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The Top Tens

Regional Previews

50 Tickets

The Past Three Years

2021

3^rd Place – MIAC
26^th Place – Oakland County
4^th Place – Region 36

2020

6^th Place – MIAC
3^rd Place – Pre-Region 72

2019

7^th Place – Region 36

Anything in Track?

Eliza Keith

62.1/2:22/5:16

1^st Place – Region 38 400/800/1600m
1^st Place – MIAC 400/1600m
2^nd Place – MIAC 800m
4^th Place – Oakland County 1600m
3^rd Place – D4 State 800m

Karis Keith

2:59/6:06/13:50

5^th Place – Region 38 3200m
8^th Place – Region 38 1600m

Leah Kroge

13.9 (100m)

7^th Place – MIAC 100m

The Past Three Years

2021

Team Champions – WMC, Region 20, D3 State

2020

Team Champions – WMC, Pre-Region 40, Region 20, D3 State

2019

Team Champions – Oceana County, WMC, Region 20, D3 State

Anything in Track?

4×800

9:30

1st Place – WMC
1st Place – Region 22
1st Place – D3 State

Jessica Jazwinski

61.3/2:14/4:54/10:44

1^st Place – WMC 400/800/3200m
1^st Place – Region 22 1600/3200m
2^nd Place – West Michigan 800m
2^nd Place – D3 State 3200m
3^rd Place – D3 State 1600m
4^th Place – D3 State 800m

Alyson Enns

5:15/11:14

1^st Place – WMC 1600m
3^rd Place – Region 22 3200m
1^st Place – West Michigan 1600/3200m
6^th Place – D3 State 3200m

Lexie Beth Nienhuis

2:30/5:49/12:21

3^rd Place – WMC 1600m
5^th Place – WMC 800m
5^th  Place – Region 22 800m
8^th Place – West Michigan 800m

Brooklyn Carter

2:47/5:52/13:23

8^th Place – WMC 1600m

Abigail Pretty

2:39/6:17/13:33

Savanna Owens

14.2/28.2/64.5/8’3 (PV)

6^th Place – WMC 200m/PV
4^th Place – Region 22 PV
5^th Place – Region 22 400m
6^th Place – West Michigan PV
8^th Place – West Michigan 400m

Lauren Pretty

2:56/6:28/14:46

The Past Three Years

2021

Team Champions – OK Gold
2^nd Place – Region 14
4^th Place – D2 State

2020

Team Champions – OK Gold
2^nd Place – Pre-Region 22
2^nd Place – Region 11
9^th Place – D2 State

2019

3^rd Place – OK Gold
2^nd Place – Region 14
4^th Place – D2 State

Anything in Track?

4×800

9:51

2nd Place – OK Gold
3rd Place – Region 13
6th Place – D2 State

Ellory Clason

2:27/5:34/11:39

5^th Place – OK Gold 3200m
6^th Place – OK Gold 1600m
6^th Place – Region 13 3200m

Sarah Dixon

64.6/2:29

5^th Place – OK Gold 400/800m
6^th Place – Region 13 800m

Ashlyn Smith

2:35/5:37

7^th Place – OK Gold 1600m

Addison Washler

12.7/25.6

1^st Place – OK Gold 100m
2^nd Place – OK Gold 200m
2^nd Place – Region 13 200m
2^nd Place – D2 State 200m

Marlina Howell

5:53/12:51

8^th Place – Region 13 3200m

Kate Laidlaw

2:27/5:565^th Place – Region 13 800m

Lauren Walls

2:53/6:32

Harper Scott

3:08/6:53

The Past Three Years

2021

Team Champions – Wayne County, KLAA
2^nd Place – Region 6
4^th Place – D1 State

2020

Team Champions – KLAA, Pre-Region 15, Region 8
7^th Place – D1 State

2019

Team Champions – Region 6
2^nd Place – KLAA
6^th Place – D1 State

Anything in Track?

4×800

9:27

1^st Place – KLAA
1^st Place – Region 5
8^th Place – D1 State

Ella Christensen

2:19/4:59/11:25

3^rd Place – KLAA 800/1600m
3^rd Place – Region 5 800/1600m
15^th Place – D1 State 1600m

Cassie Garcia

2:26/5:06/11:00

2^nd Place – KLAA 3200m
5^th Place – KLAA 1600m
2^nd Place – Region 5 3200m5^th Place – Region 5 1600m
15^th Place – D1 State 3200m

Maya Labonte

5:27/11:48

6^th Place – KLAA 3200m

Lily Connors

2:31/5:32

Anna Gdowski

2:24/5:29

7^th Place – Region 5 800m

Jasmine Beltrame

2:43/5:42/12:49

Callan Kaffl

2:37/5:49

Looks to be a transfer from California? No listed races for speed ratings here, but TullyRunners covered one of her meets. To get the conversion from his to mine, add 26 points. She isn’t listed here on his site, but her CIF SS Finals were the equivalent of a 105 by these ratings. 105 will put you in the 20:45 range on Michigan courses, a bit slower than what her track times suggest. I’d expect on limited information, a girl capable of 20:30 or so, but with Coach Smith’s training, that could easily be sub-20.

Regional Previews

50 Tickets

Top Tens

Where: Chippewa Hills HS

Actually, across the street from Chippewa Hills, in the rolling pastures and blowdozed woods. Compared to many courses in mid-Michigan, this is undulating terrain and that’s’ a GOOD THING. Cross Country should be a test and the speed bumps and turns make it so. Anyway, here’s their course video:

2021 Boys: Petoskey (9^th), Fremont (11^th), Sparta (14^th)

2021 Girls: Petoskey (3^rd), Cadillac (24^th), Remus Chippewa Hills (13^th)

Well, year to year consistency might be the theme here. It’s appearing like five of the six qualifiers are heavy favorites to move on, but who will grab that sixth spot?

Ludington’s girls *just* missed out last year as the Chippewa Hills girls had the race of their season. But when I say they missed, I don’t mean they had a disappointing day, just that the Orioles surprised and someone else surprised more. Oftentimes, that’s a great motivating tool for a runner. Attain success but it’s not enough. Gain confidence, but know you must run your butt off in the off-season.

Although the boys team qualifiers appear to be a level above the rest of the field, an intriguing battle for first could be on the horizon. Shane Izzard through Carter McIlroy, each of these boys finished in the top-12 last year and are the top returners (that haven’t moved divisions or regions). Richmond, Janesak, and McIlroy each ran nearly identical times in the 3200m, Izzard concentrated more on the 800m, and Nixon was on a trajectory to run the best 1600m of the bunch. Can Owen Metzger join them? As an 8^th grader, he doesn’t lose a single race during the XC season, then nabbed a 10:23 in track, the 5^th best time of any middle schooler.

Top 25 Boys Teams: Petoskey (10^th), Sparta (11^th), Fremont (14^th)

Top 25 Girls Teams: Petoskey (6^th), Ludington (19^th), Cadillac (20^th)

Here, I’m writing at least a little anecdote about kids that are in the top-15 but aren’t freshman (Owen, Linnea), in the 50 Tickets, or on Top 10 teams (Petoskey and Petoskey). Want to spread love but also not overwork myself. All in all, my estimation is through all these previews, I’ll be writing at least a sentence about 1000+ kids. If there’s an error in here, let me know.

Nolan Nixon, Cadillac: Spent a few days with Nolan in Oregon this summer and came away impressed with his quiet demeanor and workman-like attitude.  After a season primarily spent in the 17’s, he busted out a 16:38 to close at State. Looked to be upon that same path in track after his 2:08/4:33 at Shepherd, but his season was prematurely ended. When the season begins, he should be ready to roll and come late October, he’ll be challenging for this win.

Gregory Janesak, Sparta: Gregory had a disappointing close to his freshman year, he made sure that didn’t happen twice. He helped the Spartans qualify for MIS with his 11^th place finish here. Exhibited some serious strength during track with his 9:54 3200m at Metro Health.

Andre Richmond, Whitehall: Between his freshman and sophomore years, Andre raced 18 times. In those 18 races, he broke 20:00 twice. He finished the 2021 season with a personal best of 16:56. All the 20:00+ kids out there reading this, take note and dream big.

Carter McIlroy, Whitehall: The constant transformation is a theme with the Whitehall boys. After being above 18:00 for his sophomore year, Carter smashed the 17:00 mark in his final junior effort. Never one to be satisfied, he reached a new level in track with his 4:33/9:58. We could very well have five athletes in the low-16’s, if not lower.

John Christensen, Fremont: This running man finished 26^th here, but rebounded with a 17:17 at State, helping his Packers secure an 11^th place finish.

Cole Lowery, Fremont: Grinding through difficult and adverse conditions at Baker Woods and Branstrom Park made this freshman a tough cookie. Closed his championship season with three of his final four races in the 17’s.

Brodie Delamater, Grant: Brodie’s 3200m races this spring grab my attention as someone who will reliably be a top-15 contender. Six sub-11’s when his freshman best was 11:13.

Noah Momber, Sparta: Reliability was a necessary factor in Sparta’s 2021 season. Noah was a guy you could rely on to run in the mid-17’s, hitting between 17:25 and 17:40 in six of his final seven meets.

Emma Janesak, Sparta: Emma didn’t run the 1600m much during track, but she sure was able to find a quick one late. Her 5:23 there lends evidence to what could be a solid improvement come fall.

Cami Kraai, Whitehall: If I ever did a sleeper list, Cami would be on it. Ran just two races during her freshman year, both in the early season, both in the 20’s. Completed a full track season, mastered that speed endurance with a 2:23 in the 800m.

Remington Arney, Newaygo: Nothing like a good ole 180 place improvement at State. Remington wasn’t even close to a top-50 spot in my projections, she shattered those with her 19:38 and 41^st place.

Summer Brower, Ludington: Crossed the line here four spots ahead of her projections, running a personal best in the process. That personal best was struck down the following week with her 19:38 at State, the 7^th fastest freshman girl in Division 2 that day.

Nadia Grierson, Ludington: Began to find herself during this past track campaign. Competed at her highest levels at the far end of the season. At the West Michigan Track Invite, doubled with a 5:36/12:07.

Madyson Oudbier, Sparta: Twice a state qualifier, twice a top-100 finisher at MIS.

Regan Hill, Cadillac: After mono put a damper on her sophomore year, she returned to her freshman form. This year, she’s looking to push past that, entering the season having underwent the best summer of training she’s ever put together.

Autumn Brower, Ludington: As many freshmen tend to do, Autumn closed her year with her best races. Placed 17^th here, an individual qualifier, took advantage of that the following week with a 25+ second personal best.

50 Tickets

Top Tens

Regional Previews

• Patience abounds in Anna’s world
• I remarked to her after her race at New Balance that she ran the most heady race of the night, steadily clicking off 80-82’s until she ended up breaking 11:00
  • That 10:53 was an exhibit of patience in the career sense as well, Anna had been in the low-11’s for what seemed like thousands of races before that minor breakthrough
• Some may have settled on that mark, that time, been content with a great season, but not her
• In the coming weeks, she grabbed two state qualifiers, two CAAC Blue titles, then brought it again come early June
  • Her double back from the 1600m was one of the better efforts of those who did both, another momentous personal best, a 10:34
• This past fall, she established herself early, running some of her better races early – at Saranac, Holly, Coaching Legends
  • The times didn’t necessarily come late, but the accomplishments were there, top-10’s at Greater Lansing, CAAC Blue, and Region 4
• I believe this track season showed a new level of learning, figuring out how to peak at the right time, that will benefit Anna in November
• And as we’ve seen, she’s no stranger to surprising when there

Grade	Name	Time	Rating	Meet	Course	Date
11	Anna Delgado	18:34.3	150.2	Saranac	Saranac HS	1-Sep
11	Anna Delgado	20:11.7	121.1	Bredeweg	Macatawa Bay MS	11-Sep
11	Anna Delgado	18:42.5	154.2	Holly	Springfield Oaks	18-Sep
11	Anna Delgado	18:54.2	143.3	CAAC Blue 1	DeWitt HS	23-Sep
11	Anna Delgado	18:45.5	145.8	Coaching Legends	Huron Meadows	2-Oct
11	Anna Delgado	18:46.9	139.4	East Lansing	East Lansing Soccer Complex	7-Oct
11	Anna Delgado	19:32.7	132.4	Greater Lansing	Ledge Meadows GC	16-Oct
11	Anna Delgado	18:52.2	139.3	CAAC Blue 2	Ledge Meadows GC	21-Oct
11	Anna Delgado	18:52.7	142.8	4 Meadows	Huron Meadows	29-Oct
11	Anna Delgado	18:52.3	139.6	D1 State	MIS	6-Nov
11	Anna Delgado	18:55.9	139.0	MMOC	Shepherd HS	13-Nov

Grade	Name	Rating	Meet	Course	Date
10	Anna Delgado	118.9	DeWitt/EL	DeWitt HS	10-Sep
10	Anna Delgado	112.0	EL/Holt	EL XC Complex	14-Sep
10	Anna Delgado	124.3	East Lansing/Grand Ledge	East Lansing XC Complex	24-Sep
10	Anna Delgado	124.1	CAAC Blue League	DeWitt HS	1-Oct
10	Anna Delgado	141.3	Shepherd Bluejay	Shepherd HS	3-Oct
10	Anna Delgado	132.7	Greater Lansing	Ledge Meadows	10-Oct
10	Anna Delgado	132.4	PR 7	Ledge Meadows	23-Oct
10	Anna Delgado	135.2	D1 Reg 4	DeWitt HS	31-Oct

Grade	Name	Rating	Meet	Course
9	Anna Delgado	128.6	Saranac	Saranac HS
9	Anna Delgado	119.8	Bredeweg	Macatawa Bay MS
9	Anna Delgado	130.2	Holly	Springfield Oaks
9	Anna Delgado	134.0	Coaching Legends	Huron Meadows
9	Anna Delgado	118.9	Greater Lansing	Ledge Meadows
9	Anna Delgado	116.1	CAAC Blue	Ledge Meadows
9	Anna Delgado	135.3	4	DeWitt HS
9	Anna Delgado	130.4	D1 State	MIS

• Tucked away over in Division Four is Lezawe, our second Division Four athlete to make this list of returners
• On the state stage, he probably had the most dominating results of any boy, all division
  • Each state championship race he entered, he won, whether that was a 4×8 team title or a 5k on the grass, Lezawe or his folks crossed the tape in first
• He’s always been a name I’ve noticed for The Potter’s House squad, a consistently contending team
• The signs of this impending dominance began to materialize during his sophomore year, with multiple sub-17 efforts to close a fall (that unfortunately had to be ended after Pre-Regionals) or a 9:41 at Bluejay
• While it may take some kids a few races to bust out some rust, Lezawe OPENED with a sub-16 at Under the Lights, then went undefeated in the Michigan XC regular season, culminating his year with a dominant state meet win by 25+ seconds
• During track, we were able to see those victories on the D4 stage, but also what he can do while chasing
  • His 9:13 (6^th fastest returner in that event) at the New Balance 3200m gives evidence that there’s even more speed available
• Potter’s House has huge aspirations in these coming months, a few additions that weren’t able to compete will be a major help, but the greatest aid will be the leadership and motivation provided by viewing Lezawe do his thing, improving and improving, over and over

Grade	Name	Time	Rating	Meet	Course	Date
11	Lezawe Osterink	15:57.5	208.8	Under the Lights (GRSC)	South Christian HS	27-Aug
11	Lezawe Osterink	17:01.6	186.2	Alliance League 1	Calvary Laketown	1-Sep
11	Lezawe Osterink	16:37.0	201.3	Hill and Bale	Fremont MS	11-Sep
11	Lezawe Osterink	15:50.0	194.7	Autumn Sunrise	Heritage Christian School	25-Sep
11	Lezawe Osterink	15:43.7	202.8	Allendale Falcon	Allendale HS	2-Oct
11	Lezawe Osterink	18:14.5	178.8	Alliance League 3	Johnson Park	6-Oct
11	Lezawe Osterink	15:42.8	208.4	Portage	Portage West MS	9-Oct
11	Lezawe Osterink	16:36.4	196.5	Kent Ottawa	Gainey Fields	16-Oct
11	Lezawe Osterink	16:50.4	175.5	Alliance Conference	Fruitport Calvary Christian	19-Oct
11	Lezawe Osterink	15:59.8	187.4	31 Allendale	Allendale HS	30-Oct
11	Lezawe Osterink	15:50.6	197.5	D4 State	MIS	6-Nov
11	Lezawe Osterink	15:49.2	202.6	MMOC	Shepherd HS	13-Nov

Grade	Name	Rating	Meet	Course	Date
10	Lezawe Osterink	181.9	Chargers Quad	Heritage Christian	9-Sep
10	Lezawe Osterink	187.5	Hill Bale	Fremont MS	12-Sep
10	Lezawe Osterink	187.0	Alliance Jamboree	Johnson Park	23-Sep
10	Lezawe Osterink	177.9	Cougar Falcon	Gainey Fields	26-Sep
10	Lezawe Osterink	186.0	Allendale Falcon	Allendale HS	2-Oct
10	Lezawe Osterink	125.1	Kent Ottawa	Gainey Fields	17-Oct
10	Lezawe Osterink	184.1	PR 62	Gezon Park	24-Oct

Grade	Name	Rating	Meet	Course
9	Lezawe Osterink	153.9	Hill Bale	Fremont MS
9	Lezawe Osterink	153.4	Sparta	Fruit Ride Hayrides
9	Lezawe Osterink	157.2	Cougar Falcon	Gainey Fields
9	Lezawe Osterink	163.3	Allendale Falcon	Allendale HS
9	Lezawe Osterink	162.7	Portage	Portage West MS
9	Lezawe Osterink	166.8	Kent Ottawa	Gainey Fields
9	Lezawe Osterink	164.8	31	Allendale HS
9	Lezawe Osterink	164.5	D4 State	MIS