Whittemore-Prescott Gets Win That Counts Most
By
Wes Morgan
Special for MHSAA.com
June 3, 2017
GRAND RAPIDS – Winning it all doesn’t necessarily mean winning them all when it comes to track & field.
In fact, the Whittemore-Prescott boys team didn’t win a single event at Saturday’s Lower Peninsula Division 4 championship meet at Grand Rapids’ Houseman Field.
The Cardinals still managed to rack up 36 points for the team title to hold off Manton (31), Harbor Springs (28) and two other schools that finished within 10 of the lead.
Seniors Ian Driscoll and Azaiyah Bell, sophomore Ridge Schutte and junior Bradley Lomason had one of the best finishes of the day for the Cardinals, clocking in at 3 minutes, 27.98 seconds in the 1,600-meter relay for second place. Junior Michael Eagan was also runner-up after he sailed 20 feet, 10½ inches in the long jump.
The top eight finishers in each event secure all-state status from the coaches association, and Whittemore-Prescott boasted five more all-state performances. Bell took fifth in the 100 (11.50), Driscoll, Schutte, Lomason and Bell were third in the 800 relay (1:32.92) and Lomason crossed the line in sixth in the 400 (51.52).
Senior Hunter Kensa added a seventh-place effort in the 800 with a time of 2:02.04, and junior Zane Aldrich was fourth in the 3,200 (10:04.19).
No records were broken at Houseman Field on a day with perfect weather. There were, however, a handful of double champions.
Harbor Springs sophomore Jeremy Kloss swept the 1,600 and the 3,200 with times of 4:25.73 and 9:46.25, respectively. He was fueled by a runner-up finish this past fall at the Cross Country Finals, but his game plan for both races seemed to have been scrapped immediately. Kloss reacted well to the chaos that often can accompany the pressure-packed championship meet.
“In the mile, I went out a little harder than I would normally because I didn’t want to get pulled in and surrounded by a pack,” Kloss said. “So I led the race the whole time.
“In the two mile I went out a little slow (4:57) and I was maybe in 10th place at the mile mark. I made up a lot of ground and caught the Saginaw Nouvel kid around the 300-meter mark. It was a completely different race, but it totally worked out in the end. I wanted to redeem myself during track, and it feels really nice. I was really happy.”
Livingston Christian senior Paxton Titus felt his heart rate increase when he had to make his third attempt in the discus count following two scratches. His final toss in the preliminaries went 169-10 to ensure a spot in the finals. He wouldn’t need the extra throws, though, as that mark was good enough to win a title.
He ran his hand through his mohawk, pumped his fists and let out some deep sighs of relief as he left the circle.
Titus was also the favorite in the shot put, and he delivered with a winning distance of 55-9½. Titus was the Finals champion in the discus last season as well and seventh in the shot put last June.
Sand Creek sophomore Alec Muck also doubled Saturday, securing victories in the 100 and 200. He cruised to a time of 10.98 seconds in the 100 and turned in a 22.14 in the 200. The times were personal records, and Muck edged Reading’s Ethan LoPresto, who also has two more years of competition ahead, setting up what should be some exciting matchups to come.
"It felt great to win this year," Muck said. "It was a goal I had this past year, and it's what I strived to do. It felt surreal to accomplish it. The weather was really nice today, and that helped me a lot, I think.
“Coming off last year winning the 200, I was nervous and felt like I had a lot to live up to. It was nice to be able to represent my county and bring home the wins in both races."
Marcellus junior Derek Flory also put his stamp on Saturday’s Finals with a pair of victories. He sprinted to the line in a time of 39.89 in the 300 hurdles and logged a distance of 20-11 to win the long jump.
PHOTOS: (Top) Whittemore-Prescott runners pass the baton during a relay Saturday at Houseman Field. (Middle) Muskegon Catholic Central and Fulton-Middleton anchors cross the finish line during the 400 relay. (Photos by Dave McCauley/RunMichigan.com.)
Preview: Contenders Lining Up to Slow Down UP Boys Reigning Champions
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 28, 2026
This decade has seen only six schools win an MHSAA Upper Peninsula Finals team championship in boys track & field – out of 15 opportunities – and all three meets this weekend feature returning winners seeking to stretch current title streaks already measuring multiple seasons.
But there are several more contenders in position to play stopper as they seek to begin their own championship eras.
All three divisions will be hosted by Kingsford High School, with preliminaries leading off the day at 9 a.m. local (Central) time. Tickets cost $11 and are available digitally only via GoFan.
MHSAA.tv will live-stream the meets beginning at 9 a.m. (CDT)/10 a.m. (EDT), viewable with subscription. Check out the Boys Track & Field page for meet information and lists of all qualifiers.
Those described as "seeded" below have received those seeds based on Regional performances or early qualification during the regular season. (Although not noted for most, several individuals below also will run on contending relays.)
Following is a glance at team contenders and individuals to watch in all three divisions:
Division 1
Team forecast: A sixth-straight championship Saturday would tie Marquette with the Gladstone teams from 2004-09 for the second-longest championship streak in Upper Peninsula history. But the Sentinels’ depth will have to shine through as last year’s Finals runner-up Sault Ste. Marie edged Marquette by a point at their Regional, and Kingsford and Houghton have several potential scorers as well.
Lucas Ballard, Marquette junior: The reigning champion in the 800 is seeded first in that race (2:02.82), second in the 1,600 (4:42.00) and third in the 3,200 (10:08.60).
Gabe Litzner, Sault Ste. Marie senior: He’ll graduate among the top distance runners in Upper Peninsula history. He’s won the 3,200 the last two seasons – setting the meet record at 9:31.20 a year ago – and is seeded first in that race (10:00.18) and the 1,600 (4:41.31).
Jacob Norman, Marquette senior: He’s seeded first in the 110 hurdles (15:82) after winning that race last spring.
Michael Solena, Houghton junior: He finished second in the discus a year ago but could have a much bigger day this time seeded first in that throw (144-2) and shot put (50-3¾) as well.
Gaige Sorenson, Kingsford junior: He finished second in the long jump last spring and also has multiple scoring opportunities, seeded first in long jump (20-8), running the 100 and also on two top-three seeded relays.
Division 2
Team forecast: Pickford has won three straight Division 2 championships and held of Munising by 31 points in 2024 and 50 a year ago to build the streak. Pickford has entries all over this meet again and three top-seeded relays. Rudyard is another team to watch with several potential scorers.
John Anderson, Pickford senior: The high jump champion the last two seasons is seeded first in that event (6-4) and the long jump (19-5) and second in the 110 (15.95) and 300 (45.32) hurdles.
Gunner Bennin, Pickford senior: He’s won the 400 the last two seasons and also the 200 as a sophomore, and could finish his high school career by doubling that count seeded first in the 100 (11.60), 200 (23.25) and 400 (52.61).
Talon Hughes, Ironwood senior: After winning the 100 and 200 a year ago, he’s seeded second in the 100 (11.63), third in the 200 (24.09) and also third in the 110 hurdles (16.83).
Steven Kirschner, Rudyard senior: He’s looking to move up a spot or more after finishing second in the 3,200 and third in both the 800 and 1,600 last season, and is seeded first in the 800 (2:08.51) and 3,200 (11:01.68) and third in the 1,600 (5:04.77).
Gionni McDonough, Bark River Harris junior: He won the 110 hurdles last year and is seeded to repeat (15.59) and win the 300 as well (44.64) while also competing in the 100 dash and long jump.
Division 3
Team forecast: Newberry also has built a winning streak with two straight championships, and a third is possible especially thanks to strong relays. But Rapid River dominated its Regional and should be in the hunt, and Stephenson and Lake Linden-Hubbell have qualifiers all over the lineup as well. LL-H is the returning team runner-up.
Lukas Axford, Lake Linden-Hubbell junior: After winning the 300 hurdles last season, Axford is seeded third in the 400 (56.11) and also set to run the 800.
Connor Kemppainen, L’Anse junior: The reigning 110 hurdles champion is seeded first in that race (16.87) and third in the 300 hurdles (44.07).
Brady Leblanc, Brimley junior: He’s seeded first in the 300 hurdles (43.20) and second in the 110 (16.93) after finishing fourth in the latter last season.
Ethan Snyder, Cedarville/DeTour junior: After finishing second in the 800 and 1,600 and third in the 3,200 last season, he’s seeded first in all three races in 2:06.67, 4:45.36 and 10:41.43, respectively.
Will Spranger, Eben Junction Superior Central senior: Last season’s Finals highlight was a third place in the 400, but he returns as the top seed in the 100 (11.61) and 200 (23.62) and also slated to run the 300 hurdles.
PHOTOS (Top) Negaunee's Cole Prusi (6), Kingsford's Sid Olson (5), Marquette's Jacob Norman (4), and Negaunee's Cole Pekrul (3) race the 110 hurdles May 8 at the Lions Invitational in Negaunee. (Middle) Ishpeming's Kemper Gearhart (1) leads the beginning of the 1,600 with Stephenson's Canon Kuntze (2) getting into position to follow during the UPD3 Regional on May 18 at Ishpeming. (Photos by Cara Kamps.)