Had to treat you all to a lil’ early Christmas gift: 2024’s Way Too Early Rankings
These rankings take into account everything from 2023, including the MITCA Meet of Champions. They include all the returners and their projected improvement. The projected improvement comes from now, five years of data showing how runners from each gender and each grade improve the following season. They do not include division switches, incoming freshmen, or track. The rankings are sorted in the same manner as during the season, a hypothetical meet containing all the teams in one division.
I hope you all enjoy the holiday season, get some memorable Christmas and New Years runs in, and build toward a great indoor/outdoor season.
These girls were the first since the D4 bunch where I got more All-Staters than what I thought I might get. 24 of 30 with the projections thinking I’d hit 23.86.
Unexpected All-State
Lillian Deskins, Romeo
Projected: 36th, 36.2% chance of All-State
Late start to the season in a new place, but a quick study to Romeo’s system. Ran her best towards the end of the year, with a 18:28 here and 18:25 in Terre Haute.
Alexis Ball, Traverse City Central
Projected: 56th, 8.2% chance of All-State
Past two years had sub-19’s and top-50 finishes, but no All-States to show for it. Came through in a big way with a nearly 20 sec. personal best.
Isabelle Becker, Bay City Western
Projected: 33rd, 36.6% chance of All-State
Patient race led to a large payoff. 72nd at the mile, 25th when she finally crossed the line.
Ava Kurczewski, Walled Lake Northern
Projected: 112th, 1.3% chance of All-State
Previous two MIS performances were 93rd and 103rd place finishes. Senior year, final race for the Knights was the best of her career – Ava’s first time in the 18’s since 2022’s MITCA race.
Ella Kirkwood, Traverse City Central
Projected: 44th, 7.4% chance of All-State
Third mile was her fastest of the race and her kick was 3rd fastest of all girls. All in all, she moved up 60 places from her spot at the mile, crossing the line in 29th to grab her first All-State ever.
Jordyn Klaasen, Zeeland West
Projected 50th, 10.9% chance of All-State
By this point, her ability to come through in early November shouldn’t be doubted. Three years, three finishes in the top-30.
All-State History
Rachel Forsyth
Whether that be from the great record keepers and writers from our track/XC community, local reporters, or national outlets, Rachel’s story has been shared far and wide. Often, she’s been asked to give her thoughts and asked how she’d recount the past few years. These articles and pieces are essential to understanding how her journey has led to her historical senior season.
I believe these features tell her story much better than I could, so I’d like to focus on the stats, which speak volumes to where she has and will place in history
COURSE RECORDS
(thank you to Jeff Hollobaugh and michtrack.org for this tremendous resource)
Indian Creek Park (SEC Red 1) – 16:44, previously 16:58 from Zofia Dudek
Sharp Park (Jackson) – 16:36, previously 17:23 from Maggie Farrell
Saline HS (SEC Red 2) – 16:18, first year on the course
Portage West MS (Portage) – 16:47, previously 17:00 from Olivia Theis
Hudson Mills South (SEC Championship) – 16:40, previously 17:47 from Anne Forsyth
Lake Erie (Region 5) – 16:07, previously 17:05 from Zofia Dudek. Dirt from the hill was used as part of a shoreline restoration, making it impassable for the course, so a bit of a change. But not a 58 second change 🙂
MIS (D1 State) – 16:28, previously 16:53 from Olivia Theis
If you’re counting, that’s 9 Michigan races, 8 raced to a new course record. The only one that she missed was a Benzie course that had been changed and by my numbers, was slower than the previous version. But I’m sure Rachel is fine with letting her sister, Anne, hold onto one of them records.
WINNING RECORD
Of Rachel’s 14 races this year, 12 were wins. The 2 defeats were a 5th place finish at Nike Nationals and a 3rd place finish at Foot Locker. Rachel was the only girl to place in the top-10 in each national meet. On her career, she finished with a 63% win rate, coming across the line first in 29 of 46 tries. That would be impressive head-to-head, mind-boggling when regularly competing against fields of 100+ girls.
SPEED RATING RANKS
Over the past 5 years of speed ratings, Rachel is tied with Zofia Dudek for the highest overall rating, a 190.1 at the SEC Championship. The Hudson Mills course is normally a quick one, but rains had wrecked the Gabriel Richard meet five days prior, and the South course was slow to recover. Rachel was anything but slow, winning by well over 2 minutes in what is one of the more competitive conferences in the State.
On the all-time speed rating list (dating back to 2019, containing 150k+ ratings), Rachel holds 3 of the top-5 marks, 5 of the top-11, and 8 of the top-21. Her top three, the SEC Championship, Region 5, and Division 1 State, were all run during championship season, meaning she upped her already impressive game to another rarely seen level.
Movin’ Up
Tied for the most passes from Mile 1 were Pioneer’s young freshman, Nina Moore and one of Oakland County’s best, Alena Tiernan. Both girls went by 74 girls in the final 2.1 miles.
In her final race of her career, Portage Central’s Addison Begeman was able to go by 43 girls after 2 miles.
And in the final kick, from three on, Macomb Dakota’s Lidia Clancy mowed down 13 other girls in order to finish 100th.
Matching her OK Gold counterpart, Selma Anderson came through with the quickest kick in the field. You wouldn’t know it in terms of the number of girls that she passed, but you do know it in terms of time, 31.5 seconds in the final 0.1 miles. That equates to around a 4:52 pace and is unsurprising if you’ve ever seen the tenacity in which Selma closes a race.
Perfectly Paced
Far and away, the most even splits in the race went to Annabeth Hazlewood. The Salem freshman ran with wisdom well beyond her years. Her 19:09 finishing time came out to 6:10 pace. With a 6:09 split at the mile, 12:20 at two, and 18:30 at three, she easily was the most consistent throughout the race. The benefit of that strategy? Moving from 125th at one, 69th at two, 57th at three and finishing in 54th.
There were a few other girls that were steady as well:
Romeo’s Olivia Purdy and Lillian Deskins, securing that state title Brownstown-Woodhaven’s young Hope Noal Forest Hills Northern’s Izzy Fazio
Grade
Name
Time
Team
Rating
12
Rachel Forsyth
16:28.5
Ann Arbor Pioneer
185.2
12
Selma Anderson
17:13.6
GR Ottawa Hills
170.1
11
Lucy Cook
17:19.7
Rochester
168.1
9
Annie Hrabovsky
17:28.7
Romeo
165.1
11
Victoria Garces
17:29.1
Midland Dow
165.0
12
Jayden Harberts
17:57.8
Macomb Dakota
155.4
10
Natalia Guaresimo
18:05.8
Romeo
152.7
12
Ella Christensen
18:12.6
Northville
150.5
12
Layla Krayem
18:14.8
Livonia Stevenson
149.7
11
Grace Tykocki
18:15.9
Grand Blanc
149.4
11
Helen Sachs
18:17.7
Holland West Ottawa
148.8
11
Mallory Bigelow
18:19.1
Oxford
148.3
10
Emmerson Clor
18:20.2
Romeo
147.9
11
Valerie Beeck
18:23.7
Grand Haven
146.8
12
Laney Alig
18:25.2
Saline
146.3
9
Anyla Robinson
18:26.6
Detroit Cass Tech
145.8
12
Clara James-Heer
18:27.9
FHC GR Forest Hills Central
145.4
12
Morgan Brown
18:28.4
Livonia Churchill
145.2
11
Cassie Garcia
18:28.5
Northville
145.2
12
Payton Scheffler
18:28.6
Brownstown Woodhaven
145.1
10
Lydia LaMarra
18:28.7
Brighton
145.1
11
Lillian Deskins
18:28.9
Romeo
145.0
12
Lydia Bowman
18:29.0
Ann Arbor Pioneer
145.0
12
Alexis Ball
18:34.5
Traverse City Central
143.2
11
Isabelle Becker
18:35.7
Bay City Western
142.8
11
Ava Alicandro
18:36.3
White Lake Lakeland
142.6
12
Ava Kurczewski
18:38.5
Walled Lake Northern
141.8
12
Carrigan Eberly
18:38.9
Brighton
141.7
12
Ella Kirkwood
18:39.3
Traverse City Central
141.6
11
Jordyn Klaasen
18:41.2
Zeeland West
140.9
11
Addy Smith
18:42.2
Grand Haven
140.6
12
Hannah DeRoeck
18:42.9
Lake Orion
140.4
11
Ava Peters
18:43.3
Livonia Franklin
140.2
12
Paige McArdle
18:44.3
Davison
139.9
12
Braydee Elling
18:45.2
Oxford
139.6
11
Kaelin Hughes
18:46.5
Livonia Stevenson
139.2
10
Ava Porras
18:48.4
Holland West Ottawa
138.5
12
Nikki Carothers
18:50.8
Brighton
137.7
11
Corynn Gady
18:51.0
Saline
137.7
11
Jane Olney
18:52.3
Holland West Ottawa
137.2
11
Olivia Purdy
18:52.8
Romeo
137.1
12
Katie Watkins
18:55.2
Midland Dow
136.3
12
Emma Hoffmeyer
18:56.3
Walled Lake Western
135.9
12
Sylvia Sanok Dufallo
18:58.7
Ann Arbor Pioneer
135.1
10
Abby Veit
18:58.9
TC West (Traverse City)
135.0
11
Sydney Roberts
18:59.1
Midland Dow
135.0
10
Ava Lawrence
18:59.3
East Kentwood
134.9
9
Becca van Lent
19:01.2
Ann Arbor Skyline
134.3
12
Katie Hume
19:01.6
Ann Arbor Pioneer
134.1
12
Sonya Shelgikar
19:03.1
Ann Arbor Huron
133.6
11
Annie Alkema
19:03.4
Kalamazoo Central
133.5
12
Lily Salazar
19:07.8
Okemos
132.1
9
Jillian Broyles
19:08.3
Highland-Milford
131.9
9
Annabeth Hazlewood
19:09.0
Salem
131.7
11
Molly Baracco
19:09.3
Farmington
131.6
10
Addison Herr
19:09.7
Bloomfield Hills
131.4
12
Natalie Mello
19:10.5
Ann Arbor Pioneer
131.2
11
Elle Bissett
19:10.8
Brighton
131.1
12
Mariah Belmont
19:11.3
Macomb Dakota
130.9
10
Trinity VanderWoude
19:11.4
Rockford
130.9
9
Colette Lozo
19:13.8
Northville
130.1
11
Taylor Brodeur
19:14.0
Oxford
130.0
10
Jersi Bilek
19:15.0
Muskegon Reeths-Puffer
129.7
12
Allison Mayer
19:15.1
Ann Arbor Skyline
129.6
11
Lauren Walker
19:16.2
Holt
129.3
12
Kylee King
19:16.5
Oak Park
129.2
9
Jaclyn Suderman
19:16.8
Bay City Western
129.1
12
Nicole Mays
19:17.0
Okemos
129.0
10
Macy Czelada
19:18.0
South Lyon
128.7
12
Izzy Fazio
19:18.5
FHN GR Forest Hills Northern
128.5
12
Anna Reineck
19:19.1
Clarkston
128.3
10
Nevaeh Polovina
19:19.2
Davison
128.3
11
Chloe DeRidder
19:19.9
Grandville
128.0
10
Lillian Schlack
19:19.9
Saline
128.0
10
October Harns
19:20.0
Okemos
128.0
9
Daisy Cox
19:20.4
Rockford
127.9
10
Siene Muraszewski
19:20.9
Utica
127.7
9
Ava Goodman
19:21.5
Hartland
127.5
9
Sophie Roth
19:22.8
Saline
127.1
9
Tessa Mascari
19:24.9
TC West (Traverse City)
126.4
12
Nancy Gage
19:25.8
Saline
126.1
12
Emilee Rudlaff
19:27.4
Kalamazoo Central
125.5
12
Madelyn Gordon
19:27.8
Walled Lake Northern
125.4
9
Iva Ravindra
19:28.5
Temperance Bedford
125.2
11
Grace Grupido
19:29.7
Fraser
124.8
10
Cianah Budnik-Ramos
19:30.6
Grand Haven
124.5
11
Julia Frampton
19:31.8
Holland West Ottawa
124.1
11
Emma Gunnett
19:33.1
Holland West Ottawa
123.6
9
Irie Scrase
19:33.7
Ann Arbor Skyline
123.4
10
Kayla Ward
19:34.8
South Lyon
123.1
12
Nina Frost
19:35.1
Fenton
123.0
9
Hope Noal
19:35.7
Brownstown Woodhaven
122.8
12
Sydney Smith
19:35.9
Davison
122.7
11
Emma Smith
19:37.2
Rockford
122.3
11
Savannah Spangler
19:38.1
Grosse Pointe South
122.0
9
Nina Moore
19:38.4
Ann Arbor Pioneer
121.9
9
Olivia Jenney
19:38.7
Bloomfield Hills
121.8
12
Ava King
19:38.9
TC West (Traverse City)
121.7
11
Violet Hrabovsky
19:39.2
Romeo
121.6
10
Lidia Clancy
19:39.3
Macomb Dakota
121.6
10
Olivia Stacy
19:39.4
Portage Northern
121.5
10
Lauren Bradley
19:39.4
Highland-Milford
121.5
10
Katelyn Frazier
19:39.7
Fraser
121.4
10
Audrey Hamilton
19:39.8
Troy
121.4
10
Brooke McFarland
19:39.9
Utica
121.4
12
Bryna Mead-O’Brien
19:40.3
Okemos
121.2
9
Cassie Karasinski
19:40.8
Hudsonville
121.1
11
Abi Albright
19:41.5
Grand Haven
120.8
11
Anna Sybenga
19:41.7
FHC GR Forest Hills Central
120.8
12
Alisia Olteanu
19:42.4
Walled Lake Western
120.5
10
Aviana Skinner
19:42.7
Grand Ledge
120.4
10
Quincy Behm
19:43.7
Ann Arbor Pioneer
120.1
11
Rosie Gregory
19:43.9
Northville
120.0
9
Gabriella Fugazzi
19:45.0
Okemos
119.7
10
Peyton Tucker
19:45.5
TC West (Traverse City)
119.5
10
Elizabeth Schafer
19:47.4
Okemos
118.9
9
Claire Porinsky
19:48.0
South Lyon East
118.7
11
Alena Tiernan
19:49.3
White Lake Lakeland
118.2
11
Alena Blumberg
19:50.0
Dexter
118.0
12
Viktoria Bloniarz
19:50.7
Monroe
117.8
10
Juliet Lewis
19:51.6
Brighton
117.5
11
Stephanie Bulat
19:52.8
Rochester
117.1
9
Roxanne Jorgensen
19:55.1
Portage Northern
116.3
10
Bailey Wenzlick
19:55.4
TC West (Traverse City)
116.2
10
Nora Gerzema
19:55.5
Farmington Hills Mercy
116.2
10
Taylor Parsons
19:56.3
Rochester
115.9
11
Norah Lesner
19:56.5
Utica
115.8
10
Rhea Mouw
19:56.7
Portage Central
115.8
10
Rebecca Jud
19:57.3
Salem
115.6
11
Clare Mathison
19:57.6
FHC GR Forest Hills Central
115.5
10
Annabelle Beloiu
19:57.8
Northville
115.4
11
Lucinda Paliani
19:58.4
Ann Arbor Huron
115.2
10
Olivia Cereska
19:59.1
Fraser
115.0
9
Maya Pletzer
19:59.7
White Lake Lakeland
114.8
12
Samantha Wogaman
20:02.0
Grand Blanc
114.0
9
El McMahan
20:02.1
Rochester Adams
114.0
11
Mia Snellgrove
20:04.9
Rochester
113.0
11
Ellie Nohovig
20:05.9
Highland-Milford
112.7
11
Ella Harlow
20:06.2
Portage Northern
112.6
9
Lilianna Peace
20:06.4
Clinton Twp. Chippewa Valley
112.5
12
Payton Hosley
20:06.5
Grand Haven
112.5
11
Catherine Steele
20:06.7
Farmington
112.4
12
Gracie Youngblood
20:06.9
Romeo
112.4
10
Selena White
20:07.7
Brighton
112.1
9
Addison Brigham
20:07.9
Clarkston
112.0
9
Avery DeGrendel
20:08.0
Clarkston
112.0
10
Eleanor Grant
20:08.3
Wyandotte Roosevelt
111.9
11
Ella Reaves
20:08.9
Holt
111.7
12
Aubrey Mery
20:09.3
Oxford
111.6
12
Lily Hetzel
20:10.2
Salem
111.3
12
Peyton Ludwig
20:10.8
FHC GR Forest Hills Central
111.1
10
Payton Lamb
20:11.4
TC West (Traverse City)
110.9
10
Lilamae Frank
20:11.6
BC Lakeview
110.8
12
Claire Bireta
20:11.7
Allen Park
110.8
9
Aubrey Rizzo
20:11.9
Macomb Dakota
110.7
9
Mia Carson
20:13.4
Northville
110.2
11
Isabelle Krause
20:13.4
Walled Lake Northern
110.2
10
Addie Birkholz
20:13.5
Holland West Ottawa
110.2
11
Ayla Balazer
20:14.2
Ann Arbor Skyline
109.9
11
Mia Stibitz
20:14.3
FHC GR Forest Hills Central
109.9
10
Molly Kate Coates
20:15.0
Northville
109.7
11
Luciana Rodriguez
20:15.2
Fraser
109.6
10
Laila Bodell
20:16.0
Oxford
109.3
9
Katelyn Parrish
20:17.3
Farmington
108.9
9
Emma Brown
20:18.4
Utica
108.5
9
Kareena Babu
20:19.1
Novi
108.3
11
Addison Bruckman
20:20.2
Dexter
107.9
11
Camden Essenmacher
20:20.8
Hartland
107.7
11
Abby Roth
20:21.2
Saline
107.6
11
Melana Karsten
20:22.4
Rockford
107.2
12
Sydney Gergics
20:24.5
Rochester Hills Stoney Creek
106.5
11
Rachel Grice
20:25.5
Kalamazoo Central
106.2
12
Laurel Tolliver
20:25.5
Grand Haven
106.2
12
Gabrielle Bolitho
20:26.0
Brighton
106.0
9
Samantha Bartell
20:26.6
Salem
105.8
9
Gabrielle Chevez
20:27.1
Muskegon Reeths-Puffer
105.6
12
Addison Begeman
20:27.5
Portage Central
105.5
9
Allie Gallagher
20:27.6
Walled Lake Northern
105.5
12
Holly Corteville
20:27.8
Walled Lake Northern
105.4
12
Tessa Rindfliesch
20:29.3
Zeeland West
104.9
9
Reagan Reaume
20:30.1
Gibraltar Carlson
104.6
10
Sydney Fischer
20:30.3
Clarkston
104.6
9
Morgan Scally
20:30.4
White Lake Lakeland
104.5
9
Brooklyn Wiltse
20:31.0
Davison
104.3
11
Gracey Barry
20:31.7
Grand Haven
104.1
11
Grace Roth
20:33.7
Saline
103.4
11
Sophia Aquino
20:34.0
Utica
103.3
12
Leanna Barnett
20:35.4
Rockford
102.9
9
Olivia Storteboom
20:35.9
Portage Central
102.7
11
Kerrigan Kennedy
20:37.0
Highland-Milford
102.3
12
Brooke Lemos
20:38.3
Davison
101.9
9
Annie Roraff
20:38.3
Rochester
101.9
11
Alanna Clague
20:39.5
Portage Central
101.5
12
Mackenzie Hendry
20:39.8
White Lake Lakeland
101.4
10
Reese Smith
20:40.0
TC West (Traverse City)
101.3
10
Jacalyn Yakel
20:40.5
Utica Eisenhower
101.2
9
Lyla Dowling
20:42.3
Holland West Ottawa
100.6
11
Claire O’Boyle
20:44.1
Lowell
100.0
10
Lexi Kowalski
20:45.1
Kalamazoo Central
99.6
9
Maggie Baginski
20:45.6
Utica Eisenhower
99.5
10
Ryann Smitka
20:46.1
Macomb Dakota
99.3
10
Sarah Wazne
20:46.7
Dearborn Heights Crestwood
99.1
9
Addie Jones
20:46.9
Salem
99.0
11
Jamie Patterson
20:47.4
Oxford
98.9
12
MK Elliott
20:49.6
Portage Central
98.1
12
Lauren Thomas
20:49.7
New Baltimore Anchor Bay
98.1
11
Allison Nussear
20:50.6
Midland Dow
97.8
11
Julia Timpa
20:51.4
Macomb Dakota
97.5
11
Natalie Lewis
20:53.1
Rockford
97.0
10
Macy Guikema
20:55.2
Jenison
96.3
10
Elliana Perugi
20:59.1
Brownstown Woodhaven
95.0
11
Anna Krampe
20:59.7
FHC GR Forest Hills Central
94.8
9
Addison Sokolowski
21:00.3
Highland-Milford
94.6
9
Viktoria MacDougall
21:01.0
Farmington
94.3
12
Sydney Lambert
21:01.0
Midland Dow
94.3
9
Linda Lopez
21:01.5
Lake Orion
94.2
10
Joslyn Bechtol
21:02.0
Brownstown Woodhaven
94.0
9
Alex Iacoban
21:02.4
Farmington
93.9
12
Remi Flanz
21:05.8
Fraser
92.7
9
Paige Haller
21:06.2
Walled Lake Central
92.6
11
Olivia Gartrell
21:08.0
Davison
92.0
11
Lily Rosender
21:10.4
Walled Lake Northern
91.2
11
Daphne Ball
21:10.5
Byron Center
91.2
9
Logan Robison
21:11.3
Clarkston
90.9
12
Shawna Monsere
21:11.8
Highland-Milford
90.7
10
Alyssa Mertes
21:12.2
Rockford
90.6
12
Ana Lopez
21:12.3
Rochester Adams
90.6
11
Natalie Joiner
21:12.4
White Lake Lakeland
90.5
10
Lilah Yoder
21:13.1
FHC GR Forest Hills Central
90.3
10
Abby Spencer
21:16.8
Farmington
89.1
10
Kate Molloy
21:19.4
Fraser
88.2
11
Macy Jenkins
21:20.2
Highland-Milford
87.9
12
Alexandria Mason
21:20.2
Ann Arbor Skyline
87.9
9
Reese Storteboom
21:21.3
Portage Central
87.6
11
Jun Hur
21:23.9
Portage Central
86.7
10
Audrey Henckel
21:24.9
Rochester
86.4
10
Kierra Magner
21:26.0
Farmington
86.0
9
Skylar Seedman
21:26.9
Rochester
85.7
10
Camryn Quidort
21:28.8
Oxford
85.1
11
Mylene Pham
21:33.9
Macomb Dakota
83.4
12
Morgan Gill
21:35.2
Rochester Hills Stoney Creek
82.9
12
Eleanor Kroetsch
21:41.5
Utica
80.8
9
Katie Yuan
21:43.1
Ann Arbor Skyline
80.3
12
Olivia Hyatt
21:43.6
Davison
80.1
10
Ava Danielson
21:43.7
Clarkston
80.1
10
Anna Furman
21:44.2
Kalamazoo Central
79.9
9
Genevieve Connolly
21:46.7
White Lake Lakeland
79.1
12
Lydia Martoni
21:50.6
Fraser
77.8
11
Ivy Beall
21:58.3
Midland Dow
75.2
12
Mallory Messer
22:09.5
Salem
71.5
10
Tessa Swier
22:16.2
Midland Dow
69.3
9
Chiamara Ogbonna
22:16.6
Brownstown Woodhaven
69.1
9
Emily Alt
22:20.1
Walled Lake Northern
68.0
12
Aileen Bachrens
22:23.2
Ann Arbor Skyline
66.9
9
Lilly McNair
22:34.3
Utica
63.2
9
Erin Sax
22:40.1
Brownstown Woodhaven
61.3
10
Liliana Cipolla
22:57.2
Salem
55.6
11
Isabella Frederick
23:06.4
Kalamazoo Central
52.5
Adjustment: +19
Projections vs. Reality
And to close it out, correct on 25 of the 30 All-State boys. Throughout these finals, the projections nailed 198 of the 240 All-Staters, right on 82.5%
Unexpected All-State
Vincent Peterson Sand, Ann Arbor Pioneer
Projected: 31st, 46.3% chance of All-State
Mr. Consistent in the 15’s this year, with 8 of his 11 races of the sub-16 variety.
Anirudh Krishnan, Plymouth
Projected: 36th, 15.7% chance of All-State
From 2 miles to the finish, Anirudh had the 10th fastest split of any D1 boy. That speed on the closing stretch moved him up from 28th at two to 21st at the finish.
Benjamin Hartigan, Northville
Projected: 34th, 20.9% chance of All-State
In 2022, was one of the better freshmen in the State to NOT run in the State Finals. In this, his first appearance, made up for lost time, as he was the 3rd sophomore across the line.
Oliver Moss, Berkley
Projected: 42nd, 15.0% chance of All-State
Career progression is something to marvel. Oliver went from a 19:47 personal best as a freshman to a 15:37 here in their last cross race in a Berkley uniform.
Ian Lewis, Livonia Churchill
Projected: 38th, 13.6% chance of All-State
Saw a significant drop this past spring (4:45 to 4:27 in the 1600m) which led to further gains in cross. Sub-16 on three occasions during cross, winning the Livonia City title and placing 28th here.
All-State History
Seth Norder
I don’t think you’ll find a more calloused, yet grateful athlete than Seth. Two second place finishes on the big stage, another one on the track. Countless accounts of him being a great teammate and motivator for his Grand Haven Bucs. And then after seasons of trying, triumphs in championship meets.
Seth was introduced to us during his sophomore year, but the groundwork was laid much earlier. As a freshman, although unable to compete in the XC State Finals, Seth was able to close his season with three consecutive sub-17’s, including a 16:18 at the inaugural Michigan Meet of Champions. Come spring, his 4:28 in the 1600m earned him the #2 rank amongst all Michigan freshmen. The times were there, both on the grass and on the track, the foundation established for the next three years.
The following three seasons, we saw Seth learn how to race with the elitest of the elites, while throwing down marks for his age that would wow us for the future. On the track, examples would be his sub-9 in late April of his sophomore year or an 8:46 at Bluejay Elite this past May. Two years ago, a late season run that included two 15:2x’s. And in the fall of ’22, multiple sub-15’s at important regular season meets.
With that established speed, Seth was able to challenge some of the State’s best. The cross final in 2021 was a runaway Riley Hough victory, but that gap was considerably closed seven months later, where Norder gave Hough everything he could handle, falling in the D1 1600m final by less than a second. A few months later, on a windy day at MIS, a back-and-forth battle ensued with Benne Anderson, with Anderson prevailing in the final meters. Three championship races, three straight runner-ups, learning the necessary lessons before the dominance of the past two seasons.
June’s Division 1 3200m final was certainly a dominant one. Coming off that 8:46 in early May, a 4:08 in late April, and a scorching 4x800m split (I had 1:51), it was clear that Seth was in impeccable shape. Adversity came in the way of smothering heat, the likes of which that we hadn’t seen all spring. Wisely skipping the 1600m and throwing everything into the 3200m, Seth strained and grinded, but won in a comfortable margin, his 9:04 giving him his first individual title.
Look below and you’ll find that Seth grinded his way to a cross title as well. Consistent splits, all in the 4:45-4:50 range. He led a pack 20 boys through that first mile in 4:50 or under, but with that steady attitude, increasing effort, and laser focus on efficient running, he was alone by two miles, opening up a 5 second lead on Thomas Westphal (his future teammate, the only kid to run sub-15 at State and lose). Come the finishing stretch, that gap had closed, but it was apparent to all watching that Seth would win, overcoming two years of defeats to finally hoist an individual cross country title of his own.
Movin’ Up
Romeo typically embarks on a conservative start to the race, but passing 124 people in the final 3400 meters is absurd. Michael Magnoli was able to do that and was nearly matched by Kalamazoo Central’s Ty Billings.
Billings did capture the crown of the passes in the final 1.1, moving up 50 spots in the nearly 1800m.
Neither two could match Forest Hills Central’s soccer star Will Banfield in the final stretch, who went by 25(!!!) boys with his 26.9 second split in the final tenth of a mile. That was the fastest split from three miles on, the equivalent of 4:10 pace.
Perfectly Paced
Hardly surprising that the perfectly paced award goes to the lad who controlled the race – Seth Norder. On his way to a 14:54 (4:48 pace), Seth gave us 4:46.2, 4:49.1, and 4:47.5 splits.
Joining him in the land of metronomic races were:
Novi’s Carter Lukas and Soma Sato Canton’s Clark Madden Forest Hills Central’s Ben Romero