Re-focused Hanson Ready to Climb Again
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
April 6, 2018
By most any standard, Alexandra Hanson had a tremendous junior track season.
The Brown City star didn’t lose a 100, 200 or 400-meter race in a dual or tri meet, and only finished lower than second twice prior to the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 3 championships, where she was all-state in all three events – fifth in the 200 and 400, and eighth in the 100.
That great season was not up to the standards of one very important person, however – Hanson – and not just because she was coming off a sophomore season that saw her win a Division 4 title in the 400 and finish second in the 200.
“I just feel like I should have at least improved a little from my previous year, and I didn’t,” said Hanson, who didn’t match any of her personal records as a junior. “I know that was because I didn’t do anything during the winter. I was just super naive about it. I thought, ‘I won a state championship, I can just do it next year.’ I definitely had the completely wrong mindset. I think I got comfortable and was not pushing myself like I should have.
“I’m trying to take it as a lesson learned. Take it as a positive.”
Hanson’s disappointment has fueled her this offseason, as she looks to finish her high school career strong and transition to Saginaw Valley State University, where she will run collegiately.
While the Green Devils don’t have a meet scheduled until April 10, and practices have been hampered by early-spring weather, the difference in Hanson can already be seen by those who know her best.
“When she won the state, she didn’t run again until we started track practice the next year, and right in the middle of track season, she got a really bad cold and missed two or three meets,” Brown City coach Don Twiss said. “When you’re an elite runner, you have to stay at that training level, you can’t afford to take that amount of time off. I’m excited about her this year, just because her motivation seems to be totally different this year.”
Hanson spent much of her summer going through workouts she had taken from the Saginaw Valley coaching staff and her other college visits. She ran cross country for Brown City in the fall, and in the winter she continued to run, albeit mostly on a treadmill.
“I feel like I’m in better shape than where I was a year ago,” Hanson said. “Every time I’m like, ‘I don’t feel like running today,’ I tell myself, ‘Well, you don’t want to be like last year.’”
Hanson’s success this season won’t be measured in how many times she crosses the finish line first – although if she is successful in meeting her goals, she’ll do that plenty.
She’s eyeing her personal best times – 58.03 seconds in the 400, 26.01 in the 200 and 12.71 in the 100 – meaning she’ll spend most of her season running against the clock. Fortunately for her, this is something she’s grown accustomed to, as many of her races aren’t particularly close throughout the season.
“It’s hard, especially when you’re in meets where you don’t have someone pushing you,” she said. “It’s definitely hard when you’re racing against the clock. I’m not the most personally motivated person, so my dad has to be standing there at around the 300-meter mark, and he has to scream at me. That motivates me. I have to have someone there motivating me.”
She also has her eye on a new race, as at Saginaw Valley the plan is for her to transition to middle distance and add the 800 meters to her repertoire. She ran it once as a junior, and will try it a little more this season as opportunities present themselves.
“I still think (team) points wise, I’m going to have to run the 200,” Hanson said. “But I’ll definitely run (the 800) more than last year. I’ll be able to run it more because my sister (Juliana) is here now, and she’s fast, too, so she’ll be able to take over the 100.”
Hanson is excited about the transition to middle distance, as she said the 400 has been her favorite race since she was in middle school. She’s also self aware, and said she has a better chance to get her 400 and 800 times to a level where she can compete in college, as opposed to her 100 and 200 times.
“Coming from a small town, the shorter distances I did really well in, so that’s what I did,” she said. “I talked to college coaches, and they started explaining what most 400 runners do – they go up.”
Twiss believes the potential is there for Hanson to transition to the 800 and be successful. He also believes the 400 is where she’s at her best, and that could lead to another trip to the top of the MHSAA podium in June.
“She’s like a gazelle when she gets out there and goes,” he said. “She’s such a natural middle sprinter, or like I call them, long sprints. She’s capable of running an upper 56-second (400 meters). If she does that, that will win it.”
Paul Costanzo served as a sportswriter at The Port Huron Times Herald from 2006-15, including three years as lead sportswriter, and prior to that as sports editor at the Hillsdale Daily News from 2005-06. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Brown City’s Alexandra Hanson pulls away from a pack of runners during a race last season. (Middle) Hanson sprints down the stretch. (Photos courtesy of the Brown City girls track & field program.)
Preview: UP Girls Finals Paced By Parade of Returning Champions
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 28, 2026
More than two-thirds of last season’s individual champions – winners in 28 of 39 events – will return Saturday to fill out a star-studded lineup at the Upper Peninsula Girls Track & Field Finals.
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 Girls 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: Negaunee is the reigning champion and has won two of the last four Division 1 titles – and might have their most dominant team of this recent run. The Miners scored 105.5 points to win their Regional by 70, while Marquette – last year’s Finals runner-up, won theirs by 22 points over Gladstone. Negaunee outscored Marquette 155-109 at the top of last year’s meet.
Baylie Bourdeau, Negaunee senior: The reigning discus champion will throw for a repeat after finishing third at her Regional, and also will compete in shot put.
Ella Brackett, Gladstone sophomore: She debuted last season in a big way winning the 200 and finishing second in the 400, and she enters this weekend with the third-fastest Regional 100 (13.03) and second-fastest 200 (26.48) and 400 (1:03.24).
Ella Fure, Marquette senior: She’s twice won the 3,200 (including last season) and finished first in the 1,600 once as well, and enters with the fastest seed times in those races (11:56.38 and 5:36.68, respectively) and the 800 (2:28.76).
Maggie Karl, Gladstone sophomore: She has a chance to star entering top-seeded in the pole vault (10-7), tied for the top seed in the high jump (4-10) and fourth in the 100 hurdles.
Sadie Rogers, Negaunee junior: She swept the hurdles titles last season and won the 100 hurdles as a freshman as well, and she has the top seed time in the 100 hurdles (16.24) and 300 hurdles (47.63) and fourth-fastest in the 200.
Taylen Todd, Marquette junior: The reigning long jump champion had the second-farthest at Regionals (16-5) and also could run on two top-seeded relays.
Keira Waterman, Negaunee junior: She’s won the 400 and 800 both of her first two seasons and is seeded first in the 400 (1:02.02), fifth in the 800, seventh in the 200 and third in long jump (15-4).
Division 2
Team forecast: Pickford’s championship last spring was its first since winning Division 3 in 2007, and Rudyard will seek to be next to make a jump as it pursues its first Finals team title since 1977 after finishing 12 points ahead of Pickford at their Regional. West Iron County and Ewen-Trout Creek were 1-2 in another close Regional. The Wykons were only three points behind Pickford at last year’s Final and have finished runners-up three of the last four seasons after winning the title in 2021.
Lauren Adams, Norway senior: She won the 100 and 200 last season and is seeded first in both (13.17 and 27.73, respectively) and second in the 400 (1:03.09).
Brielle Anderson, Painesdale Jeffers junior: The reigning long jump champion had the longest Regional leap (14-10) and also will run the 100.
Amelia Fountain, Rudyard sophomore: She finished first in the 400, tied for second in pole vault, third in the 200 and fourth in the 100 last season and enters this weekend seeded second in the 100 (13.19) and 200 (28.03), first in the 400 (1:02.28) and fourth in the pole vault.
Mira Johnson, Bark River-Harris junior: She’s won the pole vault the last two seasons at 8 foot, which was also her Regional vault this month that is ranked second in Division 2.
Talya Schreiber, Pickford senior: She’s won five individual and a relay championship over the last two seasons, claiming the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 a year ago. She’s seeded this time first in the 800 (2:31.23) by five seconds, first in the 1,600 by more than 16 seconds and first in the 3,200 by nearly two minutes.
Bristol Shamion, West Iron County sophomore: She swept the hurdles races and won high jump as a freshman and is seeded second in the 100 hurdles (17.83), first in the 300 (48.52), fifth in the 200 and first in the high jump (5-2).
Division 3
Team forecast: Newberry was first and Lake Linden-Hubbell second last year, reversing their positions from 2024, and LL-H is a Regional champion this time while Newberry finished second to Brimley earlier this month. LL-H will turn to its relays to make a run at another team title, while Newberry’s distance dominance should keep it in contention and Brimley has interesting possibilities especially in field events, hurdles and relays. Dollar Bay and Crystal Falls Forest Park also have scoring opportunities in several events.
Laila Bell, Dollar Bay junior: Last season’s long jump champion tied for the longest leap (16-0) at Regionals and will run on a contending 400 relay.
Destiny Bleau, Big Bay de Noc sophomore: She’s won the 200 the last two seasons (including as an eighth grader in 2024) and is seeded first in that race (26.12) plus the 100 (12.83) and 400 (1:00.87). She’s also seeded third (tied) in the high jump at 5-0.
Kiera Isaacson, Dollar Bay senior: She’s won the high jump the last two seasons and her 5-2 at Regionals was tied for highest in Division 3. She will join Bell on the 400 relay.
Tallulah Slabosheski, Brimley senior: She swept the throws as a junior and enters this weekend with the second-seeded shot put (32-2½) and top discus toss (115-8) .
Abby Taylor, Newberry junior: She won the 800 and was second in the 1,600 and 3,200 to her sister Samantha (see below) last season. She’s seeded first in the 800 (2:29.68) and second to her sister in the 1,600 (5:44.72) and 3,200 (12:41.50) this time.
Samantha Taylor, Newberry senior: After claiming two straight championships in the 1,600 and adding the 3,200 win last spring, she’ll enter her last Finals seeded first in both at 5:18.58 and 11:45.51, respectively.
Avery Visnaw, St. Ignace senior: The reigning pole vault champion ascended 10 feet at Regionals to outpace the division by a foot, and she’s also seeded third in the 100 hurdles (17.28) and fourth in the 300.
PHOTOS (Top) West Iron County's Bristol Shamion wins the high jump with a jump of 5-0 during the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference championship meet May 20. (Middle) From left, Crystal Falls Forest Park's Audrey Williams, Marquette's Emma Ziegler and Negaunee's Keira Waterman run the 800 at the Negaunee Lions Invitational on May 8. Waterman took first place, Williams second and Marquette's Ziegler took third. (Photos by Cara Kamps.)