Times selects All-Area boys’ track­ team

TRI-CITY AREA — From the first meet to the last, these athletes set themselves apart with their performances.

Here is a look at who made the 2022 edition of the Tri-City Times All-Area boys’ track team and their accomplishments along the way.

Name: Nolan Maxlow

School: Almont

Year: Freshman

Event: High jump

Best effort: Maxlow cleared 5 feet 6 inches twice this past season.

The first time it happened he took third at the Marlette Invitational on Friday, April 22.

He also matched that clearance Tuesday, April 26 en route to a second against Imlay City and host Armada.

Top finishes: Maxlow registered thirds at the Marlette Invitational and Davison Twilight Classic; generated a fourth at the Lake Fenton-based Blue Devil Relays; obtained a seventh at the Cass City Invitational; plus provided a 15th at the Cavalier Classic.

Name: Chase Battani

School: Almont

Year: Freshman

Event: Pole vault

Best effort: Battani posted a clearance of 13 feet 6 inches for first at the Cavalier Classic on Friday, May 6.

Top finishes: He claimed firsts at the Marlette Invitational, Lake Fenton-based Blue Devil Relays, Richmond-based Blue Devil Invitational, Cavalier Classic, Davison Twilight Classic, North-Branch-based Blue Water Area Conference League Meet and Norb Bader Classic hosted by Carman Ainsworth; supplied seconds at the Cass City Invitational and a Division 3 regional in Bad Axe; plus furnished a ninth at the Division 3 state finals hosted by Kent City High School.

Name: Mason Smith

School: Almont

Year: Senior

Event: Long jump

Best effort: Smith went 19 feet 5 1/2 inches for second Tuesday, May 10 in a meet with Yale and host Richmond.

Top finishes: He claimed a second at the Richmond-based Blue Devil Invitational; obtained a third at the Blue Water Area Conference League Meet in Richmond; provided a fourth at the Davison Twilight Classic; collected a fifth at a Division 3 regional in Bad Axe; plus added a 23rd at the Cavalier Classic.

Name: Dillan Landerschier

School: Imlay City

Year: Senior

Event: Shot put

Best effort: Landerschier uncorked a toss measuring 45 feet 2 inches en route to a first at the North Branch-based Blue Water Area Conference League Meet on Tuesday, May 24.

Top finishes: He registered a first at the North Branch-based Blue Water Area Conference League Meet; supplied a second at the Anchor Bay Invitational; generated thirds at the Shake Off the Rust Invitational in Davison and Lapeer Lightning Invitational; collected a fourth at the North Branch-based Lapeer County Press Invitational; provided a fifth at the Davison Twilight Classic; garnered an eighth at the Thumb Meet of Champions in Caro; plus added a ninth at a Frankenmuth-based Division 2 regional.

Name: Drew VanDyke

School: Almont

Year: Junior

Event: Discus

Best effort: VanDyke threw a distance of 137 feet 1 inch for 10th Saturday, June 4 at the Division 3 state finals.

Kent City High School is where the meet was contested.

Top finishes: VanDyke generated a first at a Division 3 regional in Bad Axe, the Richmond-based Blue Devil Invitational and Davison Twilight Classic; claimed seconds at the Davison-based Shake Off the Rust Invitational and Marlette Invitational; provided a fourth at the Norb Bader Classic hosted by Carman Ainsworth; supplied a fifth at the Cavalier Classic; took seventh at the Cass City Invitational; obtained a 10th at the Division 3 state finals hosted by Kent City High School; plus tacked on an 11th at the North Branch-based Blue Water Area Conference League Meet.

Name: Tyler McKenney

School: Capac

Year: Freshman

Event: 100-meter dash

Best effort: McKenney turned in a time of 11.42 seconds during a preliminary heat at a Division 4 regional hosted by Marlette on Friday, May 20.

Top finishes: He claimed a second at the Brown City-based Green Devil Invitational; registered a third at the Greater Thumb Conference East League Meet in Marlette; wound up fourth at the Marlette Invitational; provided a fifth at a Division 4 regional in Marlette; took fifth at the Brown City Invitational; placed seventh at the Thumb Meet of Champions in Marlette; furnished an eighth at the Hatchet Invitational in Bad Axe; contributed a ninth at the Vassar-based Hurd Invitational; collected a 12th at the Reese Invitational; and added a 29th at the Division 4 state meet in Hudsonville.

Name: Chase Battani

School: Almont

Year: Freshman

Event: 110-meter hurdles

Best effort: Battani registered a clocking of 16.67 seconds for third Saturday, May 21 at a Bad Axe-based Division 3 regional.

Top finishes: He took first at the Cass City Invitational, Marlette Invitational and Richmond-based Blue Devil Invitational; claimed a second at the Blue Water Area Conference League Meet in North Branch; supplied a third at a Bad Axe-based Division 3 regional and the Cavalier Classic; pulled up fourth at the Davison Twilight Classic; and added a sixth at the Shake Off the Rust Invitational in Davison.

Name: Mason Smith

School: Almont

Year: Senior

Event: 200-meter dash

Best effort: Smith notched a time of 23.95 seconds en route to a fourth during his preliminary heat Saturday, May 21 at a Division 3 regional in Bad Axe.

Top finishes: He provided a third at the Richmond-based Blue Devil Invitational; contributed a fourth at a Division 3 regional in Bad Axe; plus tacked on a ninth at Davison Twilight Classic.

Name: Chase Battani

School: Almont

Year: Freshman

Event: 300-meter hurdles

Best effort: Battani posted a clocking of 43.9 seconds for second at a Division 3 regional hosted by Bad Axe on Saturday, May 21

Top finishes: He claimed a first at the Richmond-based Blue Devil Invitational; collected seconds at the Cass City Invitational, Marlette Invitational, a Division 3 regional in Bad Axe and the North Branch-based Blue Water Area Conference League Meet; provided a 10th at Cavalier Classic; plus furnished a 17th at the Division 3 state meet hosted by Kent City.

Name: Wade Szydlowski

School: Almont

Year: Junior

Event: 400-meter dash

Best effort: Szydlowski logged a time of 55.2 seconds en route to a fourth Saturday, May 21 at a Division 3 regional in Bad Axe.

Top finishes: He registered fourths at the Cass City Invitational, Davison-based Shake Off the Rust Invitational and a Division 3 regional in Bad Axe; ranked fifth at the Davison Twilight Classic; contributed a sixth at the Marlette Invitational; obtained an eighth at the North Branch-based Blue Water Area Conference League Meet; and tacked on a ninth at the Norb Bader Classic hosted by Carman Ainsworth.

Name: John Schoen

School: Capac

Year: Junior

Event: 800-meter run

Best effort: Schoen provided a clocking of 2:03.42 twice this spring.

The first time it happened was Tuesday, May 31 en route to a second at the Caro-based Thumb Meet of Champions.

He also raced to a 2:03.42 clocking for 10th at the Hudsonville-based Division 4 state finals on Saturday, June 4.

Top finishes: Schoen took first at the Brown City-based Green Devil Invitational and Greater Thumb Conference East League Meet in Marlette; placed second at the Marlette Invitational, Hatchet Invitational in Bad Axe, Reese Invitational, the Thumb Meet of Champions in Caro; and a Marlette-based Division 4 regional; pulled up third at the Vassar-based Hurd Invitational; furnished a fourth at the Brown City Invitational; and added a 10th at the Division 4 state finals in Hudsonville.

Name: Aiden Fitchett

School: Dryden

Year: Sophomore

Event: 1600-meter run

Best effort: Fitchett managed a clocking of 4:51.39 en route to a 15th at the Division 4 state finals in Hudsonville on Saturday, June 4.

Top finishes: He claimed firsts at the Deckerville Invitational, Peck Invitational and Peck-based North Central Thumb League Meet; took second at a Division 4 regional in Marlette; supplied a third at the Davison-based Shake Off the Rust Invitational; registered a sixth at the Hurd Invitational in Vassar; plus added a 15th at the Division 4 state finals in Hudsonville.

Name: Steven Butler
School: Almont

Year: Junior

Event: 3200-meter run

Best effort: Butler stopped the watch at 11:23.84 for sixth Saturday, May 21 at a Bad Axe-based Division 3 regional.

Top finishes: He took second at the Cass City Invitational; supplied a fourth at the Davison-based Shake Off the Rust Invitational; collected a sixth at a Division 3 regional in Bad Axe; pulled up seventh at the Davison Twilight Classic; generated a 13th at the North Branch-based Blue Water Area Conference League Meet; furnished an 18th at the Norb Bader Classic hosted by Carman Ainsworth; plus added a 21st at the Cavalier Classic.

Team: Tim Miller, Nolan Maxlow, Thomas Dyer and Mason Smith
School: Almont

Years: Freshman, freshman, senior and senior

Event: 400-meter relay

Best effort: Almont’s team of Tim Miller, Nolan Maxlow, Thomas Dyer and Mason Smith stopped the watch at 45.93 seconds for 26th at the Division 3 state finals Saturday, June 4 in Kent City.

Top finishes: A team consisting of Miller, Maxlow, Dyer and Smith took second at a Bad Axe-based Division 3 regional; pulled up third at the Davison Twilight Classic; took fourth at the Blue Water Area Conference League Meet in North Branch; a lineup of Nick Shiner, Miller, Maxlow and Smith claimed a fourth at the Blue Devil Invitational in Richmond; a team of Chase Battani. Chase Davedowski, Dyer and Smith were fourth at the Shake Off the Rust Invitational in Davison; a lineup of Miller, Maxlow, Dyer and Smith collected an eighth at the Norb Bader Classic; a team of Miller, Maxlow, Dyer and Smith managed a 10th at the Cavalier Classic; plus a lineup of Miller, Maxlow, Dyer and Smith notched a 26th at the Division 3 state meet in Kent City.

Team: Griffin Wagester, Kyle Torres, Carson Harris and Zavier Logan

School: Imlay City

Years: Senior, sophomore, senior and senior

Event: 800-meter relay

Best effort: A team consisting of Griffin Wagester, Kyle Torres, Carson Harris and Zavier Logan posted a time of 1:39.54 for 14th at a Frankenmuth-based Division 2 regional on Friday, May 20.

Top finishes: A lineup comprised of Holden Redd, Wagester, Torres and Logan took fourth at the Davison-based Shake Off the Rust Invitational; a team of Wagester, Harris, Torres and Logan placed fifth at the Blue Water Area Conference League Meet in North Branch; a lineup comprised of Wagester, Torres, Harris and Logan claimed a ninth at the Lapeer County Press Meet in North Branch; a team of Wagester, Torres, Redd and Logan registered an 11th at the Anchor Bay Invitational; plus a lineup of Wagester, Torres, Harris and Logan contributed a 14th at a Division 2 regional in Frankenmuth.

Team: Luke Coltson, Tyler McKenney, John Schoen and Blake Phillips

School: Capac

Years: Senior, freshman, junior and junior

Event: 1600-meter relay

Best effort: A team consisting of Luke Coltson, Tyler McKenney, John Schoen and Blake Phillips registered a 3:43.4 clocking en route to a fifth Friday day, May 13 at the Hatchet Invitational in Bad Axe.

Top finishes: A lineup comprised of Coltson, Schoen, McKenney and Phillips took first at the Brown City-based Green Devil Invitational; claimed a second at the Greater Thumb Conference League Meet in Marlette; collected thirds at the Brown City Invitational, Vassar-based Hurd Invitational and Marlette Invitational; a team of Kyle Wetter, Coltson, McKenney and Schoen wound up third at a Marlette-based Division 4 regional; plus a lineup of Coltson, McKenney, Phillips and Schoen were fifth at Hatchet Invitational in Bad Axe.

Team: Sam Bussone, Dominic Pirrone, Steven Butler and Wade Szydlowski

School: Almont

Years: Senior, senior, junior and junior

Event: 3200-meter relay

Best effort: An Almont lineup consisting of Sam Bussone, Dominic Pirrone, Steven Butler and Wade Szydlowski stopped the watch at 9:02.9 for fourth at the North Branch-based Blue Water League Meet.

Top finishes: A team of Bussone, Pirrone, Butler and Szydlowski took seconds at the Cass  City Invitational, Shake Off the Rust Invitational, Davison Twilight Classic and Norb Bader Classic; obtained fourths at a Division 3 regional and at the North Branch-based Blue Water Area Conference League Meet; plus a lineup of Gavin Campbell, Butler, Szydlowski and Pirrone were ninth at the Cavalier Classic.

Second team- Dean Aune, Imlay City, discus; Mason Smith, Almont, 100-meter dash; Kyle Wetter, Capac, 110 and 300-meter hurdles; Thomas Dyer, Almont, 200-meter dash; Blake Phillips, Capac, 400-meter dash; Aiden Fitchett, Dryden, 800 and 3200-meter run; Eliot Whitney, 1600-meter run; Imlay City’s 400-meter relay of Griffin Wagester, Josh Hayes, Carson Harris and Kade VanDerPloeg; Almont’s 1600-meter relay of Thomas Dyer, Nolan Maxlow, Wade Szydlowski and Dominic Pirrone; plus Imlay City’s 3200-meter relay of Kyle Torres, Brendan Kanai, Dean Aune and Eliot Whitney

Honorable mention- Chase Battani, Almont, 100-meter dash; Michael Stickler, Dryden, 100-meter dash; Adam Bryan, 110-meter hurdles; Zavier Logan, Imlay City, 200-meter dash; Griffin Wagester and Josh Hayes, Imlay City, 300-meter hurdles; Kyle Torres, Imlay City, 800-meter run.

Coach of the Year- For directing Almont to second at a Division 3 regional and a fifth at the Blue Water Area Conference League Meet, Jamey Wade earns Tri-City Times All-Area Coach of the Year accolades.