Author: mixcspeedratings

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

2^nd Place – 2024 Division 1 State
18^th Place – 2023 Division 1 State
2024 KLAA, Wayne County, & Region 6 Champion

Track

5^th 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 18^th 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.

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: Ava Schafer
School: St. Johns
Grade: 11th

Personal Records

5k (XC) – 17:05
800m – 2:19
1600m – 4:57
3200m – 10:39

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
10	Ava Schafer	17:05.3	St. Johns	172.2	MITCA	9-Nov	2024
10	Ava Schafer	17:20.7	St. Johns	166.8	Division 2 State	2-Nov	2024
10	Ava Schafer	18:03.8	St. Johns	153.4	Region 14	25-Oct	2024
10	Ava Schafer	18:16.2	St. Johns	151.3	CAAC Red 3	17-Oct	2024
10	Ava Schafer	17:32.4	St. Johns	166.2	Greater Lansing	12-Oct	2024
10	Ava Schafer	17:45.8	St. Johns	162.1	DeWitt	28-Sep	2024
10	Ava Schafer	17:47.5	St. Johns	164.8	Ottawa Hills	13-Sep	2024
10	Ava Schafer	17:56.9	St. Johns	163.7	Marauder	4-Sep	2024
10	Ava Schafer	18:10.5	St. Johns	163.5	Under the Lights	23-Aug	2024
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
9	Ava Schafer	17:32.6	St. Johns	161.1	MITCA	11-Nov	2023
9	Ava Schafer	17:53.8	St. Johns	156.4	Division 2 State	4-Nov	2023
9	Ava Schafer	18:28.6	St. Johns	154.1	Region 14	27-Oct	2023
9	Ava Schafer	18:20.2	St. Johns	147.3	CAAC Red 3	19-Oct	2023
9	Ava Schafer	18:32.5	St. Johns	152.5	Greater Lansing	14-Oct	2023
9	Ava Schafer	17:54.4	St. Johns	157.2	Bluejay	30-Sep	2023
9	Ava Schafer	18:33.4	St. Johns	150.5	Bath	9-Sep	2023
9	Ava Schafer	18:50.2	St. Johns	150.6	Corunna Early Bird	29-Aug	2023
9	Ava Schafer	18:16.0	St. Johns	160.7	Under the Lights	18-Aug	2023

Accolades

XC

2024 Division 2 State Champion
4^th Place – 2024 Division 2 State
2023 & 2024 Greater Lansing, CAAC Red, & Region 14 Champion

Track

2024 Division 2 3200m Champion
2025 CAAC Red & Greater Lansing 1600m & 3200m Champion
6^th Place – 2025 MITS 3200m

Her Championship Season

Was a season where it continued to come together, perhaps to the highest peak of her career thus far.

Ava entered high school with high expectations, and as a freshman, she more than lived up to those lofty goals. A patient race at the ’23 State XC Finals led to many runners getting passed during the later stages of the race, Schafer ending up in 4^th. A similarly even-paced race led to a track state title in the 3200m.

Coming into the fall, the thought was that she’d be a D2 contender or favorite, a role she embraced early, late, and often. Prior to October, she was unbeaten, racing to wins at DeWitt and Ottawa Hills. Past October 1^st, more wins and more personal bests. She repeated at Greater Lansing, the CAAC Red, and in Region 14. She embarked upon a similar race strategy at State (5:31, 5:40, 5:34, 35) and at MITCA (5:24, 5:31, 5:33 pace), metronomicly pouring on the pac, winning titles at each.

We’re blessed to be the witness for two more years of high-level performances.

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: Beckett Crooks
School: Ann Arbor Pioneer
Grade: 12th

Personal Records

5k (XC) – 15:26
1600m – 4:18
3200m – 9:00

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
11	Beckett Crooks	15:30.6	Ann Arbor Pioneer	204.5	MITCA	9-Nov	2024
11	Beckett Crooks	15:26.9	Ann Arbor Pioneer	205.0	Division 1 State	2-Nov	2024
11	Beckett Crooks	15:51.1	Ann Arbor Pioneer	197.6	Region 5	26-Oct	2024
11	Beckett Crooks	15:56.4	Ann Arbor Pioneer	200.9	SEC Championship	17-Oct	2024
11	Beckett Crooks	15:37.7	Ann Arbor Pioneer	202.1	Gabriel Richard	12-Oct	2024
11	Beckett Crooks	15:35.4	Ann Arbor Pioneer	206.2	Portage	5-Oct	2024
11	Beckett Crooks	16:27.5	Ann Arbor Pioneer	197.8	SEC Red 2	24-Sep	2024
11	Beckett Crooks	15:41.8	Ann Arbor Pioneer	204.1	Jackson	21-Sep	2024
11	Beckett Crooks	16:13.0	Ann Arbor Pioneer	204.7	SEC 1	10-Sep	2024
11	Beckett Crooks	16:11.2	Ann Arbor Pioneer	207.3	Early Bird Open	29-Aug	2024
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
10	Beckett Crooks	15:55.9	Ann Arbor Pioneer	194.4	MITCA	11-Nov	2023
10	Beckett Crooks	16:04.4	Ann Arbor Pioneer	192.9	Division 1 State	4-Nov	2023
10	Beckett Crooks	16:03.1	Ann Arbor Pioneer	190.3	Region 5	28-Oct	2023
10	Beckett Crooks	16:23.7	Ann Arbor Pioneer	195.8	SEC Championship	19-Oct	2023
10	Beckett Crooks	16:54.0	Ann Arbor Pioneer	186.3	Gabriel Richard	14-Oct	2023
10	Beckett Crooks	16:11.9	Ann Arbor Pioneer	193.0	Portage	7-Oct	2023
10	Beckett Crooks	15:58.7	Ann Arbor Pioneer	188.4	SEC Red 2	27-Sep	2023
10	Beckett Crooks	16:13.2	Ann Arbor Pioneer	192.6	Jackson	23-Sep	2023
10	Beckett Crooks	17:16.9	Ann Arbor Pioneer	183.7	Mustang	29-Aug	2023
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
9	Beckett Crooks	17:04.9	Ann Arbor Pioneer	171.0	MITCA	12-Nov	2022
9	Beckett Crooks	16:53.2	Ann Arbor Pioneer	170.6	Region 5	29-Oct	2022
9	Beckett Crooks	17:03.5	Ann Arbor Pioneer	169.5	SEC Championship	20-Oct	2022
9	Beckett Crooks	17:23.2	Ann Arbor Pioneer	163.3	Gabriel Richard	15-Oct	2022
9	Beckett Crooks	17:38.3	Ann Arbor Pioneer	163.2	Portage	8-Oct	2022
9	Beckett Crooks	17:51.9	Ann Arbor Pioneer	161.7	SEC Red 2	28-Sep	2022
9	Beckett Crooks	17:23.8	Ann Arbor Pioneer	167.7	Jackson	24-Sep	2022
9	Beckett Crooks	18:05.7	Ann Arbor Pioneer	155.8	SEC 1	14-Sep	2022
9	Beckett Crooks	18:51.1	Ann Arbor Pioneer	161.3	Milford	1-Sep	2022

Accolades

XC

8^th Place – 2024 Division 1 State
2024 Region 5 Champion
2^nd Place – 2024 SEC Red Championship

Track

2025 Division 1 State 3200m Champion
4^th Place – 2025 Division 1 State 4×8
2025 SEC Red & Region 5 3200m Champion

His Championship Season

Should really be labeled as his championship seasonS, because the final few weeks of the fall and spring were both doozies. Beckett had made this list last summer, his inclusion mainly based on the tremendous potential he showed on the track as a sophomore, hitting 9:26 in the 3200m, a top-10 mark across his class. In his sophomore year of cross, he had broken 16:00, but placed north of 50^th in the 2023 State Finals.

Entering October, he’d already raced well into the 15’s. Then for the final month of the season, he was there every single meet. The standout one was at State, a 15:26 that earned Crooks an 8^th place finish in D1.

That 9:26 from the prior spring plus the top-10 MIS finish definitely signaled someone who could make waves at the 2025 Track Finals. Did they signal the 9:11 that he sped to at Shepherd, a 15 sec. personal best? Maybe. Did they signal the kid that hung in there for seven laps of the D1 3200m, matching every move before unleashing a 63 sec. final lap, winning the state title?

Who knows. We can’t predict what he’ll do next and that makes this year all the more intriguing.