Tough Act To Follow Record-breaking track quartet wins national title

By Brad Emons

When it comes to passing the baton, Northville High’s 4 x 800-meter boys track quartet Brandon Latta, Brock Malaikal, David Whitaker and Brendan Herger will be an impossible act to follow.

If they were a Motown sound, they’d be called the Four Tops.

And if they were cars pushing the envelope for speed, they would be nicknamed the Fastbacks, where Motorsports Hall of Fame stock car owner and longtime crew chief Jack Roush, a longtime Northville resident, first got his start back in the early 1960s when he was part of a drag racing group that was supported by local Ford Motor Co. dealers.

Roush always loved his Mustang and he would absolutely love the way these four went about their racing business during the past two years – setting an all-class Michigan High School Athletic Association record time of 7:35.32, an astounding 11 seconds ahead of runner-up Grand Haven, at the Division 1 finals June 3 in Rockford.

Two weeks later at the New Balance Invitational in Philadelphia, Pa. – competing under the umbrella of the Six Mile Track Club -- they became national champions with a clocking of 7:36.81.

They held the fastest prep time in the U.S. from June 3 through June 16, only to be upstaged later in the month by Hinsdale Central (Ill.) and Vestavia Hills (Ala.), which posted times of 7:29.20 and 7:30.68, respectively, while finishing one-two at the Nike Outdoor Championships held at the University of Oregon.

“The thing I’ll always say about these guys is that they were team-first guys,” Northville track coach Tim Dalton said. “Four of the most motivated kids we’ve ever had, very coachable. They took a ton of pride in that, the 4 x 8 relay, as well as their individual events. I can’t really say there was a true leader of the group. They all meshed well together.”

When this relay team was first put together during the middle of the 2022 season, things began to jell very quickly.

The 2022 season was highlighted by firsts in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association (7:51.70), regional (8:00.08) and D1 (school record 7:44.71) meets.

During the early stages 2023 season competing for the Six

Mile TC, they won the Michigan Indoor Track Series in a state indoor record time of 7:48.64, and placed fifth – the only race they would lose together --- at the New Balance Indoor Nationals in Boston (7:55.75). When the spring outdoor season started, they weren’t even challenged piling up wins at the Golden Triangle (7:44.71) and the Spartan Classic (7:57.63) invitationals followed by resounding victories at the KLAA (conference record 7:45.29), Region 6 (7:48.36) and state finals (7:35.32).

“These four haven’t lost a race while wearing a Northville jersey in two years, or ever, while we put it together going back to last year when they were state champs,” Dalton said. “But with all four coming back, and with a little bit of pressure, they were even quicker. And then obviously that state record shows that.”

In the record-breaking showing at the D1 meet, Latta led off with an 800 split of 1:55 followed by Malaikal (1:57), Whitaker (1:51) and Herger (1:50.7), the talented junior anchor.

“They all went about their business,” Dalton said. “You watch them run and they’re just fantastic athletes who could run the 200 all the way to the 5K. There were some bumps in the road. We were waiting for those kids to get their times down. People wondered if they could run 7:40 again and get that state record 7:36. And I loved the fact that in the big meets they all showed up leading up to Rockford and the state finals.”

When it came to the Latta-toMalaikal exchange, Northville was always out in front. And if somebody came up to challenge during the second exchange between Malaikal and Whitaker, the outcome of the race would be a moot point by the time Herger was handed the baton.

Latta, Malaikal and Whitaker are all seniors, while Herger, the team’s talented anchor, is the lone junior.

All four were also instrumental members of the Mustangs’ 2022 Division 1 state cross country championship where Herger led the way with a third-place individual finish in 15:34.05 for the 5K.

Meanwhile, in the individual 800 MHSAA D1 outdoor finals, Herger placed runnerup (1:52.19). And just a week following the D1 track and field finals, Herger captured the MITCA Meet of Champions 800 in 1:51.11.

He already has interest from schools such as Michigan, Michigan State, Duke, North Carolina and Wisconsin.

Dalton called Herger “a teamfirst guy.”

“One easiest kids we’ve ever had to coach,” Dalton said. “And arguably the best distance runner ever at Northville High School. He owns our 800, 1,600, 3,200 and 5K school records, which shows his wide range of abilities. And he’ll make a run at the 400 next year.”

Meanwhile, Whitaker was an individual All-Stater (top eight) by placing sixth in the 800 (1:54.28).

“Just a special kid (Whitaker),” Dalton said. “You look at his trajectory and training, and the way he progressed during his four years at Northville is truly incredible. Really grew into his own and built some confidence, and was willing to put in the work and he really dropped down his times his junior year.”

Latta will continue his track career at Michigan Tech, while Whitaker is going to run at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

“I’d say Brandon and David are more like the nerds of the team – but they would take pride in hearing that,” Herger said. “David Whitaker is the statistics guy and Brandon just knows a bunch of random science facts.

“Brandon, from my experience, has been the most supportive to me when I haven’t been confident or like prepared to race. I give him credit for that,” Herger continued. “And David is the most unique of the bunch. David is big into the statistics. He and Brandon talk about shoes all the time. We love running shoes.”

Meanwhile, Malaikal will be embarking on a two-year Mormon mission. He was a difference maker as well. In the state cross country finals last fall he was Northville’s fourth runner – finishing 58th overall.

“Brock is fast, but he’s also an essential part of the team,” Herger said.

“I love Brock, hard worker every day,” Herger said. “He throws up a lot. He pukes after every hard effort. At ‘states’ he was puking, at every single meet. He also thrives on the competition.”

Herger will be running next year in the 4 x 800 with three new teammates, but the cupboard is far from bare. Dalton, however, will be hard pressed to duplicate what these four “Fastbacks” accomplished during the past two seasons.

They’re not only gifted athletically, but also academically.

“My brother (assistant coach Jack) and I took over the Northville program in 2013, and one of our goals was relay first and the team mentality. We had to get the kids to buy in,” Dalton said. “Jack’s been with me from Day One helping me change this program. I know he took special pride especially that moment at Rockford when they broke the state record and then winning it at New Balance.”

For Herger and his three teammates, it’s a baton exchange and a bond that will last a lifetime.

“I love all those kids. They’re my brothers actually,” the team’s star runner said.