The Kalamazoo area is loaded once again, hopefully we’ll see some of these teams compete at Portage (I’m optimistic about the season, not so optimistic about large invitationals). Otsego will have teams and individuals at the top of their division, Plainwell has another Veen in the pipeline, both Portage schools were developing their talent in the winter, Gull Lake has the quiet assassin Koby Fraaza, and Kalamazoo Christian will be in D4 contention.
Here are the schools I have for the Kalamazoo area:
Centreville Comstock Constantine Gobles Howardsville Christian Kalamazoo Central Kalamazoo Christian Kalamazoo Hackett Kalamazoo Lakeside Academy Kalamazoo Loy Norrix Lawton Marcellus Martin Mattawan Mendon Otsego Parchment Paw Paw Plainwell Portage Central Portage Northern Richland Gull Lake Schoolcraft Three Rivers Vicksburg
Along with others, I refer to October as “championship season”, Katie is an example of someone who embraced that concept
Her early season featured a notable improvement from the previous year, racing nearly a minute faster at Averill and Spartan
But when October rolled around, something clicked and she took it to unforeseen levels
As you’ll see with Evan Ross, she showed her capabilities in her freshman track campaign, especially in the 3200m, running sub-11:30
A few months ago during indoor, she was able to set a new 1600m PR, 5:21, but I get the sense that she is better as the distance rises
17. Evan Ross, Brighton
Evan Ross is likely the reason Brighton captured a State Title last year
Following a good freshman year, he established himself as one of the better 4th runners in the state, then in championship season, secured that place with two clutch races
The seeds of that monstrous growth were sown during the 2019 winter/spring, resulting in a 4:32 1600m as a freshman
This year, he’ll be counted on as a leader, and Brighton brings in some outstanding freshman that should look at his progression thus far
Their frontrunners may change (Finch, Comerford, Zartman), but Otsego remains a contender year after year
A testament to summer training is when an athlete begins the season with a PR, as Colin did in a dual in early September, 16:37 to 16:34
In the more competitive meets later in the year, he was reliably around the 16:00 range, dipping under it at Portage and Otsego Bulldog (and an equivalent performance at MIS)
His indoor 3200m dropped 30+ seconds from 2019 to 2020, where he was able to run 9:52. One can easily extrapolate another drop from indoor to outdoor
18. Kaitlyn Hynes, DeWitt
Along with Elsa Rusthoven, leading a DeWitt squad that is looking to return to the State Finals
A major theme you’ll notice in these tickets is the value of improving season to season, this shows that an athlete is training well. Kaitlyn is no exception, with almost a 2:00 drop from 2017 to 2019
Her junior year was remarkably consistent, the only races that could be called subpar would be Portage and Spartan, those two were both sub-19 efforts by their ratings
Her final four races were particularly impressive and show a progress that should continue into 2020.
2x medalist at Greater Lansing, 2x All-Region, 2x All-State
