The West Michigan Conference enjoyed a banner year in boys track and field.
Two individuals were crowned state champions, a relay team and one its members tore it up at the state meet and several student-athletes earned all-state recognition.
Now it’s time for CatchMark to salute the best of the best from the conference this track season on the boys side.
A CatchMark panel consisting of Scott DeCamp, Brent Raeth and Conner Raeth has come to a consensus on three finalists for the 2022 VanDyk Mortgage West Michigan Conference boys track and field Athlete of the Year award. After some deliberation, the finalists have been determined: Whitehall’s Trannon Aylor, Hart’s Kellen Kimes and Mason County Central’s Andrew Quinn.
Several factors helped determine the finalists, including season statistics, all-around contributions, team success and other intangibles.
Friday morning (June 17), a poll will open and readers will vote to determine which of the aforementioned athletes wins the award. Readers will be allowed to vote once per hour until the poll closes at 3 p.m. Tuesday, June 21.
The West Michigan Conference Player of the Year banquet for 2022 spring sports will be held at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, June 30, at the Viking Athletic Center in Whitehall.
Here are capsules on each of the Athlete of the Year finalists for boys track and field:
TRANNON AYLOR
Whitehall sophomore sprinter
- Finished Division 2 state runner-up in the 400-meter dash, in the process setting a school record with a time of 49.39.
- Ran a leg on Whitehall’s state championship 4×200 relay team that posted a school-record time 1:29.73 at the Division 2 finals.
- Ran a leg on Whitehall’s state runner-up 4×400 relay team (3:25.13).
- Won the 400 at the GMAA and West Michigan Conference meets.
- Exhibited his raw talent all season in multiple events.
KELLEN KIMES
Hart junior thrower
- Won the Division 3 state title in discus with a personal-record throw of 165-10.
- On the same day, he took second in the state in the shot put with a PR of 58-8. Kimes was runner-up to Mason County Central’s Andrew Quinn in shot put.
- Won discus and shot put titles at the West Michigan Conference meet.
- Runner-up in discus and shot put at the West Michigan Invitational Track meet.
- Qualified for the Nike Outdoor Nationals in Eugene, Ore., in the shot put, discus and hammer throw.
ANDREW QUINN
Mason County Central senior thrower
- Won the Division 3 state title in shot put with a personal-record throw of 61-1.5.
- Won shot put and discus titles at the West Michigan Invitational Track Meet.
- Captured a Division 4 state wrestling title at 285 pounds with his lone loss coming to Whitehall’s Ira Jenkins in a West Michigan Conference quad.
- Finalist for the 2022 VanDyk Mortgage West Michigan Conference wrestler of the year award in the winter.
- Signed to compete in track and field at Saginaw Valley State University.
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