DEARBORN — The dictionary defines “elite” as an adjective “representing the most choice or select; best.”
Divine Child’s twin long distance runners Anthony and Michael Hancock have earned that commendation through pure grit.
Since they were fourth-graders at Divine Child elementary when they started running to stay in shape for soccer, the 18-year-old seniors have logged hundreds, nay, thousands of miles year-round.
“We run because it’s fun and relaxing,” one of them told me in an interview last summer.
It’s rewarding, too. Both made their commitment official in November to attend the University of Michigan in the fall, passing up offers from Michigan State, Arkansas and Grand Valley State.
“U-M benefited us more, academically and athletically,” Anthony explained.
Their coach, Randy Williams, has nothing but praise for his dual-threat seniors.
“They have a killer instinct in them that they’ll do whatever it takes to win,” Williams said.
Anthony, the older by 18 minutes, has won nearly eighteen 5,000-meter races in his prep career, including the Catholic League cross country championship for the last two years. Last fall, he finished second in the Wayne County cross country championship (turning in his personal best of 14:59.1) and second in the MHSAA Division 2 final.
In track, he’s won the CHSL 3200 championship twice and will be gunning for a third medal this spring — along with a repeat win of the MHSAA Division 2 final, which he ran in 9:06.65.
Anthony ranked seventh among Michigan high schoolers in 2019 at 3,200 meters outdoors and 5,000 meters indoors, and 27th nationally for a 15:42.04 time for 5,000 meters indoors.
Michael has accumulated a host of second and third places behind his brother, including the CHSL and MHSAA championships.
Last June, at the New Balance National Emerging Elite title outdoor races in Greensboro, N.C., Michael won the 3,000-meter (8:46.38) and the two-mile (9:20.05) races.
On Nov. 15, the brothers headed to Argentina for the World Mountain Running Championships as members of the USA Track and Field Team.
Michael (35.50) finished 26th on the rough 4.7-mile course, and Anthony (37:02) placed 31st. The USA team finished sixth at the event.
“It was hot and dry the days before the race,” Anthony recalled. “On the day of the race, it rained hard. The course was super muddy. The trail went up and down hills and across a river.”
Two weeks later, they were in Kenosha, Wis., for the Foot Locker Midwest Regional Championships. It was one of the few times they didn’t finish close together. Michael ran 15:51.3 for second place to be among the top 10 to qualify for the national race in California. Anthony came in 28th in 16:30.6.
“I was still sick from Argentina. Stuff happened from all the traveling,” Anthony said.
Michael ran twice on the West Coast. His top-10 finish in the Foot Locker Midwest race also qualified him as an at-large runner in the Nike Cross Country Championships om Dec. 7 in Portland, Ore. He came in 48th out of 208 runners with a time of 15:50.5.
The following Saturday, he ran in the Foot Locker Nationals at Balboa Park in San Diego. He placed 32nd out of 40 runners with a time of 16:13.
“We’re healthy now,” Anthony said.
Next on their agenda is the Gazelle Sports ELITE 3,200 on Feb. 14 at Grand Valley State University.
In the meantime, they’ll keep doing what they’ve been doing since the fourth grade, and what elite runners do: Relax. Have fun. Run.
Contact Don Horkey at [email protected].
