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STATE FINALS

June 3rd 

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Taking it's largest team in years to the state meet, Seaholm set off for Grandville High School for its first trip to the Division II State Meet. Aside from running a great time was had by the state team, dining at the Mongolian Barbeque (left), watching Coach Bancroft flirt with the wait staff, call the runners "escapees from the mental asylum" and having the restaurant sing him Happy Birthday. All three aspects of the on the track experience went well for Seaholm. The 4x100m Relay Team ran their third best race of the season, clocking 45.4. Mike Barton set a personal best in the 800m, breaking the 2:00 barrier (1:59.6) to finish 10th in the state. Scott Collins wrapped up his career running his 3rd best time ever in 10:05.3. "I think these guys understand that this meet isa reward," Coach Johansson said. "We enjoyed ourselves and performed well, which I think is what Track and Field is all about. This was a special group of kids that I will miss."

Seaholm concluded its season at the 2000 Awards Banquet, bidding farewell to 11 seniors. Brad Schwandt took home the top Sprinters Award, Scott Collins the Distance Award, Ned Scott the Field Events Award, Paul Dorset won Most Improved, Wade Dobson and Steven Kassab shared Rookie of the Year, Rob Grabiel was elected M.V.P. and Drew Matthews received the Coach's Award. Men's Captains Drew Matthews, Scott Collins, and Rob Grabiel (right) leave a remarkable legacy to those who follow them.

Paul Dorset, Beau Hammond, and Ned Scott were named Team 2001 Captains.
 
 
 
 
 
 

May 27th

Though limited by a band trip to Toronto, Seaholm's small group of freshmen showed flashes of a promising future for SHS Track and Field. In individual competition, Wade Dobson finished 7th in the shot put, Dan LaFave 9th in the mile, and Sebastien Lounis 6th in the 800m. The 3200m Relay team of Lounis, LaFave, Matt Lincoln and Geoff Elson shattered the freshman record by eight seconds only to learn they had been disqualified. "I feel bad for those guys because they all PR's, but they learned a valuable lesson today. They will break that record next Thursday," Coach Bill Johansson said. Seaholm's freshmen will be in action Thursday June 1st at the Freshman Kimball Invitational.
 
 

May 26th

With a few select individuals competing, the Seaholm Maples were able to make some noise at the Oakland County Championships. The 3200m Relay of Rob Grabiel, Joe Person, Mike Barton, and Drew Matthews finished within medal range at eight place, capturing their best time of the year (8:24.5). "That was satisfying. I didn't want to leave them with that race we ran at the regional. They came and ran hard against some great competition today," distance coach Gary Collins remarked.

The 3200m relay was one of three the set season's bests for the Maples. The underrated 400m relay team continued to come down, this time to 44.8, finishing 9th and just out of the medals. "When they hit their sticks, they can do some things," sprints coach John Bancroft related. "We'll see what we can do in one week's time."

Scott Collins was the lone individual competitor for the Maples, running a personal best 9:55.0 in the 3200m run, finishing 9th.

But the biggest surprise of the day may have come from the solid Seaholm Mile Relay. Building on their league championship three days earlier, the group of Grabiel, Justin Donohue, Barton, and Matthews brought the best of the 1990's standard down again, ti 3:30.0 and finished 6th in Oakland County. "That group is special and we may not realize it for some time," Head Coach Bill Johansson said. "They have embodied the emphasis we put on that race, and it shows." Seaholm will next be in action Tuesday, May 30th at the Ambrose Relays.

May 23rd

Among the many positive performances for Seaholm at the O.A.A. II League Championships was the performance of the mile relay team (Rob Grabiel, Justin Donohue, Mike Barton, and Drew Matthews) which ran away from the competition to win in a 1990's best 3:31.2 and set the OAA II Meet Record. The quartet finished the season undefeated against league foes (Ferndale, Lake Orion, Waterford Mott, Berkley, West Bloomfield, and Troy Athens). "They have been the strong point for us all year," Bill Johansson said, "At Seaholm we pride ourselves on putting a great mile-relay on the track. They have been performers for us all year. I am happy they had a chance to show their dominance today."

The relay team featured several of Seaholm's medallists on this night. Grabiel finished a sizzling quarter-mile, passing three competitors on the straight-away to capture the silver medal. Donohue placed second in the 300m hurdles, while Barton finished third in the 800m Dash. "The great thing about those mile relay guys is that they can all do a great deal of things. For us, you're talking about a quarter-guy, a hurdler, a half-miler, and a sprinter."

To round out the medals, seniors Scott Collins (5th, 3200m run), and Brad Schwandt (3rd 300m I. Hurdles, 5th Long Jump, and 4th 110m H Hurdles). Seaholm finished fourth overall in the league meet, same as their dual meet standings. The Maples will next be in action on Friday May 27th at the Oakland County Championships.

May19th

The Maples were told to expect new things when they came to Algonac High School for the Region 19 Finals, but no one told them there would be this many ups and downs in a track meet. "That was the most emotional track meet I have ever been a part of, and one whose significance will take some time to sink in," Coach Bill Johansson said. When it was all said and done and the Maples had returned to Birmingham at 2 AM, they came back knowing that there season would extend to the Division II State Finals at Grandville High School on June 3rd.

For the record, the Maples finished 7th out of 16 teams. The improbable 4x100m relay team of seniors Brad Schwandt, Justin Donohue, Drew Matthews, and Bill Liu came out of nowhere to capture the regional championship in a time of 45.4. "I kept waiting for some of those faster seeded teams to make up some ground, and they simply couldn't. I think they ran as perfect a race as they could. I owe (John) Bancroft a steak dinner," Johansson recalled.

Sophomore Mike Barton was leaned out at the finish line to take home second place in the half-mile, advancing to the state finals. "He ran his style and was in the thick of things for the regional championship, we are all very proud of him," distance Coach Gary Collins said.

The true drama, however, would come two events later in the 3200m run. Knowing he would have to run 10:00.4 (14 seconds faster that his previous best) to qualify for the state finals, Scott Collins went "as fast as I could run" for the race of his career. He crossed the line in exactly 10:00, forcing the eager family, friends, and teammates of Scott to wait for the official announcement. After the longest 10 minutes of their lives, the announcement came over the P.A. that Scott had met the additional qualifying time to the state finals. "I would have felt terrible if he had missed it by a few tenths of a second, luckily we don't have to think about that anymore," Johansson said.

Other Maples who medaled in the region included Jim Lenihan (5th, discus), Brad Schwandt (5th, 300m hurdles), Rob Grabiel (5th, 400m), 3200m Relay (fifth), 1600m relay (5th). Seaholm will next be in action Tuesday May 23rd at the O.A.A. II League Championship.

May 16th

Running in cold and rainy conditions, the Seaholm Maples (3-3, 4-4) answered the bell to finish their duel meet season even, clinching the meet with Andy Lorenz's final 100m kick to capture second place in the 3200m run. "It is hard to focus the week of regionals on a duel meet. That along with the rain made it especially hard, but I told them there was no excuse for not performing today. To their credit, the team did a great job," Coach Bill Johansson said.

Senior Co-Captain Drew Matthews led Seaholm double winners by being a part of four victorious events. He was a member of the winning 1600m relay, ran a personal best in the open 200m, anchored the winning 400m relay, and came from behind anchor the 3200m Relay to victory. "We kind of hung him out to dry in the 3200m Relay and he did an outstanding job in responding to the pressure," Johansson said. "He has been an extremely versatile guy for us all year, running on all relays and having to fit into so many places. He has been extremely unselfish in putting the team above his individual accomplishments."

Senior Co-Captains Robert Grabiel (800m Dash, 800m Relay, and 1600m Relay) and Scott Collins (1600m run, 3200m run) were also double winners and were joined by sophomore Mike Barton (400m, 1600m relay), and senior Brad Schwandt (400m relay, 110 High Hurdles).

Seaholm now looks to the Regional Championships, Friday May 19th at Algonac High School.

Saturday May 13th

Slightly shorthanded and banged up, Seaholm ran well enough to earn 6th place at the 2000 Lahser Relays. Among the bright spots were the Sprint Medley Relay Team of Mike Barton, Beau Hammond, Drew Matthews, and Rob Grabiel which finished second, and the 400m Relay Team of Bill Liu, Brad Schwandt, Bryan Koss, and Hammond, which finished third. Seaholm's Mile Relay continued to be tough, finishing second to Andover with a time of 3:36.4. Matthews, Barton, Grabiel, and Ross Lambert constituted the mile relay today. Seaholm will next be in action Tuesday May 16th at Berkley.

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Waterford Mott 82 Seaholm 46

Thursday May 11th
 
 

During a meet that was postponed for 20 minutes due to lighting, the Maples used their second to last duel meet before regionals to rest and experiment with some lineup ideas. "Mott is a pretty strong team and we have three meets this week, so we laid back a bit. The meet we are concerned with is in a week," Coach Bill Johansson said.

Seaholm's freshmen took center stage on this day. The team of Matt Shin, Scott Koehler, Steven Kassab, and Matt Lincoln came within three tenths of a second of breaking the freshman record in the 800m relay (1:42.3). Kassab also scored two PR's in the hurdles races (17.5 and 45.1) to move closer to individual freshman records. "If he makes one more jump he can get there," sprinters coach John Bancroft said. Adam Schloff dropped to 5:52 in the mile and Andy Foran broke 13 minutes for the first time in the two mile.

"We still have some work to do, but I am feeling better every day about the regional meet. It can't get here soon enough for me." Seaholm (3-4, 2-3) will next be in action at the Lahser Relays on Saturday May 13th.

May 9th, 2000

Running their final duel meet on Ambose Track, Seaholm's seniors came up big. In a dominating performance, Seaholm won 14 of the 16 events, including all four relays. Brad Schwandt led the way, winning four events (long jump, 110m hurdles, 300m hurdles, 400m Relay) with Rob Grabiel and Drew Matthews following suit with three victories each. Senior Scott Collins added to the list of senior standouts by clocking two personal records in the 1600m and 3200m, running virtually by himself. Geoff Wehner came from behind to win the shot put with a personal record 44'10". Additionally, Justin Donohue dropped time in the 300m hurdles and was on a victorious 400m relay team. "I was happy we could send the seniors out on a victorious note," Bill Johansson said, "This class has been outstanding since they arrived as freshmen, and have worked hard to be where they are today. Others should follow the great example they have set."
 

Seaholm's seniors were not the only ones hard at work Tuesday night. In the shot put competition, Wade Dobson shattered Andy Peck's 6 year old record to become the best freshman in the shot put. This scored his first point, which was also true of freshmen Scott Koehler (100m), Dan LaFave (1600m, breaking 5:00), and sophomore Jim Radcliffe (Discus). "I think the freshman are starting to see the results of some hard work. They should expect some good things in the meets to come." Seaholm will next be in action on Thursday May 11th at Waterford Mott.

Friday May 5thS

Running in one of the classic meets of the season, the Dan Lutkus Relays at Hazel Park High School, Seaholm put up some strong showings. "We usually try to spread guys out a lot so everyone can get a medal (the top three teams receive medals). Today we decided to really go after some of these races," Head Coach Bill Johansson revealed. The philosophy bore fruit for several of the Maple Relay Teams. The day began with the 4x1600m team of Scott Collins, Andy Lorenz, Sebastian Lounis, and Tom Ruffley bringing home the gold. In the very next event, the sprint medley team (200-100-100-400) of Drew Matthews, Justin Donohue, Brad Schwandt and Mike Barton (right) had an early lead and never looked back to take home the title. Of major interest may have been the shuttle hurdle relay team of Schwandt, Justin Donohue, Kam-Yu Ng, and Steven Kassab (below), which clocked 67.1 to also bring home a gold medal. "Yesterday Kam-Yu scored his first varsity point. Today we wins a gold medal. The kid has worked hard and I hope he has enjoyed his experience in track and field," Hurdle Coach John Bancroft said of the senior exchange student from China. To end the meet, the undefeated Mile Relay Team saw their streak come to end as they finished second to Andover, despite dropping four seconds to 3:34.0. "I told them not to worry about it," Johansson said. "They have plenty of time before it matters and they will see Andover again. It should be different next time." Seaholm will next be in action Tuesday May 9th at home against Ferndale.

Thursday May 4th

The Maples lost a heartbreaker in their first meet back from spring break. A meet that the Maples appeared to have no chance in became one of the most exciting of the year. Each team took turns sweeping events and changing the momentum. Ned Scott began the day by tossing a PR by over 14 feet in the discus (135' 5") to capture a huge first place in the discus. His effort put him in a tie for 8th in the 1990's. "Ned's throw was big today," Seaholm Coach Bill Johansson said," After getting it handed to us in the throws of late, we really needed them to step up today"

Seaholm showed strength by sweeping the 110m High Hurdles with the team of Brad Schwandt, Justin Donohue, and Kam-Yu Ng (right). Seaholm also made a clean sweep in the 800m Dash, with Mike Barton capturing first place and Sebastian Lounis (2:13.7) and Joe Person (2:13.7) making a move in the last 70 meters to shutout West Bloomfield. "Those guys showed a lot of heart in that race. They had to sprint the last straight into a heavy wind and fought it to make the pass," distance Coach Gary Collins said.

Overall Johansson related that there were numerous opportunities to win the meet, and the littlest thing could have made the difference in the two point decision. The Maples (2-3, 1-2) will next be in action Friday May 5th at the Lutkus Relays.

Saturday April 29th

With the majority of the Seaholm Track team on spring break, Coach Johansson got a good look at some of the youth of his squad, as well as being able to tinker with some potential lineup ideas. The Maples finished 7th overall with 20 points. The biggest highlight was capturing the Distance Medley Relay Gold Medal with a time of 11:15.3. The team of Robert Grabiel, Scott Collins, Mike Barton, and Ross Lambert (below) raced to bring home the title.

Additionally PR's were set by Pete Bozynski (Discus), Wade Dobson (Shot Put), Steven Kassab (Long Jump), not to mention numerous relay splits. 

"Overall I was quite pleased.," Johansson said. "We came here with a skeleton crew but accomplished a lot and found some things out about ourselves. Now we can move into the stretch run."

Tuesday April 18th

The Maples split a pair of non-league meets at Royal Oak Kimball High School. Avenging a 68-60 loss to the Knights two years earlier mixed with the Maples first loss to Groves since 1995 left a bittersweet feeling as Seaholm left the track. "This meet will help us in the end, I think it has shown us where we need to work the most," Coach Bill Johansson said. The Maples (2-2, 2-2) will be off for spring break until May 1st, there next meet will be April 29th at the De La Salle Invitational.

Barton Comes Home With Three Victorious Performances

Sophomore Mike Barton continued to remain one of the Maples' dominant weapons. On Tuesday he anchored the victorious 3200m Relay with a smooth 2:04, coming from 10 meters behind to do it. "That could not have worked out any better for us. We know if the race comes down to Mike on the anchor then we are in good shape," Johansson remarked. Barton cruised to an easy victory in the open 800m and then led off the runaway Seaholm Mile Relay, which has yet to be defeated in 2000. "Mike has one of the great meets of the season. It reminded me of the meet Drew Matthews had last week, walking down two runners in relays as well as winning the open 200. Those two, along with Rob Grabiel have proven they are 'go-to' guys."

Mile Relay Continues to Be Strong Point for Maples

Long emphasized by Seaholm Coaches, the Mile Relay seems to have finally reached its status as "Seaholm's Event". The Maples remained undefeated in four contests in the event, outracing Groves and Kimball. Senior Justin Donohue, making his first appearance on the relay for 2000, joined fellow seniors Drew Matthews and Robert Grabiel, and sophomore Mike Barton, who clocked 3:38.0, eight best since 1982. "It is a good thing to have a great mile relay in case the meet comes down to it. Unfortunately today we weren't quite close enough, but I feel we have the guys that can dominate this event," Johansson related. "We pride ourselves on that event, and we will be challenged this year."

Young Trio Make Huge Strides in Distance Events

Three of the younger Maple distance runners put themselves in great position to break 5:00 in the mile the next time Seaholm is in action. Freshmen Sebastien Lounis (5:02-5:00) and Dan LaFave (5:20-5:07), and Sophomore Tom Ruffley (5:03 in first effort) came up just seconds short of the 5:00 barrier. "We have a good young distance corps that are starting to believe they can really go. They get better with every meet and could be a big factor for us as this season develops," Distance Coach Gary Collins said. In addition to the mile times, Sophomores Joe Person (11:38-11:22), Ruffley (11:34-11:24), Junior Andy Lorenz (11:06-10:41) and Senior Co-Captain Scott Collins (10:39-10:29) all dropped major time in the 3200m.

Thursday April 13th

Though the score would not depict it as such, the Maples put up a tremendous effort against the defending league champion Lake Orion Dragons. Personal bests were set in numerous events and unheard of times for this early in the year were obtained. "When you get outscored in the field 32-4, it is always tough to win. Against Orion, it proved to be fatal. I am very pleased that we ran even with them on the track," Bill Johansson related. Seaholm (1-1. 1-1) will next be in action Tuesday April 18th in a Tri-Meet with Birmingham Groves and Royal Oak Kimball (at Royal Oak Kimball).

3200m RELAY RUNS SECOND FASTEST TIME IN THE 90's; Other RELAYS IMPROVE

The quartet of Seniors Robert Grabiel, Drew Matthews, and Sophomores Joe Person and Mike Barton were edged out by Lake Orion in he 3200m Relay, but in the process moved bounds closer to their goal. The Maples relay ran 8:24.7, the second fastest time in the 1990's (to 8:22.0 in 1999) and only 3 seconds off the automatic qualifier to the state meet. Mike Barton's electrifying anchor leg of 2:00.5 capped off a huge improvement in the relay. "It was encouraging to see them go this fast. They competed hard against a good team and should know that they have the potential to really make this thing go," Distance Coach Gary Collins related.

In addition, the 800m Relay (Beau Hammond, Brad Schwandt, Justin Donohue, and Matthews) dropped four second to 1:37.2 only to be nudged out at the tape. The 400m Relay of Schwandt, Donohue, Hammond and Sophomore Bill Liu cruised to a 46.1 to upset the Dragons. "This group will get better. In time I really think they can go under 45, and possibly faster," Sprinter's Coach John Bancroft predicted.

LORENZ NAILS 6th PR OF THE SEASON IN THE MILE

Junior Andy Lorenz continued to be the steady improver of the team, racing to his sixth PR of 2000 in the 1600m run. The clip of 4:52.6 (#9 in the 1990's) is the first time the junior has broken the five minute mark. "I really did not feel we were going that fast," Lorenz noted. "Hopefully that means faster times are on the way."

LIU CONTINUES TO BE SPRINT WORKHORSE

Coming into the 2000 season, sophomore Bill Liu was the top returning sprinter. As such, he has had to carry the load in the open sprints this year and has done an admirable job. Against Lake Orion he collected two second place finishes (12.1 and 24.6 respectively) as well as two PR's. "Bill is slowly emerging as a a leader in that group of underclassmen. I think he is ready to make a jump," Johansson commented.

Thursday, April 6th

Fighting a blustery wind, the Seaholm Men's track team opened up its season at home with a 70-58 victory against Troy Athens. A close meet was clinched in the 15th of 16 events, the 3200m Run with Andy Lorenz's third place finish clinching the meet. Head Coach Bill Johansson said, "The kids ran well against an opponent we weren't too sure about and in tough conditions. The times don't show it, but we ran hard today. Hopefully it is an indication of how our season will go." Seaholm (1-0, 1-0) will next be in action Saturday April 13th at home against Lake Orion

Throwers Come up Big

Seaholm's weight men, a much deeper group than in 1999 came up with key points in the shot put and discus. Junior Ned Scott set a personal record throw of 43'4" (also #9 in the 1990's) to take third place. Scott (118' 0") and Senior Jim Lenihan (117' 9") teamed up to take second and third in the discus competition. "Though the distances could be better, these guys came up big to bump their second and third guys," Johansson related.

Seaholm Finds Strength in the Hurdles

Predicted to be a strong event for Seaholm, the hurdle races proved to be just that. Seaholm hurdlers combined to take 14 of the 18 points in the two hurdle races. Seniors Brad Schwandt (15.8) and Justin Donohue (16.4) got the meet off to a great start by taking first and second in the 110m High Hurdles while Schwandt (44.7) and freshman Steve Kassab (46.6, #9 in the 1990's) took first and third in the 300 hurdles. Those were the first varsity points scored by the freshman Kassab, who also scored third in the high jump competition. Joining him for initial varsity scoring were fellow freshman Sebastian Lounis (3200m relay), juniors Beau Hammond (800m relay) and Ross Lambert (1600m relay), and senior Adam Brown (long jump and high jump).

Friday, March 31st

The Seaholm Track Team made its first appearance of the 2000 season at Macomb Community College during the Oakland County Indoor Championships. Aside from show casing the core of the team, the Maples also presented their new uniforms for 2000. Seaholm Coach Bill Johansson said, "I saw a lot of good things tonight. Most of all, I was pleased with how we competed. We ran hard and didn't back down." Seaholm will next be in action Thursday, April 6th against Troy Athens on the new Ambrose Track.

Schwandt, Donohue Advance to Finals of Indoor Hurdles

To start off the meet, seniors Brad Schwandt and Justin Donohue set the tone for the Maples by advancing to the finals of the 55m hurdle race. Both hurdlers have been working with sprint coach John Bancroft for the past month and the results showed the fruits of their efforts. It was the first race in over 2 years for Donohue, who missed the entire 1999 season with an injury. Schwandt ended up finishing in the medal race, getting nudged at the tape and finishing third. "Our goal for the season is to be in a position to sweep the hurdle races," John Bancroft said. "These guys showed me today that we can do it."
 
 

THE MAPLES' BIGGEST FAN

Maples Take Advantage of Indoor Meet to Set PR's

"This is as good as I've seen a Seaholm Track run indoors since I have been head coach," Bill Johansson remarked. The numbers back him up as several Maples performed better than all of last year during this indoor meet. Senior Jim Lenihan busted out a PR by several feet, throwing 41' 3" during the finals of the shot put competition. Sophomore's Tom Ruffley (2:22) and Joe Person (2:13) blistered previous personnel bests during their legs of the 3200m Relay. Andy Lorenz continued to drop his mile time, which has been reduced four times this winter, to 5:04, only two second off his personal best from 1999. In addition, Ross Lambert clocked a strong 58.3 in his first ever quarter mile. Johansson concluded, "These guys will all help us in the depth category. It is great to see these kind of times this early."

Barton Begins to Impress

Sophomore Mike Barton began to display flashes of dominance during his two races Friday night, just weeks after basketball season had concluded. During the distance medley relay, Barton took the baton from Captain Robert Grabiel and zoomed through his four laps in 2:02.8, a very respectable indoor time.  He then led off the mile relay in 54.3, giving him one of the better performances of the night. Distance Coach Gary Collins said, "Mike can achieve just about whatever he wants this season. It should be exciting."

Freshmen Stake Their Claim to Varsity

While the bulk of the Maples competing Friday night were seniors with experience, several freshmen, who look to be key contributors, made their debut appearances for the Maples. Steven Kassab ran on the 800m relay and split 26.3. The duo of Sebastian Lounis (2:18.7) and Geoff Elson (2:24.9) both competed on the 3200m relay team. "We generally don't ask freshmen to compete on the varsity, but these guys are have worked hard and deserve a chance. They have bright futures ahead of them if they keep working."