Lakers’ Tatum puts Division 1 track on notice, multiple relays earn all-state

WEST BLOOMFIELD — Kamryn Tatum is a force to be reckoned with, but anyone who saw her compete on the track knew she was destined to be one of the top track athletes in Michigan.

“I definitely knew Kamryn prior to high school, but my first glimpse of watching her do what she does on the track was pretty amazing,” West Bloomfield High School head coach Nick Stration said. “She had an immediate impact in the program as a freshman.”

The West Bloomfield sophomore stormed out the gate last season, breaking school records in the 100-, 200-, and 400-meter and the 4x100 and 4x400 relays en route to winning the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 1 state championship title in the 200- and 400-meter. Tatum also earned all-state in the 4x100 with a sixth-place finish alongside now-sophomores Ese Uwedjojevwe, Tiara Hopkins-Butler and 2023 senior Caitlynn Bridges, and she earned all-state in the 4x200 with an eighth-place finish teamed up with Uwedjojevwe, Bridges and now-senior Jalia Marks.

Tatum picked up right where she left off with her sophomore campaign, winning the regional championship in the 200- and 400 meter, re-breaking her records in the 400-meter and 4x100 relay, and adding the 4x400 relay record to her resume as well.

Already a show-stopper early in her high school career, Tatum has shown what she can do on the track in any event she puts her mind to, but Stration said she showed a different strength at the MHSAA Division 1 state finals this year June 1 at East Kentwood High School.

“She also is a team player,” Stration said. “For instance, at the state meet, she ran the 4x200 and the 4x100, and the next event is the 400 (meter), so that’s why she didn’t place high in the 400, because it’s back-to-back events, so she kind of sacrificed her own open event to help the 4x100 finish second in the state.”

Tatum regained control of her 200-meter crown with a time of 24.63 while placing 13th in the 400-meter, saving herself to aid the 4x100 to second and the 4x200 to eighth, both all-state finishes to help West Bloomfield earn ninth overall out of 55 contending teams. Uwedjojevwe, freshman Lena Grays and freshman Londyn James took part in the 4x100, while Marks, Grays and James competed in the 4x200.

The 4x100 group fell just short of first-place Oak Park, who was the Division 1 state champion this year, by five one-thousandths of a second after both teams won their respective heats with the same exact time; the times had to be further examined in order to crown a champion.

The 4x100 group had a void to fill with Bridges graduating, but Stration said his freshman core grew up quickly this season.

“Last year, we had two significant seniors, Caitlynn Bridges and Makayla Pittman, and they were kind of the core of girls,” Stration said. “They ran track for four years as well, so they were a core for us. Then you had Ese (Uwedjojevwe) and Kamryn (Tatum) come in with the two seniors, and then we graduated the two seniors and had Lena (Grays) and Londyn (James) step into those roles. We’ve just been fortunate to have the right mix of girls come in at the same time.”

On the boys side, the 4x400 relay qualified for states for the first time under Stration in his five years at West Bloomfield, and they didn’t disappoint at states.

Finishing fifth with a 3:22.08, the third fastest time in school history, senior Curtis Sharif, junior Devin James, junior Angelo Finnie Jr. and freshman Musa Kay brought home all-state honors.

Stration said it was the perfect blend of leadership and talent that led the relay team to its impressive finish.

“We had kind of a mix of veterans,” Stration said. “Curtis Sharif is a senior and a four-year runner. Angelo Finnie and Devin James were both juniors, and they’re both three-year runners who do club track, so they’re very seasoned. Musa Kay is a freshman for us, and he actually moved in from Japan. He came in and ran cross country for us in the fall, and he actually had a calf injury that prevented him from the first month of our season making his name known in some of the bigger meets.”

James also finished 13th in the 200-meter, while Finnie Jr. took 21st in the 110-meter hurdles and 12th in the 300-meter hurdles.

Both will be veteran leaders next season for a talented boys side looking to make a name for itself, but Stration said he expects both of them to graduate with a school record to their name as well.

“They’re both coming back as seniors, so we’re hoping they can leave their mark in the program that way,” Stration said.