Coopersville senior Gabe Vansickle finished in first place in shot put with a throw of 61 feet and 2 inches during the MHSAA division 2 track and field finals at Hamilton High School on Saturday, June 1, 2024.Joel Bissell | MLive.com
COOPERSVILLE, MI – Gabe VanSickle packed up his car and left for Columbus, Ohio on Sunday, but before he started the 340-mile trip south to his new home at Ohio State University, the Coopersville athlete had one more possession to add to his bag.
On his last day competing as a Coopersville High School student-athlete, VanSickle made school history with his state championship in the shot put at Saturday’s MHSAA Division 2 track and field state meet.
The 6-foot-5, 315-pound senior launched the 12-pound metal ball 61 feet, 2 inches to shatter his previous personal best of 55 feet, 8.75 inches and break a 10-year-old school record of 56 feet, 3.25 inches.
“These past two weeks, I’ve just been trying to get my form dialed in,” VanSickle said. “I was throwing 58s and 59s in practice, so I knew I had a really good chance at this, and then I threw 61 today, so it worked out.”
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VanSickle edged out runner-up Brennan Faber, of Parma Western, who also set a personal-best by throwing 59 feet, 10.5 inches on his first attempt, which brought the shot put crowd to its feet and put the other competitors on notice.
After his first attempts checked in at around 55 feet, VanSickle uncorked his historic throw and achieved his season-long goal of clearing 60 feet.
“I was feeling pretty good,” he said of his approach coming into the state meet. “My form was OK at regionals, and then it just started getting better and better.
“When it left my hand, I knew it was good. My release was just insane there.”
As a two-time all-state offensive lineman and Ohio State football signee, VanSickle is well-known around Michigan high school athletics circles for his abilities on the gridiron, but a little bit less so on the track, at least before Saturday.
He had never qualified for the state meet, and he had only thrown farther than 50 feet once prior to his senior season, but spring is the time of year when football camps, college visits and recruiting picks up, so it was understandable for track to take a bit of a backseat to his future on the gridiron.
“Last year, he faulted on all his throws at regionals, and at the league meet, he went on a visit to Northwestern, so I couldn’t really tell him ‘No,’ when he was going to be a Big Ten football player,” Coopersville throws coach Jeremy Annen said. “He’s always been all-in. It’s not that he wasn’t, and I understand that.”
Coopersville senior Gabe Vansickle high-fives head coach Jeremy Annen after a great throw in the shot put during the MHSAA division 2 track and field finals at Hamilton High School on Saturday, June 1, 2024. Vansickle finished in first place in shot put with a throw of 61 feet and 2 inchesJoel Bissell | MLive.com
Coopersville’s first Big Ten football signee, VanSickle adds to his legacy by putting his name on the school’s record board, and his ability to shine as a talented-yet-humble multi-sport athlete sets a great example for future Broncos.
“He’s always at practice. He’s an encourager and a nice kid,” Annen said. “He doesn’t fly off the handle, but is super competitive. He gets to know all the kids on the team and all the kids he’s throwing against. The kid who took second came right up to him and shook his hand, so he’s just a good example for all our kids of what we expect and what we’ve expected for a long time.”
At Ohio State, VanSickle will be rooming with the Buckeyes’ other three offensive line signees from the class of 2024 – four-star prospect Ian Moore and fellow three-stars Devontae Armstrong and Deontae Armstrong – and he said he’s most looking forward to forming bonds with all his new teammates.
“I’m ready for the brotherhood because that’s the main thing that brought me in there – the friendships I made on my first visit down there, so I’m ready to meet more people and obviously get better at football,” VanSickle said.
At Coopersville, VanSickle will be remembered for a long time, even if his school record in the shot put eventually gets replaced.
“I won’t ever see another kid like Gabe,” Annen said. “He’s a freak of an athlete, and he’s the nicest, gentlest, humblest kid. We spend a lot of time together, and he’s very coachable, and he can make changes on the fly when things aren’t going right. He’s difficult for me to screw up.
“He’s a great kid from a great family, and I’m just so happy for him.”
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