Author: mixcspeedratings

THE SUMMER PREVIEW

2022 Accomplishments

• 2^nd Place – TVC-8
• 8^th Place – Greater Lansing
• 3^rd Place – TVC Overall
• 2^nd Place – Region 15
• 21^st Place – Division 2 State

Top Returners

Thomas Larson

A reliable frontrunner for these Panthers, placing in the top-10 of every race he competed in for Alma. A steady presence in spite of the tremendous pressure.

Ali Kudmani

Anyone who can practice and compete while fasting is tough in my book. Once on the other side of Ramadan, Ali was able to muster up PB’s in the 1600m and 3200m, 4:44 and 10:15.

Luca Lebron

Concentrated on the longer distances this past track season, registering PB’s of 4:49 and 10:30. But beyond the numbers, he was a great teammate this spring, stepping on in the Panthers’ 4×8 state squad when they were down a man.

Bodie Heiss

One singular sub-18 to close the 2021 season paved the way for a season full in 2022. Bodie was in the 17’s for 9 of his last 10 races during his sophomore year.

Elijah Baltierra

Stepped up in a huge way for the Panthers at last year’s Regionals. Going up against Gladwin and Frankenmuth (along with Clio, who qualified), every point was needed. Elijah was over 18:00 for much of the year, and if he ran that, the Panthers were staying home. His 17:37 was by far his best effort and as a result, the Alma season extended one more week.

Noah Chouinard

Begun to scratch the surface of his potential during track, nearly breaking 5:00 and 11:00.

Potential Newcomers

Ezekiel Baltierra

One of the, if not the best, mid-Michigan middle schoolers last year. Picked up wins in the TVC-8, TVC Overall, and MHSAA Zone 5. And he was also generous enough to give us a peek at his 5k skills, running 17:11 at MITCA

Kevin Terpstra

Another athlete kind enough to give a glimpse at what he can do over the 5k distance. His 18:55 at Shepherd would be good for any 8^th grader or even 9^th grader. Click over and look at his track times though, if he keeps up the progress, Alma will be loaded with competition and depth.

THE SUMMER PREVIEW

2022 Accomplishments

• OK Blue Champions
• 2^nd Place – Region 11
• 6^th Place – Division 2 State

Top Returners

Lexie Ruffing

2022 season contained a personal best (19:12, Autumn Sunrise) and her best placing efforts in the OK Blue Championship (2^nd) and Region 11 (8^th), leading her Spring Lake team to a conference championship and State Finals berth.

Alexis Kotkowicz

Freshman year contained six (!!!) personal bests, including a championship steak of 19:50 > 19:38 > 19:28.

Bea Reeser

Her track season may have had only three individual races, but hopefully it can be the springboard to another successful fall. After all, even in the shortened season, she was able to beat her 800m best.

Meghan Guczwa

Closed her freshman season on a high note, registering sub-20’s in two of her final four races.

Katie Riemersma

Each year, Katie seems to close with one of her better efforts. Two of her high school seasons, that’s been at the OK Blue Championship, where this past fall, she set a new personal best (20:22) and moved up 14 spots from her sophomore year.

Bethany Zimmerman

Spent the majority of her freshman year above 23:00, before slipping into the 22’s to end the year. A year later, spent almost NO TIME in the 22’s before catapulting to a season full of 21-minute efforts.

Lydia Recor

Year to year improvement is a must for high level programs such as Spring Lake. Lydia showed out on many occasions, a few examples being her 24:06 to 22:16 at Otsego or her 23:04 to 21:31 in the OK Blue Championship.

Ellie Miller

Final seven races were all between 22:00 and 22:30. That breakthrough into the 21’s is coming…

Potential Newcomers

Shannon Losee

Five of her six 8^th grade 2 mile races were of the sub-14 variety, with one even below 13:00.

Macy Subka

Closed her 8^th grade season with three straight sub-14’s. But watch out for her in the 300 hurdles next spring.

THE SUMMER PREVIEW

Accomplishments & Accolades

• 6^th Place – SEC Red (XC)
• 7^th Place – Region 4 (XC)
• 2^nd Place – SEC Red 1600m
• 3^rd Place – Region 5 1600m
• 4^th Place – Region 5 3200m
• 26^th Place – Division 1 State 1600m
• Contributor to All-State 4x800m

Ratings Throughout the Years

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date
11	Mason Jett	17:30.2	Ann Arbor Skyline	179.9	Lamplighter	19-Aug
11	Mason Jett	17:06.2	Ann Arbor Skyline	185.3	Saline Early Bird	1-Sep
11	Mason Jett	17:02.1	Ann Arbor Skyline	181.3	Bath	10-Sep
11	Mason Jett	18:35.7	Ann Arbor Skyline	145.8	SEC 1	14-Sep
11	Mason Jett	16:07.0	Ann Arbor Skyline	193.3	Jackson	24-Sep
11	Mason Jett	16:46.7	Ann Arbor Skyline	183.4	SEC Red 2	28-Sep
11	Mason Jett	16:17.7	Ann Arbor Skyline	190.1	Portage	8-Oct
11	Mason Jett	16:15.5	Ann Arbor Skyline	185.8	Gabriel Richard	15-Oct
11	Mason Jett	15:59.5	Ann Arbor Skyline	190.8	SEC Championship	20-Oct
11	Mason Jett	16:14.9	Ann Arbor Skyline	193.0	Region 4	28-Oct
11	Mason Jett	15:59.9	Ann Arbor Skyline	192.7	MITCA	12-Nov
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date
10	Mason Jett	19:50.8	Ann Arbor Skyline	139.1	Mustang	31-Aug
10	Mason Jett	19:51.0	Ann Arbor Skyline	129.3	SEC 1	14-Sep
10	Mason Jett	18:13.3	Ann Arbor Skyline	158.2	Jackson	25-Sep
10	Mason Jett	18:29.8	Ann Arbor Skyline	155.4	SEC Red 2	28-Sep
10	Mason Jett	18:15.5	Ann Arbor Skyline	157.5	Portage	9-Oct
10	Mason Jett	17:49.8	Ann Arbor Skyline	156.4	Gabriel Richard	16-Oct
10	Mason Jett	17:45.4	Ann Arbor Skyline	164.5	SEC Championship	21-Oct
10	Mason Jett	17:36.2	Ann Arbor Skyline	169.9	4 Meadows	29-Oct
Grade	Name		Team	Rating	Meet	Date
9	Mason Jett		Ann Arbor Skyline	113.1	Adrian/Hudson/Skyline/Tecumseh	12-Sep
9	Mason Jett		Ann Arbor Skyline	131.0	Pioneer/Skyline	3-Oct
9	Mason Jett		Ann Arbor Skyline	89.4	Plymouth/Skyline	13-Oct
9	Mason Jett		Ann Arbor Skyline	129.2	SEC Red	17-Oct

The Rundown

Follow me for long enough time and you’ll pick up on a few themes that I love. One that I love is the rags to riches story, Mason being a prime example. During his freshman year, a majority of his finish lines were crossed above 20:00. This past fall, he closed his final seven races in less than 17:00. Four minutes in a mere two years leaves one wondering where the conclusion might be. The MITCA race may offer a clue, breaking 16:00 on a legit Shepherd course. So too might track, where he placed in the top-5 in Region 5 (one of the stronger distance regionals) in both the 1600m and 3200m.