MICHIGAN STATE MEET

DaDamio, Hough Win Division 1 Titles At Michigan Speedway; VanderKooi Wins Third Title With Fastest Time

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Running in an unprecdented format at Michigan Speedway, where championship races were split into two-wave finals, Audrey DaDamio of Birmingham Seaholm and Riley Hough of Hartland outlasted the competition and won MHSAA Division 1 titles on Friday. 

With her chief competition, Rachel Forsyth of Ann Arbor Pioneer and Julia Flynn of Traverse City Central, running in the other section, DaDamio had to essentially race the clock and then hope for the best. She ran 17:46.0 and finished one spot above her older sister, Rachel, who was the runner-up in 2014.

Forsyth, following in the footsteps of her older sister, Anne, helped Pioneer retain the team championship with 129 points. 

Underscoring the unfortunate nature of the two-section final due to a COVID restriction on race sizes, Hobbs Kessler of Ann Arbor Skyline ran the third-fastest time meet history with 14:51.7 in the first D1 race. Hough, a junior, then stepped up and chased that time with and won with 14:49.65 -- second only to the legendary Dathan Ritzenhein's 14.10.4 from 2000.

Zander Cobb, fifth, led Romeo to the team title with 124 points. 

In Division 2, Nathan Walker led Fremont to its second consecutive title with a decisive victory in 15:19.3. Pinckney runers Caleb Jarema (15:42.9) and Gavin White (15:50.0) went 2-3 but Fremont's overall depth carried the Packers to the championship with 61 points. 

Likewise, Petoskey got the celebrate doubly with individual winner Emma Squires taking the win in 17:54.5 and the team edging out East Grand Rapids, 68-79. 

Benzie Central's Hunter Jones, undoubtedly one of the best runners in Michigan and one of the top sophomores in the United States, cruised through the Division 3 boys race in a winning time of 15:28.9 for his second consecutive state title. 

After two years and two titles in Division 4, Abby VanderKooi of Muskego Western Michigan Christian won the Division 3 title in 17:12.5 -- fastest of any girl in the two-day meet. The Foot Locker finalist, who was third in San Diego in 2019, was 53 seconds faster than second-place finisher Alyson Enns, a freshman from Hart. Enns was the first of four finishers in the top 10 for Hart, which won the team title with 59 points.

Senior Coleman Clark was the overall winner and led Carson City-Crystal to the team title in Division 4, clocking 15:58.5. Makenna Scott from Maple City Glen Lake won the D4 girls title in 19:30.2. The Lansing Christian girls put three in the top 12 on the way to a team victory with 93 points. 

On Oct. 24, at Presque Isle Park in Marquette, Jaron Wyma of Sault Ste. Marie and Paige Sleeman from Houghton won the D1 Upper Peninsula finals. 

Sleeman's Houghton teammates came through as the team edged Marquette 56-58. Marquette's boys scored 38 points to win.

At the George Young Golf Course, the Ishpeming boys went 1-2-3-5-6-10-12 for 17 points to dominate the D2 final. Silas Broberg won the boys race in 20:24.8. Ironwood's Aundrea Stangard won the girls race in 23:28.1.

At Picture Rocks Golf Course, the Dollar Bay boys and Munising girls won the D3 team titles. Jonah Nordine from Ewen Trout Creek won the boys race in 17:34.9; Daisey Englund from Rock Mid-Peninsula was the girls individual champion in 21.16.4.

Team Champions

Lower Peninsula (Nov. 6-7)

Division 1 - Romeo boys 124 points, Ann Arbor Pioneer girls 129 points - RESULTS

Division 2 - Fremont boys 61 points, Petoskey girls 68 points - RESULTS

Division 3 - St. Louis boys 103 points, Hart girls 59 points - RESULTS

Division 4 - Carson City-Crystal boys 157 points, Lansing Christian 93 points - RESULTS

Upper Peninsula (Oct. 24)

Division 1 - Marquette boys 38 points, Houghton girls 56 points - RESULTS

Division 2 - Ishpeming boys 17 points, St. Ignace girls 53 points - RESULTS

Division 3 - Dollar Bay boys 42 points, Munising girls 54 points - RESULTS