Uncategorized

2026’s 50 Tickets to Brooklyn: Girls #7

It’s baaack. A summertime tradition has returned, the 50 Tickets to Brooklyn. These lists celebrate the top 50 returners – based on a concoction of the ’25 XC season, projected improvements, the ’26 Track season, and a tiny bit of my own input.

Enjoy!

2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020

Many of these photos are sourced from either MLive or Miles Postema. Any others will find credit in the caption.

GradeNameTimeTeamRatingMeetDateYear
9Alexandra Scappaticci17:30.9Northville162.7D1 State Finals1-Nov2025
9Alexandra Scappaticci18:21.6Northville148.1Region 725-Oct2025
9Alexandra Scappaticci17:57.4Northville155.5KLAA Championship16-Oct2025
9Alexandra Scappaticci18:35.8Northville151.4Portage4-Oct2025
9Alexandra Scappaticci18:31.3Northville161.6Spartan12-Sep2025
9Alexandra Scappaticci18:20.5Northville151.5Bath6-Sep2025
9Alexandra Scappaticci19:59.1Northville130.3Northville Mustang26-Aug2025
9Alexandra Scappaticci18:24.3Northville164.2Lamplighter15-Aug2025

Personal Records

5k (XC) – 17:17
800m – 2:15
1600m – 4:47
2 Mile – 10:32
5k (Track) – 17:14

Accolades

XC

7th Place – Division 1 State
Region 7 Champion
KLAA Champion

Track

3rd Place – Division 1 State 3200m
4th Place – Division 1 State 1600m
8th Place – Division 1 State 4×8
MITS/MITCA Indoor State DMR Champion
5th Place – MITS/MITCA Indoor State 1600m/3200m

Her Championship Season

From cross, track, indoor, or outdoor, displayed just what type of competitor she can be.

Her first example of a late-season rise was cross. Early on, Alexandra had established a presence in the sport, winning her inaugural HS race at Lamplighter, performing well at the many KLAA tri meets, and acquitting herself to tough conditions at Spartan and Portage. Through mid-October, Scappaticci had run in the mid-18’s on many occasions, but was missing a breakthrough. When the races became even more important, those leaps forward came to fruition. She started with her first sub-18 ever to win her first conference title ever. After cruising to a regional victory, she unloaded a huge effort at MIS, dropping a nearly 30 secind. PR, hitting a 17:30 and placing 7th.

Further examples came during both the indoor and outdoor state titles. Never one to turn down a race, Alexandra competed in relays that won (DMR indoors) and placed (4×8 outdoors). Then came back and doubled on her own, grabbing medals in both the 1600m and 3200m, inside and out. Sacrificing and succeeding for her team and herself, that’s a great combination.

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2026’s 50 Tickets to Brooklyn: Boys #7

It’s baaack. A summertime tradition has returned, the 50 Tickets to Brooklyn. These lists celebrate the top 50 returners – based on a concoction of the ’25 XC season, projected improvements, the ’26 Track season, and a tiny bit of my own input.

Enjoy!

2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020

Many of these photos are sourced from either MLive or Miles Postema. Any others will find credit in the caption.

GradeNameTimeTeamRatingMeetDateYear
10Gavin Katic15:37.7Fenton201.8MITCA8-Nov2025
10Gavin Katic15:21.7Fenton208.4D2 State Finals1-Nov2025
10Gavin Katic15:55.5Fenton204.5Region 1625-Oct2025
10Gavin Katic16:06.1Fenton197.0FML 315-Oct2025
10Gavin Katic15:11.6Fenton208.5Gabriel Richard11-Oct2025
10Gavin Katic15:43.2Fenton204.3Greater Flint4-Oct2025
10Gavin Katic15:32.2Fenton209.9Bluejay27-Sep2025
10Gavin Katic16:15.9Fenton206.1FML 224-Sep2025
10Gavin Katic15:55.0Fenton212.0Spartan12-Sep2025
10Gavin Katic15:52.4Fenton202.9Bath6-Sep2025
10Gavin Katic15:58.4Fenton201.2FML 13-Sep2025
10Gavin Katic16:08.8Fenton203.4Birch Run Early21-Aug2025
GradeNameTimeTeamRatingMeetDateYear
9Gavin Katic16:15.0Fenton189.7MITCA9-Nov2024
9Gavin Katic15:49.0Fenton197.7Division 1 State2-Nov2024
9Gavin Katic16:05.8Fenton197.4Region 426-Oct2024
9Gavin Katic16:43.8Fenton188.4FML 316-Oct2024
9Gavin Katic15:54.4Fenton195.9Greater Flint5-Oct2024
9Gavin Katic16:34.8Fenton193.4FML 225-Sep2024
9Gavin Katic16:36.1Fenton193.0Linden Classic21-Sep2024
9Gavin Katic16:42.9Fenton196.0Holly14-Sep2024
9Gavin Katic16:37.1Fenton193.3Bath7-Sep2024
9Gavin Katic16:50.9Fenton187.4FML 14-Sep2024
9Gavin Katic17:01.5Fenton190.5Early Bird Open29-Aug2024

Personal Records

5k (XC) – 15:11
800m – 1:57
1600m – 4:12
3200m – 9:04

Accolades

XC

4th Place – Division 2 State
Region 16 Champion
Greater Flint Champion
FML Champion

Track

5th Place – Division 1 State 3200m
12th Place – Division 1 State 4×8
7th Place – MITS/MITCA Indoor State 1600m
FML 1600m/3200m Champion

You Know I Dig Improvement

And Gavin’s jump from his freshman to sophomore year was something else. In terms of time, Gavin slipped under 16:00 on two occasions during his freshman year. A year older and he was there almost every meet. His personal best moved from 15:49 to 15:11 and instead of being on the cusp of an All-State, he was the 4th place finisher.

The most dramatic jumps came on the track, especially in the longer distances. Amongst 9th graders, Katic held top-10 times in both the 1600m and 3200m (ranked #1). Fast forward a year later and he held the #1 sophomore marks in both events, significantly ahead of the rest of his class in both events. He qualified for the eight-lapper as a freshman, then learned from that experience, placing 5th in all of Division 1. And perhaps even more importantly, he brought his teammates along for the ride as well, Fenton qualifying and hitting a sub-8 in the 4×8.

Quickly improving, a burgeoning talent.

Uncategorized

2026’s 50 Tickets to Brooklyn: Girls #8

It’s baaack. A summertime tradition has returned, the 50 Tickets to Brooklyn. These lists celebrate the top 50 returners – based on a concoction of the ’25 XC season, projected improvements, the ’26 Track season, and a tiny bit of my own input.

Enjoy!

2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020

Many of these photos are sourced from either MLive or Miles Postema. Any others will find credit in the caption.

GradeNameTimeTeamRatingMeetDateYear
10Emilia Garces17:17.9Midland Dow168.7MITCA8-Nov2025
10Emilia Garces17:23.3Midland Dow165.2D1 State Finals1-Nov2025
10Emilia Garces17:28.5Midland Dow162.8Region 225-Oct2025
10Emilia Garces17:44.6Midland Dow159.1SVL Championship15-Oct2025
10Emilia Garces17:42.5Midland Dow160.8Oiler Blue & Gold11-Oct2025
10Emilia Garces18:18.0Midland Dow153.3Heritage4-Oct2025
10Emilia Garces17:33.9Midland Dow170.4Bluejay27-Sep2025
10Emilia Garces17:43.1Midland Dow161.3VSV20-Sep2025
10Emilia Garces18:12.4Midland Dow162.9Holly13-Sep2025
10Emilia Garces17:44.9Midland Dow166.0Northwood6-Sep2025
10Emilia Garces17:56.4Midland Dow156.2Oiler29-Aug2025
GradeNameTimeTeamRatingMeetDateYear
9Emilia Garces17:42.6Midland Dow159.5Division 1 State2-Nov2024
9Emilia Garces17:36.3Midland Dow162.2Region 225-Oct2024
9Emilia Garces17:53.0Midland Dow154.0SVL Championship16-Oct2024
9Emilia Garces18:22.2Midland Dow140.6Heritage Hawks5-Oct2024
9Emilia Garces17:49.8Midland Dow163.1Bluejay28-Sep2024
9Emilia Garces18:43.0Midland Dow141.0VSV21-Sep2024
9Emilia Garces18:51.6Midland Dow152.8Holly14-Sep2024
9Emilia Garces18:57.1Midland Dow149.3SVL North 110-Sep2024
9Emilia Garces17:57.2Midland Dow161.3Northwood7-Sep2024
9Emilia Garces18:30.7Midland Dow156.8Oiler30-Aug2024
9Emilia Garces18:23.0Midland Dow159.3Under the Lights23-Aug2024

Personal Records

5k (XC) – 17:18
1600m – 4:57
3200m – 10:31

Accolades

XC

4th Place – Division 1 State
2x All-State
Region 2 Champion
SVL Champion

Track

15th Place – Division 1 State 3200m
11th Place – Division 1 State 4×8
SVL 1600m/3200m Champion

Her Championship Season

Was one of, if not the best stretch of running and racing in her career. That’s a bold statement, considering to that point, Emilia had been well accomplished. She was coming off a freshman season that featured an 8th place finish in Division 1 and many sub-18’s, going as low as 17:28 at the close. Garces had just finished September with a 17:33 at Bluejay, over 15 sec. faster than she’d run in 2024.

But now it came time to win. The second run at Dow’s regional site produced another victory at the Oiler Blue & Gold Invite. The next victory came at the SVL Championships, keeping league titles in Garces’ grasps. Then came the times. Her third effort at Mt. Pleasant produced her fastest time on the course, a 17:28 that won Region 2. Under the pressure-packed MIS environment, another drop down to 17:23. Finally, extending down even further with a 17:18 at MITCA.

In just about two months’ time, another opportunity awaits for Emilia to excel at season’s end.