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Regional Previews: Division 1, Region 1

SUMMER PREVIEW

Last Year

Summer
Mid-Season
Final Projections
The Result

Boys

  1. Grand Haven (3rd)
  2. Jenison (7th)
  3. Zeeland West (23rd)

Girls

  1. Holland West Ottawa (3rd)
  2. Grand Haven (7th)
  3. Rockford (16th)

Finally, a region where I was 6/6 from the summer and got the order right. Good way to end things, right?

Top 27 Teams

Boys

Top Ten – Jenison
Top Ten – Grand Haven
#19 – Holland West Ottawa
#25 – Rockford
#27 – Grandville

Girls

Top Ten – Holland West Ottawa
Top Ten – Rockford
Top Ten – Grand Haven
#24 – Hudsonville
#27 – Jenison

Projected Scores

Boys

PlaceTeamProjected Score
1Jenison50
2Grand Haven64
3Holland West Ottawa96
4Rockford116
5Grandville124
6Zeeland West137
7Hudsonville162
8Muskegon Reeths-Puffer280
9Grand Rapids Northview284
10Greenville286
11Muskegon Mona Shores288
12Grand Rapids Union307
13Wyoming397
14Muskegon456

Girls

PlaceTeamProjected Score
1Holland West Ottawa32
2Rockford53
3Grand Haven71
4Hudsonville144
5Jenison162
6Zeeland West164
7Grandville166
8Muskegon Reeths-Puffer174
9Muskegon Mona Shores265
10Greenville289
11Grand Rapids Northview361
12Grand Rapids Union382
13Wyoming415

Top Runners

Boys

PlaceGradeNameTeam
112Seth ConnerJenison
212Carter LivermoreGrandville
310Luka HammondGrand Haven
412Ben EisnorGrand Haven
512Mason LucasJenison
610Caden LivermoreGrandville
712Levi JongekrygHolland West Ottawa
811Preston VanOeffelenGreenville
911Robert DoddZeeland West
1011Keagan SmithZeeland West
1112Matthew SchwartzJenison
1212Parker StreleckiJenison
1311Aron GalGrand Haven
1412Noah SchuetteRockford
1512Kye GrantMuskegon Reeths-Puffer
1611Jake FollettHolland West Ottawa
1710Bradley SmiesHudsonville
1812Carson BerkoGrand Haven
1911Hayden LaffertyRockford
2012Caden KarcherRockford
2112Dominic OttoJenison
229Patrick BaranHolland West Ottawa
2311Caleb TeBrakeGrand Rapids Northview
2411Michael DummerHolland West Ottawa
2511Nolan WenglikowskiJenison

Seth Conner

To come later!

Carter Livermore

Luka Hammond

Ben Eisnor

Mason Lucas

Caden Livermore

Will soon be taking the keys from his older brother and he appears well equipped to do so. Caden’s 9:42 over eight laps ranked #7 amongst Michigan’s 9th graders.

Levi Jongekryg

Love watching the West Ottawa boys slowly move toward the greatness of their girls. Levi is a major reason why, graduating from a kid always over 18:00 his first two years to one who spent a great amount of time in the 16’s as a junior.

Preston VanOeffelen

Good to see a Greenville kid on here. Preston makes it on the back of an excellent track season, where he especially specialized in the 800m, winning the OK White and going sub-2 in multiple races.

Robert Dodd

Definitely a strength-based runner. Despite a 1600 PR of “only” 4:36, has been able to slip under 10:00 in the 32 each of the past two years.

Keagan Smith

Moved up by just over 100 places at State. Whereas Keagan may not have had his best race there as a freshman, he had one of his best ones at MIS as a sophomore.

Matthew Schwartz

Found the requisite strength that shows he’ll be able to battle in XC, running sub-10 3200’s on four separate occasions.

Girls

PlaceGradeNameTeam
112Helen SachsHolland West Ottawa
210Daisy CoxRockford
312Valerie BeeckGrand Haven
411Ava PorrasHolland West Ottawa
59Jillian LewakowskiRockford
611Addie BirkholzHolland West Ottawa
79Keagan MulkaRockford
812Emma GunnettHolland West Ottawa
912Chloe DeRidderGrandville
1012Addy SmithGrand Haven
1110Cassie KarasinskiHudsonville
1212Jordyn KlaasenZeeland West
1310Lyla DowlingHolland West Ottawa
1412Jane OlneyHolland West Ottawa
159Reese HaglundHolland West Ottawa
1612Abi AlbrightGrand Haven
179Nicole RobbinsMuskegon Reeths-Puffer
1811Cianah Budnik-RamosGrand Haven
1911Trinity VanderWoudeRockford
2012Emma SmithRockford
2111Jersi BilekMuskegon Reeths-Puffer
229Kyra ShaverRockford
2312Naomi DiekmanJenison
2412Gracey BarryGrand Haven
2511Macy GuikemaJenison

Helen Sachs

Daisy Cox

To come later!

Valerie Beeck

Ava Porras

Addie Birkholz

Improved more than a minute from her freshman best, getting into the 18’s on four separate occasions.

Emma Gunnett

Set a personal best in cross, then had the track season of her life. Part of a state championship 4×8 squad, that spot earned by running PRs in every single event from 200m to 3200m.

Chloe DeRidder

After finishing 53rd and 30th the previous two regionals, blasted through to 5th last year, earning her first XC state qualifier.

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50 Tickets to Brooklyn: Girls #15

THE SUMMER PREVIEW

Accomplishments & Accolades

  • 800m – 2:20
  • 1600m – 5:03
  • 3200m – 10:52
  • 5k (XC) – 18:14

  • 12th Place – D1 State
  • 3x All-State
  • 2nd Place – Oakland County
    • 3x Top-5
  • 2nd Place – Region 8
    • 3x Top-5
  • 11th Place – D1 State 3200m
  • Region 9 3200m Champion

Ratings Throughout the Years

GradeNameTimeTeamRatingMeetDateYear
11Mallory Bigelow18:19.1Oxford148.3Division 1 State4-Nov2023
11Mallory Bigelow18:36.2Oxford144.6Region 827-Oct2023
11Mallory Bigelow18:17.9Oxford147.0OAA Red Championship19-Oct2023
11Mallory Bigelow19:15.4Oxford143.2Oakland County7-Oct2023
11Mallory Bigelow18:42.8Oxford145.4Hansons30-Sep2023
11Mallory Bigelow19:12.7Oxford141.4Holly16-Sep2023
11Mallory Bigelow18:48.5Oxford148.2Ramblin’ Rock9-Sep2023
GradeNameTimeTeamRatingMeetDateYear
10Mallory Bigelow18:48.7Oxford142.8Division 1 State5-Nov2022
10Mallory Bigelow19:08.2Oxford139.3Region 829-Oct2022
10Mallory Bigelow18:29.6Oxford143.1OAA Red Championship20-Oct2022
10Mallory Bigelow19:29.4Oxford136.2Oakland County8-Oct2022
10Mallory Bigelow18:38.3Oxford139.9Hansons1-Oct2022
10Mallory Bigelow19:08.6Oxford139.1Mott Fall Classic23-Sep2022
10Mallory Bigelow19:16.4Oxford134.9OAA Red 113-Sep2022
10Mallory Bigelow19:36.1Oxford147.0Averill10-Sep2022
10Mallory Bigelow20:03.5Oxford139.5Mustang30-Aug2022
GradeNameTimeTeamRatingMeetDateYear
9Mallory Bigelow18:53.0Oxford140.0MITCA13-Nov2021
9Mallory Bigelow18:24.5Oxford148.8Division 1 State6-Nov2021
9Mallory Bigelow20:24.1Oxford138.0Region 929-Oct2021
9Mallory Bigelow18:23.1Oxford140.6OAA Red 321-Oct2021
9Mallory Bigelow19:31.2Oxford142.6Oakland County9-Oct2021
9Mallory Bigelow19:31.1Oxford129.0OAA Red 230-Sep2021
9Mallory Bigelow19:49.5Oxford137.8Cleverley Friday Night24-Sep2021
9Mallory Bigelow19:32.0Oxford145.3OAA Red 114-Sep2021
9Mallory Bigelow18:45.5Oxford146.2Muskrat Classic11-Sep2021
9Mallory Bigelow15:03.7Oxford137.4Golden Grizzly3-Sep2021

The Rundown

Having made these the previous two summers (2022 and 2023), Mallory’s here once again, a testament to her consistently good and impactful self. While the previous two summer rankings were #31 and #20, this year she’s now #15, which I believe speaks to her ability to manage this past season.

Oxford was very judicious in their scheduling and that definitely paid off for Bigelow. If you look at her times and ratings, each one was a 140+ (or sub-19 equivalent). No bad races, even considering the hilly courses of Holly and Possum Hollow, or the fast tracks at Clintonwood or Willow. All raced at a high level, too, as she either matched or beat her best finishes ever at all championship meets.

The same held true in track, where she raced the 3200m just three times. Her 2023 version had run a personal best in her debut. Her 2024 self closed with her absolute best, a 10:52.

Learning to conserve and then push when challenged, a great characteristic.

Uncategorized

50 Tickets to Brooklyn: Boys #15

THE SUMMER PREVIEW

Accomplishments & Accolades

  • 1600m – 4:26
  • 3200m – 9:24
  • 5k (XC) – 15:33

  • 31st Place – D2 State
  • 4th Place – OK White
    • 2x Top-10
  • 8th Place – Region 12
    • 2x Top-10
  • 24th Place – D2 State 3200m
  • 7th Place – OK White 1600m & 3200m

Ratings Throughout the Years

GradeNameTimeTeamRatingMeetDateYear
10Jonah Workman15:56.3East Grand Rapids195.2Division 2 State4-Nov2023
10Jonah Workman16:35.6East Grand Rapids191.5Region 1228-Oct2023
10Jonah Workman15:58.6East Grand Rapids195.5OK White Championship18-Oct2023
10Jonah Workman16:07.9East Grand Rapids194.4Portage7-Oct2023
10Jonah Workman15:33.7East Grand Rapids202.8Bluejay30-Sep2023
10Jonah Workman15:54.9East Grand Rapids198.7Ottawa Hills15-Sep2023
10Jonah Workman16:13.9East Grand Rapids198.7Under the Lights v225-Aug2023
GradeNameTimeTeamRatingMeetDateYear
9Jonah Workman16:38.1East Grand Rapids188.3Division 2 State5-Nov2022
9Jonah Workman16:31.9East Grand Rapids185.0Region 1229-Oct2022
9Jonah Workman16:21.8East Grand Rapids185.4Northview19-Oct2022
9Jonah Workman16:04.0East Grand Rapids194.7Portage8-Oct2022
9Jonah Workman17:18.2East Grand Rapids189.9OK White 35-Oct2022
9Jonah Workman16:21.0East Grand Rapids189.0Otsego Bulldog1-Oct2022
9Jonah Workman16:31.9East Grand Rapids184.7Cougar Falcon24-Sep2022
9Jonah Workman17:54.3East Grand Rapids162.2OK White 221-Sep2022
9Jonah Workman16:58.6East Grand Rapids185.5Spartan16-Sep2022
9Jonah Workman16:49.9East Grand Rapids185.4Bath10-Sep2022
9Jonah Workman16:55.2East Grand Rapids187.0OK White 17-Sep2022
9Jonah Workman17:12.1East Grand Rapids181.6Portage Early Bird19-Aug2022

The Rundown

My man, Jonah Workman.

If you want to know about this kid’s moxie and guts, head back to the ’22 State Finals. Three major players were in contention for a state title: Chelsea, Pinckney, and East Grand Rapids. Chelsea had been the runner-up the year prior, Pinckney shocked the state at Portage, and EGR had their day at Otsego. Very rarely do you get three teams in close proximity for the win, so every point mattered.

Jonah had been solid all year. His major meets that year had ratings of ~185 (16:45 equivalent), with the exception of a monster race at Portage (16:04, 195 rating). On one hand, a freshman facing a ton of pressure. On other hand, was there any evidence he wouldn’t come through? To this day, there isn’t any evidence that he can’t come through. Jonah hit the line in 16:38, good enough for 45th in the team race. If he’d run another 16:45ish time, the Pioneers don’t add to their trophy case.

Since that point, Jonah’s gotten better and better. The low-16 monster race turned into a 15:33 at Shepherd. Track saw him hit the #6 3200m time of anyone 10th grade and below.

EGR is again a top D2 team, so watch out for Jonah’s heroics in November.