JoBurg's Blake Fox headlines All-GHT track and field list as athlete of the year

GAYLORD ― It has been a while since the season concluded, but it's time to give the area track and field athletes their well-deserved honors.

The season saw a number of successful athletes do their thing and do it well, with multiple school records falling and a large number of individual competitors qualifying for their respective state finals.

Looking back on the individuals with the most success on the track this season, here are the Gaylord Herald Times All-Area Track and Field honorees:

Athlete of the year: Blake Fox, Johannesburg-Lewiston

Events: 400-meter, 800-meter, 1600-meter, 3200-meter

Blake Fox had a year to remember as possibly the top distance runner on a team full of top-notch distance runners.

His effort in the 800-meter run at the Division 4 state finals meet in Hudsoville headlined JoBurg's efforts, clocking a time of one minute, 57.30 seconds good enough to make him the state runner-up, finishing just behind Vestaburg's Owen Patton (1:55.11).

Fox made himself one of the top 800-meter runners in the state, breaking a long-standing meet record at the Harbor Springs Ram Scram on April 14, breaking the school record with a time of 1:56.97 on May 15 and capping the year with all-state honors.

He also set the JL school record in the 1600-meter on May 9 at the team's home invite before breaking his own record a couple of weeks later at the MHSAA 31-4 regional meet at Inland Lakes, with his best time now sitting at 4:29.33.

All-Area Team

Ana Fortier, Gaylord

Events: 100-meter, 200-meter

Fortier qualified for the D2 state meet in the 100-meter run with a time of 12.97 at the 11-2 Region in Shepherd on May 19 before setting her personal best time of 12.80 at the Northern Michigan Meet of Champions on May 30.

Miriam Murrell, Gaylord St. Mary

Events: 800-meter, 1600-meter, 3200-meter

The GSM track team was largely headlined by Murrell's efforts this season as she toppled school records in two of her three individual events.

She initially broke the school record in the 1600-meter run with a time of five minutes, 33.4 seconds at Johannesburg on Tuesday, May 9, before topping herself with a 5:29.11 at the Region 31-4 Meet at Inland Lakes on May 19. She also set a new record din the 3200-meter with a time of 11:51.89 on May 11 at East Jordan.

Malaki Gascho, Johannesburg-Lewiston

Events: 800m, 1600m, 3200m

Gascho was one of six JL athletes to earn All-State honors at the Division 4 meet, taking fourth in the 3200-meter while his season-best time of 9:48 came a month earlier. He was also a D4 regional champion in that event, taking first at the IL Regional with a time of 10:11.57.

Allie Nowak, Johannesburg-Lewiston

Events: 800m, 1600m, 3200m

Another all-state distance runner from JL, Nowak finished sixth overall in the 3200-meter run at the D4 state meet with a time of 5:22.81. She was also a regional champion in the 1600-meter as well as a Ski Valley Conference Champion in the 800-meter (2:21.74).

Katie Berkshire, Gaylord

Events: 800m, 1600m, 3200m

The freshman distance runner was among the most successful athletes for the Blue devils this season, finishing atop the leaderboards in nearly every 1600-meter and 3200-meter run she participated in.

She qualified for the D2 state finals for both events after winning regional titles in both, capping with all-state honors in the 3200-meter with a third-place finish and a time of 11:11.89 at the finals meet,

Rosalinda Gascho, Johannesburg-Lewiston

Events: 100m hurdles, 300m hurdles

Rosalinda Gascho was the lone hurdler from the JL girls team to make the state finals, eventually wrapping up with all-state honors after finishing eighth in the 100-meter hurdles finals after qualifying with a personal best time of 17.10 seconds.

That came after she finished as the runner-up in both the 100-meter and 300-meter hurdles at the regional meet on May 19, setting her season-best time in the 300 at 49.46 seconds.

Gage Looker, Gaylord

Events: Shot Put, 4x100m relay

Looker was by far the best field athlete in the Gaylord area, finishing at or near the top of nearly every shot put leaderboard at every meet he was at.

His personal best throw came at home at the Northern Michigan Meet of Champions on May 30 as he launched a 52-foot, 9.25-inch throw to take second overall amongst a number of quality opponents.

He also represented Gaylord at the D2 state meet, just missing all-state honors with a throw of 49 feet, 3.5 inches and a 10th-place finish.

Ella Moylan, Gaylord

Events: Shot Put, Discus

What Looker was for the Gaylord boys, Moylan was for the Gaylord girls, except she excelled in two events in only her sophomore season.

Moylan set new PR's in both shot put (33 feet, 10.25 inches) and discus (101 feet, 3.5 inches) as she finished among the top of the pack in nearly every meet. Unfortunately, she just missed qualifying for the state finals after placing fourth in both events at the regional meet. Still, with all her success this season, Moylan will be a name to look out for the next two seasons at the D2 state finals.

Madalyn Agren, Johannesburg-Lewiston

Events: 1600m, 3200m

Agren rounds out the all-area list after an all-state performance in the 3200-meter in 2023.

She placed fifth in the 3200-meter at the D4 state meet with a time of 12:02.45, rounding out a comeback season for her that included a conference championship performance in the 1600-meter (5:34.66) and a school record in the 3200-meter (11:47.35).

Honorable Mentions

Cora Mullins, JoBurg; Jacob Wartenberg, JoBurg; Carlee Campbell, JoBurg; Natalie Zochowski, JoBurg; Adelaida Gascho, JoBurg; Yolanda Gascho, JoBurg; Mitchell Hall, JoBurg; Michael Cheek, Gaylord; Lily Palmer, Gaylord; Lily Sargent, Gaylord; Lauren Rigney, Gaylord; Skylee Ames, Gaylord; Emma McKinley, Gaylord St. Mary; Rylan Matleski, Gaylord St. Mary

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: JoBurg's Blake Fox headlines All-GHT track and field list as athlete of the year