Girls Team

Place	Team	Score	1st Girl	2nd Girl	3rd Girl	4th Girl	5th Girl	6th Girl	7th Girl
1	Muskegon Western Michigan Christian	117	1	3	25	33	55	73	87
2	Hillsdale Academy	166	8	24	29	49	56	58	111
3	Kalamazoo Christian	179	16	26	32	51	54	89	99
4	Rochester Hills Lutheran NW	193	6	19	20	62	86	96	110
5	Johannesburg-Lewiston	203	4	42	45	48	64	67	126
6	Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart	263	7	22	57	85	92	113	120
7	Whitmore Lake	315	15	35	37	107	121	145	170
8	Adrian Lenawee Christian	343	9	21	90	104	119	141	157
9	Beal City	360	23	36	78	84	139	146	147
10	Harbor Beach	365	28	31	71	80	155	160	166
11	Allen Park Cabrini	366
12	Unionville-Sebewaing	377
13	Royal Oak Shrine	382
14	Fowler	384
15	Lansing Christian	393
16	Leland	408
17	Pittsford	423
18	The Potter’s House	433
19	Lake Leelanau St. Mary	444
20	Frankfort	455
21	Battle Creek St. Philip	456
22	Ubly	460
23	Petoskey St. Michael	469
24	St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic	489
25	Mendon	495
26	Vestaburg	536
27	Gaylord St. Mary	572

Muskegon Western Michigan Christian vaulted into the top spot in the D4 Girls Rankings following.  Abby VanderKooi was her usual self and we saw a glimpse of her sister, Grace VanderKooi.  WMC has always had a solid squad behind Abby, but never quite enough depth to make a state title contender.  Grace hasn’t run since Portage, but her name is listed in the entries.  For these projections, I feel it necessary to include runners listed in the entries.  If she runs, they’re the favorite.  If not, they still have a great chance!

Kalamazoo Christian is your defending champ and just like last year, they get it done by their outstanding pack.  At the SAC Championship, the Comets put 5 girls under 21:05 en route to a conference title against many D3 foes.

Hillsdale Academy features the same sort of tight-knit racing.  Megan Roberts highlights the bunch, she’s at the front yet again, just another year in her bid for 5 All-State honors.  The Colts are bolstered by 8^th grader Ruth Brownlee and are fresh off winning the Class D crown over fellow top-10 team, Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart

Johannesburg-Lewiston is ready to pounce onto the podium in the case of a Grace VanderKooi absence.  Regional week saw the continued emergence of Madalyn Agren.  Madalyn kept showing last winter and is reaping the rewards of that training. 

Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest is about as battle-tested as they come.  The Crusaders won the MIAC over Whitmore Lake and captured the Region 36 crown over Allen Park Cabrini, Royal Oak Shrine, and a perennial power, Clarkston Everest Collegiate.

Girls Individual

Place	Grade	Name	Team	Rating
1	12	Abby VanderKooi	Muskegon Western Michigan Christian	160.8
2	12	Makenna Scott	Maple City Glen Lake	142.2
3	10	Aiden Harrand	Buckley	141.7
4	9	Presley Allen	Mendon	140.3
5	9	Grace VanderKooi	Muskegon Western Michigan Christian	138.3
6	11	Adelaida Gascho	Johannesburg-Lewiston	125.8
7	10	Ava Teed	Allen Park Cabrini	124.0
8	11	Erika Van Loton	Huron Valley Lutheran	122.3
9	11	Mackenzie Lemke	Rochester Hills Lutheran NW	120.2
10	10	Amelia Thompson	Big Rapids Crossroads Academy	117.6
11	12	Nicole Olivieri	Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart	115.3
12	11	Megan Roberts	Hillsdale Academy	114.8
13	9	Izzy Brooks	Adrian Lenawee Christian	114.3
14	9	Eliza Keith	Auburn Hills Oakland Christian	111.8
15	10	Ivy Andreas	The Potter’s House	111.8
16	9	Ava Mallar	Pittsford	111.0
17	11	Ashlyn Kephart	Lansing Christian	109.9
18	9	Natalie Gibbs	Birmingham Roeper	104.4
19	10	Miriam Murrell	Gaylord St. Mary	104.3
20	10	Brooke Smith	Pittsford	102.5
21	10	Natalie Meadows	Whitmore Lake	101.9
22	9	Alaina Klooster	Kalamazoo Christian	101.7
23	11	Maze Gusa	Ubly	101.5
24	12	Adrianne Rector	Dansville	100.6
25	12	Taylor Myers	Frankfort	99.2
26	10	Abby Rice	Rochester Hills Lutheran NW	97.9
27	11	Madeleine Barge	Rochester Hills Lutheran NW	97.6
28	11	Dani VanLente	Tekonsha	97.1
29	12	Elizabeth Scharer	Adrian Lenawee Christian	97.0
30	12	Riley Hacker	Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart	96.6
31	11	Maia Romeyn	Ellsworth	95.5
32	11	Kaylee Locke	Beal City	95.2
33	9	Ella Walton	Hillsdale Academy	94.8
34	11	Brianna Zuidema	Muskegon Western Michigan Christian	94.6
35	11	Aubrey Herder	Kalamazoo Christian	93.1
36	11	Petra Foote	Grand Traverse Academy	92.9
37	11	Helana Napiorkowski	Austin Catholic	92.9
38	10	Allison Glendening	St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic	92.9
39	12	Paige Anderson	Harbor Beach	92.8
40	8	Ruth Brownlee	Hillsdale Academy	92.0
41	9	Jane Manthei	Petoskey St. Michael	91.4
42	10	Gracy Walker	Kingston	90.9
43	9	Reece Wruble	Harbor Beach	90.4
44	11	Annika Sytsma	Kalamazoo Christian	90.4
45	12	Ava Rotman	Muskegon Western Michigan Christian	90.0
46	11	Sydney Van Es	Kalamazoo Hackett	89.7
47	9	Ella Knudsen	Leland	89.4
48	11	Brooke Craven	Whitmore Lake	88.9
49	10	Jessie Ross	Fairview	88.7
50	12	Rachal Weber	Beal City	88.3

Not much needs to be said about Abby VanderKooi.  Twice 3^rd place at FootLocker, 3-time State Champ.  She suffered a toe injury in track that hampered her ability to grab multiple titles and it appears she’s still recovering from that.  And by recovering, I mean she’s the clear favorite.

Makenna Scott is your defending champ.  She burst through given the opportunity last year when many succumbed to the unseasonable heat.  Her steady style and even pace was a benefit compared to the masses who were redlining.  She’s been battling all season with Aiden Harrand.  It’s amazing to me how there’s these two talents in the same conference, in two tiny schools, going head to head seven times this year.  The count right now is Makenna 4, Aiden 3.  I am not attempting to create a rivalry here, I sense a mutual respect between the two, and constant drive to push one another. 

Presley Allen has been a middle school phenom that’s panned out.  The pride of Mendon, when she’s pushed, she can really rip it.  Mid-18’s at Portage and Otsego, along with a 19:01 on a wet day at Jackson.

Boys Team

Place	Team	Score	1st Boy	2nd Boy	3rd Boy	4th Boy	5th Boy	6th Boy	7th Boy
1	Johannesburg-Lewiston	101	8	11	15	25	42	84	111
2	Hillsdale Academy	153	6	27	32	38	50	57	61
3	Concord	171	3	10	18	41	99	172	173
4	Breckenridge	219	2	29	35	60	93	160	164
5	Kalamazoo Christian	242	9	21	40	64	108	116	143
6	Petoskey St. Michael	255	5	16	28	96	110	130	175
7	Whitmore Lake	268	30	45	54	62	77	112	156
8	Riverview Gabriel Richard	283	12	43	55	75	98	155	169
9	Carson City-Crystal	290	13	46	65	78	88	101	126
10	Dansville	291	7	33	48	68	135	138
11	The Potter’s House	312
12	Adrian Lenawee Christian	319
13	Royal Oak Shrine	324
14	Mason County Eastern	363
15	Gobles	383
16	White Cloud	385
17	Lutheran Westland	392
18	Muskegon Western Michigan Christian	412
19	Frankfort	416
20	Unionville-Sebewaing	428
21	Battle Creek St. Philip	477
22	Deckerville	524
23	Mayville	540
24	Fairview	549
25	Hale	561
26	Coleman	579
27	Eau Claire	641

With a shocker at Pete Moss, Johannesburg-Lewiston vaulted to the front of the rankings.  Coach Marcum puts an emphasis on a few meets a year, one of those being a good opener, and boy did the Cardinals put the state on notice.  They have firepower up front with Malaki Gascho, Jacob Wartenberg, and Blake Fox all likely to hit All-State status.  But their 4^th and 5^th aren’t bad either, both are rated as the best 4^th and 5^th in the field. 

Concord put a scare into Johannesburg-Lewiston at Portage, finishing a mere 14 points back.  Jonathon Mikovits has been a mainstay, three-time All-Stater.  Joe Bulko and Adair Artis are running the best that I’ve seen them run and the Yellowjackets are strong through 4 runners.  If they can find a 5, they’re a good bet to finish in the Top 2.

If not, Hillsdale Academy is sitting right there.  Hillsdale has been ranked #2 for the majority of championship season, mainly based on two factors – their outstanding race at Holly earlier in the year and their 8^th grade addition, Grayson Rorick.  The Colts also have the added benefit of having the strongest 6^th and 7^th runners in the race, they can absorb a subpar effort, but also can be a bit more aggressive given quality depth to fall back on.

Boys Individual

Place	Grade	Name	Team	Rating
1	11	Lezawe Osterink	The Potter’s House	197.8
2	12	Mason Sumner	Breckenridge	195.3
3	12	Jonathan Mikovits	Concord	187.2
4	12	Brock Lynch	Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart	186.0
5	12	Nile Devers	Gobles	183.7
6	12	Samuel Paga	Petoskey St. Michael	182.7
7	12	Emil Schlueter	Hillsdale Academy	180.7
8	9	Theodore Davis	Dansville	178.8
9	12	Nathan Lott	Webberville	178.7
10	10	Malaki Gascho	Johannesburg-Lewiston	178.2
11	12	Isaac Bos	Kalamazoo Christian	178.0
12	12	Joe Bulko	Concord	177.0
13	11	Jacob Wartenberg	Johannesburg-Lewiston	176.7
14	11	Tyler Bays	Reading	174.9
15	11	Alex Meszaros	Riverview Gabriel Richard	174.4
16	12	Ashton Keiffer	Carson City-Crystal	174.4
17	12	Ty Pavlichek	Unionville-Sebewaing	173.8
18	10	Blake Fox	Johannesburg-Lewiston	173.7
19	10	Owen Patton	Vestaburg	172.9
20	10	Utah Gusa	Ubly	172.2
21	11	Macartan Moore	Petoskey St. Michael	170.6
22	10	Alex Wanty	Hale	170.4
23	11	Adair Artis	Concord	169.5
24	12	Logan Johnson	Novi Christian Academy	168.8
25	12	Isaiah Beiter	Lawrence	168.5
26	12	Jonah Cerone	Royal Oak Shrine	168.4
27	11	Logan Swiney	The Potter’s House	167.5
28	11	Isaac Bogard	Kalamazoo Christian	167.3
29	12	Ethan McFarland	Auburn Hills Oakland Christian	166.9
30	11	Lars Huffman	Mackinaw City	166.8
31	11	Dakota Dykhuis	Montabella	166.1
32	11	Christopher Russelburg	Allen Park Cabrini	165.7
33	11	Ethan Green	Kingston	165.3
34	12	Noah Haskell	Coleman	165.2
35	11	Nate Wing	Mason County Eastern	164.9
36	11	Evan Suydam	Petersburg-Summerfield	164.0
37	11	Caleb Howard	Webberville	163.2
38	10	Luke Sprague	Battle Creek St. Philip	162.1
39	11	Kade Spahr	Pittsford	162.0
40	12	Toby Hall	Johannesburg-Lewiston	161.3
41	9	Tom Shafer	Lutheran Westland	160.0
42	12	Jonas Lanser	McBain Northern Michigan Christian	159.9
43	10	Thomas Holm	Hillsdale Academy	159.9
44	10	Kaden Forward	Bear Lake-Onekama	159.9
45	10	Aiden Fitchett	Dryden	159.8
46	11	Zachary Maendel	Petoskey St. Michael	159.8
47	10	Sawyer Stoneman	Breckenridge	159.7
48	12	Cole Rinna	Whitmore Lake	159.7
49	11	Jackson Kulawiak	Buckley	159.6
50	11	Bryson Bachelder	Morenci	159.5

Lezawe Osterink was all ready to show us what he had in 2020, then he was sidelined for the State Meet.  We’re blessed that last year was his sophomore year and we’ll have plenty of opportunities to see his prowess.  In the opportunities we’ve seen thus far, we’ve seen him make the most of it.  This spring, he raced to a 9:41 at Shepherd’s Bluejay Elite 3200m, then followed that up with a 5^th place finish in the D4 3200m.  His 2021 cross campaign has been domination, pure and simple.  All victories with multiple sub-16 efforts to boot.  His most impressive effort was a 15:42 at Portage, laying to waste a great D4 field filled with potential All-State athletes.

Never underestimate the heart of a champion.  Mason Sumner is a champion and will always be one.  He won here in 2019, his team won here in 2019, and he’s got a special someone watching over him.  When he’s had to run fast, he’s gotten after it, with 16:0x efforts at Happy Acres, Saranac, and Bluejay.

TUCK COMIN’

Just as Mel Tucker came into the State of Michigan like a wrecking ball, these runners and teams are coming to MIS on a roll:

Whitmore Lake Girls: Natalie Meadows brings the firepower up front, fresh off her regional (and first ever) win.  Brooke Craven and Lauren Price have experience running at MIS.  Isabella Nelson-Daniels and Savannah Pomorski both finished much higher than expected at the Webberville Regional.  The Trojans made easy work of a region that should come out to be fairly strong – Lansing Christian and Fowler are both expected to be in the top-15 at State.

Nicole Olivieri: The sprint star (and maybe 800m star, just sayin’) running cross for the first time as a senior.  After taking a few races to find her groove, she’s moved to the front of the Sacred Heart pack.  20:58 at John Bruder turned to a 20:08 and now two consecutive sub-20’s.  She’s still learning how to push herself in the latter stages of races, and she should have plenty of bodies to go after on Saturday.

Riverview Gabriel Richard Boys: Gabriel Richard emerged victorious from one of the tougher regions on the D4 side.  No, it wasn’t the three-team strength of Region 33 or 34, but 36 had the ringer of Shrine, Lutheran Westland, Plymouth Christian Academy, and a disappointed Cardinal Mooney team (there were some results issues – Cardinal Mooney initially thought they were in). In particular, John Borowicz and Johnny Benko ran above expectation, while Alex Meszaros nabbed first, leading the way through an abnormally slow Chandler Park course.

Brock Lynch, Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart: Sorry, I can’t help it with two Sacred Heart Irish in this section.  2021 and in particular, October, has been winning season for Brock.  Mid-season, a few people doubted his inclusion in D4’s top-10, he’s more than silenced his critics.  16:48 at Portage, easily a sub-17:00 equivalent performance at Freeland, then three straight victories.  One of those victories was over Sumner, his Class D victory over Schlueter and Lott, and the MSAC one over Ashton Keiffer.  All of those names are accomplished and will be in the mix in three days. At the close of his career, Brock has made a major move to etch his name into Sacred Heart lore.