Track and Field Proves it Belongs Among Best in State

Last spring, the Greenhills track and field team arrived at the state meet with excitement and curiosity. Qualifying athletes had earned their place, but for many, simply reaching the state stage felt like an accomplishment. Then something changed. The Gryphons didn’t just participate—they competed, scored points, and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the best programs in Michigan and realized they belonged there. This season, they returned with a different mindset.

“Last year was kind of our breakthrough year,” head coach Jarrett Bussell said. “This year is the continuation of that. Now we have some of the top-seeded squads in a few places. These kids are going for wins. They want to win states.”

That shift from hopeful qualifiers to legitimate contenders has defined one of the strongest seasons in program history.

The boys team has rewritten the Greenhills record book. School records have fallen in the 400, 800, 4×2, 4×4 and 4×8 relays, while junior distance standout Naveen Kulkarni is threatening another long-standing mark in the mile. Senior Henry Beck broke the school record in the 800, then briefly held the 400 record before junior Sebastian Dickinson surpassed it at regionals.

For Bussell, it’s the kind of problem every coach wants.

“You’ve got multiple kids breaking each other’s records in the same season,” he said. “That’s pretty fun.”

Dickinson’s rise has mirrored the team’s emergence. The junior exploded this spring with a breakthrough postseason performance. At regionals, he ran a 49.27 in the 400—a personal record by more than a second and the fastest quarter-mile Bussell has coached.

“He’s kind of gone nuclear this season,” Bussell said. “We knew he had talent, but this year it’s really shining through.”

The relays, however, remain the heartbeat of the program. Greenhills’ boys 4×8 and 4×4 teams enter the state meet with legitimate championship aspirations, while the 4×2 squad delivered one of the most dramatic moments of the postseason. After battling injuries and inconsistent performances throughout the spring, the relay barely snuck into the fast heat at regionals after another team scratched. Running from lane eight as an underdog, the Gryphons surged to second place, broke the school record, and qualified for states.

“They put it together when it counted,” Bussell said.

Depth has elevated the boys program to another level. Greenhills qualified three athletes in the open 800, which is a rarity at the state level, and Kulkarni will compete in the 1600, 3200, and 4×8 relay as one of the team’s distance leaders.

The girls team, meanwhile, has built its success through grit, consistency and resilience. The Gryphons captured their fourth consecutive Catholic High School League (CHSL) championship this season, continuing a remarkable run of dominance. Bussell said the title reflected the team’s character.

“The girls are just real gritty and we scored points everywhere we could,” he said. “That ended up being enough. and are now the back-to-back-to-back-to-back CHSL champions. For the senior girls, all they know is winning.”

At regionals, that toughness showed again. Greenhills’ girls 4×4 relay qualified for the state meet by just 0.07 seconds, earning an at-large bid out of one of the toughest regions in Michigan. The quartet of Atiya Khaldun ’27, Deana Scott ’26, Nata Yonkoski ’27 and Janaan Rehman ’26 delivered when the pressure was highest.

“Our region is just so tough across the board,” Bussell said, “and the girls team is so deserving of getting a relay team to States.”

For Rehman and Scott, the qualification carried extra meaning. Scott enjoyed what Bussell described as a “glow-up year” in the 400, while Rehman, who is a longtime leader of the girls distance program, finally reached the state meet after narrowly missing in previous individual events.

Khaldun has added another dimension to the girls team’s rise. The sprinter joined track from soccer and immediately became one of the team’s top athletes, qualifying early for states in the 100 meters before also advancing in the 200.

“Every time I see her run, she just looks faster,” Bussell said. “She’s a natural talent.”

Bussell was equally impressed with the way Khaldun stepped up to anchor the 4×4 relay even though she tends to stick to the shorter sprints.

While this season’s success has been fueled by a large and talented senior class, Bussell believes the program’s transformation runs deeper than one group.

Many of this year’s state qualifiers have spent four years building toward this moment, training through winters and embracing the science behind improvement. Bussell said the athletes themselves deserve the credit for elevating the program.

“A lot of them have been working toward this for years,” he said. “They’ve really taken responsibility and pride in their training.”

Just as importantly, younger athletes are now growing up inside a culture where excellence feels normal.

“Iron sharpens iron,” Bussell said.

Freshmen and sophomores now train alongside state contenders and record holders every day, learning what elite preparation looks like. Bussell sees those underclassmen already beginning to follow the path established by the current seniors.

The future, he believes, is already taking shape.

“There’s always the question of how you replace a senior class like this,” Bussell said. “But usually it works itself out if you’re doing right by those younger athletes.”

That belief may be the clearest sign yet of how far Greenhills track and field has come. Last year, the Gryphons broke through. This year, they arrived knowing they belonged there.