Wyandotte Track Finishes Fourth at Monroe Jefferson Invitational

Battling 25-mph winds and a smaller roster of athletes, the Bears boys track team rallied to finish fourth with a score of 84 ½ points at the Monroe Jefferson Invitational on Saturday.

Wyandotte was without the majority of its team because of the spring break vacation. The team only brought one senior to the invitational. 

Leading the way for the Bears was freshman Danny May. Dubbed “The Machine” by his teammates, May was a reason the Bears were able to post such a high score. May and teammates Leslie Cooper, Darius Davis and Alex Holmes finished first in the 4x400-meter relay.

The Bears led throughout the majority of the race and May sealed the victory on the anchor leg of the relay. Heading toward the finish line, May turned a close race into a finish that saw him win by 3-4 lengths ahead of the next closest team.

“For me, this is the best I have done so far," May said. "I just hope to continue to improve and as a team we have to continue to work harder.” 

May also finished first in the 800 run, a race in which he continues to show his machine-like mentality.  

Junior Jeff Smith also performed well for the Bears on Saturday. He won the long jump, posting a jump of 20 feet, 11 ¼ inches. He also finished fifth in the 100 dash.

“Today felt great,” Smith said. “Warming up, I felt like we were going to have a good day.” 

Smith is only in his second year of running track for the varsity team, but said he likes what it has done for him. 

“Track has made an important impact on my life," he said. "I hope to continue to perform at the level that I am so I can one day get a scholarship to a school and run track for them.” 

Cooper agrees that the team has the talent to put together a successful season for the Bears.

“This squad is great," he said. "We continue to put the team on our back and push it to the limit. Everyone supports one another."

Wyandotte coach Dave Lustig said he's proud that his athletes finished as well as they did at the invitational. 

“For us, this is a good group of guys," he said. "Today, we had guys that are running races that they normally do not, and they are stepping up big for us.” 

Lustig said he hopes the change in weather will bring the team closer to what they hope to achieve. 

“Weather has been brutal for us and it affects our team tremendously," he said. "I hope that we get some nice days because May is a big month for us.” 

The team's motto, "Ready," has been put on a T-shirt that the athletes wear. “Ready” is the slogan because as Lustig says: “I want our team to be ready for anything. Whether it be rain, wind, etc.”

The team has a 5-1 record this season, losing only to Woodhaven.

A Look Ahead

The team is off this week due to spring break. The next competitions are against Taylor Kennedy at home on May 3, away at Allen Park on May 5 and at the Woodhaven Invitational on May 7. The Bears have won that invitational the last four years. The meets start at 3:30 p.m. and the invitational begins at 10 a.m.