SEBEWAING, MI – To say that Taylin Sutherland is team-driven is an understatement.
And it matters not which team she’s on.
A dual-sport athlete who competes in both track and field and softball for Unionville-Sebewaing Area, she makes certain to put the squad first in her focus.
“She handles the workload with great maturity,” USA track coach Mike Peter said. “Her team is important to her. She makes time to support her teammates.”
Sutherland also brings out her best when her team needs it most, as she showed in the Division 4 track regionals. She delivered two sensational races in the 200-meter dash and the 4x200 relay, punching her ticket to the state finals in each event.
That helped propel the sophomore to MLive Bay City Athlete of the Week accolades. She garnered 13,244 votes, good for 47.5 percent of the 27,899 ballots cast in the 10-player poll.
Pinconning baseball player D.J. LaBean finished second at 10,143 votes while Bay City Central softball pitcher Alivia Kukla also drew strong support with more than 2,000 votes.
Sutherland was first to the finish, just as she so often strives to do for the USA track and field squad. Versatility isn’t just her strength as an athlete – able to handle both softball and track – but it makes her a valuable commodity in track and field meets. She often racks up the points for the Patriots in the sprints, sprint relays and jumps.
And that means she has a lot of different skills to fine-tune each day in practice.
“Taylin is a worker. She comes to practice ready to improve daily,” Peter said. “With such a young athlete, I’m happy to see her drive for progress and competition.
“She is kind and patient, but when it is time to compete, she does so with focus and ferocity.”
Sutherland rose to the occasion for the Patriots at the regional meet. She posted a personal-best time of 27.86 to finish as regional runner-up in the 200. She also flew through the 4x200 relay, helping USA to a second-place showing in 1:56.95 and a trip to the state finals.
This won’t be her first state finals experience. She posted a PR of 15-2.5 in the long jump to advance to the D4 championships as a freshman. She placed fifth in the regional this time around.
Sutherland followed up her regional performance by pacing USA to victory in the 4x200 relay in the Thumb Meet of Champions. She also placed third in the 200.
MLive player polls are non-scientific ventures, designed to promote fun, fandom and discussion. The winners receive no prize and the results have no bearing on postseason awards.
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