Speed Thrills, Kills Opponents in State Track Meets
Photo: Alisha Cole edged Tiffany Ofili in the 100. Ofili won the long jump, 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles and was named Ms. Michigan Track and Field.

CALEDONIA (6/4/05) -- Got speed? Chances are you fared well in Michigan High School Athletic Association Lower Peninsula state track finals June 4 at four greater Grand Rapids sites.

Sprint-fueled teams from Flint Carman-Ainsworth, Detroit Mumford, Lansing Sexton and Detroit Renaissance said "farewell" to Division 1 and 2 boys and girls rivals at Rockford and Caledonia.

Frankenmuth and Goodrich won Division 3 boys and girls titles at Comstock Park. Detroit St. Martin dePorres and Saginaw Valley Lutheran were D-4 champions at Houseman Field.

Junior Ahmad Rashad (no relation to the football and broadcast star with the same name) led Carman-Ainsworth to the D-1 boys crown with breathtaking wins in the 100 meters (10.56) and 200 meters (21.51, though stopwatch-wielding devotees swore he ran closer to 20.8). Rashad capped the day anchoring C-A's 1600 relay to first in 3:19.29. Mumford's girls won their second-straight D-1 title with triumphs in both sprint relays, a 1-2 finish in the 100 meters, and firsts in 200 and 400 meters.

Clarkston's girls, boosted by members of their two-time-state-champion cross-country team, were the distance stars at Rockford. Jenny Morgan swept the 3200 (10:45.56) and 1600 (a new state-record 4:48.07), and anchored the Wolves' 3200 relay to a-state record 9:05:49, good for a 17-second win.

D-1 boys distance winners were Waterford Kettering's Justin Switzer in the 1600 (4:09.35), and Birmingham Brother Rice's John Black in the 3200 (9:14.59).

Michigan's fastest human? Junior Clinton Allen of Muskegon Orchard View -- who entered the D-2 finals with a hand-held 100 time of 10.03 -- came close to matching Rashad with triumphs in the 100 (10.79) and 200 (20.7) at Caledonia. Hurdler Tymel Dodd paced Sexton to its team triumph, sweeping the 110 highs (14.7) and 300 lows (38.92).

Renaissance swept all four relays to dominate the girls meet. Among individuals, Ypsilanti's Tiffany Ofili capped a seven-state-crown career by winning the long jump (18'9-1/4"), 100 hurdles (14.19) and 300 hurdles (42.82). Cadillac junior Alisha Cole edged Ofili in the 100 (12.34 to 12.50) and added first in the 200 (24.60).

Sophomore Jessica Armstrong gave Wayland its first state title in 80 years, bagging the girls 1600 in 5:02.68. She doubled that total two hours later, winning the 3200 in 11:08.62.

Photo: Dan Roberts nipped Lex Williams in the1600. Williams won the 3200 and was named Mr. Michigan Track and Field.

Vicksburg junior Dan Roberts, said to be headed for Colorado next fall, found Lex Williams all he could handle in the boys 1600, nipping the front-running Dexter senior 4:09.45 to 4:09.98. Williams showed few ill- effects from that effort in the 3200, breezing to a 10-second triumph in 9:07.88.

Goodrich struck a blow for distance-focused teams in the D-3 girls meet at Comstock Park. The two-time defending cross-country champions won handily on the oval, thanks in part to triumphs by senior Janee Jones in the 800 (2:16.18) and 1600 (4:58.19). The Martians also captured the 3200 relay by 14 seconds. Hillsdale's Erin Batt (11:24.80) was the 3200 queen.

Frankenmuth's boys received wins from Andrew Dodson in high jump (7-0), Mike Golden in the 200 (22.09) and its 1600 relay (3:22.37) to edge Detroit Country Day and Albion for the boys title. Josh Hofbauer of Harbor Springs proved his individual cross-country crown last fall was no fluke, bagging the 3200 in 9:34.55.

dePorres' boys prevailed in the D-4 meet on the strength of capturing both sprint relays, the 200 meters, and going 2-3 in the 100. Potterville's Aaron Hunt swept the guys' 1600 (4:24.29) and 800 (1:56.64). Curtis Barclay of Hale broke tape in the 3200 at Houseman Field, in 9:57.12. Like down-to-the-wire? Saginaw Valley Lutheran's girls won the meet- ending 1600 relay, earning 10 points to finish with 46. That allowed them to leapfrog Ubly and Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest, both with 44 points, for the title.

Maple City Glen Lake sophomore Marissa Treece continued to dominate D-4 distances, winning the 1600 (4:56.15) and 3200 (11:07.84), both four seconds faster than finals records she set last year. Treece was also D-4 cross-country queen last fall.

For full state-meet results, visit www.mhsaa.com. MR