50 Tickets to Brooklyn: #9

If you’ve read through these, you’ll know one of my favorite characteristics is a runner’s range, and Ian Hill has tons of it
This spring, he showed that in all three distance events, he has the capability of placing high and/or winning a state meet
He’s shown glimpses of this greatness in the past two years of cross country
- As a sophomore, a 16:10 at Portage and 30^th place at MIS
- As a junior, a little more consistency and once again, a very high finish at MIS
But he really came into his own in track, starting in indoor with a 5^th place finish at the MITS 3200m
And that continued into outdoor, where he dueled the best West Michigan has to offer
- His 1:56 came in a victory over West Catholic mid-distance star Quinton Bauer
- His 4:18 in an incredible final 100m with Parker Lambers
All in all, look for those gains on the track to have a positive impact on his cross country performance

On the first Saturday in June came a feat a long time coming for Madelyn, her first state title
She’s been through a lot, namely a DNF in the 2019 State Meet
She’s seen other area girls win individual titles and team titles, but not her, until she prevailed in the final 300m over Emma Squires and claimed one for herself
Madelyn’s been great for her whole career, with 6 sub-18’s and Top-10 finishes in 2018 and 2020
I feel she turned a corner late last fall, nearly equaling her PB at the Meet of Champions (17:44) and then dropping her 3200m best at Bluejay Elite
That momentum will carry over into the coming months where she’ll take that winning experience and hope to repeat it in early November

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