. "It's crazy to think that could happen. As of right now, we have to keep working on the little things and keep moving forward, so when it comes time to do this, we're ready to compete."
Petre's speed was also put to good use as Meridian's starting quarterback the last four years. Petre led Meridian to a school-record 10 victories last fall. The Mustangs won their first 10 games before losing to eventual Division 6 champion Ithaca in the second round. He had a 30-10 record as Meridian's quarterback, having been promoted from the junior varsity early in his freshman year.
"I was the head JV coach," Bilina said. "He was taken from me in Week 2. We knew he was a special athlete early on. He was just faster than everyone as a freshman. He was forced into a position where he had to go up a little bit quicker. He handled it very well. He's the winningest quarterback in Meridian history. He's received a lot of individual and team honors. He's in the history books here at Meridian, that's for sure."
Petre, a center fielder and pitcher, isn't sure which sport he'll play in college.
"I have a preferred walk-on to Northwood for football," he said. "Davenport has offered me for track. Saginaw Valley is still talking to me for track. I'm going to see how the summer plays out for baseball."
Petre legged out four triples in a doubleheader sweep of Gladwin on Tuesday, including two in the first inning of the opening game. For the season, Petre is hitting .541 with six triples, a homer, 22 RBI and 40 runs.
As one could imagine, stealing bases was a big part of Stockford's game on the softball diamond.
"A lot of teams we play pretty much expect it," said Stockford, who was a center fielder.
Stockford also played volleyball at Sanford Meridian, but softball had always been her favorite sport.
"I played since I was little in T-ball," she said. "My dad was a really good baseball player, so it was just in the family. My brother and sister also played."
Another family member, cousin Sarah Stockford, helped close the deal in getting Hailey to run track last season.
"A week into the season, I just got the urge to run it," Hailey said. "My cousin was on the team, and I'm really close with her. I figured it'd be a good year to try it if I was going to. I had been told I was fast. I knew I was fast based on stealing in softball."
Less than seven weeks after getting started in the sport, Stockford found herself on the track at Comstock Park as a championship contender in both sprint events.
"You never know what to expect, especially it being my first year running, but that's obviously the outcome I was hoping for," Stockford said. "I just wanted to go in there and see what I could do.
"It's a great atmosphere. It could be overwhelming. There are a lot of schools there. You know how important the meet was. It was a different experience, but it was fun. In every other sport I played, you relied on your teammates. Being there in an individual sport in such an important meet was different for me."
Stockford has never been beaten in the 100 in her high school career, losing in the finals of the 200 only three times. Her talent caught the eye of Saginaw Valley State University, which offered her a track and field scholarship. So, the girl who thought of herself primarily as a softball player will be competing in a different sport on the college level.
"I had coaches talk to me about playing softball in college, but I see potential in myself in track," Stockford said. "I've done good so far. I'm hoping to get better and see how I can do. I thought it would be something I might regret if I didn't try it."
Bill Khan served as a sportswriter at The Flint Journal from 1981-2011 and currently contributes to the State Champs! Sports Network. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Sanford Meridian's Christian Petre leads the pack during a sprint at Beaverton on April 27. (Middle) Meridian's Hailey Stockford takes off from the blocks, also during the Beaverton meet. (Photos courtesy of the Sanford Meridian athletic department.)
TC Central's Zielinski Eying Finals Records, U-M Stardom, Olympic Aspirations
By
Tom Spencer
Special for MHSAA.com
May 29, 2026
Lorelai Zielinski may be on the verge of winning her second-straight MHSAA Finals championships in both the discus and shot put as she prepares to compete at Saturday’s Lower Peninsula Division 1 Track & Field Finals in Rockford.
And, while being named a champion again would be an honor for the Traverse City Central junior star, she’s quick to put it in perspective.
“One thing that I always tell myself, the point of track & field is not to win — it’s all that hard work that you have done to build up to that point, and winning is just part of it all,” the University of Michigan commit said. “It's just the effect of everything that you do, and it definitely is a great accomplishment because it’s ‘states’ and some people's biggest meet of the year. Having state champion next to your name, especially more than once, and more than one event, is amazing.”
Zielinski won last year’s titles as a sophomore with throws of 46 feet, 11¾ inches in the shot put and 155-1 in the discus. She has dominated the competition so much the last couple years that local media often report her success as a winning “by a long way again.”
Her personal records, both set this spring, are 52-6 in the shot put and 168-5 in the discus. Both would set MHSAA Finals records for all divisions if she replicates them Saturday.
To Paul Anderson, Central’s head coach, Zielinski is in a category all by herself. Anderson has been around high school track in New Mexico and Michigan for 30 years. He’s coached a couple of nationally recognized names over the years, but noted Zielinski really stands out.
At Central, Anderson also coached recent Stanford graduate Julia Flynn, who made national headlines when she became the first prep girl during the 2020 season to run a 5K faster than 17 minutes. In New Mexico at Los Alamos High School, Anderson coached Chase Jackson (then Chase Ealey), currently a dominant global force in track & field. Jackson made history as the first American woman to win a shot put world title, claiming outdoor gold in 2022 and 2023.
“Lorelai is a thrower, a strong woman, and is just a great person,” Anderson said. “She is probably one of the highest-rated high school athletes that I've ever coached. It’s not just her consistency, but dominance.”
During Zielinski’s early days in the sport she was coached by her mother, Amanda. Lorelai competed in shot put as a sixth grader for Traverse City East Middle School.
Zielinski, who remains the sixth, seventh and eighth-grade record-holder at East, started exploring throwing discus the summer after seventh grade.
“Lorelai started learning about and following the sport very early, but not obsessively,” Anderson said. “She loves it — but it's not owning her — it doesn't mean that’s who she is. It’s like, ‘This is what I do, and I'm not going to be like anybody else.’ Everybody talks about what a good person she is and then being an athlete — then being a thrower — gives a nice dimension.”
Zielinski has high hopes for success in college sports and quite possibly, and most likely, as onlookers say, for the national team someday.
She has her eyes on the throwing qualifying standards for the 2028 U.S. Olympic Trials, and she realizes 2032 might be a more obtainable goal. She’s planning to focus on shot put and discus while exploring the javelin, hammer and weight throws while competing for the Wolverines and pursuing studies in physical therapy or audiology.
But for now, she is celebrating having an impact on young female athletes. She recalls her younger sports days looking up to basketball and track athletes, including current teammates.
“Obviously, track is about performing and all that, but I wanted to be able to be a role model for these younger girls,” said Zielinski, who also plays basketball for the Trojans. “I wanted to be able to inspire younger girls. It's definitely a great feeling that other people look to me for inspiration.”
Zielinski is a recognized figure around middle school and elementary track meets as she volunteers to help with events including shot put. She’s enjoyed watching anecdotal evidence of growth in the sport’s numbers and talent as well as in the presence of high school coaches helping out middle school throwers in particular.
As further evidence of Zielinski’s impact, earlier this week Traverse City kids swept the shot put podium at the MHSAA Middle School Regional in Cadillac. West’s Anna Hornacek, the school’s sixth, seventh and eighth-grade record-holder, took first with a 40-2 throw. East’s Delaney Neveau, a sixth grader, was second at 33-5, and West’s Eilley Dwyer, the second-leading sixth and seventh-grade thrower all-time, was third at 32-11.
Zielinski and Anderson are thrilled to have field events coach Chad Norton guiding her success. Zielinski especially appreciates Norton’s constant reminders that “practice doesn’t make perfection – practice makes progress.”
Norton’s been especially helpful with the mental aspects of throwing, something with which Zielinski admits she has often struggled.
“One thing Coach Doug always tells me is to breathe and have fun,” she said. “Getting in my head or setting my standards too high, I won't be having fun, and the point of it is to have fun.”
Anderson, now in his 10th year at the helm of the Trojans’ track program, is quick to point out the pride Norton has in Zielinski’s success. Anderson also points to the development of freshman thrower Nora Jensen, who already has found success under Zielinski’s mentorship.
“Doug avoids the spotlight and he’s very much honed into knowing what he had with Lorelai and his responsibility,” Anderson said. “I love Chad as a coach, because not only does he work with Lorelai, but then he takes as much time, or more, with the new shot putters. It's a great community that he has going there.”
Zielinski, who is hoping to have Norton train with her over the summer and next winter, has her freshman year MHSAA Finals in the back of her mind as she prepares for this year’s meet.
She finished second in both shot put and discus two years ago to then senior Abigail Russell of Allen Park. But she’s since exceeded Russell’s distances as she looks to become a teammate to Russell at Michigan.
Zielinski bettered Russell’s distances, in fact, at this year’s Regional Meet in Mount Pleasant. The Trojan stellar throw topped the 50-foot mark in the shot put and exceeded 161 feet in the discus.
Expect Zielinski to be wearing her trademark different-colored shoes again at the Finals. She’s worn two colors since entering high school, and this time she’ll be sporting a new pair of yellow and orange Nikes. She introduced them this week at the Traverse City Record-Eagle Honor Roll Meet.
Zielinski must replace the shoes during the season because she wears out the bottom of her right one.
“So I buy two pair of shoes for that reason, as well as my freshman year when I started doing it I felt a little bit superstitious. So I always have different-colored shoes as a tradition,” Zielinski said. “I also write different affirmations on each of my shoes such as ‘Have fun,’ ‘Breathe,’ ‘Control,’ and ‘Be the one thing in life you can control.’”
Tom Spencer is a longtime MHSAA-registered basketball and soccer official, and former softball and baseball official, and he also has coached in the northern Lower Peninsula area. He previously has written for the Saginaw News, Bay County Sports Page and Midland Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Traverse City Central’s Loralei Zielinski winds up during a discus throw. (Middle) Zielinski launches the shot while a gathered crowd watches. (Top photo by Jan Michael Stump/Traverse City Record-Eagle. Middle photo by TC Rick Sports Photography.)