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Infographs from last season. Over the next few weeks, I’ll build out for this year with updated graphics.

Girls Adjustment: -21
Boys Adjustment: -18

As always, these writeups below will shoutout someone or a team that stood out from the race. That may not be the best runner or the winning team. Perhaps a team that surprised, a runner breaking through, or a runner contributing to a team victory. Of course, if you come to me nicely and want to brag about a fellow team/competitor/teammate, let me know, and I’ll try to give them love further down the line.

MUSKEGON MANIACS

Carson Wood, Sparta

Yeah, I know Jenison won and dominated. But they’ve got bigger goals ahead and writeups in much more important spots.

Sparta placed 2^nd in the Gold division, Carson here having a great race as their third boy. Their summer ranking was #11, early results say they may be a little underrated. This was Carson’s third opener at Muskegon CC, his fastest yet by 50+ seconds. Last year’s end may have not gone the way he wanted, this kind of start is the perfect opportunity to embark on a season that ends the right way.

Johanna Mulder, Holland

The Holland sophomore was on the path to a podium-contending freshman year that was unfortunately cut short. No loss of hope or motivation over here, as she completed a track season that contained a 5:19 in the 1600m. Her sophomore opener was 15 sec. faster than her freshman one, let’s wish for a complete season to see what she can do in November.

*** = Team State Title type of performance
** = Top-10 Team type of performance
* = Team Qualifier type of performance

BOYS TEAM RATINGS

Team	Top 5 Avg.	Division
Jenison**	194.9	1
Team	Top 5 Avg.	Division
Sparta**	179.8	2
Holland	154.8	2
Muskegon Oakridge	117.8	2
Fruitport	75.3	2
Team	Top 5 Avg.	Division
Holland Black River	141.2	3
Ravenna	89.0	3

GIRLS TEAM RATINGS

Team	Top 5 Avg.	Division
Holland	79.8	2
Sparta	48.7	2
Fruitport	19.6	2

BOYS INDIVIDUAL RATINGS

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating
12	Seth Conner	15:56.5	Jenison	207.2
11	Owen Metzger	16:27.1	Sparta	197.0
12	Parker Strelecki	16:28.1	Jenison	196.6
12	Mason Lucas	16:36.4	Jenison	193.9
12	Matthew Schwartz	16:48.0	Jenison	190.0
11	Nolan Wenglikowski	16:56.8	Jenison	187.1
12	Justin Bradford	17:00.3	Sparta	185.9
11	Carson Wood	17:07.1	Sparta	183.6
10	Jonas Ballard	17:10.4	Holland Black River	182.5
12	Dominic Otto	17:20.1	Jenison	179.3
12	Peyton Ruel	17:26.3	Muskegon Oakridge	177.2
12	Isaac Meyers	17:32.8	Sparta	175.1
9	Chase Sherman	17:45.1	Jenison	171.0
9	Aiden Lambers	17:45.6	Holland	170.8
12	Andrew Wangler	17:53.6	Jenison	168.2
12	Jack Baltes	17:58.9	Jenison	166.4
10	Bryce Falbe	18:01.8	Muskegon Oakridge	165.4
11	Myles Hendel	18:06.1	Jenison	164.0
10	Rian Powers	18:06.3	Holland	163.9
10	Rolland Sterken	18:10.5	Jenison	162.5
10	Barrett Nance	18:10.6	North Muskegon	162.5
10	Brayden Kelliher	18:13.7	Jenison	161.4
11	Connor Wangler	18:18.7	Jenison	159.8
11	Landon Johnson	18:19.3	Fruitport	159.6
9	Caelen Gray	18:22.6	Holland	158.5
12	Nathan Chapin	18:23.0	Jenison	158.3
12	Cayden Oudbier	18:25.9	Sparta	157.4
12	Micah Derks	18:27.2	Jenison	156.9
11	Alessandro Castillo	18:35.8	Holland	154.1
10	Caleb DuPuis	18:42.4	Jenison	151.9
9	Carter Cooke	18:54.3	Jenison	147.9
9	Levi Kass	18:57.2	Ravenna	146.9
9	Fabian Martinez-Arreola	18:57.5	Jenison	146.8
12	Isaac Edgington	19:00.8	Holland Black River	145.7
11	Griffin Mis	19:02.7	Sparta	145.1
12	Tomas Mendez	19:04.6	Jenison	144.5
9	Hagan Biehl	19:14.9	Sparta	141.0
11	Isaac Johnson	19:15.9	Holland Black River	140.7
11	Girum Merriman	19:19.9	Sparta	139.4
9	Liam Gunnink	19:38.6	Jenison	133.1
12	Ethan Henry	19:41.7	Jenison	132.1
11	Lawson Miller	19:42.2	Muskegon Oakridge	131.9
11	Lukas Rennells	19:43.8	Muskegon Catholic Central	131.4
12	Owen Stimer	19:54.1	Holland Black River	128.0
11	Preston May	19:56.0	Sparta	127.3
10	Luke Arendshorst	19:58.0	Holland	126.7
12	Tyler Pelham	20:26.3	Ravenna	117.2
9	Levi Walker	20:44.4	Jenison	111.2
9	Dylan Winskas	20:49.8	Fruitport	109.4
9	Avery Carlson	20:51.3	Holland Black River	108.9
10	Sebastian Zylstra	20:57.7	Holland Black River	106.8
10	Miles Divozzo	21:08.6	Holland Black River	103.1
10	Ryan Geerts	21:19.8	Holland	99.4
11	Enzo Aggoune	21:45.6	Fruitport	90.8
10	Greyson Hartwick	21:48.1	Sparta	90.0
9	Noah Rosales	21:52.4	Holland	88.5
10	Quinn Bloemendaal	22:05.1	Holland	84.3
9	Case Schullo	22:06.5	Ravenna	83.8
9	Asher Ornee	22:20.7	Holland Black River	79.1
11	Benjamin Carpenter	22:24.5	North Muskegon	77.8
10	Jayden Mueller	22:30.1	Muskegon Oakridge	76.0
11	Nazario Estrada	22:57.7	Holland	66.8
9	Christian Schullo	23:11.0	Ravenna	62.3
9	Austin Vista	23:22.6	Jenison	58.5
11	Henry Hoekstra	23:36.9	Holland Black River	53.7
9	Keannan Marr	23:37.1	Holton	53.6
12	Caden Carlson	24:01.3	Holland Black River	45.6
11	Landon Miller	24:22.1	Muskegon Oakridge	38.6
12	Bryce McCleary	24:33.8	Ravenna	34.7
9	Greyson Mudget	24:49.4	Holland Black River	29.5
11	Andan Skuse	24:57.1	Ravenna	27.0
11	Drew Babinec	25:08.9	Muskegon Oakridge	23.0
9	Rileigh Schmitz	25:16.2	Muskegon Oakridge	20.6
10	Landon Peck	25:49.6	Fruitport	9.5
9	Drew Powell	25:56.3	Fruitport	7.2

GIRLS INDIVIDUAL RATINGS

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating
10	Johanna Mulder	19:16.7	Holland	141.4
10	Mia May	19:52.8	Sparta	129.4
9	Lexi Gibson	21:48.7	Holland	90.8
12	Ambria DePoy	22:32.5	Holland	76.2
12	Mackenzie Baldrica	22:51.7	Sparta	69.8
10	Treasure Fleese	23:15.6	Fruitport	61.8
11	Sylvia Skujins	23:18.0	North Muskegon	61.0
9	Peyhton Beardsley	23:20.9	Fruitport	60.0
9	Naomi Telman	23:30.4	Holland Black River	56.9
12	Eleanor McMullen	23:49.7	Holland	50.4
9	Ashlyn DePoy	24:20.2	Holland	40.3
10	Harper Schoon-Tanis	24:39.6	Holland	33.8
11	Abbi Rozman	24:46.8	Holland Black River	31.4
11	Aubriana Druckenmiller	24:54.6	Sparta	28.8
9	Annie Lou Howell	25:01.1	Holland	26.6
12	Aubrey Goyings	25:02.6	Holton	26.1
10	Emily Costello	25:53.2	Sparta	9.3
12	Erin Alster	26:01.9	Sparta	6.4
10	Sophie Christopher	26:06.0	Fruitport	5.0
11	Kaylee Ochoa	26:12.4	Wyoming Lee	2.9

Girls Adjustment: -27
Boys Adjustment: -24

As always, these writeups below will shoutout someone or a team that stood out from the race. That may not be the best runner or the winning team. Perhaps a team that surprised, a runner breaking through, or a runner contributing to a team victory. Of course, if you come to me nicely and want to brag about a fellow team/competitor/teammate, let me know, and I’ll try to give them love further down the line.

EARLY BIRDS THAT GOT THE WORM

Andrew Wright, Kalamazoo Central

Gotta pick the winner, right? The Giant junior has had some outstanding performances on this course (4^th at ’23 Regionals, significant season best as a freshman), considering the time of the year, this may be one of the best. His previous two openers were 17:53 and 16:57, he checked in here at 16:07. That low-16 effort was the fastest Early Bird time since Evan Bishop and Joe Meyers dueled back in 2019. And for the talented Wright, a sign that he’s ready to attack the 2024 season.

Rockford’s Girls

Easy pick with the team win. They were just featured in the Top Tens (#4), however this performance could foretell something greater. Daisy Cox proved that the gains from track were no fluke. Morgan Sanders moving in helps. Natalie Lewis off to a superb start to her senior year. Nice little debut from Keagan Mulka too, running 20:01 in her first race at the high school level. All of a sudden, these Rams are loaded.

*** = Team State Title type of performance
** = Top-10 Team type of performance
* = Team Qualifier type of performance

These asterisks and the infographs above are from last year’s data. In the next few weeks, I’ll start building out for the 2024 season with updated charts and what not.

GIRLS TEAM RATINGS

Team	Top 5 Avg.	Division
Rockford**	131.5	1
Grand Haven*	118.1	1
Portage Central	110.9	1
Jenison	102.3	1
Kalamazoo Central	81.4	1
Lowell	73.5	1
Battle Creek Lakeview	64.1	1
Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	55.0	1
Grand Rapids Northview	16.8	1
Team	Top 5 Avg.	Division
Stevensville Lakeshore	83.8	2
Three Rivers	36.0	2
Team	Top 5 Avg.	Division
Union City	49.5	3
Kalamazoo Christian	46.2	3
Buchanan	15.7	3
Team	Top 5 Avg.	Division
Gobles**	83.7	4
Team	Top 5 Avg.	Division
Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	61.3	HS

BOYS TEAM RATINGS

Team	Division	Top 5 Avg.
Kalamazoo Central**	1	189.9
Portage Central**	1	189.8
Rockford**	1	188.0
Lowell*	1	182.6
Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	1	174.0
Battle Creek Lakeview	1	170.6
Grand Rapids Northview	1	148.6
Team	Division	Top 5 Avg.
Three Rivers*	2	172.0
Hastings	2	110.2
Team	Division	Top 5 Avg.
Kalamazoo Christian**	3	176.8
Buchanan**	3	165.2
Union City*	3	156.8
Parchment	3	139.3
Team	Division	Top 5 Avg.
Gobles	4	83.2
Team	Division	Top 5 Avg.
Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	HS	175.4

GIRLS INDIVIDUAL RATINGS

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating
12	Jessica Jazwinski	17:56.0	😦	170.4
12	Valerie Beeck	18:44.8	Grand Haven	154.1
10	Daisy Cox	18:47.1	Rockford	153.3
12	Annie Alkema	19:07.8	Kalamazoo Central	146.4
10	Libby Smith	19:28.9	Gobles	139.4
10	Paige McMeans	19:45.8	Jenison	133.8
12	Natalie Lewis	19:58.9	Rockford	129.4
9	Gracie Carlisle	20:00.7	Portage Central	128.8
9	Keagan Mulka	20:01.1	Rockford	128.6
12	Addy Smith	20:05.7	Grand Haven	127.1
12	Naomi Diekman	20:09.0	Jenison	126.0
9	Jillian Lewakowski	20:13.3	Rockford	124.6
9	Morgan Sanders	20:22.6	Rockford	121.5
11	Rhea Mouw	20:30.2	Portage Central	118.9
12	Sofia Bogard	20:35.8	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	117.1
11	Cianah Budnik-Ramos	20:38.9	Grand Haven	116.0
11	Macy Guikema	20:41.2	Jenison	115.3
9	Julia Welc	20:43.0	Portage Central	114.7
10	Lauren Shaffer	20:56.0	Gobles	110.3
12	Abi Albright	20:56.8	Grand Haven	110.1
11	Abby Thompson	20:59.9	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	109.0
12	Emma Smith	21:00.3	Rockford	108.9
11	Lilamae Frank	21:12.9	BC Lakeview	104.7
12	Claire O’Boyle	21:18.3	Lowell	102.9
12	Alaina Klooster	21:19.6	Kalamazoo Christian	102.5
10	Olivia Storteboom	21:32.1	Portage Central	98.3
12	Rachel Grice	21:36.8	Kalamazoo Central	96.7
12	Kaylee Sprague	21:38.9	Stevensville Lakeshore	96.0
9	Claire Mouw	21:46.1	Portage Central	93.6
12	Preslee Perkins	21:51.8	Stevensville Lakeshore	91.7
10	Allison Gautsche	21:52.1	Union City	91.6
12	Annika DeJong	21:59.3	Stevensville Lakeshore	89.2
12	Melana Karsten	22:02.5	Rockford	88.2
10	Lily Brendlinger	22:05.6	Portage Central	87.1
10	Kate Elias	22:09.5	Portage Central	85.8
10	Elena Czuk	22:11.4	Portage Central	85.2
12	Skyler Fraley	22:16.6	Union City	83.5
12	Cece Frendt	22:17.8	Grand Haven	83.1
11	Evie Deur	22:18.6	Lowell	82.8
9	Kate Moon	22:19.3	Portage Central	82.6
11	Madison Cooley	22:22.2	Gobles	81.6
11	Andrea Schwartz	22:23.4	Jenison	81.2
11	Kate Ort	22:31.9	Stevensville Lakeshore	78.4
10	Lillie Kerr	22:32.5	Three Rivers	78.2
12	Stella Hensley	22:34.4	Portage Central	77.5
12	Evelyn Calow	22:54.5	BC Lakeview	70.8
12	Lily Frendt	23:00.4	Grand Haven	68.9
11	Audrey Latchaw	23:01.2	Lowell	68.6
12	Madeline Young	23:03.4	Buchanan	67.9
12	Mila Schneider	23:04.8	Rockford	67.4
11	Mikayla Reddy	23:07.0	Rockford	66.7
12	Sage Brownell	23:07.3	Rockford	66.6
9	Lilly Harthorn	23:12.8	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	64.7
11	Alyssa Mertes	23:13.5	Rockford	64.5
12	Megan Wurster	23:16.4	Stevensville Lakeshore	63.5
9	Annabella Nieto	23:16.6	Kalamazoo Central	63.5
11	Taylor Hill	23:17.1	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	63.3
10	Brynn Copenhaver	23:21.0	Three Rivers	62.0
10	Mallory Verhougstraete	23:23.7	Grand Haven	61.1
10	Mia Vonderheide	23:26.7	Lowell	60.1
10	Brynn Potter	23:30.5	Rockford	58.8
10	Ximena Martinez	23:33.1	Stevensville Lakeshore	58.0
10	Reese Storteboom	23:40.0	Portage Central	55.7
10	Maggie Wagner	23:41.7	Jenison	55.1
11	Addison Holt	23:45.0	Grand Haven	54.0
10	Olivia Lothian	23:47.3	Lowell	53.2
10	Amira Khadija	23:47.4	Grand Haven	53.2
9	Kennedy Elliott	23:49.1	Portage Central	52.6
12	Kara Kerwin	23:49.4	Kalamazoo Christian	52.6
12	Olivia VerBeek	23:50.1	Jenison	52.3
11	Anna Furman	23:51.9	Kalamazoo Central	51.7
12	Lillian Smith	23:55.6	Stevensville Lakeshore	50.5
10	Ava DeYoung	23:56.5	Gobles	50.2
11	Evelyn Jackson	23:56.6	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	50.1
12	Mara Gilmore	23:56.7	Grand Haven	50.1
12	Elayna Guadamuz	23:56.8	BC Lakeview	50.1
12	Randi Pennington	23:57.7	Jenison	49.8
9	Caroline Howenstine	23:58.1	Stevensville Lakeshore	49.6
12	Isabella Frederick	24:00.3	Kalamazoo Central	48.9
9	Ayla Frantz	24:03.4	BC Lakeview	47.9
12	Macy Daniels	24:04.0	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	47.7
10	Olivia King	24:05.3	BC Lakeview	47.2
12	Isabelle Overmyer	24:07.7	Buchanan	46.4
9	Abigail Whitelaw	24:10.1	Stevensville Lakeshore	45.6
11	Josie Greene	24:11.1	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	45.3
12	Ava Fisher	24:12.3	Jenison	44.9
12	Jun Hur	24:12.9	Portage Central	44.7
12	Marissa Bruininks	24:14.3	Portage Central	44.2
10	Alexa Bates	24:17.4	Portage Central	43.2
9	Olivia Sowton	24:17.8	BC Lakeview	43.1
12	Natalia Verdin	24:23.3	Portage Central	41.2
10	Belle Richardson	24:31.1	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	38.6
11	Sophie Brendlinger	24:32.9	Portage Central	38.0
12	Alissa Skirka	24:34.0	Union City	37.7
12	Ava Vlietstra	24:35.2	Kalamazoo Christian	37.3
12	Zoie Wood	24:35.5	Gobles	37.2
12	Adelaide Kauchak	24:36.6	Portage Central	36.8
11	Cecelia Gill	24:36.7	GR Northview	36.8
9	McKenzie VanStencil	24:39.1	GR Northview	36.0
10	Marley Momany	24:39.2	Stevensville Lakeshore	35.9
9	Addison Tomsic	24:40.9	Gobles	35.4
12	Maria Gergely	24:41.2	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	35.2
10	Brooklyn Jackson	24:41.6	Lowell	35.1
10	Norah Kerwin	24:43.4	Portage Central	34.5
10	Brooke Schlutt	24:44.0	Buchanan	34.3
12	Sydney Martin	24:47.9	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	33.0
11	Mackenzie Conner	24:48.3	Jenison	32.9
11	Georgia Micklewright	24:52.5	BC Lakeview	31.5
9	Olivia Upton	24:52.6	Portage Central	31.5
11	Kenzie Howell	24:53.3	Grand Haven	31.2
11	Maija Ruzicka	24:59.0	BC Lakeview	29.3
10	Teagan Borick	25:00.2	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	28.9
11	Savannah Headley	25:02.4	Three Rivers	28.2
9	Aundrea Anderson	25:11.4	Lowell	25.2
11	Evelyn Ault	25:12.7	Rockford	24.8
10	Parker Williams	25:17.6	Union City	23.1
10	Mary Clare Gergely	25:18.8	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	22.7
12	Lucy Bray	25:25.4	Kalamazoo Christian	20.5
11	Grace Clayton	25:28.1	Rockford	19.6
12	Marykate Thomas	25:32.6	Kalamazoo Christian	18.1
9	Hayden Brill	25:35.0	Grand Haven	17.3
10	Jenna Webster	25:37.9	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	16.4
10	Addison Seppala	25:39.4	Rockford	15.9
10	Lucy Otto	25:43.0	Jenison	14.7
9	Haylee Ledesma	25:45.3	Lowell	13.9
10	Jessica White	25:45.4	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	13.9
9	Sydney Pflug	25:46.2	GR Northview	13.6
11	Isabelle Swab	25:49.1	Grand Haven	12.6
11	Elizabeth Arlt	25:52.3	Union City	11.6
9	Alyssa Lambrix	25:57.2	Portage Central	9.9
11	Gabrielle Kilbourn	25:59.5	Three Rivers	9.2
11	Teigan Colvin	26:08.0	Grand Haven	6.3
11	Joelle Kaltenberg	26:09.1	GR Northview	6.0
9	Salay Schelhaas	26:13.1	Jenison	4.6
11	Madison Girard	26:18.9	BC Lakeview	2.7
11	Rheagan Cobb	26:18.9	Grand Haven	2.7
11	Rylea Summey	26:20.2	Three Rivers	2.3
10	Lyla Harrington	26:20.2	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	2.3
9	Temperance Hysell	26:26.3	Portage Central	0.2

BOYS INDIVIDUAL RATINGS

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating
11	Andrew Wright	16:07.8	Kalamazoo Central	205.4
11	Jackson Lam	16:10.6	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	204.5
10	Robert Jazwinski III	16:15.8	let him cook!	202.7
11	Cooper Byrne	16:17.0	Lowell	202.3
10	Marshall Huhn	16:19.7	Lowell	201.4
12	Spencer Parker	16:26.7	Portage Central	199.1
12	Sullivan Zietlow	16:30.4	Three Rivers	197.9
12	Noah Schuette	16:33.8	Rockford	196.7
12	Joseph Spada	16:45.0	Kalamazoo Central	193.0
9	Marcus Essling	16:46.0	Portage Central	192.7
11	Caleb TeBrake	16:49.9	GR Northview	191.4
12	Brandon Simmons	16:52.4	Hastings	190.5
10	Josiah Derksen	16:54.9	Rockford	189.7
10	Tristan Zhang	16:57.4	Portage Central	188.9
11	Ty Billings	16:59.5	Kalamazoo Central	188.2
11	Hayden Lafferty	17:06.3	Rockford	185.9
11	Owen Gifford	17:09.2	Portage Central	184.9
9	Luke Bultman	17:11.0	Rockford	184.3
11	Dylan Duguay	17:12.8	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	183.8
11	Logan Westgate	17:13.4	Portage Central	183.5
11	Ben Gautsche	17:13.6	Union City	183.5
12	Nathan Loser	17:14.6	Rockford	183.1
11	Vince Garritano	17:15.5	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	182.8
11	Elijah Thompson	17:18.8	Kalamazoo Central	181.7
11	Charlie Brauer	17:20.1	Three Rivers	181.3
11	Finlay Cane	17:20.7	Kalamazoo Central	181.1
10	Cody Bromley	17:26.5	Lowell	179.2
9	Abenezer Olson	17:26.9	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	179.0
10	Oscar Dunfee	17:30.0	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	178.0
9	Karson Lewis	17:37.8	BC Lakeview	175.4
12	Caden Karcher	17:38.3	Rockford	175.2
11	Jack Sherwood	17:38.3	Buchanan	175.2
10	Noah Watson	17:39.6	Rockford	174.8
9	Leo Garritano	17:40.4	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	174.5
12	Jonah Bills	17:42.7	BC Lakeview	173.8
9	Eli Demlow	17:45.1	BC Lakeview	173.0
10	Brian Artman	17:48.2	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	171.9
9	Drew Chenery	17:52.0	Portage Central	170.7
9	David Kore	17:52.0	Three Rivers	170.7
12	David Stout	17:52.9	Rockford	170.4
11	Jacob Kuntz	17:53.0	Buchanan	170.3
12	Micah Johnson	17:55.0	Hastings	169.7
10	Evan Armstrong	17:58.2	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	168.6
11	Rhys Holmes	17:58.9	GR Northview	168.4
12	David Artman	17:59.6	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	168.1
12	Alex Rogers	18:00.2	BC Lakeview	167.9
11	Benaiah Roby	18:00.7	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	167.8
10	Drew Swayze	18:01.4	Lowell	167.5
11	Liam McBeth	18:03.6	Buchanan	166.8
12	Elliot Cole	18:05.3	Parchment	166.2
11	Bray Mentzer	18:14.9	BC Lakeview	163.0
9	Lyle O’Boyle	18:16.1	Lowell	162.6
10	John Keser	18:18.0	Buchanan	162.0
10	Charles Gavan	18:19.9	Rockford	161.4
–	Jason Shoop	18:20.9	Union City	161.0
10	Carter Hughes	18:22.5	BC Lakeview	160.5
11	Parker Miller	18:28.3	BC Lakeview	158.6
12	Bryce Billings	18:31.0	Kalamazoo Central	157.7
11	Jonah Zietlow	18:33.3	Three Rivers	156.9
12	Keagan Cole	18:36.2	Parchment	155.9
12	Colin Teachman	18:38.7	Portage Central	155.1
11	Gabriel Gauss	18:39.0	Rockford	155.0
10	Gabe Boelman	18:39.5	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	154.8
12	Carter Hausman	18:40.3	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	154.6
9	Jack Mecklenborg	18:41.1	Portage Central	154.3
11	Reece Howes	18:44.6	Three Rivers	153.1
12	Coy Weinberg	18:49.1	Buchanan	151.6
12	Malachi Payne	18:50.9	Union City	151.0
12	Zack Mitchell	18:51.6	Kalamazoo Christian	150.8
9	Jackson Duval	18:52.8	BC Lakeview	150.4
11	Luke Schultz	18:54.2	Portage Central	150.0
12	Nolan Kiplinger	18:56.9	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	149.0
10	Addison Dufendach	18:59.0	Rockford	148.3
10	Cullen Decker	18:59.7	Union City	148.1
11	Sam Noora	19:00.2	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	147.9
9	Peter Artman	19:01.5	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	147.5
12	John Hawver	19:09.1	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	145.0
9	Ethan Brunner	19:17.7	Rockford	142.1
11	David Sager	19:18.5	Gobles	141.8
10	David Glista	19:20.6	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	141.1
12	Benjamin Atkins	19:22.2	Lowell	140.6
12	Cohen Burdick	19:22.3	Union City	140.6
12	Jack Dingemans	19:23.6	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	140.1
12	Paul Fowler	19:26.6	Lowell	139.1
12	Wyatt Remar	19:27.8	Lowell	138.7
11	Eliot Pavlik	19:30.5	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	137.8
11	Sam Zhang	19:31.3	Portage Central	137.6
10	Jacob Fletcher	19:32.5	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	137.2
10	Liam Eaton	19:33.4	GR Northview	136.9
9	Lucas Winter	19:34.2	Parchment	136.6
9	Colby Bartells	19:38.1	Kalamazoo Central	135.3
10	Brady Winther-MacInnis	19:41.7	Kalamazoo Central	134.1
11	Trey Hall	19:42.2	Three Rivers	133.9
9	Michael Bogard	19:43.1	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	133.6
10	Asher Friess	19:46.2	Portage Central	132.6
10	Austin Hale	19:49.2	Kalamazoo Central	131.6
11	Clay Adair	19:51.5	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	130.8
11	Beau Holmes	19:52.3	GR Northview	130.6
11	Connor Sloan	19:55.6	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	129.5
11	Henry Dutcher	19:59.2	Kalamazoo Central	128.3
10	Carter Handwerker	20:02.1	Rockford	127.3
9	Kingston Remar	20:05.7	Lowell	126.1
10	Jaxon Bunce	20:06.2	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	125.9
10	Noah Rice	20:08.0	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	125.3
11	Dontrel Taylor	20:08.3	Three Rivers	125.2
12	Jacob Standfest	20:09.6	Rockford	124.8
9	Jake Richmond	20:12.2	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	123.9
11	Samuel Mathiesen	20:12.6	Portage Central	123.8
9	Adrian Perez	20:16.0	Three Rivers	122.7
9	Daren Austin	20:20.6	Parchment	121.1
12	Ryan Friedmann	20:21.4	Portage Central	120.9
9	Cole Ringel	20:24.2	Gobles	119.9
12	Benjamin Ault	20:24.7	Rockford	119.8
11	Timothy Aung Soe	20:28.6	BC Lakeview	118.5
9	Levi Collins	20:29.7	Gobles	118.1
9	Rhy Schneider	20:30.9	Rockford	117.7
10	Connor Bailey-Cook	20:34.9	Parchment	116.4
12	Elliot Buchan	20:36.6	GR Northview	115.8
10	Graydon Heystek	20:36.8	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	115.7
10	Brayden Marchal	20:41.9	Lowell	114.1
9	Graham Sleper	20:48.7	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	111.8
10	Michael Austin	20:50.5	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	111.2
12	Trey Sukola	20:52.5	Parchment	110.5
9	Luke McKown	20:54.8	Union City	109.7
9	Daniel LaRoy	20:55.3	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	109.6
9	Braden Post	20:55.9	Portage Central	109.4
9	Daxton Hune	20:58.1	Rockford	108.6
12	Matthew Bergren	21:07.7	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	105.4
10	Adam Host	21:13.5	Rockford	103.5
11	Charlie Vitkauskas	21:15.1	Rockford	103.0
11	Jack Kubas	21:16.0	Portage Central	102.7
12	Bodie Bryans	21:17.3	Buchanan	102.2
9	Max Wolgast	21:20.1	Three Rivers	101.3
11	Thomas Shockey	21:22.5	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	100.5
10	Noah June	21:23.9	Union City	100.0
12	ZQ Yang	21:24.9	GR Northview	99.7
10	Traiton Coulier	21:24.9	Lowell	99.7
10	Cameron Cobley	21:25.1	BC Lakeview	99.6
12	Izaak Mallo	21:34.0	Three Rivers	96.7
9	Ben Conner	21:35.9	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	96.0
9	Lucas Ofstein	21:40.8	Portage Central	94.4
9	Seth Crown	21:42.4	Heritage Christian Academy	93.9
11	Bridger Streeter	21:42.9	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	93.7
9	Callan Toman	21:44.5	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	93.2
11	Will Dawson	21:46.7	GR Northview	92.5
12	Elliott Anderson	21:51.9	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	90.7
12	Cade Drallette	21:56.5	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	89.2
10	Lucas Szczesny	21:57.1	Portage Central	89.0
11	Henry Greene	21:59.2	BC Lakeview	88.3
10	Larry Watson	22:00.9	Three Rivers	87.7
11	Paul Borobia	22:01.6	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	87.5
9	Tanner Krzysik	22:05.4	Hastings	86.2
11	Andrew Nosis	22:08.9	BC Lakeview	85.0
9	Wesley Harrington	22:13.8	Parchment	83.4
10	James Riel	22:15.5	Union City	82.8
10	Colton Woods	22:17.1	Stevensville Lakeshore	82.3
10	Edward Corcoran	22:19.8	GR Northview	81.4
10	Brayden Buelow	22:22.0	Portage Central	80.7
10	Oscar Lucas	22:24.1	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	80.0
10	Andrew Potter	22:24.6	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	79.8
9	Charles Bare	22:24.6	Kalamazoo Central	79.8
9	Tegan Lowe	22:29.7	Lowell	78.1
10	Jaxon Boehm	22:30.4	Stevensville Lakeshore	77.9
12	Zachary McPherson	22:31.6	Parchment	77.5
11	Camaron Russ	22:31.9	GR Northview	77.4
12	Alexander Moon	22:35.7	Portage Central	76.1
12	Ivan Kwigizile	22:40.1	Portage Central	74.6
11	Xander Hallock	22:48.7	Three Rivers	71.8
10	Grant Hoskins	23:00.4	Stevensville Lakeshore	67.9
12	Damian Cross	23:02.8	GR Northview	67.1
12	Mason Hawthorne	23:05.0	Union City	66.3
12	Grayson Borick	23:11.7	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	64.1
11	Carter Krzysik	23:17.3	Hastings	62.2
10	Cooper Stannard	23:18.9	Parchment	61.7
9	August Montgomery	23:20.1	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	61.3
11	Cole Cannon	23:20.1	Gobles	61.3
9	Corbin Cummings	23:21.4	Rockford	60.9
11	Peyton Elder	23:21.5	BC Lakeview	60.8
11	Ari Johnson	23:26.9	Buchanan	59.0
9	Austin Carr	23:27.6	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	58.8
10	Mason Wilson	23:32.3	BC Lakeview	57.2
9	Max Sytsma	23:33.3	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	56.9
11	Riley Thomas	23:35.2	Portage Central	56.3
11	Owen Kennedy	23:41.6	BC Lakeview	54.1
9	Caleb Rice	23:50.1	BC Lakeview	51.3
10	Andrew Allen	23:55.0	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	49.7
11	Aaron Howe	23:56.5	GR Northview	49.2
12	Carter Schuiteboer	24:00.9	Heritage Christian Academy	47.7
9	Noah Ranson	24:06.7	Three Rivers	45.8
11	Kenji Banasky	24:06.8	Kalamazoo Homeschool Sports	45.7
12	Cian Monroe	24:13.2	Three Rivers	43.6
10	Caleb Kramer	24:16.7	Hastings	42.4
11	Kaidince Rose	24:16.8	Parchment	42.4
9	Liam Simmons	24:29.2	GR Northview	38.3
10	Jack Dibert	24:31.2	Union City	37.6
9	Charles Spencer	24:31.4	Buchanan	37.5
9	Cooper Goff	24:35.9	Three Rivers	36.0
9	Jonah Tripicchio	24:44.4	BC Lakeview	33.2
11	Kaden Goodman	24:44.9	Kalamazoo Central	33.0
9	Wyatt Newton	24:55.1	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	29.6
9	Luke Arlt	25:10.1	Union City	24.6
11	Nathaniel Gresh	25:17.2	Portage Central	22.3
11	Connor Miley	25:24.8	Parchment	19.7
9	Tyler Severino	25:27.9	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	18.7
9	Aiden VanLoenen	25:32.1	GR Northview	17.3
10	Nicholas Hawthorne	25:39.2	Kalamazoo Loy Norrix	14.9
10	Skyler Morgan	25:42.3	BC Lakeview	13.9
10	Carlos Martinez	25:43.0	Rockford	13.7
9	Caleb Sausser	25:46.6	Kalamazoo Central	12.5
9	Paxton Butler	26:03.9	GR Northview	6.7
11	Devon Simpson	26:22.5	Buchanan	0.5

11 to 27

Rank	Team	Score
11	Oxford	538
12	Utica	579
13	Midland Dow	599
14	Rochester	632
15	Dexter	677
16	Fraser	689
17	Ann Arbor Pioneer	726
18	Forest Hills Central	764
19	Bay City Western	782
20	White Lake Lakeland	786
21	Walled Lake Northern	827
22	Ann Arbor Skyline	853
23	Farmington	859
24	Hudsonville	884
25	Brownstown Woodhaven	930
26	Byron Center	953
27	Jenison	1003

Overall Landscape

Rank	Team	2023 State Place	Scoring Returners	Varsity Returners
1	Romeo	State Champion	5 of 5	6 of 7
2	Holland West Ottawa	3rd	5 of 5	7 of 7
3	Saline	5th	3 of 5	5 of 7
4	Rockford	16th	4 of 5	6 of 7
5	Grand Haven	7th	4 of 5	5 of 7
6	Traverse City West	10th	4 of 5	6 of 7
7	Hartland	DNQ	7 of 7	7 of 7
8	Brighton	4th	3 of 5	4 of 7
9	Northville	6th	4 of 5	6 of 7
10	Portage Central	28th	3 of 5	5 of 7

I wanted to change things up a bit regarding the Top Ten Teams. Over the past two summers, this has been a solid feature in the hype department, giving highlight to many kids on superb teams. One aspect I’ve felt that I’ve lacked is explaining how each team relates in comparison to others. I’ll attempt to do that here!

Included features are:

Strengths – characteristics making that team a contender.
Question Marks – any person or team that I write about here, I’m 100% confident you’ll shore up this “weaker” spot by year’s end. But this is a section that’ll look into why a team could be beat.
Looking Ahead – how the team might fare in their championship meets (conference, county, regional, state)

#1 Romeo

Strengths

Five girls that broke 11:00 for the 3200m in track. Six girls that were under 5:20 in the 1600m. Six girls that were sub-19 last year. And championship experience, knowing that performing adequately at MIS is in the cards, the Bulldogs placing 2^nd in 2022 and winning last year.

Question Marks

Will there be any contribution beyond those six? Yes, five are needed to score and six give insurance in case of an injury. One more in addition could be a dose of added security. Reese Rosbolt might not be on the level of the top-six, but she’s on her path there. 5:40/12:10 in track for the now sophomore.

Looking Ahead

I believe you have to go back to 2015 to find the last Romeo team that didn’t win the Macomb County crown. The Bulldogs look to make it 9 straight Macomb titles as they ramp it up for a run at another state title. Region 9 should be a nice, stress-free tune-up as well.

#2 Holland West Ottawa

Strengths

Strength at every single spot, going all the way to seven. The Panthers are so deep that a girl like Jane Olney, who placed 40^th at State last year, might not even be a scorer. That’s fine, she or any other of these talented girls could push any other team’s scorers back. As always, depends on the course, but I could see a fast day where WO puts seven girls under 19:00. Also, copy that sentence about Romeo’s championship experience. 3^rd last year, winners in ’22, 2^nd in 2021, the Barnes duo knows how to get these girls ready.

Question Marks

It’s tough when comparing to Romeo. A strength compared to other teams in the division appears as a weakness when looking to the Bulldogs. A tiny area where the Panthers could move up is finding a girl to rein in the gap between Helen Sachs and the rest of their pack. Ava Porras had some off races last year, but when she was on, she was able to run in the low-18’s.

Looking Ahead

Excited to see the Panthers head down to Indiana to compete at FlashRock. Last year’s race was won by Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran (Zach Panning’s alma mater), their top-five averaging 18:34. Racing against the non-typical teams can help a team find a new racing level. And road trips are always fun. Of course, the Panthers are favorites in the OK Red and Region 1.

#3 Saline

Strengths

Depth, depth, and more depth. One of the better middle school programs in the State makes sure the Hornets are well-stocked with talent. And the high school program, close-knit, keeps them all available when needed. Last fall, Saline placed 12 girls under 21:00, with only three as seniors. Add in a few talented freshmen and the pot stays full.

Question Marks

Can the freshmen girls adjust to the high school level? One early point of comparison is their 3 Mile Time Trial. If the a.net list is accurate, both girls (Staton and Jones) placed in the top-20 of Saline girls who’ve competed at it over the years.

Looking Ahead

The SEC just means more and winning that league may spur the Hornets to a podium spot. Pioneer graduated a ton (and Ann Arbor middle schools aren’t on a.net, impossible to figure out who they’re adding), a great opportunity for these Hornets to stake their claim in the league. And perhaps Region 5, where Saline seems to be the favorite.

#4 Rockford

Strengths

Depth going seven deep. If I had released this three days prior, I’d had said six deep. The transfer of Morgan Sanders from Cedar Springs adds a freshman who’s already run in the low-20’s. Coming into the season, I had Natalie Lewis as the Rams’ 6^th girl. She just dropped 20 seconds from her previous PC Early Bird best, running 19:58.

Question Marks

How can the Rams handle the big stage? Last year’s team spent the season ranked between 11^th and 14^th, placed 3^rd in the Region and OK Red, then 16^th at State. A solid season, one that many teams would gladly accept. Early returns from Portage say they’ll be fine, championship season is another animal.

Looking Ahead

We already received a bit of a gift from the Ram win at Portage Central. Wait until September 10^th in the first OK Red Jamboree and they face off against West Ottawa. It’ll be the first of a season full of big-time matchups, culminating in the OK Red, Region 1, and hopefully, MIS.

#5 Grand Haven

Strengths

Solid all the way through four. Valerie Beeck is a known quantity (but judging by the PC Early Bird, perhaps she’s moved up a bit?). Abi Albright closed her junior year with sub-20’s in her final five races. I really loved the way Addy Smith ended things as well, continually reaching lower and lower, culminating in a 18:34 at MITCA.

Question Marks

What can go down beyond the established four? At Portage Central, there was an 80 sec. gap between the Bucs’ 4^th and 5^th girls. But I’ll expect that either of the Frendts will have more in the tank, each getting into the 20’s last year.

Looking Ahead

The above Rockford laid down a great hand on Friday. West Ottawa we know will be there. Both Region 1 and the OK Red will leave these girls callused, yet stronger.

#6 Traverse City West

Strengths

Scoring possibilities from all of their top seven. Last fall, the Titans had eight girls run under 20 minutes for the 5k. Their ninth girl was slightly above that mark at 20:09. They graduate exactly one girl from that top nine. The Green n’ Gold also add a Leighton Basile who ran in the 12’s and in the top-10 in every one of her 8^th grade races.

Question Marks

The Titans will be able to push many other scorers in the middle of packs, but in large invites, will be scoring sums of points through all five spots. Can any of the girls sit up there in the front of major packs? Abby Veit and Tessa Mascari look to be getting there. Veit showed range in track, spitting out a 2:19 and 11:36. Mascari mastered the 1600m, dealing a 5:20 as a freshman. And both were first in the TC Time Trial.

Looking Ahead

The Big North is there for the taking once again, the Titans going for a three peat. Unfortunate circumstances led to TCW not winning Region 2 last year. Early looks point to another close competition and TCW coming out ahead. We’ll see!

#7 Hartland

Strengths

Possibilities of greatness. I’m sure I’ve said this in other Top Tens, here you go again. Freshman have a higher chance of exceeding expectations or falling below them. The Ore Creek MS girls dominated both Zone 4 and the KLAA last year, now a few of them are up here running for the Eagles.

Question Marks

Can the youth handle the grind of an entire season? The KLAA is no joke. The Eagles’ projected top seven has two girls in 11^th grade or above.

Looking Ahead

Being a little farther up the road north, Hartland will travel to Greater Flint. A rare cross-division intriguing matchup! Goodrich is the type of D2 team that could compete in D1, and those Martians will be a good measuring stick for Hartland.

#8 Brighton

Strengths

Two girls in the 50 Tickets (Lydia LaMarra and Elle Bissett) means that the Bulldogs will be right up there with the state’s best through two.

Question Marks

What can be done about the gap between the above two and the rest of the Brighton girls? One positive aspect of this great program is their numbers. Year after year, one of the bigger teams in Michigan. There is much to draw on. Projected summer numbers have at least a minute gap between LaMarra and the rest. Maizie Cavanaugh would be a great candidate of cutting into that distance, having shown significant improvement in the spring, her 5:20 1600m was almost a 20 sec. time drop from 2023.

Looking Ahead

Do you ever wish there was a Livingston County meet? Or an Ann Arbor area championship? I feel those would be intriguing meets that build up to State. Anyhow, Region 4 will serve as a combo of both, pulling in Dexter, Skyline, Hartland, and other teams. The Bulldogs are predicted to be underdogs to Hartland. We’ll find out if that’s true in a tri on October 8^th.

#9 Northville

Strengths

A solid top-two. Cassie Garcia will of course, likely hold down the top spot. Colette Lozo comes of a freshman year where she broke 19:00 late, then turning in a track season where she qualified for State in the 800m.

Question Marks

The 4^th and 5^th spots. In a run of the mill league, the Mustangs would probably skate by. In the ultra-tough KLAA, those back end spots could be significant. Will be a major help if two girls can step up and consistently hit in the mid-19’s. Late last fall, Rosie Gregory, Annabelle Beloiu, and Mia Carson all proved they’re capable.

Looking Ahead

Two early tri’s will give us an ability to discern this Northville team’s ability. First on Sept. 10^th with Canton and Brighton, then the following week against Plymouth and Hartland. Does that accurately predict October and November? Perhaps yes, perhaps not, but will go a way towards winning the conference. Region 6 isn’t that KLAA-centric and appears to be a Northville win.

#10 Portage Central

Strengths

Oodles of young talent. Avery Scott, Gracie Carlisle, Julia Welc. Scott in particular could have an impact on the entire state. She only had one loss all year (Portage) and even moved up to the 5k at Region 3’s PROM. 18:49 on middle school training, can’t wait to see what she’s got when she gets to the big leagues.

Question Marks

The same as the young teams listed above. Racing from August 16^th to November 2^nd adds up, 11+ weeks of stress on the body. With potentially a majority of the Mustang lineup as freshmen or sophomores, they’ll have to be judicious on when to go to the well. Luckily, these girls are blessed with some experienced coaches that can impart wisdom along the way.

Looking Ahead

One hidden benefit of the Mustang schedule. Portage at home (obvs.), SMAC at home, Region 3 at home. Familiarity will be present during the key part of the year. The kids are favorites in Region 3 and the SMAC, large invites through the year should tell us how they compare to the rest of the state.