Woah, didn’t think you’d see these this year, did you? I didn’t either. With the increasing amount of EQ’s, the amount of writing and research needed to announce Barnyard (I didn’t even get to do intros because of the weather delay), and overtime needed from working in a running shop in the spring, I didn’t think I’d have the time. Thus, cutting these out looked to be a necessary subtraction. But the increasing questions, pleading, and a bit of free time opening up has led to their return. I’ll have one ranking for each event area in these weeks prior to regionals and one after the season.
An explanation:
The Best Crews have been a thing around here for the past few years. They take their cues from USTFCCCA’s event squads and the World Athletics scoring system, combining the two ideas in order to compare Michigan’s teams against events in their common areas.
The goal of this is to help recognize the athletes and coaches that create cultures, history, and traditions in their respective event areas. Think about it like this: Minnesota always has great hockey, basketball hoops are nailed to Indiana barns, Texas churns out football talent, every Iowa boy has cauliflower ear. Where in Michigan does hurdling reign supreme? Is there a town where kids learn to shot put before they can tie their shoes?
2023’s explanation goes through much of it, but two things have changed for 2025 (and now, 2026).
the Boys 200m points have been re-mathed and edited, as previous versions sold short athletes such as Jeremy Dixon and Jake Machiniak when it came to season end rankings.
instead of using a team’s top-four athletes to generate their total for an event, I’m using their top-three. Belleville’s hurdlers are the main reason for this, there’s no way they shouldn’t have been the top D1 squad in 2024. I feel this will better portray a team’s top athletes.
Here are the figures that show the points for each mark:
These contain results uploaded to athletic.net by Tuesday (5/3) morning.
These Distance Crews are the combination of the 800m, 1600m, 3200m, and 4×8.
In summary, points are added for the top three athletes from a team, provided they hit the regional qualifier (the UP doesn’t have any regional qualifying marks, so I used D4’s figures). As everyone gets a spot in the regional 4×8, there are no regional qualifiers for that event, so I calculated an equivalent based on the 800m qualifiers (last year’s numbers, as these rankings are spur of the moment and I’m lazy). Also, don’t be reading this thinking you must qualify for regionals, those qualifiers are there to give teams more than two entries if they’ve got some fast kids. Anyhow, here are the regional qualifying marks for each gender and division (plus my extrapolated 4×8 figures):
Woah, didn’t think you’d see these this year, did you? I didn’t either. With the increasing amount of EQ’s, the amount of writing and research needed to announce Barnyard (I didn’t even get to do intros because of the weather delay), and overtime needed from working in a running shop in the spring, I didn’t think I’d have the time. Thus, cutting these out looked to be a necessary subtraction. But the increasing questions, pleading, and a bit of free time opening up has led to their return. I’ll have one ranking for each event area in these weeks prior to regionals and one after the season.
An explanation:
The Best Crews have been a thing around here for the past few years. They take their cues from USTFCCCA’s event squads and the World Athletics scoring system, combining the two ideas in order to compare Michigan’s teams against events in their common areas.
The goal of this is to help recognize the athletes and coaches that create cultures, history, and traditions in their respective event areas. Think about it like this: Minnesota always has great hockey, basketball hoops are nailed to Indiana barns, Texas churns out football talent, every Iowa boy has cauliflower ear. Where in Michigan does hurdling reign supreme? Is there a town where kids learn to shot put before they can tie their shoes?
2023’s explanation goes through much of it, but two things have changed for 2025 (and now, 2026).
the Boys 200m points have been re-mathed and edited, as previous versions sold short athletes such as Jeremy Dixon and Jake Machiniak when it came to season end rankings.
instead of using a team’s top-four athletes to generate their total for an event, I’m using their top-three. Belleville’s hurdlers are the main reason for this, there’s no way they shouldn’t have been the top D1 squad in 2024. I feel this will better portray a team’s top athletes.
Here are the figures that show the points for each mark:
These contain results uploaded to athletic.net by Sunday (5/3) morning.
These Jump Crews are the combination of High Jump, Long Jump, and Pole Vault. Previous years had the vault as a standalone category, but I didn’t like all the ties that came from that, and the jumps are the closest area of events.
Throughout the season, the course adjustments attempt to relate course speed on the fly. But when the season ends and I think of ways to improve the stats for the following year, I always like to take a look back and see how the numbers bore out. One method is a straight up comparison to MIS. Why MIS? Well, everyone is peaking there, everyone is running all out, and there aren’t any other meets that day.
Listed below are meets where over 20 runners per gender ended up running at MIS. Negative numbers mean that meet ran slower, positive numbers mean that meet ran faster.
Meet
Date
Course
Girls MIS Diff.
Boys MIS Diff.
Combined Diff.
Lamplighter
15-Aug
Ford Field
-113
-75
-94
PC Early Bird
15-Aug
Portage West MS
-101
-61
-79
Early Burg
15-Aug
Sleepy Hollow State Park
-207
Bridgman
19-Aug
Lake Township Park
-120
Early Season Warrior
19-Aug
Chippewa Hills HS
-100
Mike Jackson Memorial
21-Aug
Cros-Lex HS
-137
-80
-109
Birch Run Early
21-Aug
Taymouth Twp. Park
-114
-64
-85
Under the Lights
22-Aug
St. Johns MS
-49
-50
-49
Under the Lights v2
22-Aug
South Christian Sports Park
-65
-46
-54
Michigan Catholic
23-Aug
St. Francis Retreat Center
-92
-78
-84
Happy Acres
23-Aug
Happy Acres
-90
-59
-76
Pete Moss
23-Aug
Benzie Central HS
-53
-44
-49
Sturgis Kickoff Classic
23-Aug
Sturgis MS
-118
Night Light
23-Aug
The Range
-83
Northville Mustang
26-Aug
Cass Benton
-64
Corunna Early Bird
26-Aug
Shiawassee County Fairgrounds
-31
New Buffalo
27-Aug
New Buffalo Elementary
-166
-76
-120
Cass City
27-Aug
Evergreen Park
-92
-65
-79
A2 City Preview
27-Aug
Pioneer HS
-64
Party in the Park
27-Aug
East Jordan Community Park
-78
-54
-66
Hillsdale
27-Aug
Owens Memorial Park
-51
Saranac
27-Aug
Saranac HS
-50
-28
-40
Concord
27-Aug
Concord HS
-126
SW Rusbuster
27-Aug
Warner Camp
-73
Milford
28-Aug
Possum Hollow
-80
Golden Grizzlies
29-Aug
Oakland University
-60
-23
-41
Oiler
29-Aug
Mt. Pleasant XC Course
-45
-16
-29
Shamrock
2-Sep
Berrien County Fairgrounds
-66
Harper Creek Optimist
2-Sep
Harper Creek HS
-97
OK White 1
3-Sep
Riverside Park
-42
MAC Red 1
3-Sep
Baypoint Beach
-68
-32
-48
John Bruder Classic
3-Sep
Shepherd HS
-41
-31
-36
Marauder
3-Sep
Uncle John’s Cider Mill
-45
-23
-34
FML 1
3-Sep
Almar Orchards
-63
Hartford Teske
4-Sep
Van Buren Youth Fair
-108
-62
-86
OCS Small School
4-Sep
Eastwood Beach
-81
-51
-68
Averill
6-Sep
Possum Hollow
-114
-69
-85
Trent Carter
6-Sep
Windmill Road
-65
-65
-65
Hornet
6-Sep
Central Montcalm HS
-60
-59
-59
Hatchet
6-Sep
Huron County Fair Grounds
-59
-57
-58
Bredeweg
6-Sep
Harbor Lights MS
-49
-46
-47
Bath
6-Sep
Bath MS
-59
-41
-51
Rambling Rock
6-Sep
Willow
-78
-35
-57
Lakeview
6-Sep
Riverside Elementary
-42
-25
-33
Northwood
6-Sep
Fisher Trails
-39
-22
-30
Bear Country
6-Sep
Buckley HS
-39
-17
-27
Muskrat Classic
6-Sep
Algonac HS
-27
-12
-19
Fennville Open
6-Sep
Fenn Valley Winery
-114
Christian Schools
6-Sep
South Christian Sports Park
-39
WMC Mega
9-Sep
Fremont MS
-104
TVC 1
9-Sep
Ithaca HS
-97
-45
-71
SEC 1
9-Sep
Willow
-57
-24
-41
OK Red 1
9-Sep
South Christian Sports Park
-39
-21
-30
SAC 1
10-Sep
Warner Camp
-57
-62
-59
OAA Red 1
10-Sep
Lake Orion HS
-76
-57
-66
CHSL 1
10-Sep
Memorial Park
-43
Lansing Catholic
11-Sep
St. Francis Retreat Center
-78
-35
-55
Chesaning
11-Sep
Twin Brooks GC
-48
-24
-35
Spartan
12-Sep
Forest Akers
-79
-58
-68
Ottawa Hills
12-Sep
Riverside Park
-25
-22
-24
Autumn Classic
13-Sep
Bay Point Beach
-61
-35
-49
Holly
13-Sep
Springfield Oaks
-51
-34
-42
Huron
13-Sep
Willow
-40
-24
-32
Sparta
13-Sep
Fruit Ridge Hayrides
-27
-23
-25
Hopkins
13-Sep
Jijak Camp
-91
Don Baese
13-Sep
Fish Creek Sportsman’s Club
-12
CAAC White 1
16-Sep
Portland HS
-21
RCA Jamboree
17-Sep
Brookside GC
-47
CMAC 1
17-Sep
P-W Trails
-103
OK Black 1
17-Sep
Ridge Point Community Church
-48
Frankenmuth Eagles
18-Sep
List Elementary
-212
Brooks Mid-Season
19-Sep
Goodells County Park
-38
-26
-32
Linden Classic
20-Sep
Linden MS
-84
-78
-82
Jefferson
20-Sep
Sterling State Park
-73
-55
-65
Petoskey Kiwanis
20-Sep
Petoskey XC Course
-80
-38
-57
Chargers Autumn Sunrise
20-Sep
Covenant Christian HS
-35
-32
-34
Jackson
20-Sep
Sharp Park
-25
-22
-24
Cougar Falcon
20-Sep
Gainey Fields
-44
-17
-34
VSV
20-Sep
VSV Park
-37
-16
-29
P-W
20-Sep
P-W Trails
-29
-16
-22
Cedar Springs
20-Sep
Cedar Springs Elementary
-30
-15
-24
Laker
20-Sep
Pigeon-Laker HS
-56
TVC 2
23-Sep
Pine River CC
-41
-26
-33
SAC 2
24-Sep
Parchment HS
-104
-73
-90
OK White 2
24-Sep
Gainey Fields
-41
-35
-38
Apples 2 Apples
24-Sep
Uncle John’s
-24
-19
-22
OK Red 2
24-Sep
Grand Haven HS
-19
-13
-16
MAC Red Championship
24-Sep
Dakota HS
-28
1
-12
FML 2
24-Sep
Linden MS
-98
Patriot
25-Sep
Columbus County Park
-102
SEC Red 2
25-Sep
Indian Creek
-34
-16
-25
Wagener Park
27-Sep
Wagener County Park
-52
-50
-51
DeWitt
27-Sep
DeWitt HS
-32
-33
-32
Stockbridge
27-Sep
Stockbridge HS
-34
-32
-33
Marauder
27-Sep
Lake Erie
-26
Bluejay
27-Sep
Shepherd HS
-32
-24
-27
Allendale Falcon
27-Sep
Allendale HS
-15
-22
-20
Hansons
27-Sep
Parkway Christian
-42
-21
-33
Otsego Bulldog
27-Sep
Otsego HS
-1
1
0
Berrien County
27-Sep
Riverview Park
-49
CHSL 3
30-Sep
Fort Wayne
-84
Green Devil
30-Sep
Brown City HS
-82
-50
-67
Birch Run Fall
30-Sep
Taymouth Twp. Park
-27
-33
-30
CAAC White 2
30-Sep
Grand Woods Park
-30
Dakota
1-Oct
Dakota HS
-3
Mancelona
1-Oct
Mancelona HS
7
9
8
CMAC 2
1-Oct
Portland CC
-44
OK Black 2
1-Oct
Spring Lake HS
-29
Marysville
2-Oct
Marysville City Park
-38
Oakland County
4-Oct
Possum Hollow
-99
-72
-84
Hudson Booster
4-Oct
Hudson HS
-71
-66
-69
Portage
4-Oct
Portage West MS
-49
-45
-47
Greater Flint
4-Oct
Cummings Center
-13
-23
-18
Wayne County
4-Oct
Willow
-25
-16
-20
Ubly
6-Oct
Ubly HS
-8
-6
-7
TVC 3
7-Oct
Freeland CC Course
-22
-31
-27
NWC 3
7-Oct
Benzie Central HS
15
8
12
Country Mill Classic
7-Oct
Country Mill Orchards
8
CHSL Bishop Championship
8-Oct
Possum Hollow
-81
RCA 2
8-Oct
Grand Agricultural Center
1
SAC Championship
9-Oct
Gilmore Car Museum
-41
-36
-39
River Rat Open
10-Oct
Willow
-52
-14
-32
Dave Patterson
11-Oct
Mayville HS
-69
-60
-65
Lenawee County
11-Oct
Gerber Hill Park
-43
Dave Bork Classic
11-Oct
Munson Park
-34
Kayla O’Mara
11-Oct
Goodrich MS
-29
Sturgis Kiwanis
11-Oct
Sturgis MS
-19
-24
-22
Macomb County
11-Oct
Eastwood Beach
14
-16
-1
Greater Lansing
11-Oct
Ledge Meadows
4
-6
0
Gabriel Richard
11-Oct
Hudson Mills (South)
0
3
2
Oiler Blue & Gold
11-Oct
Mt. Pleasant XC Course
-25
MIAC Championship
14-Oct
Whitmore Lake HS
-17
1
-9
BNC Championship
14-Oct
Gaylord CC
-54
River Valley Mustang
14-Oct
River Valley HS
-46
BTC Black/White
15-Oct
Caro GC
-26
-31
-29
Cascades Conference
15-Oct
Sharp Park
-6
-4
-5
OK White Championship
15-Oct
Riverside Park
18
-4
7
FML 3
15-Oct
Orion Oaks
-7
OK Black Championship
15-Oct
Diamond Springs GC
7
CAAC White 3
15-Oct
Country Mill Orchards
21
SEC Championship
16-Oct
Hudson Mills (North)
-38
-23
-30
OAA Red Championship
16-Oct
Bloomer Park
-28
-23
-25
KLAA Championship
16-Oct
Bennett Park
-19
-2
-11
OK Red Championship
16-Oct
Riverside Park
14
16
15
CMAC 3
16-Oct
Country Mill Orchards
20
CHSL Cardinal
17-Oct
Willow
-18
Allegan County
17-Oct
US-131 Motorsports Park
-21
Thumb Area
18-Oct
Caro GC
-48
-54
-51
Haunted Harvest
18-Oct
Airport HS
-52
Northern Michigan MOC
18-Oct
VSV Park
-13
-30
-22
SMAC Championship
18-Oct
Linden Grove MS
-22
Christian Comet
18-Oct
Kalamazoo Christian Elementary
-33
-21
-28
Larry Steeb
18-Oct
Whitmore Lake HS
4
6
5
Saginaw County
18-Oct
Twin Brooks GC
18
20
19
Late Season Warrior
18-Oct
Chippewa Hills HS
-66
Region 33
24-Oct
Happy Acres
44
-5
21
Region 8
24-Oct
Clintonwood Park
4
-3
0
Region 4
24-Oct
DeWitt HS
9
-3
3
Region 14
24-Oct
DeWitt HS
18
3
11
Region 23
24-Oct
Sharp Park
7
4
5
Region 34
24-Oct
Sharp Park
24
7
15
Region 30
24-Oct
Shepherd HS
39
8
24
Region 15
24-Oct
Shepherd HS
21
18
20
Region 16
25-Oct
Linden MS
-23
-22
-22
Region 24
25-Oct
Bath MS
-33
-19
-26
Region 22
25-Oct
Portage West MS
-8
-17
-13
Region 32
25-Oct
River Valley HS
-3
-13
-8
Region 27
25-Oct
Willow
-9
-12
-10
Region 25
25-Oct
Wagener County Park
0
-12
-6
Region 13
25-Oct
Portage West MS
-8
-11
-10
Region 36
25-Oct
Royal Oak HS
-13
-10
-11
Region 7
25-Oct
Royal Oak HS
-10
-9
-10
Region 6
25-Oct
Willow
-11
-7
-9
Region 31
25-Oct
Allendale HS
14
-6
4
Region 5
25-Oct
Lake Erie
0
-5
-3
Region 11
25-Oct
Allendale HS
3
-4
-1
Region 12
25-Oct
South Christian Sports Park
-20
-3
-11
Region 19
25-Oct
Mancelona HS
-1
-3
-2
Region 21
25-Oct
Allendale HS
-4
0
-2
Region 35
25-Oct
Wagener County Park
13
0
6
Region 28
25-Oct
Mancelona HS
8
1
4
Region 3
25-Oct
Portage West MS
-4
2
-1
Region 2
25-Oct
Mt. Pleasant XC Course
6
4
5
Region 1
25-Oct
Allendale HS
4
6
5
Region 26
25-Oct
Columbus County Park
11
6
9
Region 18
25-Oct
Lake Erie
6
8
7
Region 9
25-Oct
Goodells County Park
19
10
14
Region 17
25-Oct
Columbus County Park
28
14
21
Region 20
25-Oct
Benzie Central HS
26
16
21
Region 10
25-Oct
Benzie Central HS
26
22
24
Region 29
25-Oct
Benzie Central HS
29
32
30
Of course, the ratings themselves aren’t generated from all the runners running a race. When comparing course to course, or how a runner *should* run against how they did run, I’ll take out anomalies and unusually fast/slow performances.
For instance, the Shepherd’s John Bruder Classic had 83 girls that competed both there and at MIS. Here’s a chart of their comparisons (negative numbers ran faster at MIS, positive numbers ran slower):
Eliminating outliers could filter those marks from around -100 to +50. Or go even further, from -60 to -10. I will always tend toward the more consistent line, which is the latter, coming out to an adjusted average of -34 seconds between the two meets (rather than the -41 second difference if unfiltered).
Taking the next step, I like to compare these filtered averages and the adjustments throughout the season to see where the adjustments were accurate and where they may need to be more/less aggressive.
Average = the difference between MIS and that meet, throwing away outliers SB Adjustment = should be adjustment, taking into account the average MIS adjustment (+19 for boys, +24 for girls) and applying it to the difference between the two meets Adjustment = the number I had come up with during the season Difference = the absolute difference between the above two
What I’ve found is many of the meets during championship season are rated fairly accurately, but this is in large part due to the state ratings being influenced by these late-season races. I was very pleased with the major meets during the mid-season (Spartan, Holly, Ottawa Hills, Bluejay, Otsego Bulldog, Portage), all with the ratings being within 10 sec. of where they “should” have been. Then of course there were ones that were way off, such as the curious case of the Oakland County girls running much slower than the boys. Or the many meets on September 6th or 20th. It seems that many of the early season meets may need to be more aggressive in their adjustments, but the late season ones are *chef’s kiss* spot on.