Oak Park Lady Knights Secure Their Eighth MHSAA Division 1 Girls Track and Field Championship

Oak Park High School's girls track and field team has secured their eighth Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) Division 1 title in the last ten seasons. The championship event, held at East Kentwood High School on Saturday, saw Coach Brandon Jiles and his team triumph with an impressive 88 points, more than double the 42 points scored by runner-up Ann Arbor Pioneer.

Despite having a younger team this season, Oak Park's victory was driven by the outstanding performances of their two elite seniors, Morgan Roundtree and Kylee King. Roundtree clocked the second-fastest time in state history in the 300-meter hurdles at 41.31 seconds, outpacing second place by a full second.

“All season, I’ve been kind of running by myself,” Roundtree said. “I knew that today I would have competition. I just knew that it would push me, and I’m happy with my performance.”

Roundtree’s success didn’t stop there. She earned all-state honors in all four of her events, finishing runner-up in the 100-meter hurdles (13.89) and contributing to the state-champion 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams with times of 47.53 and 1:38.10, respectively.

King also shone brightly, securing her first individual title in the 800-meter run with a personal record of 2:10.53 after two consecutive years of finishing second. “It feels so good,” King expressed. “I worked hard all year for this. My goals were to set a PR and become a champion in my senior year, and I did it.”

King added another state title to her achievements as part of the winning 4x400 relay team, which finished in 3:47.99. Coach Jiles praised the leadership and dedication of both seniors. “Kylee and Morgan were our leaders this year,” Jiles said. “The team has really come together, running hard for each other.”

Oak Park's younger athletes also delivered remarkable performances. Freshman Nevaeh Burns won the 400-meter race with a time of 55.02 and finished sixth in the 200 meter dash, while junior Dayshana Kellogg took second place in the 400 meters with 55.71. Junior Carrie VanNoy secured fourth place in both the 100-meter hurdles and 300-meter hurdles with times of 14.42 and 45.21, respectively.

“It’s just a great team effort from us,” Jiles remarked. “Nevaeh was fantastic today, and Carrie scored crucial points for us. Kellogg stepped up and got second in the 400. Our relays were exceptional, and we weren’t the favorites in the 4x100, but we managed to win by five thousandths of a second, senior Kelis Hunter-Young ran a inspired anchor leg to seal the victory.”

"I want to give credit to the coaching staff for working hard and always being on the same page as a very important factor to all of our success. Kudos to the coaches and parents for being dialed in and committed to the success of the program." - Coach Jiles

Oak Park High School’s track and field team continues to showcase excellence and determination, setting a high standard for future seasons. Coach Jiles and his team look forward to building on this legacy of success.