Good luck on this one. Figuring out the best of these sprinters alone is an incredible task.
Remember, we're introducing a potential All-Decade team each Thursday until December, when, based on your comments and my original groupings, we'll come up with our All-Decade teams for each sport. Check out the links at the bottom of this post to contribute to all of the conversations so far.
For the track teams, I've combined how we pick all-area each season (based on both top performances and head-to-head competition) with how a true track team might be comprised. Here's what I've got so far (I've filled in colleges where I know them, but will update if you inform me of those I've missed):
Throwers: Williamston's Donny Stiffler and Sexton's Matt Armstrong (both class of 2009, both now at Grand Valley State), and Sexton's Jodie Clemons (2000, Indiana for football): Stiffler and Armstrong dominated their final two seasons with the decade's best throws in both events. Clemons gets the final spot over Okemos' Okezie Aguwa because of his Dream Team abilities in both shot and disc. Also in the conversation: Oguwa and Lakewood's Mike Kuras.
Jumpers: Everett's Cordell Miller (2008), Eastern/Sexton's DeShawn Jones (2007, Northwood), Okemos' Ryan Libiran (2005, Michigan State) and Fowlerville's Brian Sherwood (2002, MSU): Miller was a Division 1 state champ long jumper who also made the Dream Team once in high jump, and Jones actually had the area's best long jump of the decade (23-9) as a junior. Libiran won the Midwest Meet of Champions as a senior going 6-10, while Sherwood went 6-11 to set the Division 2 state meet record in 2002. Also in the conversation: Sexton's Jon Allen and Haslett's Brad James.
Pole vault: Fowlerville's Max Babits (2009) and Alma's Marcus Breidinger (2005, Central Michigan): Babits claimed the Honor Roll Meet record this spring and went 15-9 3/4, while Breidinger went a decade-best 15-11 1/2 as a senior. Also in the conversation: Portland's Tom Stornant.
Sprinters: East Lansing's Issac Harper (2008, Saginaw Valley State for football), Grand Ledge's James Jackson (2009, Ohio State for football), Fowlerville's Tim Scott (2002, MSU), Haslett's Nelson DeFord (2002, CMU): Harper was the decade's best in the 200 and among them in the 100, and Jackson won a 100-meter state championship as a sophomore while also posting the area's top 400 time as a junior. Scott won the Division 2 100 championship as a senior and had a decade-best 10.3 in that race, while DeFord won the 100, 200 and 400 at the Honor Roll Meet as a junior, going 10.4 in the 100 as a senior, and at one point held two Division 2 state meet records. Also in the conversation: Waverly's Dante Dunn, Olivet's Andy Montague, Eastern's Larry Burton and Sexton's Kevin Lawson.
Middle distance: East Lansing's Terry Fambro (2004) and Abraham Mach (2004, CMU), Williamston's Andrew Smith (2005, Purdue) and Fil Marlatt (2003, MSU): Fambro set the Honor Roll Meet record in the 400 at 48.7 as a senior, only to have Smith break it the next season in 48.53. Fambro also won a state title in 48.41. Mach went 1:52.01 to win a state title in the 800 that same year, and Marlatt did the same a year before and also had the decade's best time of 1:52 flat. Also in the conversation: Maple Valley's Jeff Burd, Williamston's David Ash and Potterville's Aaron Hunt.
Distance: Ovid-Elsie's Maverick Darling (2008, Wisconsin), Bath's Liam Boylan-Pett (2004, Columbia) and Williamston's Patrick Maynard (2001, Bowling Green): Darling won five state championships in either the 1,600 or 3,200 and broke 9 minutes in the latter. Boylan-Pett won five state titles in either the 1,600 or 800. Maynard was the Dream Team selection in the 3,200, 1,600 and 800 as a senior, setting a Division 3 state meet record in the 3,200 that season. Also in the conversation: Potterville's Larry Julson, Howell's Matt French and Grand Ledge's Jacob Crowe.
Hurdles: Sexton's Tymel Dodd (2006) and Javon Taylor (2008) and Alma's Bryan Jackson (2001): Dodd was the area's best in both races as a junior and senior, and won both Division 2 state titles in 2005. Taylor tied Dodd's decade-best time of 14.2 in the 110 race as a senior. Jackson won the Division 2 state title in the 300 race as a senior with a decade-best time of 37.84 and was also the area's best as a junior. Also in the conversation: Leslie's T.J. Waldofsky, Pewamo-Westphalia's Cory Noeker and Sexton's Brian Jackson.
400 and 800 relays: Harper, Scott, DeFord then Jackson would be our best from this team. The best this decade was East Lansing 2008 for both, made up of Harper, Will Slanger-Grant, Ali Philman and Austin Lintemuth -- 42.3 and 1:27.8.
1,600 relay: Smith, DeFord, Jackson and Fambro. The best this decade was Sexton 2002 of John Ibrahim, Brian Jackson, Bruce Mans and Jacob Wyatt that went 3:18.5.
3,200 relay: Boylan-Pett, Maynard, Mach and Marlatt. Grand Ledge blew away the competition this decade going 7:47.52 in 2001 with Andy Thorson, Aaron Fedewa, Bobby Sherman and Brendan Robinson.
Coach: Paul Nilsson, Williamston: The Hornets won four state championships this decade, doing so in both Division 3 and 2. Although Nilsson excels with distance runners, his teams were balanced with plenty of help from the sprints and field events. Also in the conversation: Sexton's Dan Boggan, Grand Ledge's Kim Spalsbury, Potterville's Dan Brunk, East Lansing's Pat Murray and P-W's Scott Werner.
Other All-Decade blogs so far:
