When it’s a stage as large as the track and field state championship, there are no guarantees for a great day.
Every year, limits are pushed and personal bests are set in everyone’s final high school race of the season, making things even more of a challenge.
But, there did feel like some athletes out of northern Michigan and the Petoskey-area were as close to a guarantee as possible when they took on their respective track and field state championship meet on Saturday, May 30.
Petoskey, Harbor Springs, Boyne City, Charlevoix, Petoskey St. Michael, Pellston and East Jordan were all represented out of the area, from Divisions 2, 3 and 4.
Athletes from all of the programs came away with something to be proud of, though there were a select few that leaped above the rest to earn all-state podium finishes.
DIVISION 3
Speaking of guarantees, Charlevoix junior Hunter Eaton is pretty much exactly that.
As consistent a runner you’ll find in the state, Eaton earned an individual Division 3 cross country state championship in the fall, claimed a 3,200 meter state title on the track in 2025 and added another state title in the 1,600 over the weekend in Kent City.
Eaton raised his own bar with a state championship winning time in the 1,600 in 4 minutes, 16.08 seconds, topping the competition by nearly four seconds.
It was also a new personal best for the Rayder standout.
Outside of his title finish, Eaton also ran to a fourth place finish in the 3,200 (9:34.53).
Charlevoix teammate Ryder Hopkins also earned a podium and all-state finish in the 3,000 by setting a new personal best (9:41.10) in the race.
Both Eaton and Hopkins will return next season as seniors for the Rayders.
Two other Rayder boys also claimed all-state in the high jump and pole vault.
Charlevoix sophomore Jason McNamara continued his climb in the high jump with another personal best set of 6-feet, 3-inches, good for fifth in Division 3.
In the pole vault, sophomore Collin Jess also earned a sixth place finish in 13-feet, 6-inches, another personal best for the Rayder.
The finishes by the Rayders helped Charlevoix’s boys claim a sixth place overall finish in the state. Elk Rapids was runner-up on the boys side.
Also in Division 3, the Harbor Springs 4×400 meter relay team of Adam Ferguson, Anthony Atkinson, Landon Baas and Henry Kruzel ran to a seventh place finish (3:28.65), which earned them all-state honors.
The girls side didn’t bring any all-state finishes, though the Harbor Springs relay group of Paytyn Page, Drew Bowman, Reagan Kelso and Alexis Groves did inch closer to setting the school record in the 4×200 relay, running 1:49.33 for 11th place, besting their mark of 1:49.76 at regionals.
They’re now just .30 off of the school record and will all return next season for the Rams.
DIVISION 2
In Division 2, podium finishes for senior standout Sarah Bailey and junior Alex Petok felt like a guarantee.
The only questions were how high Bailey would clear in the pole vault and in which event for Petok?
In the end of a busy day in Hamilton at Hawkeye Stadium on Saturday, Bailey earned herself a fourth place finish in Division 2 and Petok claimed all-state honors in the 200 meter dash behind a new school record. She also just missed a second all-state honor in long jump by an inch.
Bailey’s pole vault fourth place finish came at 11-feet, 6-inches, just a few inches shy of her personal best and school record (11-9) set at the regional meet.
Bailey broke and reset the school record multiple times over her career. She qualified for the state championships all four years of her high school career. She was third as a junior at 11-feet even.
When her pole vault career began at Petoskey, she began with at a height of 8-feet, 6-inches, adding more than three feet over her career.
Petoskey’s Petok broke her own school record in the 200 meter dash at the finals, a record that she broke of 2025 graduate Alison Bailey (25.70).
Petok ran 25.20 second during prelims of Saturday’s finals, then turned in a time of 25.55 for a fifth place state finish.
Petoskey also competed in the long jump – another school record she owns – and cleared 17-feet even for a ninth place finish.
She’ll return next season as a senior and one of Petoskey’s best athletes, from sprints and relays, to field events.
Petoskey junior Connor Berg was also close to an all-state finish, claiming 11th in the shot put in 50-feet, 8.75 inches. It was also just shy of Berg’s personal best of 51-11.75.
He’ll be back next season, looking to close in on Petoskey’s shot put record of 55-11.
DIVISION 4
On both sides of the Division 4 state championships in Hudsonville Saturday, the East Jordan track and field team showed up and found space on the podium.
On the boys side, EJ’s William Webb showed why he’s so hard to get a hand on in football with an all-state eighth place finish in the 200 (23.22). During prelims, Webb also set a personal best in the event in 22.78 seconds.
East Jordan’s Harry Hague then set a personal best in the 400 meter run, when he ran a fourth place 50.99 to earn all-state. East Jordan junior Jordan Fajardo was also an all-state finisher in the pole vault by clearing 12-feet, 6-inches, a new PR for the Red Devil.
On the girls side for EJ, two all-state finishes came in the field events for Casey Prevo and Josephine Kirkpatrick.
Prevo, only a sophomore, earned a fourth place finish in 16-feet, 11.75-inches, a new personal best, then Kirkpatrick threw a fifth place 34-feet, 10-inches in the shot put.
Outside of EJ, the Petoskey St. Michael 4×800 relay group of Cody Bradley, Caleb Chamberlin, Atticus Cadarette and Cole Wesley earned a fourth place finish (8:26.56) and spot along the podium.
St. Michael junior Veronica Paga was also just three tenths off from an all-state finish in the 400, placing ninth (1:02.48).
A complete look at where area athletes from Emmet and Charlevoix Counties finished can be found below.
*Indicates new personal best for an athlete. Athletes in italics are for those who ran only prelims, without reaching finals.
100 METERS
Boys Division 4
15. William Webb, East Jordan, 11.56
200 METERS
Boys Division 4
8. William Webb, East Jordan, 23.22
Girls Division 2
5. Alex Petok, Petoskey, 25.55
400 METERS
Boys Division 3
20. Brody Horrigan, Charlevoix, 52.68
Boys Division 4
4. Harry Hague, East Jordan, 50.99*
17. Atticus Cadarette, St. Michael, 53.66
Girls Division 4
9. Veronica Paga, St. Michael, 1:02.48
800 METERS
Girls Division 4
11. Mea Wesley, St. Michael, 2:33.84*
14. Veronica Paga, St. Michael, 2:29.62
1,600 METERS
Boys Division 3
1. Hunter Eaton, Charlevoix, 4:16.08*
19. Isaac Dionne, Boyne City, 4:37.20
3,200 METERS
Boys Division 3
4. Hunter Eaton, Charlevoix, 9:34.53
8. Ryder Hopkins, Charlevoix, 9:41.10*
12. Grant Corlew, Harbor Springs, 9:52.84
20. Matthew Solomon, Charlevoix, 10:05.16
28. Isaac Dionne, Boyne City, 10:14.15
Boys Division 4
20. Cody Bradley, St. Michael, 10:39.66
Girls Division 3
20. Hailee Bertels, Boyne City, 13:11.62
110 HURDLES
Boys Division 3
28. Collin Jess, Charlevoix, 16.35*
300 HURDLES
Boys Division 3
21. Collin Jess, Charlevoix, 42.68
24. Peyton Richards, Boyne City, 42.86
Boys Division 4
17. Joshua Grondin, Pellston, 43.55
4×100 RELAY
Girls Division 3
22. Harbor Springs: Paytyn Page, Drew Bowman, Reagan Kelso, Alexis Groves, 52.30
Boys Division 4
27. Pellston: Hunter Brandt, Brady Bonter, Joshua Grondin, John Sonneberg, 46.96
4×200 RELAY
Boys Division 3
27. Charlevoix: Noah Umulis, Brody Horrigan, Garrison Sterrett, Raigan Swadling, 1:35.14
Girls Division 3
11. Harbor Springs: Paytyn Page, Drew Bowman, Reagan Kelso, Alexis Groves, 1:49.33*
4×400 RELAY
Boys Division 3
7. Harbor Springs: Adam Ferguson, Anthony Atkinson, Landon Baas, Henry Kruzel, 3:28.65
25. Charlevoix: Brody Horrigan, Noah Umulis, Collin Jess, Hunter Eaton, 3:36.21
Boys Division 4
28. St. Michael: Cody Bradley, Atticus Cadarette, Caleb Chamberlin, Cole Wesley, 3:51.40
Girls Division 3
19. Harbor Springs: Sophia Balistreri, Paytyn Page, Parker Ford, Reagan Kelso, 4:22.51
4×800 RELAY
Boys Division 3
12. Harbor Springs: Grant Corlew, Landon Baas, Henry Kruzel, Anthony Atkinson, 8:25.78
Boys Division 4
4. St. Michael: Cody Bradley, Caleb Chamberlin, Atticus Cadarette, Cole Wesley, 8:26.56
Girls Division 3
21. Harbor Springs: Parker Ford, Lila Wedge, Gabi Rempe, Sophia Balistreri, 11:00.11
SHOT PUT
Boys Division 2
11. Connor Berg, Petoskey, 50-8.75
Boys Division 3
26. Andrew Grogan, Charlevoix, 45-1.75
Boys Division 4
25. John Sagan, St. Michael, 38-10-5
Girls Division 2
20. Leah Sulitis, Petoskey, 32-4.25
Girls Division 4
5. Josephine Kirkpatrick, East Jordan, 34-10
DISCUS
Boys Division 2
19. Connor Berg, Petoskey, 141-0
Boys Division 3
24. Greyson Warchol, Charlevoix, 127-3
Boys Division 4
20. John Sagan, St. Michael, 123-2*
Girls Division 2
24. Leah Sulitis, Petoskey, 100-5
HIGH JUMP
Boys Division 3
5. Jason McNamara, Charlevoix, 6-3*
11. Carter Greenacre, Charlevoix, 6-1
POLE VAULT
Boys Division 2
18. Isaac Stebelton, Petoskey, 12-10
23. Noah Corey, Petoskey, 12-4
Boys Division 3
6. Collin Jess, Charlevoix, 13-6*
Boys Division 4
6. Jordan Fajardo, East Jordan, 12-6*
23. Bryan Peck, East Jordan, 11-0
Girls Division 2
4. Sarah Bailey, Petoskey, 11-6
LONG JUMP
Girls Division 2
9. Alex Petok, Petoskey, 17-0
22. Marlee Grieves, Petoskey, 15-9
23. Lyla Janes, Petoskey, 15-9
Girls Division 4
4. Casey Prevo, East Jordan, 16-11.75*
18. Adalynn Handershott, Pellston, 15-1.5*
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Charlevoix’s Eaton earns another state title, Petoskey standouts earn all-state
Reporting by Drew Kochanny, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
