Performance: Algonac's Morgan Beadlescomb
May 17, 2016
Morgan Beadlescomb
Algonac senior – Track & Field
Beadlescomb will finish his high school career next month all over the Algonac record books and MHSAA champions lists as well. He won the Lower Peninsula Division 2 cross country championship each of the last two seasons and also won the LP Division 2 track title in the 1,600 last spring. His time in the 1,600 that day set a school record of 4:13.58, and he added his school’s 3,200 record of 9:03.68 in finishing first at the prestigious Saline Golden Triangle Invitational on May 6, earning him the Michigan National Guard Performance of the Week for May 2-8.
The 9:03 was thought to be the fastest time in the state in the 3,200 this season – but was matched by a 9:03 the same night by Corunna’s Noah Jacobs at the Cavalier Classic True Team Invitational. Beadlescomb finished fifth in the 3,200 at last year’s MHSAA LP Division 2 Final, as Jacobs won the race, and he intends to run against Jacobs in both the 1,600 and 3,200 at this season’s Final, June 4 at Zeeland.
Beadlescomb also has run the 400 in 51.8 seconds this season and the 800 in 157.7; that 800 time would’ve finished seventh in LP Division 2 in 2015. His improvement during high school was impressive, especially in cross country; Beadlescomb finished 138th in LP Division 2 as a freshman before jumping to 12th as a sophomore and then winning his final two seasons. Boasting a 3.3 grade-point average, Beadlescomb will study and run next at Michigan State University, where he’ll major in mechanical engineering. He also recently was one of 12 finalists statewide for the Detroit Athletic Club’s annual Michigan High School Athlete of the Year awards, which are given to one female and male to recognize both athletic and academic achievement.
Coach Mark Simms said: “Morgan has a tremendous drive and work ethic. He does not accept finishing second and drives to be the best he can be. Morgan is the most talented track athlete that I have been associated with in my 22-year career. Morgan has left his mark here at Algonac High School. His track records will probably stand for years to come.”
Performance Point: “I remember I took the race out too fast, and that made the entire race difficult. It was hard to hang in there the whole time. But my coaches were there the whole time cheering me on and motivating me, some kids from Michigan State were there watching old teammates and cheering me on, and my parents were too. (The atmosphere) helped motivate me while I was running, for sure. There never really was a silent part of the track.”
Leaving a legacy: “I’m hoping people will remember my work ethic. I worked hard to get where I am. I’m not a naturally talented athlete, and I’ve not always been at the front of the pack … so I hope people will remember me for that.”
Finish strong: “I’m hoping to place top in the nation in the mile or 2-mile; I’m leaning more toward the 2-mile. I’ve got more national goals than I have had in the past. The state meet is going to be difficult because I’m going for the mile/2-mile double. In the mile (1,600) there are two kids under 4:20, but if I play it smart I think I can win that. The 2-mile (3,200) is really difficult (because of) Noah Jacobs. He’s so smart, he knows how to run, he doesn’t get too excited. It’s a battle against him, but I always look forward to it.”
Racing Jacobs: “It’s nice because we’re not at each other’s throats. We like each other, we’re friends, and it’s nice to race against him. It’s a healthy competition. Every sport, I think most kids are like that, especially in high school. Most sports, I've found, kids get along with the other athletes, especially when they get more toward the top, the elite teams. It’s nice to share experiences. We learn from each other.”
Morgan in motion: “I’ve always loved working on moving things. I grew up racing motocross, and I love not only riding but working on the motorcycles. I love learning about cars. If it has a motor, it’s my thing.”
– Geoff Kimmerly, Second Half editor
Every week during the 2015-16 school year, Second Half and the Michigan National Guard will recognize a “Performance of the Week" from among the MHSAA's 750 member high schools.
The Michigan Army National Guard provides trained and ready forces in support of the National Military Strategy, and responds as needed to state, local, and regional emergencies to ensure peace, order, and public safety. The Guard adds value to our communities through continuous interaction. National Guard soldiers are part of the local community. Guardsmen typically train one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer. This training maintains readiness when needed, be it either to defend our nation's freedom, or protecting lives and property of Michigan citizens during a local natural disaster.
Previous 2015-16 honorees
May 4: Abby Krzywiecki, Farmington Hills Mercy softball - Read
April 27: Mike Mokma, Holland Christian baseball - Read
April 20: Abby Divozzo, Cadillac girls soccer - Read
March 30: Cassius Winston, Detroit U-D Jesuit boys basketball - Read
March 23: Kierra Fletcher, Warren Cousino girls basketball - Read
March 16: Jacob Montague, Grosse Pointe South swimming & diving - Read
March 9: Kyle Tuttle, St. Charles boys bowling - Read
March 2: Brittney Schnicke, Caledonia girls bowling - Read
Feb. 24: Kamari Newman, Detroit East English boys basketball - Read
Feb. 17: Jason Whitens, Powers North Central boys basketball - Read
Feb. 10: Rachel Hogan, Grand Ledge gymnastics - Read
Feb. 3: Nehemiah Mork, Midland Dow swimming & diving - Read
Jan. 27: Mardrekia Cook, Muskegon girls basketball - Read
Jan. 20: Sage Castillo, Hartland wrestling - Read
Jan. 13: Rob Zofchak, Dexter swimming & diving - Read
Jan. 6: Tyler Deming, Caro wrestling – Read
Dec. 15: Jordan Weber, East Jordan boys basketball – Read
Dec. 8: Kaitlyn Geers, Kent City girls basketball – Read
PHOTOS: (Top) Algonac's Morgan Beadlescomb leads during the final stretch of the Division 2 Cross Country Final last fall at Michigan International Speedway. (Middle) Beadlescomb (far right) prepares to make his move on the way to winning the 1,600 at last season's MHSAA LP Division 2 Track & Field Final. (Photos by Ike Lea and Carter Sherline, RunMichigan.com.)
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.)