Seniors Cooper Bright and Madi Szymanski and junior Elijah Allen took center stage against the state’s best, and each of them notched an excellent performance with a new personal best.

Bright started the day for the Wildcats in the 400 meter dash. After a late scratch, he was bumped from heat 1 to heat 2 where he battled fierce competition. Flying around the track in Lane 1, Bright blazed a new school record of 49.76. This was good for a second place finish in heat 2, and it bettered his own 400 dash record of 49.84 from last Tuesday’s Alpena News Honor Roll Meet.

With excitement came anticipation, though, as Bright and the Wildcat coaching staff waited anxiously to see the results of the third and final heat. As the final eight times displayed on the scoreboard of Carlson-Munger Stadium, it became clear that Bright had finished seventh overall to earn all-State Honors and a podium finish.

A celebration of his efforts ensued on the infield, the culmination of a storied high school career.

Courtesy Photo Cooper Bright is pictured on the medal podium after finishing seventh in the 400 meter dash

Next up for Alpena was Allen in the 300 meter hurdles. After posting a personal best at regionals just two weeks prior, Allen was primed for peak performance. Driving out of the blocks and burning down the backstretch, Elijah rocketed to a huge personal best of 41.88. This was good for 17th overall in Division 1, an immense improvement of seven spots from his seed time. An extraordinary effort and a fantastic race in Allen’s first trip to the state finals.

Finally, Szymanski took the track for the 3,200 meter run to complete the incredible day of performances from the Wildcats. Running well ahead of her goal pace, Madi crafted a remarkable race to cross the finish line at 10:35.76 — an unbelievable personal record of almost 24 seconds. Szymanski’s time shattered the previous school record of 10:50.79 by over 15 seconds.

Szymanski finished seventh overall to earn all-state honors in her final high school meet. The finish also edged out Mt. Pleasant’s Malarie Pinwar, the eighth place finisher who had bested Szymanski at the May 20 regional final in Midland. Following the race, there were hugs and high-fives aplenty in honor of another podium effort.

With three substantial personal records, two all-state finishes, and one united goal, the Wildcats put a large bow on a successful season. The wonderful day sets the stage for the summer offseason and the spring of 2023 when the Alpena squads will return to the track.

Courtesy Photo Alpena High athletes Madi Szymanski, left, Cooper Bright, center, and Elijah Allen all completed in the Division 1 state track and field finals Saturday in Rockford. Szymanski and Bright each earned an all-state finish and set a new school record and Allen set a new PR.