Vaulters get their own category. For one, in my mind, there aren’t any true combinations with other events. Vaulters can jump, sprint, run distance, throw. They need attributes from all those events for success in their event. I think it’s the ultimate test of athleticism, so they get their own special category.
Just to recap the scoring method, here’s how it works:
In order to gain points in these rankings, one has to attain a regional additional qualifying mark. For Division 3’s Laingsburg, there were 5 individuals above 10’6. For Division 1’s Dexter, there were 3 individuals above 12’3.
Grade
Name
Team
Division
Height
Points
10
Jack Borgman
Laingsburg
3
14’7
463
12
Alex Brown
Laingsburg
3
13’6
426
11
Kyle Boettcher
Laingsburg
3
12’0
375
11
Caleb Boettcher
Laingsburg
3
11’0
342
10
Dano Winans
Laingsburg
3
10’6
325
12
Cole Sheldon
Dexter
1
16’1
513
10
Clark Sheldon
Dexter
1
13’6
426
11
Barrett Keller
Dexter
1
12’3
384
The various heights correspond with different point totals found in the chart here. Then the top 4 individuals from each squad have their point totals added together. For Laingsburg, that comes to 1606 points, Dexter 1323.
Now one might see that Dexter’s best three are better than Laingsburg’s top three, which is a valid thought. Using different standards to qualify for points in each division is meant to keep the process consistent across divisions. In a way, doing it this way also adjusts for school size. For the overall rankings, Laingsburg is ranked #1 because they’re better in comparison to the rest of their division than any other squad in the state.
When I said in the intro that comparing across divisions is difficult, this is what I meant. A school with higher enrollment will have an advantage in terms of numbers, a lower division team may have an advantage because of “weaker” standards, which is the case here. Because of this, the Overall Rankings in 2023 will be more of a footnote and the best crews within each division will be highlighted.
Michigan XC Speed Ratings 