The Regional Previews: Division 3, Region 22

Last Year

SUMMER PREVIEW
MID-SEASON
FINAL PROJECTIONS
THE RESULT

Girls

1. Schoolcraft (21^st)
2. Kalamazoo Christian (13^th)
3. Buchanan (24^th)

Boys

1. Buchanan (24^th)
2. Saugatuck (15^th)
3. Kalamazoo Christian (18^th)

Top 27 Teams

Previous years had top-25 teams, but there’s 27 (and sometimes more) team qualifiers and what does it hurt to add another two?

Girls

Union City (17^th), Buchanan (27^th)

Boys

Olivet (15^th), Buchanan (18^th), Union City (24^th)

(If your team isn’t listed in the images above or the scores below, you probably don’t have five returners, at least on ol’ athletic.net. I’m sure many of these teams will fill out their rosters by late October)

Projected Scores

Place	Girls Team	Score
1	Union City	56
2	Buchanan	83
3	Schoolcraft	93
4	Lawton	107
5	Bridgman	137
6	Watervliet	168
7	Niles Brandywine	170
8	Olivet	178
9	Kalamazoo Christian	214
10	Parchment	262
11	Hartford	304
12	Constantine	331
13	Comstock	379

Place	Boys Team	Score
1	Buchanan	72
2	Olivet	75
3	Union City	93
4	Bloomingdale	166
5	Bridgman	193
6	Constantine	197
7	Coloma	201
8	Bangor	203
9	Schoolcraft	235
10	Parchment	236
11	Watervliet	255
12	Kalamazoo Christian	277
13	Galesburg-Augusta	326
14	Hartford	348
15	Lawton	361

Top Runners

Thought I’d give a review of some of the top returners in each region. Returners means no incoming freshman (you’ll get your days in the sun). If you’re on a top team or in the 50 Tickets and you’re projected highly here, you hit the jackpot! Yes, I’m writing a bit less than previous years, but I think I’ve learned my lesson in that I need to conserve energy and brainpower for all divisions and regions. Typically by August, I’m rushing to get these done. This time around, hopefully all regions get the same amount of coverage.

Kendra Koster, Lawton

Whether it be injury or sickness, Kendra has fallen victim to a few disappointments when it comes to the Division 3 Finals. This winter, she dedicated herself to the weight room, hoping to build enough strength to get her in healthier place come championship time. That paid off in the form of a 2:19 in the 800m, a personal best, and fifth place finish. She’s your defending Region 22 Champion, looking to repeat and use her championship experience come November.

Alaina Klooster, Kalamazoo Christian

Division 3 or Division 4, Alaina’s an elite regional performer. Twice in the top-5 here at Portage. And in her 2022 season, she added a sub-20 to her resume.

Madeline Young, Buchanan

Each year, after running her share of 21’s and 22’s, Madeline hits a faster gear in October. Top-10’s at Berrien County and Region 22 in both of her high school seasons.

Angel Miller, Parchment

Experienced racer here at Portage, grabbing her second sub-21 of the year and a 9^th place finish in the region. Had an exceptional spring in the 1600m, giving hope of moving far past the days of the high-20’s.

Clara Fast, Bridgman

In her two years at Bridgman, she’s placed top-15 in this region twice, and I think she can move up on that, at least based on her 12:20 3200m that qualified Clara for the Division 3 Finals.

Skyler Fraley, Union City

Race by race during her sophomore year, Skyler was able to gradually drop time, eventually ending on a 20:44, almost 1.5 minutes faster than her freshman year.

Ariana Pillot, Schoolcraft

Twice a state qualifier with her Eagles, Ariana moved up here in Region 22 from 20^th as a freshman to 7^th as a sophomore. Perhaps more moving up will be done based on her 12:34 in the 3200m this spring.

Boden Genovese, Coloma

Quite a streak of All-States and high-level performances here. In the last three seasons, he’s grabbed 5 All-States, twice doubling the 1600/800, then his first on the cross course. Boden’s 1:58/4:20 this past track season sets up real nicely for a potential D3 title run.

Lucas Hopkins, Olivet

One of the better runners you’ve never heard of. Although the State Finals didn’t go his way, Lucas was able to hit a few low-16’s, including a 16:14 at Gabriel Richard.

Jaden Barnes, Bloomingdale

Underwent a huge transformation as a sophomore, turning from a high-17 kid to a low-16 stud. Twice All-State, including a 7^th place finish in 2022.

Conner Fountain, Olivet

Olivet moves down from Division 2 into 3, bringing Conner along with them. He was 13^th over at Region 14, having moved up 10 spots in the regional standings each year.