KAILA JACKSON

Jackson cruised through her senior season undefeated in Michigan High School Athletic Association competition. She also ran a wind-aided 22.85 last summer, making her the only Michigan high school girl to run sub-23 in any conditions. According to a release from Gatorade, Jackson is now a finalist for the Gatorade National Girls Track & Field Player of the Year award, which is set to be announced in July. According to Gatorade, the Gatorade Player of the Year winners’ grants have totaled more than $3.5 million across more than 1,300 organizations. MOREKaila Jackson aims to be Michigan’s greatest high school girl sprinter ever2022 MHSAA Division 1 track and field state finals highlights and winners

The New Balance Nationals outdoor track and field championships were held in Philadelphia from Thursday through Sunday last week and many Michigan athletes made their mark at University of Pennsylvania’s Franklin Field. Mackenzie Robinson, Ann Arbor Huron, 11.91---200 Meter Dash Finals4. Mackenzie Robinson, Ann Arbor Huron, 24.29---400 Meter Dash Finals17. Ann Arbor Huron, 2:21.431) Kiearea Mcbride2) Rachel Overgaard3) Jada Willson4) Christabelle Obi---1600 Sprint Medley Championship1. Ann Arbor Huron, 3:35.161) Braxton Brann2) Kamren Flowers3) Ashton Brann4) Lev Nakamura17.

Each week during the spring season, fans can vote for the Metro Detroit Athlete of the Week. If you want to nominate someone for athlete of the week voting in the future, please send stats and info to japurcell@mlive.com. Jenna Redmile, Canton tennisRedmile had no problem sweeping her way through the field for a region title on Saturday, improving her No. The sophomore is heading to the Division 1 state meet for the second-straight year and is looking for her first state title. He set a new 11th-grade state record in the 100 meter dash with a wind-legal 10.45 to win a region title.

Each week during the spring season, fans can vote for the Metro Detroit Athlete of the Week. If you want to nominate someone for athlete of the week voting in the future, please send stats and info to japurcell@mlive.com. Sarah Coyne, Plymouth girls track and fieldCoyne won the 800 meter race at the New Balance Invitational with a new personal-best time of 2:16.22. Jayden Harberts, Macomb Dakota girls track and fieldShe finished in second place at the New Balance Twilight 3200 run, clocking a personal-best time of 10:35.65. Kaila Jackson, Detroit Renaissance girls track and fieldJackson went off on Saturday at the New Balance Invitational, winning the 100 and 200 in state-leading times.

When Kaila Jackson is running at full speed, there are few girls in the entire country who can stay alongside her. “It feels really good, because I’ve put in a lot of work to get to where I am now,” Jackson said. In fact, she became the first girl is state history to crack the 23-second barrier in the 200 with a time of 22.85 about a month earlier. Still, her wind-legal time 23.01 is faster than any other known wind-aided time in state history, according to state records kept at michtrack.org. I just know that my coaches trained me right, and I’ve been doing really good, no injuries.

The Metro Detroit area is always brimming with some of the best girls track and field talent that the state can offer. There are so many excellent track and field athletes to watch this season, so her are 20 top athletes to follow as the outdoor season gets rolling. In the field, she was a D1 state qualifier in both the pole vault and high jump last year. In the hurdles, she shined by placing third in the D1 100 hurdles race with a time of 14.81. Morgan Roundtree, Oak ParkSophomoreHurdlesAs a freshman last year, Roundtree was part of Oak Park’s impressive 1-2-3 sweep in the D1 100 hurdles, finishing second with a time of 14.75.

This week we're bragging about Kaila Jackson: A senior at Renaissance High School who has received a full-ride scholarship for track at the University of Georgia.

Michigan’s best high school track and field athletes showed the nation what they were made of over the last week as many competed in the National Scholastic Athletics Foundation’s Outdoor Nationals presented by Nike from June 30-July 3. There were five combined national titles claimed by girls across individual and relay events while there were also four boys national titles claimed across individual and relay events. Zane Forist of Carson City-Crystal was a two-time national NSAF champion with victories in both the shot put and discus. His winning toss of 205-feet-1.5 in discus made him the second-best high school athlete in state history for the event. Jenkins, Burr and Jackson also joined Renaissance teammate Jayla Graham to win the 4x200 national title with a time of 1:39.58.

Despite the coronavirus pandemic erasing last year’s track and field season, that has not stopped many of Metro Detroit’s top athletes from succeeding and exceeding expectations. With region championships being held this weekend, it is time to look at some of the best track and field athletes Metro Detroit has this spring. Kylei Anderson, Walled Lake CentralEvents: Jumps, hurdlesAnderson is a talented athlete who has the state’s top mark in the high jump with a leap of 5-feet-7. So far this season, she is undefeated in both the 100 meter and 200 meter and has season-best times of 12.16 and 25.30, respectively. She has also cleared 4-feet-11 in the high jump.