Coach Predicts Title, Ithaca Girls Answer
June 13, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
There’s a clear difference between prediction and expectation. But the Ithaca girls track & field team had to decide which way coach Gene Lebron was leaning when he told his athletes they’d win an MHSAA championship this spring.
Erica Sheahan knew it was more than a pep talk.
Lebron had called his cross country team’s 2014 championship as well – and that gave this spring’s Yellowjackets plenty of faith in their coach’s fearless forecast.
Ithaca’s girls track & field team – the Applebee’s Team of the Month for May – dominated its Tri-Valley Conference West competition at last month’s league meet and also won its Division 3 Regional for the second straight year – and second time total in program history.
and it’s impossible to overlook what the Yellowjackets then accomplished four days after May ended – win the first MHSAA Finals championship in program history, scoring 57½ points to edge Adrian Madison by 3½ at the Lower Peninsula Division 3 meet at Comstock Park.
“This group of seniors, we accomplished a lot together and we set our goals high,” said Sheahan, who repeated as LP Division 3 long jump champion. “Coach told us this would be the year, and we stuck to it and did the best we could to make it happen.”
At the MHSAA postseason level, that first step came at the May 20 Regional at Shepherd, which Ithaca won by 52 points over the runner-up Bluejays. The Yellowjackets then won their league meet on May 25 with 215 points, doubling up the field while finishing first in seven individual races, two field events and all four relays.
Ithaca also started May with a 12½-point win at the Shepherd Invitational over Cadillac, which went on to tie for 17th in LP Division 2 this month, and third-place Fowler, which won the LP Division 4 championship. Ithaca also won the Division 3 portion of the Alma College Scottie Classic on May 14.
By the end of this season, Ithaca had broken school records in every relay, long jump, the 200, 800, 1,600 and 300 hurdles. Lebron said the relay records might not be approached for some time.
“Those records were already set really high, and these girls really performed at a high level this year,” Lebron said. “They really took a stride.They fed off that (2014) championship in cross country. We sent 10 girls to the MHSAA state meet, and six of those girls ran at the (cross country) state meet when we won. When we won in 2014 in cross country, we came back that track season and placed fourth. They kinda knew the writing was on the wall.
"They were disappointed with the state meet in cross country this year; they finished fifth and I thought they should’ve been higher, and they did too. They felt they let one get away, but they came in more motivated than ever for track.”
Sheahan was the only Ithaca girl to win a Finals championship. But she also won the 100 and 200 at the Regional, where junior Courtney Allen won the 800, junior Emily Foster won the 300 hurdles, and some combination of Sheahan, Foster, Allen, Mikayla Fairchild, Kara Kindel, Morgan Most, Blaire Showers, Amelia Freestone, Kurstin Kalisek and Alyssa Mankey won all four relays.
Counting every team Ithaca finished ahead of at an invitational or postseason event, the Yellowjackets were an incredible 145-2 this season, finishing third at the Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association meet but winning every other time they competed.
Lebron has been around plenty of championship teams. In addition to his, Ithaca is best-known for its football team that’s won five of the last six Division 6 titles. He sees every day the sacrifices made by athletes hoping to reach the highest level.
But to him, the level of commitment by the girls on this spring’s team still stood out. Some played volleyball in the past, but switched the cross country to better prepare for track season. As a team, they lifted weights during the offseason three times a week at 6:30 a.m., and informally the distance runners and some sprinters would get together every Sunday for a long run.
Equally “extraordinary,” the Yellowjackets have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.755.
Indeed, football does enjoy most of the statewide shine for the community of 3,000 about 45 miles north of Lansing. But the girls running program has made a reputation as well the last two school years.
“They’re diehard with football. They’re all friends with those guys. But they want their own success,” Lebron said of his athletes. “Every team at Ithaca lives in the shadow of Ithaca football. But I don’t think that’s a negative thing all together. I think our girls are motivated by them. We’re going to cast our own shadow.
"Football is football; it’s America. But these girls have done a good job making a name for themselves.”
Past Teams of the Month, 2015-16:
April: Lake Orion boys lacrosse – Report
March: Hancock ice hockey – Report
February: Petoskey boys skiing – Report
January: Spring Lake boys swimming & diving – Report
December: Saginaw Heritage girls basketball – Report
November: Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard volleyball – Report
October: Benton Harbor football – Report
September: Mason and Okemos boys soccer – Report
PHOTOS: (Top) A pair of Ithaca runners complete a handoff during their Regional meet May 20 at Shepherd. (Middle) The Yellowjackets pose with the first MHSAA Finals championship trophy won in program history. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Onsted's Ross Chooses Memorable Finish, Olivet Girls Earn Unforgettable Title
By
Tom Lang
Special for MHSAA.com
May 31, 2025
KENT CITY – Emmry Ross wanted her senior year at Onsted to be filled with memories, perhaps as much or more than filled with state championships.
Coming into Saturday’s Lower Peninsula Division 3 Finals at Kent City, Ross was the reigning champion in the 400 meters (winning it three times prior), 800 meters (twice prior), 1,600 meters and 3,200 meters – and she was seeded first in all four this weekend.
But Ross decided to scratch the 3,200 race to join the team’s 1,600 relay, with her sister Hadley – for what turned out to be a seventh-place finish.
“There were many factors, but ultimately, it was because my sister was running in the relay and I wanted to run my last race at Onsted with my sister and the incredible team that has been with me the last four years,” Emmry Ross said. “Yes, I won the 3,200 last year, but I wanted to do the relay more – for my sister and just to have some fun in my last race.
“I think those are quite memorable moments. All the wins are great, but the memories are what you’re going to remember most. And so, I think those are some great memories I’ll have forever.”
She also will know forever – as she heads off to the University of Michigan and maybe the Olympics one day – that as a senior she capped her career with Finals championships in the 400 (54.81), 800 (2:07.03) and 1,600 (4:45.44), the latter by a margin of more than 17 seconds.
Ross will become a Wolverine with big goals ahead.
“Michigan is definitely the best option for me,” Ross said. “They have great academics, as well as athletics, and when I talked with the coaches, they talked a lot about the Olympic trials in 2028, which is ultimately a goal of mine. The team atmosphere there was amazing, and the girls were so welcoming. All the colleges I went to were that way, but U-M just really stood out to me.”
Also standing out Saturday were Olivet’s five runners, who combined to win the team title with 46 points, five ahead of runner-up Erie Mason.
“We felt most of the year we had a shot,” said Olivet coach Brian Lincoln. “Two years ago, we were second, and last year we were third. So, if things worked out and we were a little lucky, maybe things could work out (for a win).
“Their grit and their guts all year showed, and they did everything you could ask as a coach.”
Olivet sealed the win during the last race of the day, the 1,600 relay, taken by Cassie Coleman, Sophia Pell, Celina Sinclair and Emily Peters – who also earned her third individual Finals title in the 300 hurdles.
“We ran pretty well at the Lansing Honor Roll Tuesday night,” Lincoln said. “It’s such an awesome event. It really gets us ready, because you’re running against some of the best teams in the state, regardless of class. And we got a lot of kids on the podium that night, so we knew we had good shots today.
“Just so proud of these girls for doing what they do.”
Another multiple-event winner was sophomore Addyson Stiverson of Montrose. She took both the shot put and discus titles, after winning shot put last year as well.
“I think it was me developing from last year,” Stiverson said. “I was only a freshman, barely even 15 (years old). My confidence was about the same, but I think I just matured more.
“I prefer the shot put. But I like how it’s more just you. You against you. You can only do what you can do. Nothing else changes what you do.”
Giuliana Nastale, a junior at Erie Mason, won the 100-meter dash in 12.47 seconds and the 200 in 25.68.
“I was very nervous going into this today,” she said soon after stepping off the podium. “I saw everyone’s times, and I was seeded first but it was all so close. So, I was thinking all the time, I’ve got to go, just go. I was so happy, but a little surprised, honestly. Winning meets with my team is a lot more fun. I love this, being here, but I’d rather it be a team win.”
PHOTOS (Top) Onsted's Emmry Ross pulls away during one of her race championships Saturday in Kent City. (Middle) Olivet's Emily Peters clears a hurdle on her way to a third championship in the 300. (Click for more from RunMichigan.com.)