Regional Previews: Division 1, Region 5

Where: Milan HS

Don’t know much about this course! The Milan area is pretty flat. I was out checking out some nature preserves this summer and I came upon one that borders their HS property. And peering out over the grounds, there were no hills in sight. I had two meets from last fall that were rated, the Puddle Jumper in late August (+11), and the first Huron League Jamboree (+16). My guess is this is a fast one and looking at this boys field, it’s gonna be a burner.

Unfortunately, to finish all these previews before Friday morning, some areas need to get cut. The writing about the various athletes, any sort of team battles, history, backdrop, that’s the most logical area to take in order to save time. The negative is that’s my favorite part. The positive is that with a lighter schedule of meets next week, I’ll be able to write my Upper Peninsula preview (yes, you read that right) and fill these in. So I’ll likely post an update to all the socials after those athletes are covered, and maybe we’ll have more info on some of the teams that are in contention.

2021 Boys: Saline (8^th), Ann Arbor Pioneer (11^th), Monroe (27^th)

2021 Girls: Ann Arbor Pioneer (1^st), Saline (5^th), Temperance Bedford (10^th)

Top 25 Boys Teams: Ann Arbor Pioneer (7^th), Saline (16^th)

Top 25 Girls Teams: Saline (Top 2), Ann Arbor Pioneer (8^th)

In ranking Pioneer 8^th, Sylvia Sanok Dufallo wasn’t included. When I do these rankings, I have to stick to a formula, a method, or else I’m deleting this, editing that all summer long. With 15,000+ athletes that run in a typical year, customizing can get a bit tedious and aggravating. The method includes anyone that ran XC the year prior, with the thought being that they are most likely to run XC the following year. Of course, that eliminates girls such as Sylvia, who’ve run XC, missed a year, but are still a prominent part of the Pioneer team. Since she didn’t have ratings from 2021 to go off, I used her freshman ratings mixed with her track times from this past spring. Obviously, her track times suggest she can run much faster than her freshman year, but who knows? Anyway, with Sylvia back, Pioneer is likely better than 8^th and judging by these projected scores, Top-5 at the very least.