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Allie Nowak is the Gaylord Herald Times Track Athlete of the Year; the full all-area team has been announced

VaselineJuly 17, 2024

0 3 minutes read

Allie Nowak is the Gaylord Herald Times Track Athlete of the Year; the full all-area team has been announced

GAYLORD ― The Otsego County sports scene is becoming increasingly well-known in Michigan thanks to teams like Gaylord football, Gaylord softball, JoBurg softball, and more. Still, many people know the Gaylord area as a place filled with talent for distance running.

In recent years, runners from Gaylord, St. Mary and Johannesburg-Lewiston have only further enhanced that reputation.

The 2024 track and field season was (fittingly) once again dominated by distance runners, featuring final runs for GSM’s best female distance runner in school history, another all-state performance from one of Gaylord’s rising stars, and an individual state championship from JoBurg’s junior leader.

Take a look back at the all-round athletes in athletics in 2024:

Athlete of the year

Allie Nowak, Junior, JoBurg

Events: 400m, 800m (D4 state champion), 1600m, 4x400m relay, 4x800m relay

When JoBurg cross country won the school’s first-ever team state championship in 2022, sophomore Allie Nowak played a pivotal role in the team’s success. She placed third in the D4 state finals at Michigan International Speedway, helping her team achieve its ultimate goal: winning a state title.

This year she did something small for herself.

After winning a regional title in the 800 meters on May 17, Nowak outdid herself in the D4 final on June 1, setting a new personal best of 2 minutes, 15 seconds to win the first individual women’s state championship in Johannesburg’s history.

“When I went to states (in 2022), I did it for the team, I had the motivation of the team behind me pushing me to be my best. But today I did it for myself, to prove to myself that I can run for myself,” Nowak said. “I also got to celebrate both championships with my team, which is what makes the sport of running so much fun for me.”

First team of the entire area

Katie Berkshire, Sophomore, Gaylord

Gaylord’s star distance runner placed second in the Division 2 3200 meters with a time of 10 minutes, 47 seconds. He placed fifth in the 1600 meters with a personal best of 5:00.76.

Ivy Roberts, Sophomore, Gaylord

Sophomore Ivy Roberts was one of the top high jumpers in Division 2 this season, placing fourth at the D2 finals in Hamilton, Michigan, after clearing 5 feet 6 inches.

Miriam Murrell, senior, St. Mary

Murrell, who is contracted to Oakland University, holds school records in the 800 meters (2 minutes, 30 seconds), 1600 meters (5:29.11) and 3200 meters (11:51.89). She has appeared in the MHSAA D4 state finals nine times in her career (five times in cross country and four times in track and field).

Rylan Matelski, Senior, St. Mary

The future North Central Michigan College basketball player was a natural and quickly made a name for himself as a long jumper, making two consecutive state finals and finishing 12th in this year’s D4 finals with a leap of 19 feet, 5 inches.

Blake Fox, Final Year Student, JoBurg

Fox capped off a historic career in JoBurg by finishing second in the 800m at the D4 finals in June, nearly giving JoBurg state champion status in the men’s and women’s 800m.

Jeremiah Witt, junior, JoBurg

Witt made his second consecutive appearance at the Division 4 finals in June, finishing 19th in the 1600-meter run with a time of 4 minutes, 47 seconds. He also ran the 3200 meters, 4×400-meter relay and 4×800-meter relay.

Madalyn Agren, final year student, JoBurg

Another Oakland University signee, Agren closed out her JoBurg career with a seventh-place finish in the 3200-meter state final, with a time of 11:30.54. She was also part of the 4×400-meter and 4×800-meter relay teams to reach the state final.

Nate Hummel, junior, JoBurg

Hummel was the last competitor in the JoBurg state finals, finishing in 17th place in the pole vault after clearing a height of 3 metres.

Second team

Malaki Gascho, JoBurg

Harlie Fox, JoBurg

Yolanda Gascho, JoBurg

Ella Moylan, Gaylord

Cirio Espositos, Gaylord

Connor Byram, Gaylord

Elijah Major, Gaylord St. Mary

Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen

VaselineJuly 17, 2024

0 3 minutes read