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The Top Tens: Division 3 Boys #8

THE SUMMER PREVIEW

2022 Results

MeetDivisionPlace
Pittsford EB2nd of 7
Hillsdale4th of 13
Leslie Blackhawk2nd of 5
HollyD45th of 15
JacksonRed6th of 11
PortageD36th of 35
Region 232nd of 15
Division 3 State16th of 28

Top Returners

Gavin VanKampen

Junior had some notable late season gains during track, winning the Big 8 1600m and blasting a 2:01 at the Hillsdale County Meet.

David Fowler

2022 was the first cross season ever for this mid-distance specialist. By the end of fall, he was able to spit out a 17:31 at Sharp Park, grabbing him the 14th spot in Region 23.

Nicholas Fowler

As a 9th grader, wasn’t asked to contribute right off the bat, but Nick was valuable come season’s end, his 29th in Region 23 placing 4th amongst his Comet teammates.

Mytchal Morrison

Although the State Finals may not have gone his way, Mytchal did come through with sub-18’s in two major meets – Portage and Region 23.

Lucas Kyser

Freshman progressed from a kid running over 21:00 to begin the year to someone with sub-19’s at Portage, Jackson, Region 23, and State.

Zachery Childress

Through each of these small writeups, a common theme has emerged. The Comet competitors peak at the right time. Zach no different, running a personal best at Portage, then nearly matching that at State, a tough task.

Potential Newcomers

Caleb Blonde

There are about 5-8 incoming freshman that stand above the rest – Caleb is one of them. At the 2-mile distance, he would hover around the 11-flat mark, winning all his Big 8 Jamborees and placing 2nd at a number of big invites. Biggest indicator might be Portage, his 8:19 placing 3rd.

Collin Fucile

For many schools, Collin might be the stud freshman they’re trying to keep secret. Broke 12 late in the fall, then was neeearly sub-5 in the spring.

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The Top Tens: Division 3 Girls #8

THE SUMMER PREVIEW

2022 Results

MeetDivisionPlace
Under the LightsSmall4th of 10
ES Warrior2nd of 16
Pete MossMedium6th of 18
Northwood11th of 12
Evart WildcatBig1st of 12
CadillacBlue4th of 15
BluejayJays5th of 17
PortageD313th of 31
Freeland Falcon8th of 13
Northern MichiganLarge12th of 13
Region 195th of 10

Since Clare’s inclusion is centered on the many quality freshman they’re potentially bringing up, you get some middle school results:

MeetDivisionPlace
BluejayBig3rd of 18
Portage11th of 53
Zone 75th of 24

Top Returners

Olivia Forsberg

First cross campaign was one of gradual progress. Olivia began with a few efforts in the 22’s but was consistently in the low-20’s to end the fall.

Sage Parsons

Another upcoming sophomore, last year with an even greater drop than Forsberg. During August, Sage was on the wrong side of 23:00, by championship time, she was a mid-21 performer.

Catherine Taft

Dropped nearly two minutes off her freshman best. Catherine also moved from a girl whose best JPC finish was 28th as a freshman to a sophomore always between 19th and 21st.

Potential Newcomers

Sophia Buzzelli

Jack Pine Champion, top-10 at Portage, and owner of many low-12 efforts.

Lauren Leis

Runner-up to Sophia in many of these middle school meets, even blasted a sub-13 at Shepherd

Brooklinn Barcia

When your worst finish in a Jack Pine Jamboree is 8th, you know you’ve got a good season going. Brooklinn was also a mid-13 girl at Shepherd, a course that you know is legit.

Elizabeth Letherer

Managed to slip under 14:00 in late October.

Grace Russell

The JPC is always a conference you can count on for XC and she was 11th-13th at their three jamborees.

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50 Tickets to Brooklyn: Boys #39

THE SUMMER PREVIEW

Accomplishments & Accolades

  • 6th Place – Region 16 (XC)
  • 7th Place – SEC White (XC)
  • 3x State Qualifier (XC)
  • 6th Place – Division 2 State 4×8
  • 9th Place – Division 2 State 3200m

Ratings Throughout the Years

GradeNameTimeTeamRatingMeetDate
11Ethan Sandula16:10.0Pinckney194.3SEC 114-Sep
11Ethan Sandula16:33.4Pinckney193.2Holly17-Sep
11Ethan Sandula16:32.5Pinckney192.2Mott Fall Classic23-Sep
11Ethan Sandula16:25.4Pinckney192.2SEC White 228-Sep
11Ethan Sandula16:02.6Pinckney195.1Portage8-Oct
11Ethan Sandula16:01.0Pinckney190.7Gabriel Richard15-Oct
11Ethan Sandula15:56.0Pinckney192.0SEC Championship20-Oct
11Ethan Sandula16:46.7Pinckney185.4Region 1629-Oct
11Ethan Sandula16:46.5Pinckney185.5Division 2 State5-Nov
11Ethan Sandula15:55.0Pinckney194.3MITCA12-Nov
GradeNameTimeTeamRatingMeetDate
10Ethan Sandula17:22.5Pinckney178.5A2 Early Bird2-Sep
10Ethan Sandula17:19.4Pinckney179.9SEC 114-Sep
10Ethan Sandula17:49.3Pinckney170.2Holly18-Sep
10Ethan Sandula17:52.5Pinckney180.8SEC White 228-Sep
10Ethan Sandula17:57.6Pinckney162.8Coaching Legends2-Oct
10Ethan Sandula18:03.4Pinckney161.5Portage9-Oct
10Ethan Sandula17:22.3Pinckney172.2SEC Championship21-Oct
10Ethan Sandula18:52.7Pinckney176.4Region 1630-Oct
10Ethan Sandula17:33.8Pinckney166.1D2 State6-Nov
GradeNameTeamRatingMeetDate
9Ethan SandulaPinckney157.8Dexter/Pinckney28-Aug
9Ethan SandulaPinckney160.8Brighton/Pinckney22-Sep
9Ethan SandulaPinckney144.8Adrian/Pinckney/Tecumseh26-Sep
9Ethan SandulaPinckney166.8Bulldog Elite3-Oct
9Ethan SandulaPinckney163.2Pre-Region 3124-Oct
9Ethan SandulaPinckney161.1Region 1631-Oct
9Ethan SandulaPinckney166.2Division 2 State6-Nov

The Rundown

Just as Whitney in the post earlier today, my same theory applies for Ethan. His case is a bit different though, his running and his times accelerating at a high rate compared to earlier in his career, but still playing a prominent role in the title-contending Pinckney program. That early career contained two years of State Finals experience and time in the mid-17’s, then his sophomore season of track providing a glimpse (4:36/9:53) of what was to come. What transpired the following fall and spring were massive leaps. Ethan averaged at least a minute faster than his 2021 version during cross and was the 4th man on Pinckney’s 3rd place team. This past spring, he handled the stick on their All-State 4×8 while again dropping considerable time. Pinckney will again be in the mix for many D2 honors and Ethan will definitely be relied on to aide them in their journey.