I remarked to her after her race at New Balance that she ran the most heady race of the night, steadily clicking off 80-82’s until she ended up breaking 11:00
That 10:53 was an exhibit of patience in the career sense as well, Anna had been in the low-11’s for what seemed like thousands of races before that minor breakthrough
Some may have settled on that mark, that time, been content with a great season, but not her
In the coming weeks, she grabbed two state qualifiers, two CAAC Blue titles, then brought it again come early June
Her double back from the 1600m was one of the better efforts of those who did both, another momentous personal best, a 10:34
This past fall, she established herself early, running some of her better races early – at Saranac, Holly, Coaching Legends
The times didn’t necessarily come late, but the accomplishments were there, top-10’s at Greater Lansing, CAAC Blue, and Region 4
I believe this track season showed a new level of learning, figuring out how to peak at the right time, that will benefit Anna in November
And as we’ve seen, she’s no stranger to surprising when there
Grade
Name
Time
Rating
Meet
Course
Date
11
Anna Delgado
18:34.3
150.2
Saranac
Saranac HS
1-Sep
11
Anna Delgado
20:11.7
121.1
Bredeweg
Macatawa Bay MS
11-Sep
11
Anna Delgado
18:42.5
154.2
Holly
Springfield Oaks
18-Sep
11
Anna Delgado
18:54.2
143.3
CAAC Blue 1
DeWitt HS
23-Sep
11
Anna Delgado
18:45.5
145.8
Coaching Legends
Huron Meadows
2-Oct
11
Anna Delgado
18:46.9
139.4
East Lansing
East Lansing Soccer Complex
7-Oct
11
Anna Delgado
19:32.7
132.4
Greater Lansing
Ledge Meadows GC
16-Oct
11
Anna Delgado
18:52.2
139.3
CAAC Blue 2
Ledge Meadows GC
21-Oct
11
Anna Delgado
18:52.7
142.8
4 Meadows
Huron Meadows
29-Oct
11
Anna Delgado
18:52.3
139.6
D1 State
MIS
6-Nov
11
Anna Delgado
18:55.9
139.0
MMOC
Shepherd HS
13-Nov
Grade
Name
Rating
Meet
Course
Date
10
Anna Delgado
118.9
DeWitt/EL
DeWitt HS
10-Sep
10
Anna Delgado
112.0
EL/Holt
EL XC Complex
14-Sep
10
Anna Delgado
124.3
East Lansing/Grand Ledge
East Lansing XC Complex
24-Sep
10
Anna Delgado
124.1
CAAC Blue League
DeWitt HS
1-Oct
10
Anna Delgado
141.3
Shepherd Bluejay
Shepherd HS
3-Oct
10
Anna Delgado
132.7
Greater Lansing
Ledge Meadows
10-Oct
10
Anna Delgado
132.4
PR 7
Ledge Meadows
23-Oct
10
Anna Delgado
135.2
D1 Reg 4
DeWitt HS
31-Oct
Grade
Name
Rating
Meet
Course
9
Anna Delgado
128.6
Saranac
Saranac HS
9
Anna Delgado
119.8
Bredeweg
Macatawa Bay MS
9
Anna Delgado
130.2
Holly
Springfield Oaks
9
Anna Delgado
134.0
Coaching Legends
Huron Meadows
9
Anna Delgado
118.9
Greater Lansing
Ledge Meadows
9
Anna Delgado
116.1
CAAC Blue
Ledge Meadows
9
Anna Delgado
135.3
4
DeWitt HS
9
Anna Delgado
130.4
D1 State
MIS
Tucked away over in Division Four is Lezawe, our second Division Four athlete to make this list of returners
On the state stage, he probably had the most dominating results of any boy, all division
Each state championship race he entered, he won, whether that was a 4×8 team title or a 5k on the grass, Lezawe or his folks crossed the tape in first
He’s always been a name I’ve noticed for The Potter’s House squad, a consistently contending team
The signs of this impending dominance began to materialize during his sophomore year, with multiple sub-17 efforts to close a fall (that unfortunately had to be ended after Pre-Regionals) or a 9:41 at Bluejay
While it may take some kids a few races to bust out some rust, Lezawe OPENED with a sub-16 at Under the Lights, then went undefeated in the Michigan XC regular season, culminating his year with a dominant state meet win by 25+ seconds
During track, we were able to see those victories on the D4 stage, but also what he can do while chasing
His 9:13 (6th fastest returner in that event) at the New Balance 3200m gives evidence that there’s even more speed available
Potter’s House has huge aspirations in these coming months, a few additions that weren’t able to compete will be a major help, but the greatest aid will be the leadership and motivation provided by viewing Lezawe do his thing, improving and improving, over and over
2nd Place – SCAA 5th Place – Lenawee County 3rd Place – Region 34 11th Place – D4 State
2020
2nd Place – SCAA 4th Place – Lenawee County 2nd Place – Pre-Region 68 2nd Place – Region 34 14th Place – D4 State
Anything in Track?
4×800
9:16
6th Place – Region 36 6th Place – SCAA 6th Place – Lenawee County
Lucas Lange
2:09/4:46/10:44
3rd Place – Region 36 1600m 5th Place – Region 36 1600m 2nd Place – SCAA 1600m 3rd Place – SCAA 800m 3rd Place – Lenawee County 800m
Grant Long
2:19/5:04/11:11
7th Place – Region 36 3200m 4th Place – SCAA 3200m 6th Place – SCAA 1600m 7th Place – Lenawee County 3200m
Joel Lange
2:28/5:21/11:24
6th Place – SCAA 3200m 7th Place – SCAA 1600m
Landon Chadek
2:19/5:39
Kaleb Richardson
2:36
The Past Three Years
2021
2nd Place – J. Chris Jensen 2nd Place – Cascades Conference 3rd Place – Region 23 16th Place – D3 State
2020
Team Champions – J. Chris Jensen, Cascades Conference, Pre-Region 45, Region 23 5th Place – D3 State
2019
Team Champions – J. Chris Jensen, Cascades Conference, Region 23, D3 State
Anything in Track?
4×800
8:54
3rd Place – Cascades
Rogan Melling
2:05/4:29/9:42
2nd Place – Region 25 1600m 4th Place – Region 25 3200m 1st Place – Cascades 1600/3200m 1st Place – Selby Classic 3200m 11th Place – D3 State 1600m Austin Brown
2:02/4:45
2nd Place – Region 25 800m 2nd Place – Cascades 800m 3rd Place – Selby Classic 800m 12th Place – D3 State 800m Evan Shepherd
5:09/10:49
4th Place – Cascades 3200m 6th Place – Selby Classic 3200m David Fielder
57.9/2:30
Dylan Bailey
2:32/5:39/12:46
The Past Three Years
2021
3rd Place – OK White 3rd Place – Region 14 8th Place – D3 State
2020
Team Champions – Pre-Region 22, Region 11 11th Place – D2 State
2019
2nd Place – OK Gold 3rd Place – Region 14 7th Place – D2 State
Anything in Track?
4×800
8:22
4th Place – OK White 4th Place – Region 13
Alex Thole
2:07/4:33/9:44
6th Place – OK White 3200m 3rd Place – Region 13 3200m
Elijah Robinson
2:06/4:31/10:094th Place – OK White 1600m 3rd Place – Region 13 1600m
Ryan Brinker
4:26/10:21
6th Place – OK White 1600m 4th Place – Region 13 1600m
Davis Christy
2:12/4:49/10:05
Davis Head
4:56/10:03
7th Place – OK White 3200m 7th Place – Region 13 3200m
Ryan McMahon
4:49/10:27
George Janson
2:15/4:56/10:37 Eli Assaf
4:48/10:39
Charlie Chappus
55.4/2:17
8th Place – Region 13 400m
The Past Three Years
2021
Team Champions – SMAC West 2nd Place – SMAC 2nd Place – Region 3 20th Place – D1 State
2020
Team Champions – SMAC, Pre-Region 6 3rd Place – Region 3 22nd Place – D1 State
2019
2nd Place – SMAC West 2nd Place – SMAC 9th Place – Region 3
Anything in Track?
4×800
8:06
3rd Place – SMAC 7th Place – Region 3 Josh Gormley
2:11/4:33/9:49
3rd Place – SMAC 3200m Logan Begeman
2:07/4:29/9:50
4th Place – SMAC 1600m Ben Hunter
2:01/4:29/9:50
1st Place – SMAC 1600m 6th Place – SMAC 800m 4th Place – Region 3 1600m Gavin Voetberg
4:39/10:05
8th Place – SMAC 1600m
Nick Cabrera
4:42/10:31 Bruno Cabrera
2:00/4:47/10:28
7th Place – SMAC 800m 8th Place – Region 3 800m Abrar Hossen
Prior to the 2020 Meet of Champions, I joked around and called him Mr. October for his drastic drops come October 1st
Well lo and behold, Michael done did it again
Following his 15:59 at Spartan, his first venture into the 15’s as a junior (he had gone 15:51 as a sophomore), he dropped an album at Otsego Bulldog, capturing 2nd place in 15:34
From then on, it was a victorious fall, Mike claiming titles at Wayne County, CHSL A/B, and Region 18
Then grabbing the 3rd spot at MIS, his best finish yet
Come spring, he worked on his speed endurance, setting the tone for significant PB’s all season
Michael dropped his rarely run 800m best from 2:04 to 1:57 and everything else followed, 4:27 to 4:18, 9:48 to 9:19
It’s only fitting that Mike and Connell are listed next to each other
These two have been duking it out for the past two years, both pushing each other in the Division 2 Southeast Michigan scene, then taking their talents to the state level and placing high there
I look forward another year’s worth of battles between these guys in 2022-23
Grade
Name
Time
Rating
Meet
Course
Date
11
Michael Hegarty
17:10.1
196.6
Michigan Catholic
St. Francis Retreat Center
28-Aug
11
Michael Hegarty
16:42.2
201.9
Mustang
Cass Benton
31-Aug
11
Michael Hegarty
16:17.1
200.6
Tommy Titan
Cass Benton
11-Sep
11
Michael Hegarty
15:59.1
208.3
Spartan
Forest Akers
17-Sep
11
Michael Hegarty
17:03.3
185.9
Jefferson
Sterling State Park
25-Sep
11
Michael Hegarty
15:34.2
207.3
Otsego Bulldog
Otsego HS
2-Oct
11
Michael Hegarty
16:00.4
204.5
Wayne County
Willow
9-Oct
11
Michael Hegarty
17:08.5
171.5
Soter Crane
Belle Isle
12-Oct
11
Michael Hegarty
16:22.6
201.5
CHSL AB
Possum Hollow
23-Oct
11
Michael Hegarty
16:45.2
203.6
18 Lake Erie
Lake Erie
30-Oct
11
Michael Hegarty
15:38.9
204.4
D2 State
MIS
6-Nov
Grade
Name
Rating
Meet
Course
Date
10
Michael Hegarty
185.3
Michigan Catholic
St. Francis Retreat Center
29-Aug
10
Michael Hegarty
182.4
Soter Crane
Nankin Mills
22-Sep
10
Michael Hegarty
201.1
Bulldog Elite
Otsego HS
3-Oct
10
Michael Hegarty
204.1
CHSL Bishop
Kensington
17-Oct
10
Michael Hegarty
185.7
PR 35
Heritage Park (Adrian)
24-Oct
10
Michael Hegarty
195.2
D2 Reg 18
Lake Erie
31-Oct
10
Michael Hegarty
201.5
D2 State
MIS
6-Nov
Grade
Name
Rating
Meet
Course
9
Michael Hegarty
187.5
Michigan Catholic
St. Francis Retreat Center
9
Michael Hegarty
181.7
Mustang
Cass Benton
9
Michael Hegarty
181.0
Downriver Watermelon
Elizabeth Park
9
Michael Hegarty
189.2
Tommy Titan
Cass Benton
9
Michael Hegarty
178.8
Spartan
Forest Akers
9
Michael Hegarty
169.5
Soter Crane
Belle Isle
9
Michael Hegarty
189.2
Jefferson
Sterling State Park
9
Michael Hegarty
183.0
Gibraltar Marauder
Lake Erie
9
Michael Hegarty
188.9
Wayne County
Willow
9
Michael Hegarty
190.6
CHSL
Kensington
9
Michael Hegarty
192.6
18
Lake Erie
9
Michael Hegarty
195.1
D2 State
MIS
Wow, Emily has come a long way since her freshman year
We’re coming up soon on the three-year anniversary of her first HS race, a 24:08 at Pete Moss
That freshman season ended with multiple runs in the 20’s
For her sophomore season, she showed a similar trajectory, starting the year where she left off as a freshman, then closing with a few performances below 20:00 and contributing as the fifth girl for Pioneer’s surprise State title
That theme of steady descent continued into this past fall, where Emily spent a majority of her year in the 18’s, save for the mudbaths at Freeland and Lake Erie.
The 2021 season itself was borne out of a track campaign where Emily established herself as a student of the 2 and 4-lappers, times such as 5:13 for the 1600m suggesting a cross country breakthrough that came to fruition
Once again, similarities abound with this past track season, where she reached below 5:00, 11:00, and was present on all those national and state championship relays
With all the experience gained from the various surroundings, there won’t be many better equipped to handle this upcoming fall
Michigan XC Speed Ratings 