2026 Boys Outdoor Track and Field Season Preview

It’s time for the 2026 Boys Outdoor Track and Field Season Preview!  The statistics used to write the season preview include BWAC, MAC, and Catholic High School League results, Blue Water Area meets such as the Marysville Invitational, Muskrat Invitational, Blue Water Meet of Champions, Thumb Meet, and Macomb County Meet, and, of course, Regional and State Finals qualifying and placements.  The top ten area performance lists for each event also played a driving role in making predictions.

A couple of notes about the process: 

• Consistency is key: when reviewing so many performances over a months-long period, there had to be consistent participation and placement throughout the season to gauge performance and potential for improvement. 

• I don’t include freshmen (last year’s 8th graders) because they may end up participating in a different spring sport or not come out for track in high school.  

• I did not preview relay events because of graduated athletes and relay leg changes, making it difficult to predict relay team members and times.

• In most cases, PBs (personal bests) from last year's meets that were hand-timed won’t be used for the preview, nor will I use them for top times and marks lists this season.  When you see PRs for everyone across the board by huge margins, especially in sprint events, that’s a sign that the times are usually inaccurate. With the requirement of FAT timing for state meet qualification, it’s a more reliable standard.  

• Early Qualifying Marks are in effect for the second year; athletes can meet a state-meet qualifying mark before regionals. An EQ is defined by the MHSAA as “an athlete who achieves the mark in any round of a valid pre-qualified event which meets the proper standards (FAT TIMED and 6+ teams) is qualified to participate in the LP finals in that event”. An automatic qualifier (AQ) is the standard needed to run AT the regional meet outside of a top-two finish. 

D1 AQ/EQ List

D2 AQ/EQ List

D3 AQ/EQ List

D4 AQ/EQ List

Finally, I’m sure to miss someone who deserves a nod or mention: with such a large amount of data across a long period, it is inevitable.  I cross-check and reference and scour athletic.net repeatedly (hoping it's correct), but Blue Water Running is just me, so sometimes, things get missed. I’m human. Also, my apologies in advance if I mispronounce or misspell your name or incorrectly type a time or mark.

Alright, let’s get into the season ahead!  

SPRINTS

• Will Haskins, MLN.  Haskins won the 200 regional title last year in 23.91; his best in the event is 23.10, which he ran at the Macomb County meet against some of the top sprinters in the state.  His PB in the 100 is 11.53.  He helped his 4x100 win the regional title, as well.

• Brett Lestage, Imlay City. Lestage returns as the top sprinter in the BWAC and is the defending league champ in the 100/200 combo, with PRs of 11.23 and 23.32, respectively. The junior ran an indoor meet this winter and came close to equaling his best in the 200, running 23.36.  He is an integral part of the Spartans’ sprint relays and their top-seeded 4x200 most likely would have won regionals last spring, were it not for an unfortunate team injury.  

• Kai Fisher, Memphis.  Fisher has quite a bit of state meet experience, qualifying for the D4 finals as a freshman in the 200 (PB 23.3), then last year as a sophomore in the 100 (11.4) and 400 (49.75), just missing an All-State placement by finishing ninth, going sub-50 in the summer postseason with 16 Ways Track Club.  With a solid season of indoor track to kick start his junior season, Fisher ran 50.95 at Nike Indoor Nationals and has also given the 800 meters a try, with a PB of 2:02 in only his second attempt.  He is the defending regional champ in the 200 and was the Blue Water Meet of Champions winner in the 400.

• Alan Valdovinos, Imlay City. Valdovinos made it into the 100 final at regionals and has bests of 11.48 in the 100 and 23.89 in the 200.

Other athletes to watch: 

• Enrique Cárdenas, Imlay City.  23.43 (200), 52.33 (400).

• Jak Klee, Armada. 11.61 (100).

• Liam McIntyre, North Branch.  Mainly a high jumper, he made it into the 200 finals at regionals and has a best of 23.87.  Fifth in the BWAC.

• Anthony Álvarez, Armada. 11.67 (100), second in the BWAC with a 23.69 200 best, 52.56 (400).

• Ty Busen, Marysville. 52.18 (400).

• Jackson Kohler, Yale. 52.25 (400), second in the BWAC.

• Ethan Jackson, Cros-Lex. 51.90 (400).  Finished just outside a state qualification at regionals in third.

• Tyler Jamison, PHN. 200 best of 23.84, was second at the Marysville Inv.

MID DISTANCE/DISTANCE

• Josh Macri, MLN. Voted the Blue Water Area Cross Country Runner of the Year, Macri was the fastest 1600/3200 runner in our area last year.  During the indoor season, he went sub-2 in the 800 for the first time and had outdoor bests of 4:25 and 9:38.  Indoors, he went 4:26 in the full mile.  He can drop a sub-53-second 400 when needed, as well.  He won the 1600 at regionals and was second in a close finish at the line in the 3200, returning as the heavy favorite in both.  Macri was also part of the regional championship team in the 4x800.

• Brandon Ziehmer, Anchor Bay.  While primarily a distance guy, Ziehmer has gone 50.76 in the 400.  He has run 2:01 in the 800 both indoors and outdoors in the regular season, but ran a 1:59 in summer club competition.  He was part of the fourth-place 4x800 MITS championship team with Josh Macri and Xavier Roman from MLN.  Ziehmer has the number one returning 800-meter time from our 2025 area top-ten list.

• Xavier Roman, MLN.  The yin to teammate Macri’s yang, Roman is a solid middle-distance track athlete, with 4:35 1600 and 9:59 3200 bests.  Roman sat at number two all season behind Macri in both events on the area times list and was also part of the state qualifying 4x800 that won regionals last season.

• Mason Pietrykowski, Richmond.  Pietrykowski has bests of 4:47 in the 1600 and 10:23 in the 3200; he was #10 and #6 in our area in both, respectively.  He won the BWAC and Blue Water Meet of Champions 3200 titles and put in a solid winter of indoor track training, running a 4:43 1500.

• Maxwell Durham, New Haven.  Durham had a monster cross country season, dropping two minutes during the course of the fall and earning several league/invitational wins and D3 All-State status. Previously, his bests in the distance events on the track were 4:46 (1600) and 10:16 (3200), but he already dropped those during indoor club competition (4:39/9:59), so expect to see more big improvements.

Other athletes to watch:

• Aaron Osterman, Anchor Bay.  Osterman has bests of 2:03, 4:44, and 10:24.

• Connor Pepin, Cros-Lex. 4:46 1600, 10:32 3200, BWAC runner-up in both events.

• Julian Walker, Algonac. 4:42 1600 PB, won BWAC 1600, was third in BWAC 800 (2:09). 

• Aidan Fitchett, Dryden.  4:39 1600 PB, was 13th at the D4 state meet.

• Owen Beindit, Algonac. Second at BWAC champs in 800 (2:06 best).

• Liam Knuth, Cardinal Mooney. Finished second at regionals in the 1600, has a PB of 4:53.

HURDLES - 110/300 meters

• Colin Boullard, St. Clair.  Boullard is the top returner in both hurdle events, with a regional championship in the 110s and a state-qualifying runner-up finish in the 300s.  He was one of only a handful of athletes to hit an Early Qualifying mark last season, doing so in the 110s. He has PRs of 15.12 and 40.73, respectively, and was first or second in every single race he ran in the 110s until the state meet, including winning both hurdling events in the MAC Gold and the Blue Water Meet of Champions; he did the same in nine out of eleven meets in the 300s, as well.

• Kacy Agyeman, Anchor Bay.  Agyeman finished fourth at the Anchor Bay Invitational in the 110 hurdles to run his season-best of 15.51.  He has a best in the 300s of 41.89.

• Gavin Oleski, Cros-Lex.  Oleski ran a PB of 41.52 in the 300s to place second at the Thumb Meet of Champs as a sophomore, his first year of hurdling. He dropped over four seconds during the course of the season.  With that time at regionals, a state qualifying spot should be on his radar.

• Brody Corneau, Almont.  Corneau has bests of 15.99 in the 110s and 43.67 in the 300s.  He was fourth at his D3 regional in the 110s and is one of the fastest returning hurdlers, with the top two regional finishers having graduated.

• Ayden Greschak, Yale.  Greschak was second in the BWAC in the 300s in his best of 42.45. His PB in the 110s is 17.11, and he made it through the semifinals to the regional finals last season.

• Kyler Kramp, Anchor Bay. Kramp has PBs of 16.78 and 42.82, respectively.

• Ethan Everhart, Imlay City. Everhart was second in the 110s at the BWAC league meet and has bests of 16.2 (run for third at the Thumb Meet of Champs) and 43.37 in the 300s.

FIELD EVENTS

Throws

With North Branch’s Eli Bickel forgoing his senior season with early graduation, the field is wide open for a new leader in the throws, and there are quite a few prospects in contention.

• Lincoln Watkins, PHN. Watkins sits at #10 all-time in our area in the shot put (51’-5”) and has a discus best of 150’.  Finishing second to Bickel by only a foot last year at the Blue Water Meet of Champions, Watkins also qualified for the D1 state meet in the shot.  As a senior, this is his last chance at an all-state finish, and he only needs an improvement of a few feet to be in range.

• Cameron Gramzow, Anchor Bay.  Junior Gramzow has been on a steady trajectory of improvement for years now, throwing the discus twice as far last season as he did his freshman year.  He is fourth all-time in our area with a PB of 176’, which he threw outdoors at New Balance Nationals.  Gramzow won almost every discus event he entered in 2025 and was D1 all-state.  He crossed over the 50-foot range in shot put this winter, throwing 53’-2.5 indoors.  

• Zach Haywood, Yale. Haywood sat in the top three most of the season in the Blue Water area, with bests of 47’ and 150’-8”.  He won several invitationals and was the regional runner-up in the discus and just outside the qualifications in the shot put by one inch, so he is poised for a state meet trip in both events.  

Other athletes to watch:

• Noah Wiggin, PHN.  Shot put 47’-3.5” and discus 142’-6”

• Nathan Ring, Anchor Bay.  Shot put 39’-4”, discus 147’-6”.

• Leland Pruit, Yale. Shot put PB of 41'-8.5".

• Charlie Bennett, Armada. Threw 42'-2" as a freshman.

High Jump

• Caleb VanSingel, St. Clair. VanSingel had a huge PR of 6’-2” to win the regional and qualify for his first state meet.

• Greg Glaser, MLN. Glaser was third at regionals in his best of six feet and has had a steady indoor season of jumping.

• Gavin Oleski, Cros-Lex.  Oleski has improved half a foot since his first high school season, ending 2025 with a best of six feet.

• Liam McIntyre, North Branch. McIntyre was the BWAC champ in the high jump his freshman and sophomore years, and he also has a best of six feet.

• Eli Garcia, Imlay City. Six feet seems to be the magic number: Garcia has also jumped this height as his personal best and won the Cardinal Invitational.

• Trey Cummins, Marysville. Cummins won several dual meets and has a best of 5’-11”.

Pole Vault

• Hunter Cole, Yale.  As a freshman, Cole was the 2025 BWAC runner-up and has the highest returning height of any area pole vaulter.  He won the Goodrich Invitational, the Marysville Invitational, and his personal best is 11’-6”. He vaulted the same height at regionals as the top two qualifiers, but ultimately finished third based on misses: he is one of the favorites in the event this year.

• Caleb VanSingel, St. Clair.  VanSingel tried pole vault for the first time and improved over three feet in height in this event over the course of 2025, earning a state qualification.  He vaulted his PB of 11’-8” at the state meet, finishing 20th.

• Nathan Antilla, Yale.  Antilla finished third in the BWAC and has a best of 11 feet.

Other vaulters to watch:

• William Lawson, Yale. PB 11’.

• Jorma Schlegel, Marine City. PB 11’.

• Nick Vitale, St. Clair.  PB 10’-9”.

Long Jump

• Lincoln Watkins, PHN. Watkins has a long jump best of 20’-4”, and was runner-up at the Lapeer Lightning Invitational and Marysville Invitational. 

• Trey Cummins, Marysville.  It’s only a matter of inches for Cummins at regionals; he was third in his PB of 20’-01.50”, close to a second-place state qualification last year. With the winner of the event graduated, Cummins is in a prime spot to clinch an AQ. 

• Greg Glaser, MLN.  Glaser is on the cusp of 20 feet, with a best of 19’-9”.  With a solid indoor season of competition in a variety of events, Glaser is poised for competitive marks in regional competition.

• Jak Klee, Armada.  Klee didn’t even participate in track until last season as a junior, yet still jumped an impressive 19’-8” to take second at the North Branch Invitational.  Half a foot more and he’s into regional champ territory.

• Caleb Armstrong, North Branch.  Third at the BWAC championships, he has a best of 19’-3.5”.

I can’t wait to get back out there and see all of you running, jumping, and throwing.  You can find results and articles on bluewaterrunning.org and our social media sites throughout the season.   You can follow Blue Water Running on Instagram, X, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube. You can also check out photo albums of meets that will be linked through the website and download and share them to help spread the word about Blue Water Running’s mission, which is to feature and celebrate the achievements of high school and collegiate cross country and track/field athletes from our area.  

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