MCC’s Sanders earns two All-State honors at Division 3 state finals

MCC’s Maylan Sanders jumping hurdles.

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Photos submitted by Sarah Wood

KENT CITY — Mason County Central closed out its 2026 varsity track and field season Saturday at the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 3 State Finals with a pair of All-State performances from junior hurdler Maylan Sanders and several strong efforts from Spartans athletes competing against the state’s best at Kent City High School.

Sanders led the Spartans girls track team by earning All-State honors in two events. She placed fourth in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 46.23 seconds to earn a spot on the podium. Earlier in the day, Sanders advanced through the preliminary round of the 100-meter hurdles before finishing eighth in the state finals in 15.38 seconds, securing her second All-State medal of the meet.

Sophomore Faith Hawke completed a standout season in the discus, placing 11th with a throw of 109 feet, 5 inches in a competitive field.

MCC’s Eli Smith

The 4×400-meter relay team of Madelyn Sterley, Raelyn Wilson, Nevaeh Battice and Sanders turned in its fastest time of the season, finishing 14th overall in 4:17.06. Battice capped her high school career with a lifetime-best split of 1:01.93 in the final race of her prep career.

“I am incredibly proud of how these girls competed on the biggest stage of the year,” MCC girls coach Jacob Boone said. “Earning not one but two All-State medals is a massive achievement for Maylan, and every single girl pushed their limits today. With Nevaeh being our only graduating senior from this group, the championship experience our underclassmen gained today is going to be incredibly valuable for the future of this program. We can’t wait to be back next year.”

The Spartans boys team was represented by Jackson Poll in the hurdles and Eli Smith in the long jump.

Poll placed 13th in the 110-meter hurdles in 15.33 seconds and finished 14th in the 300-meter hurdles in 40.55. Smith earned 16th place in the long jump with a leap of 19 feet, 10.75 inches.

MCC’s Jackson Poll

Central boys coach Patrick Nelson said the athletes competed well despite falling short of personal-best performances needed to move up in the standings.

“I know the guys are disappointed with how they placed,” Nelson said. “They ran really good times and jumped well, but they were going to have to have personal records today and it just didn’t happen. I’m very proud of how the guys performed today and throughout the season. This does give Jackson good experience for next year and hopefully we will be bringing down more qualifiers to join him.”

The state finals appearance marked the conclusion of the season for the Spartans, with Sanders’ two All-State finishes highlighting a successful day for Mason County Central on the Division 3 stage.

Full results can be found here: https://www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/meet/622972/results/all