Ethan finds a new way to impress in each season. As a freshman, he stepped right into the Northville fray, establishing himself as one of the better young runners in the State while still contributing to the Mustang team. He ran his best toward the end of the year, with low-16 efforts at Wayne County, KLAA, and Region 6. The State Meet may have not been his best race, but he rectified that this past year, placing 28th, another contributor to a dominating win for Northville. Not only can he expediently cover courses, Ethan finds a way to motivate from the past and turn that motivation into success.
I’ll admit, I’m not the greatest at predicting at who will be moving in from out of state. And I’m pretty shy when it comes to asking for information. Thus, when Victoria popped a 19:01 opener at Mount Pleasant’s Oiler Invite, my first thought was “oh, probably a soccer player running cross for the first time!” Then another low-19 effort at Northwood, sub-19 at the first SVL Jamboree, and I had to do my research. Moving over from Wisconsin (a state with a rich history, think Chris Solinsky, Molly Seidel, amongst others), where she placed 9th in Division 1, to Dow, was an outstanding talent that just produced over and over during her sophomore year.
Her best work came at the end. Victoria won in Region 2, then placed 5th in Division 1. Her 18:21 at MIS may not have been her fastest time, but ratings-wise, it was her fastest effort of the season. And just to prove the time was possible, she knocked 8 seconds off her PR, reaching 18:05 at MITCA. She’ll be leading a Dow squad that will hopefully make a run towards MIS, and the Chargers can find much to learn from this junior.
Previous years had top-25 teams, but there’s 27 (and sometimes more) team qualifiers and what does it hurt to add another two?
Girls
St. Johns (7th), DeWitt (14th), Owosso (26th)
Boys
DeWitt (20th), Parma Western (27th)
(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)
Projected Scores
Place
Girls Team
Score
1
St. Johns
42
2
DeWitt
67
3
Owosso
106
4
Williamston
140
5
Haslett
160
6
Mason
161
7
Charlotte
170
8
Corunna
176
9
Eaton Rapids
202
10
Parma Western
237
11
Fowlerville
249
12
Jackson Northwest
332
13
Lansing Eastern
404
14
Lansing Waverly
429
Place
Boys Team
Score
1
DeWitt
74
2
Parma Western
87
3
Corunna
92
4
St. Johns
106
5
Mason
132
6
Eaton Rapids
150
7
Haslett
207
8
Williamston
214
9
Charlotte
246
10
Owosso
260
11
Fowlerville
292
12
Lansing Waverly
310
13
Jackson Northwest
312
14
Lansing Eastern
355
15
Lansing Sexton
429
Top Runners
Thought I’d give a review of some of the top returners in each region. Returners means no incoming freshman (you’ll get your days in the sun). If you’re on a top team or in the 50 Tickets and you’re projected highly here, you hit the jackpot! Yes, I’m writing a bit less than previous years, but I think I’ve learned my lesson in that I need to conserve energy and brainpower for all divisions and regions. Typically by August, I’m rushing to get these done. This time around, hopefully all regions get the same amount of coverage.
When I refer to her just getting better, I’m not just talking about the fall. Clara dropped 15 seconds from her 3200m best and moved up 6 spots to grab a medal at D2 State this past June.
One final swan song for this storied senior. Meghan’s been All-State all three years, and twice the regional champion. It’s been quite a journey and path, I gotta say she’s quite resilient in how she keeps showing up at such a high level.
Noticeably sizeable difference in the results between her 9th and 10th grade years. Almost a 3:00 difference in her personal bests and tons of medals in important spots – such as 5th here in Region 14 and 10th at Greater Lansing.
Cross country had the breakthrough into the 19’s, then the tracks were witness to her plummeting times. The D2 Finals saw a 5:16 get laid down, an impressive 11th place in her individual debut.
You know this region is stacked up front when a girl such as Nicole is ranked 6th. She was All-State as a freshman and 32nd last year, both years running in the high-18’s/low-19’s.
After his sophomore track season, you knew a giant improvement was in store, but he blew even those expectations out of the water. Sub-16 in five races and 23rd in Division 2. More to be written about this ever-improving athlete…
Breakout season on the track a major impetus behind his high ranking here. Subtracted more than a minute in the 3200m while competing for Corunna, the Team State Champions.
Whether it’s a 16:26 here (20 sec. PB) or a 4:25 in May’s regional at Mason, Cooper has found a way to bring his best efforts to the regional stage. And given the 4:25 and subsequent 15th place at D2 State, expect significantly faster times this fall.
Always finds a way to outperform expectations come championship season. Projected 6th here in 2022, he placed 3rd, taking home a shiny new PB in the process.
Last year’s regional projections had an inkling that he was underrated, but I didn’t foresee the incredible time he’d run here. His 16:45 was a major comeback from the 18:00+ performance at Greater Lansing.
Michigan XC Speed Ratings 