Oak Park Girls Track and Field Team Captures Third-Straight Division 1 State Title
The Dynasty continues.
The Oak Park High School girls track and field team secured its third consecutive MHSAA Division 1 state championship on Saturday at East Kentwood High School, further solidifying its place in Michigan high school sports history. The victory marks the Knights’ ninth state title in the last 11 seasons—excluding the canceled 2020 season—an unmatched stretch of dominance in Division 1 girls track and field.
While Ann Arbor Pioneer still holds the record for most consecutive Division 1 girls titles with seven (1985–1991), no other program has matched Oak Park’s nine championships in such a span.
All nine titles have come under the leadership of Head Coach Brandon Jiles, who continues to build on the legacy of the program.
"I’m just trying to give back, take what I’ve learned, and pour it into our kids, our program, and our culture.” said Jiles
Oak Park’s 86 points easily outpaced runner-up Detroit Renaissance (47 points) and third-place Holland West Ottawa (46 points).
A standout performance came from senior hurdler Carrie VanNoy, who capped her high school career with a pair of individual state titles. VanNoy won the 100-meter hurdles with a personal-best and Michigan-leading time of 13.70 seconds. She followed that with a title in the 300-meter hurdles, running a personal best of 42.59—the second-fastest time in the state this season.
“I have a great team behind me, a great group of people that push me,” said VanNoy, who is also the Class of 2025 valedictorian. “Believing in yourself is the biggest thing for me. I had to believe I could do it.”
Coach Jiles praised VanNoy’s perseverance through her four years.
“She’s been through the ups and downs of this sport—finishing fourth, seventh, third. But she’s a senior now, and it was her time,” Jiles said. “She’s gotten it done in the classroom and on the track. She’s been resilient.”
The future remains bright for Oak Park, as underclassmen continue to rise. Sophomore Nevaeh Burns and freshman Janae Coleman delivered a dominant 1-2 finish in the 400-meter dash. Burns, the defending champion, repeated with a time of 54.34. Coleman followed close behind in 55.04.
“It’s going to happen,” Burns said of her goal to win four straight 400-meter titles. “It’s not an idea. We’re going to make it happen.”
Coach Jiles highlighted the culture that fuels the team’s continued success.
“The thing I like about those girls is they push each other and hold each other accountable,” he said. “They support each other and work hard together. That’s the thing about our team—nobody is above anybody.”
Right now, in girls track and field, nobody is above Oak Park.
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Congratulations to our student-athletes, Coach Jiles, and the entire Oak Park track and field program on another historic season
