Moment: Michell Comes Back to Win 4 Again
April 23, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Only 12 athletes in MHSAA history have won four individual events at a Track & Field Finals.
This week we'll recall three, starting with one of only three to achieve the rare accomplishment twice.
Reed City's Sami Michell had won four championships as a junior in 2012 at the Lower Peninsula Division 3 Finals. But she faced another major challenge before taking to the track in 2013 -- she had torn her left ACL during the fall's volleyball season and was finishing recovery as spring began.
But what a comeback. She didn't break any of her three Division 3 Finals records set in 2012 (and she still holds all three including the all-Finals record in the 300 hurdles). But she did repeat winning the 200-meter dash, 100 and 300 hurdles and long jump, single-handedly scoring 40 points to make Reed City the team runner-up.
Those four titles gave her 12 individual Finals championships for her career.
“I don’t know how I did it again,” Michell said after the races that day. “This has been the worst year with the knee surgery and losing out on volleyball and all the indoor track meets. Then we had awful weather, and it was hard to get ready this spring.
“But I never gave up hope on winning four more titles. Even when the injury happened, I never said I was done. The toughest part of this was the physical part. Mentally it was depressing. (But) I have supportive parents, family and friends help me work through it.”
Michell went on to run at University of Michigan and then her final collegiate season at Cal State-Northridge.
Click to check out full coverage of her 2013 Finals from Second Half and see her winning races below from the NFHS Network.
Taylor Sisters, Nwose Key Newberry's Title Run, Jokela Caps Famed Career
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
June 1, 2025
KINGSFORD — The Taylor sisters have been a mainstay for the Newberry girls track & field team throughout this season.
They provided more than half of their team’s scoring here Saturday, helping Newberry gain its first Upper Peninsula Division 3 Finals championship in a decade with 84 points.
Runner-up Lake Linden-Hubbell scored 76 points, and third-place Stephenson had 52.
“This is also the first time our boys and girls won together, which is very exciting,” said Newberry coach Cori Canfield. “We’re going to lose some good seniors, but we’ll have some good freshmen coming in. I’m optimistic about the next 2-3 years. You prepare the kids for this all year, then it’s up to them to execute the plan.”
Junior Samantha Taylor set a U.P. Finals record in the 1,600-meter run in 5:08.47, shaving nearly 6½ seconds off last year’s record time (5:14.9).
Earlier, she established a school record in the 3,200 (11:42), and sophomore Abby Taylor took the 800 (2:26.71).
“I really wanted to try my hardest in the mile, which is my strongest event, and work hard in the other races, and it paid off,” Samantha Taylor said. “This makes me feel more confident in my training and gives me a little momentum going into the cross country season. Being supported by my teammates and coaches is definitely a highlight. Going into my senior year gives me more motivation because it’s my last year.”
She anchored Newberry to a runner-up finish in the 1,600 relay (4:29.54) and Abby Taylor was runner-up in the open 1,600 (5:30.82) and 3,200 (12:35.24). In the 3,200 relay, Abby anchored the third-place finisher (10:38.89).
Senior teammate Adanne Nwose won the 100 (12.91), and Lake Linden-Hubbell senior Emily Jokela edged Big Bay de Noc freshman Destiny Bleau on a lean for second place (12.95).
“I worked on my starts this week,” Nwose said. “I was really nervous coming in here. I wasn’t supposed to win the 100, which made for added pressure. It was very nerve-wracking. I didn’t think I had won. There were two people to my right. It was crazy close. I’ve been getting under 13 seconds in the past few meets. I would have been very disappointed if I hadn’t gone under 13 today.”
Bleau won the 200 in a meet and school-record 26.02, followed by Rapid River senior Emma Sundling (26.86) and Nwose (26.93).
“I feel pretty good about it,” Bleau said. “It’s a good way to end the season. There were a lot of schools here I hadn’t seen before. I’d say I had good starts. I think this is something I can learn from.”
Her meet record in the 200, topped the previous best (26.36) by Jamie Dompier of Chassell from 2013.
Jokela, a Grand Valley State recruit, became a triple-winner by taking the 100 hurdles (15.98), 300s (46.46) and 400 (59.84).
“I think the competition draws the best out of me,” she said. “They (Newberry) are a bigger school. We’re happy with where we finished. My starts were pretty good. I think this will give me more motivation to work hard for next year.”
Dollar Bay junior Kiera Isaacson won high jump with a school-record leap of 5-4, and sophomore teammate Laila Bell claimed long jump (15-7) and placed third in pole vault (8-0).
Stephenson junior Faith Cappaert took second in the 800 (2:28.6) and third in the 400 (1:02.35) and 1,600 (5:48.01), and anchored the winning 3,200 relay (10:24.35).
Brimley junior Tallulah Slabosheski captured shot put (33-6½) and discus (109-9).
PHOTOS (Top) Newberry's Adanne Nwose (center) wins the 100 dash by four hundredths of a second over Lake Linden Hubbell's Emily Jokela (far left). (Middle) Lake Linden-Hubbell's Ella Schneiderhan hands off the baton to Payton Goldsworthy and St. Ignace's Jillian Fraser hands off to Gwen Kellan in the 800 relay Saturday. St. Ignace went on to win the race with Chloe Bigger and Tayah Shepard also running legs. (Click for more from Cara Kamps/RunMichigan.com.)