Coming into the 2023 season, Jaelyn was on my shortlist of impact freshman girls. In last year’s Region 16 Preview, I projected her as the winner. That didn’t necessarily come true… in cross country. But in track, oh yes it did. Her whole track season was full of hits, starting in February with a 16th place in the Indoor State 3200m. May saw Ray place in all three distance events at the SEC White Championship, then win the longer ones at Region 17. And then to crown it all off, a 10th place finish in D2’s 3200m. Jaelyn’s 11:05 in Hamilton gave her the #7 mark amongst all freshmen girls. I think she’s here to stay.
For 2023’s Region 23 preview, I wrote: “Knocked off two whole minutes from his freshman year. And it wasn’t just one race – Mitch was sub-17 on 4 separate occasions.” I didn’t anticipate even more improvement. Twice, Mitch was in the 15’s, and he was able to get the last one in the most important race of the year – State. That State Finals saw Hiatt aggressively run with the leaders, hitting the mile mark in second, leading at two, then falling off the pace for a 6th place finish. Undeterred, Mitchell took on track with the same vigor, lowering his 5k PB all the way down to 15:12, then dropping 10+ seconds from each of the events from 800m to 3200m. Last summer, I may have doubted that the development would continue, now I have no doubt.
(If your team isn’t listed in the images above or the scores below, you probably don’t have five returners, at least on ol’ athletic.net. I’m sure many of these teams will fill out their rosters by late October)
Top 27 Teams
Boys
Top Ten – Royal Oak Shrine #14 – Lutheran Westland #15 – Auburn Hills Oakland Christian #17 – Riverview Gabriel Richard
Your defending Region 36 champ and highest placing D4 returner. Late last fall, Abe made a living in the low-16’s, first in the CHSL C/D meet, then at State, and MITCA. His 16:06 at State was good enough for 3rd. His state level impact wasn’t just felt on the grass, as he concentrated on mid-distances in the spring. Sub-2 in the 800m and a 5th place in D4’s 1600m show that Abe has wide ranging talent and both further confirm that he’s a legitimate contender for a crown in November.
PCA’s newest star underwent some serious time drops, especially evident at the State Finals, where he reduced his time from 19:12 as a freshman to 17:16 as a sophomore, dropping 115 places in the process.
Jacob came into his own as an endurance specialist on the track. A 10:02 in the 3200m was good enough for 12th in D4 and ranked 23rd across ALL freshmen in the state.
Hit the low-17’s on three separate occasions and in the best way, with two of those coming in his final two meets. A 17:08 in Brooklyn was good for 37th and 21st amongst underclassmen.
Showed exceptional steadiness for a freshman, never deviating from his 17-18 min. form. Vern even reached as low as 17:29 at Bluejay. Come spring, displayed the wheels as well, ranking as a top-12 freshman in D4’s 800m and 1600m.
Solid improvement on the cross courses during his sophomore year led to a great close in the spring. Goni was 3rd in the MIAC 800m, that effort preceded by a jaunt into the 4:40’s for the 1600m.
In one cross country season as a sophomore, lowered his times down from the mid-19’s in August to a consistent low-18 (and even sub-18) come championship season.
Three-time All-State finisher in the fall, reaching as high as 2nd in 2022. A wide-ranging spring saw improvements across the board – from the 200m (28’s into the 27’s) to the 1600m (5:08 ranking 5th in D4). All this setting up for a senior season with everything on the table and a very good chance of returning to that 2022 form.
First real, full track season has the potential to pay dividends this fall. Her 5:41 in the 1600m was good enough for a state qualifier and a 17th place finish at Hudsonville.
Twice an All-Stater on the grass, Natalie just underwent her fastest track season yet, especially in the 3200m, where she knocked off a minute+ with a 12:27 personal best.
Junior season was her first on the grass, and Sarah became well-acquitted in an extreme hurry. Slipped under 22:00 in mid-September and hit those 21’s on five separate occasions.
Michigan XC Speed Ratings 