Waverly Paces 1st-Time Winners in D2
By
Tom Markowski
Special for Second Half
June 4, 2016
ZEELAND – Quite possibly the most diminutive athlete at the Lower Peninsula Division 2 Track & Field Finals on Saturday, sophomore Kayla Windemuller of Holland Christian twice fell to the track at Zeeland Stadium and twice got back on her feet, kept her composure and finished the 3,200-meter run before anyone else.
About an hour earlier, Windemuller won her first individual MHSAA championship, in the 1,600 run.
Nikole Sargent of Flint Powers Catholic also was a double winner taking first in the shot put and the discus. Sargent won the shot put last season as a junior, but said going into this meet that the discus event was a priority. Sargent failed to place in the discus a year ago, fueling her motivation.
Although Tra’chele Roberts of Lansing Waverly took home only one individual first-place medal, her performances helped her team earn the school’s first MHSAA Finals team championship, as it edged second-place Powers, 42 points to 40. Romulus was third with 31 points, followed by Grand Rapids South Christian with 26 and Zeeland East with 24.
Roberts won the 100 dash (12.55) and ran anchor on the winning 400 and 800 relay teams. The 400 relay set a school record with a time of 48.7.
Warriors coach Rex Wilkes, a Waverly graduate, is in his second season running the program and said he kept Roberts, one of three sophomores on the relay teams, out of the 200 dash in an attempt to save her for the relays.
“We didn’t expect this,” Wilkes said. “I was hoping to come out with some fast times. We got some unexpected points in the shot put. Tra’chele can score points on her own. The others can score in the Regionals and run in the relays.”
The other three athletes on the relay teams were sophomores Jazlynn Wilcox and Maya Garrett, and junior Teaghan Thomas.
“It’s very exciting,” Thomas said. “I’ve been at states three times. We’ve been together since the seventh grade. The same girls ran on the relays, and in the same order.”
Thomas led off, followed by Wilcox, Garrett and Roberts.
Last season Waverly also took first in the 400 relay, but no individual placed among the top eight in the 100 dash.
To Wilkes’ point, another factor in the Warriors; breakthrough took place in the field events. Sophomore Malin Smith was sixth after the preliminaries, then moved up to second with a final put of 42 feet. Smith also took fifth in the discus, an event in which she was seeded seventh.
Windemuller was seeded first and third, respectively, in the 1,600 and 3,200 runs, so it’s not surprising she ran well Saturday. She did place seventh in the 3,200 and eighth in the 1,600 last season, so there was some valuable experience gained there.
No one could predict the events that took place and the circumstances that led to her taking first in both this time.
Windemuller, who said she’s 5-foot-1, won the 1,600 (4:58.9) in rather mundane fashion, at least in comparison to her 3,200 trip. She held off a late charge by junior Christina Sawyer of Tecumseh (5:00.2) in a tight race indeed – and Windemuller had to work for it.
“”It made me super nervous knowing she was close by,” Windemuller said. “I was very tired. I gave it everything I had.”
That was small potatoes compared to her extraordinary effort in the 3,200. With approximately two laps remaining Windemuller, Sawyer and junior Erika Freyhof of Hamilton were bunched together at the front. Suddenly, all three fell.
“I got up as quickly as I could,” Windemuller said. “I was still tired from running the (1,600). … I felt so bad. It was like dominos.”
The second spill took place with just over a lap remaining.
“I was in front,” Windemuller said. “When you go down you have to get yourself back up. It was a great learning experience.
“I’m small, but I’m feisty.”
Her time was 10:59.52.
Courageous athletes dotted the green artificial surface, home to both football teams at Zeeland East and Zeeland West. One competitor, in particular, is a multi-sport athlete who played four years of varsity basketball and was a two-sport athlete during the spring season.
Haley Hoogenraad of Zeeland West is one of the state’s top softball players. She will play for coach Carol Hutchins next year at University of Michigan. Hoogenraad competed in the 3,200 relay Saturday morning, then changed uniforms in a car as she was driven to Holland Christian to play in a Division 2 District Semifinal. West lost that noon game to Hudsonville Unity Christian, 12-4, allowing Hoogenraad to get back in a car to be driven back to Zeeland for the 800 run.
Hoogenraad was not just a qualifier in the event. She was seeded first, and as the race unfolded she moved up from fifth place to second with 200 meters left. Hoogenraad grew tired and placed fourth.
“I slid a few times and dove for a few balls,” Hoogenraad said of her time on the softball diamond. “I was dirty. I’m sad of the outcomes, but I tried. I tried to make my move (in the 800) and I said, oh, I can’t. I’m glad I had the opportunity to support my team.”
That would be teams.
PHOTOS: (Top) Lansing Waverly's Tra’chele Roberts runs a relay anchor leg for the Warriors, who went on to win the LP Division 2 championship. (Middle) Holland Christian's Kayla Windemuller. (Photos by Dave McCauley/RunMichigan.com.)
Memorable Debut Ignites Massey's Inspiring Impact on Adaptive Athletics
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
May 7, 2025
STURGIS – Very few high school track & field athletes have an opportunity to finish their freshman seasons the way Sturgis' Vivian Massey did last spring.
Massey, now a sophomore, won the adaptive shot put championship last spring at the Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals at East Kentwood. She took first with a personal-best and Finals-record throw of 12 foot, 7 inches, using a 4-kilogram (8.82-pound) ball).
"Getting a state record throw is really cool, but being able to show others that something like that is possible for an adaptive athlete is even better," Massey said.
Sturgis has been one of the pioneer programs in the state as participation by adaptive athletes increases in the sport. The Trojans are led by the husband and wife duo of JB and Lesley Starkey; JB serves as Sturgis' head boys coach, while Lesley guides the girls team.
Former Sturgis athlete Jillian Romanyk, a 2023 graduate, won LP Division 2 Finals titles her senior year in the shot put (13-7) and 100-meter dash (30.53) competing in a wheelchair.
Massey has the condition achondroplasia, a genetic disorder that causes the most common form of dwarfism. It affects the growth plates in bones, resulting in abnormal bone growth and shortened limbs.
"I used to play soccer up until I was in fifth or sixth grade. But by then everyone became taller and faster than me, so I just stopped. I thought I was done competing in sports then,” said Massey, who hopes to one day study forensic psychology in college. “It just feels really good to still be able to compete. Our track family here at Sturgis is really close, and we are all there for each other. Eventually I'd like to try throwing the discus as well. I'd like to throw in college, but who knows if that will happen or not."
Vivian grew up around track & field. Her older sister Hannah, a 2020 Sturgis graduate, and brother Alex (2024) were both throwers for the Trojans.
"When I was in eighth grade I started throwing with them during the indoor season and continued with it into high school. It just seemed like a good fit for me," Vivian explained.
There were a few adjustments Massey had to make when she began competing in outdoor track her freshman year, but having her older brother in the Sturgis program with her was an immense help.
"The experience of competing wasn't that new to me when I reached high school, but the outdoor season took a little getting used to. Having my brother and a few of his friends right there to help me was very helpful," she said.
Massey excelled and qualified for the Finals as a freshman after winning her Regional competition.
"It was a very cool experience and a lot of fun qualifying for and winning state. It's still kind of a shock to me when I pause a minute and think about what I accomplished that day. I never expected to win state," Massey said.
She is looking forward to another strong finish this season.
"I really want to get first at Regionals and qualify for state again and hopefully keep improving my performance," Massey said. "The biggest thing I'm working on right now is to not get so nervous and inside my own head. I like to listen to music to help keep me calm before I throw. It helps me focus and block out everything else that's going on around me."
Lesley Starkey, a Title I elementary teacher at Congress School in Sturgis, feels Massey's involvement will have a far-reaching effect on the track & field program and with others long after she graduates.
"Just from a general athlete and seeing what Vivian does is amazing. What she doesn't realize is how impactful she's going to be down the road,” Starkey said. “I have a student at Congress with only one arm. She could be one of our next adaptive athletes, and I'd love to have her come out for our team. So helping other athletes see that they have an opportunity to compete in the adaptive category like Vivian does is huge in the long term. Just by her work ethic and coming out here and competing when it can sometimes be intimidating, is a big contribution to our program and others around the state during her four years here and beyond as well."
Massey’s participation has inspired opposing athletes as well.
"JB and I were at a meet last season in Quincy. Vivian wasn't competing, but Athens had a blind athlete and their coaches weren't even aware that the adaptive category existed at the state level. We spoke with them and told them to make sure she went on to compete at the Regional and the state level,” Starkey said.
“Right now there are four events that adaptive athletes can compete in. They are the 100-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter dashes, and the shot put. The girl from Athens was able to do that and she became a multi-state champion in Division 4."
Massey’s personal-best in the shot put during the indoor season is 15 feet, 3 inches, using a 2 kilogram (4.41 pound) ball.
JB Starkey, a physical education teacher at Sturgis High School, credits her commitment to a weight training program for helping her increase her strength and consistency this season.
"I learn lessons in the weight room every day. I make mistakes with things that Vivian can't do. I'm the one that has to make adjustments so we are making adaptions with her weight training, shot put throwing and even our physical education classes to service her the best that we can,” he said. “She's very flexible and understanding of our mistakes. We're learning over time and getting much better about it.”
Massey had to overcome several physical challenges before she was able to throw effectively.
"So with achondroplasia, I have little or no cartilage in my joints. For example, I can write an essay but it would take more time for me than it would other kids because I'd have to take breaks and let my wrists rest,” Massey said. “I wear a wrist strap in the shot put that helps stabilize my wrist when I'm throwing. I also use J-Hooks to help with my grip when weightlifting in doing reps with the bar. I'm strong enough to hold and do the motion, but my hands can't hold onto the weight.”
Kelly Massey, Vivian's mother, stated that her daughter's condition has never deterred her from accomplishing daily tasks or continuing her athletic career.
"Vivian has to figure out a different way to do everything she does in life, like reaching the kitchen cabinets. Everything is a struggle, but she just makes it happen,” Kelly Massey said. “She started in soccer and we thought her sports career was over, but the Starkeys have done a great job keeping her involved and giving her all the opportunities they possibly can. They truly love this sport, and they will do whatever it takes to get kids participating.”
Alex Massey remembers how Vivian became involved in throwing as an eighth grader.
"During the offseason, a small group of us throwers would come up to the school and throw, and Vivian started coming up there with us. She fell in love with it, and the Starkeys have been with her all the way. Being able to work with her some I think helped keep her motivated," Alex Massey said.
"It was pretty emotional to see Vivian up there throwing at the state meet. She holds herself to a very high standard, and it’s just amazing to see the door that she's opened for other athletes."
Scott Hassinger is a contributing sportswriter for Leader Publications and previously served as the sports editor for the Three Rivers Commercial-News from 1994-2022. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Vivian Massey competes in the adaptive shot put during last season’s Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals. (Middle) Sturgis High School track & field coaches Leslie and JB Starkey stand for a photo during a Trojans' practice last week. (Below) Massey, right, receives congratulations from Fenton’s Molly Katic, left in wheelchair, following last year’s Finals shot put competition at East Kentwood. (Finals photos provided by JB Starkey. Coaches photo by Scott Hassinger.)