By David Fleet
dfleet@mihomepaper.com
Hamilton— In 2004 gas was $1.80 per gallon, George W. Bush was president and flip phones were all the rage.
That same year the Goodrich High School 4 X 800 meter relay team of Kayla O’Mara, Kaitlyn O’Mara, Samantha Minkler and Janee Jones set a school record of 9:24.3.
After more than two decades the 4 X 800 meter relay record time was topped this season. Twice.
The “Martian Four,” 4 X 800 relay team of Freshmen Kayla Shellenbarger, Sophomore Alivia Ottinger, Senior Kamryn Lauinger and Senior Layla Jordan made history for the first time on May 9, at the Flint Metro League Championship in Linden with a blistering 9:20.19 a full three second improvement.
Just three weeks later on May 31 the “Martian Four” rewrote the high school record books again with a 9:16.06 time in the Division 2 State Track and Field Championships at Hamilton High School.
“It’s more than just a school record,” said Coach Al Warden, who has been with the Goodrich Track teams for more than 18 years. “It’s how they came together with a single goal in mind. They said ‘yes’ we can do this and believed in each other. I watched both record-setting races this spring and I was impressed.”
The team worked together for a full school year and were part of the 2024 Goodrich Girls State Championship Cross Country Team. They were coached by Kelly Pietzak.