Through the Years: Girls Track & Field 1973-2015

June 30, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Athletes from all over Michigan converge on either the Grand Rapids area or Kingsford each spring to celebrate the end of girls track & field season at one of seven MHSAA Finals in the sport. 

Ann Arbor Pioneer and Marquette are among the first to come to mind when it comes to champions. But few if any sports award as many individuals from such a variety of hometowns each year. 

Check out below our recent feature on the tournament's history from our spring issue of benchmarks, built and written by Rob Kaminski, and scroll to the bottom of the page for a link to our first installments. We'll look at more MHSAA postseason events every Tuesday and Friday throughout this summer. 


Previous installments 

July 1: Baseball - Read
June 28:
 Softball - 
Read

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.)