A summer tradition returns.
Hard to fathom that I’ve been penning these Summer Previews for now, 7 years. Just as in the past, I’ll have the 50 best returners, then as time rolls on, the Regional Previews and Top Ten Teams.
Differing from the past is the format. Individual posts for each region and ticket are a TON OF WORK. Instead, I’ll be knocking off the 50 Tickets with sets of 10 and Regional Previews by their division and gender. Hopefully with these methods, I’ll be finishing on time and actually spending effort detailing what could be some great regional battles.
Anyhow, starting with the girls (they run first this year), your 50 Tickets to Brooklyn. These celebrate our top-50 returners – based on the 2024 XC season, 2025 track season, projected improvement, and a tiny bit of my own opinions.
Enjoy!
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
(Also, first time ever that I’ve included Upper Peninsula folks in these! I know they’re not running at MIS, but they’re still representatives of Michigan)
Name: Aiden Pengelly
School: Canton
Grade: 12th
Personal Records
5k (XC) – 14:59
1600m – 4:22
3200m – 9:33
| Grade | Name | Time | Team | Rating | Meet | Date | Year |
| 11 | Aiden Pengelly | 14:59.6 | Canton | 214.8 | MITCA | 9-Nov | 2024 |
| 11 | Aiden Pengelly | 15:01.0 | Canton | 213.7 | Division 1 State | 2-Nov | 2024 |
| 11 | Aiden Pengelly | 15:17.6 | Canton | 211.1 | Region 6 | 26-Oct | 2024 |
| 11 | Aiden Pengelly | 15:13.0 | Canton | 214.7 | KLAA Championship | 17-Oct | 2024 |
| 11 | Aiden Pengelly | 15:21.8 | Canton | 214.4 | River Rat Open | 10-Oct | 2024 |
| 11 | Aiden Pengelly | 15:19.9 | Canton | 212.0 | Wayne County | 5-Oct | 2024 |
| 11 | Aiden Pengelly | 15:24.4 | Canton | 210.2 | Hansons | 28-Sep | 2024 |
| 11 | Aiden Pengelly | 15:16.1 | Canton | 212.6 | Jackson | 21-Sep | 2024 |
| 11 | Aiden Pengelly | 15:45.8 | Canton | 215.1 | Holly | 14-Sep | 2024 |
| 11 | Aiden Pengelly | 15:51.0 | Canton | 209.3 | Tri of the Year | 10-Sep | 2024 |
| 11 | Aiden Pengelly | 16:16.2 | Canton | 209.3 | Averill | 7-Sep | 2024 |
| 11 | Aiden Pengelly | 15:44.0 | Canton | 211.0 | Lamplighter | 23-Aug | 2024 |
| Grade | Name | Time | Team | Rating | Meet | Date | Year |
| 10 | Aiden Pengelly | 15:39.6 | Canton | 199.8 | MITCA | 11-Nov | 2023 |
| 10 | Aiden Pengelly | 15:31.6 | Canton | 203.8 | Division 1 State | 4-Nov | 2023 |
| 10 | Aiden Pengelly | 15:34.7 | Canton | 202.1 | Region 6 | 28-Oct | 2023 |
| 10 | Aiden Pengelly | 16:14.4 | Canton | 203.5 | KLAA Conference | 20-Oct | 2023 |
| 10 | Aiden Pengelly | 15:42.0 | Canton | 200.7 | River Rat Open | 13-Oct | 2023 |
| 10 | Aiden Pengelly | 15:58.1 | Canton | 197.3 | Wayne County | 7-Oct | 2023 |
| 10 | Aiden Pengelly | 15:54.6 | Canton | 203.1 | Hansons | 30-Sep | 2023 |
| 10 | Aiden Pengelly | 16:21.5 | Canton | 195.5 | Spartan | 15-Sep | 2023 |
| 10 | Aiden Pengelly | 16:02.0 | Canton | 197.3 | Northwood | 9-Sep | 2023 |
| 10 | Aiden Pengelly | 16:36.1 | Canton | 197.3 | Mustang | 29-Aug | 2023 |
| Grade | Name | Time | Team | Rating | Meet | Date | Year |
| 9 | Aiden Pengelly | 16:36.9 | Canton | 181.4 | Region 6 | 29-Oct | 2022 |
| 9 | Aiden Pengelly | 17:10.8 | Canton | 175.7 | KLAA | 22-Oct | 2022 |
| 9 | Aiden Pengelly | 17:12.5 | Canton | 169.8 | River Rat Open | 14-Oct | 2022 |
| 9 | Aiden Pengelly | 17:15.5 | Canton | 166.8 | Wayne County | 8-Oct | 2022 |
| 9 | Aiden Pengelly | 17:17.2 | Canton | 166.3 | Marauder | 1-Oct | 2022 |
| 9 | Aiden Pengelly | 17:36.5 | Canton | 161.2 | Jefferson | 24-Sep | 2022 |
| 9 | Aiden Pengelly | 18:17.1 | Canton | 159.3 | Spartan | 16-Sep | 2022 |
| 9 | Aiden Pengelly | 17:53.0 | Canton | 163.0 | Northwood | 10-Sep | 2022 |
| 9 | Aiden Pengelly | 19:37.1 | Canton | 146.0 | Milford | 1-Sep | 2022 |
Accolades
XC
2nd Place – 2024 Division 1 State
18th Place – 2023 Division 1 State
2024 KLAA, Wayne County, & Region 6 Champion
Track
5th Place – 2024 KLAA Championship 3200m
You Know I Dig His Improvement
From year to year, fall to fall, it just keeps coming in droves.
From 2022 to 2023, it was impressive enough. Working way back to his freshman season, Aiden spent much of his races on the high side of 18. An admirable mark, but not often that in a short month that one progresses from there all the way down to the 16:30’s, which Pengelly was able to accomplish in his season closer at Region 6.
Following his freshman fall, it’s been a steady string of time drops. As a sophomore, he wasted zero time busting rust, Aiden opened with a mid-16 on the tough Cass Benton track, a harbinger for greater marks to come. Unshockingly, they did – 15’s were on tap for a good chunk of the year, the fastest of which being a 15:31, good for 18th place in D1.
You won’t be surprised that more reductions came as a junior. Jackson is often the first opportunity to really roll, which Aiden was able to do, finding a 15:16 on the quick Sharp Park course. That fast race led to many similar ones, 15:1x’s in wins at Wayne County, Region 6, and in the KLAA. Not satisfied with a minor improvement, Pengelly ripped a 15:01 at State and was one of six Michiganders to break 15:00 on the year, which went down at MITCA.
Here’s to another relentless season.
Michigan XC Speed Ratings 