Fowler Girls Add Team Title 12, Addison's Brown Wins 3 to Double Career Count

By Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com

May 31, 2025

HUDSONVILLE – Addison’s Molly Brown lunged toward the finish line, dropped her head and quickly realized she had run her final race.

The senior standout wrapped up a stellar high school career by winning her last event Saturday, the 300 hurdles, and capped the day with three individual championships at the Lower Peninsula Division 4 Finals at Baldwin Middle School.

“I was thinking about it before the race, and I was like, ‘This is it. let’s make it count,’” Brown said. “I crossed the finish line knowing it wasn’t one of my best races of the season, but I crossed the finish line and my immediate thought was, ‘Thank you God,’ because He’s gotten me here.”

Brown also won the 100 hurdles for the third straight year and the 100 dash, while finishing third in the long jump.

She ended with six career Finals individual titles.

“For me to win three state titles my senior year, I’m just so thankful,” Brown said. “I’m a super competitive person and so I never want to lose, and I wanted to win all four. But this was the best long jump final that I’ve ever seen at this state meet, so I’m happy with my third (place).”

Fowler put forth another dominating effort to win the team title for the second-straight year. The Eagles racked up 70 points for the convincing victory.

Fowler's Ella Hufnagel, far left, faces against Alcona's Addi Beaty and Saginaw Nouvel's Claire Long, among others, in the 200 final. Frankfort, which won a pair of relays (400 and 800), placed runner-up with 43 points. Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep edged Addison by one point to take third.

“Last year I didn't share with them that much as far as seed, but this year I was straight up with them and told them we were seeded with a little bit of a lead and so let's go build on it and the finish will take care of itself,” Fowler coach Neil Hufnagel said. “I think we felt more relaxed and had more fun today than we did last year.

“We had four tremendous seniors who all have high goals and expectations for themselves in everything they do, and they really took our team from the start of the year and gave them that leadership and motivation that we needed to get to a high level at the state meet.”

Senior Ella Hufnagel (also Neil’s daughter) was the lone event winner for the Eagles, leaping to a victory in the long jump.

“Our coach said he was going to be more open with us about the seeding,” she said. “And at practice he said that the target was going to be on us, but we should use that as confidence and go out and race like we do every week. We don't have to do anything special to make it happen.”

Fowler’s depth played a major factor, especially in the sprint relays as they placed runner-up in the 400 and 800.

“Ella had a great day, and what freed her up to run four high-quality individual events is tremendous depth on our team,” Neil Hufnagel said. “It’s as much a credit to our sprint corps that could cover the relays and place high in the sprint relays without her and free her up to score team points where we could best use her.”

Fowler now has won 12 Finals team titles.

“Our underclassmen stepped up huge for us, and I’m pleased with how I did,” Ella Hufnagel said. “No better way to go out than ending on back-to-back championships, and to do it with my dad as my coach … I’m forever grateful.”

Mason County Central senior Payton Haynes repeated as champion in the pole vault (10-3), while Johannesburg-Lewiston senior Allie Nowak also made it back-to-back titles with a victory in the 800 (2:18.45).

Unionville-Sebewaing junior Layla Bolzman won the 200 for the second-straight year with a time of 25.74 seconds, and Whitmore Lake sophomore Kaylie Livingston cruised to a repeat win in the 3,200 (11:03.47).

Hillsdale Academy, which took fifth as a team, won the 1,600 and 3,200 relays.

Click for full results.

PHOTOS (Top) Addison's Molly Brown, second from right, crosses the finish line first in the 100 hurdles championship race at Baldwin Middle School. (Middle) Fowler's Ella Hufnagel, far left, faces against Alcona's Addi Beatty and Saginaw Nouvel's Claire Long, among others, in the 200 final. (Click for more from RunMichigan.com.)

Performance of the Week: Saginaw Swan Valley's Sydney Kuhn

May 16, 2025

Sydney Kuhn headshotSydney Kuhn ♦ Saginaw Swan Valley
Senior ♦ Track & Field

The reigning Lower Peninsula Division 2 Finals champion in the 200 and 400-meter races, Kuhn is undefeated across those two events and also the 100, 800 and 300 hurdles this spring. She ran the state's fastest 300 hurdles time this season (42.06) during last week's Tri-Valley Conference Red championship meet, winning that race by seven seconds, and she also won the 200 (24.63) by more than three seconds and ran on the first-place 1,600 relay.

Kuhn's top 400 time (53.90) also is the state's fastest in that event this season, and her best 800 (2:08.73) ranks second. She's planning to run the 200, 400, 300 hurdles and as part of the 1,600 relay at Friday's Regional at Cadillac, and notably also posted a combined three top-six Finals finishes as a freshman and a sophomore despite suffering stress fractures (one in each foot) during those first two high school seasons. Kuhn also played volleyball all four years of high school and basketball during her first two, earning all-state honorable mention and academic all-state in volleyball and all-league honorable mention in hoops. She will continue academically and on the track at University of Michigan, and intends to major in kinesiology as she studies to become a physician assistant.

@mhsaasports 🏃‍♀️‍➡️POW: Sydney Kuhn #track #undefeated #5events #swanvalley #vikings #part1 #highschoolsports #tiktalk #interview #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA

@mhsaasports 🏃‍♀️‍➡️POW: Sydney Kuhn #sourpatchkids #spaghetti #chipotle #cryinglaughing #criminalminds #juggle #part2 #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey

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Previous 2024-25 honorees

May 8: Ryan Bosch, Fruitport baseball - Report
May 1:
Jackson Lam, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix track & field - Report
April 25:
Isabelle Horvath, Bangor softball - Report
April 18:
Presley Jones, Sterling Heights Stevenson soccer - Report
April 11:
Olivia Jasniewicz, Troy soccer - Report
March 27:
Katie Spicer, Fowler basketball - Report 
March 21:
Moses & Markus Blackwell; Warren Lincoln basketball - Report
March 13: Keyshawn Summerville, Lansing Sexton basketball - Report
March 6: 
Maggie Buurma, Fowlerville wrestling - Report
Feb. 28: 
Maren Studt, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep skiing - Report
Feb. 21: 
Olive Krueger, Marquette swimming - Report
Feb. 14: 
Hunter Lemmon, Fraser swimming - Report
Feb. 7: 
Aubrey Hillard, Rochester competitive cheer - Report
Jan. 31: 
Wyatt Spalo, Reed City wrestling - Report
Jan. 24: 
Olivia Flynn, Harbor Springs basketball - Report
Jan. 17: 
Levi Rozema, Holland Christian swimming - Report
Jan. 10: 
McRecco McFadden, Burton Bentley basketball - Report
Dec. 18: 
Nash Leonard, Bay City Western hockey - Report
Dec. 11: 
Blake Cosby, Dundee wrestling - Report
Dec. 4: 
Keaton Hendricks, Zeeland West football - Report
Nov. 29: 
Kate Simon, East Grand Rapids swimming - Report
Nov. 22: 
Ella Kokaly, Essexville Garber volleyball - Report
Nov. 15: 
Caroline Bryan, Grosse Pointe South swimming - Report
Nov. 8: 
Kaylie Livingston, Whitmore Lake cross country - Report
Oct. 25: 
Oliver Caldwell, Grand Rapids West Catholic tennis - Report
Oct. 18: 
Alex Graham, Detroit Cass Tech football - Report
Oct. 11: 
Victoria Garces, Midland Dow cross country - Report
Oct. 4: 
Asher Clark, Bay City John Glenn soccer - Report
Sept. 26: 
Campbell Flynn, Farmington Hills Mercy volleyball - Report
Sept. 19: 
TJ Hansen, Freeland cross country - Report
Sept. 12: 
Jordan Peters, Grayling soccer - Report
Sept. 6: 
Gabe Litzner, Sault Ste. Marie cross country - Report
Aug. 30:
 Grace Slocum, Traverse City St. Francis golf - Report