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Regional Previews

50 Tickets

Top Tens

Where: Goodells County Park

I like this little course. You’ve got a tiny horseshoe-shaped hill that you’ll run up twice. A woodsy section. Plenty of different footing, along with many turns. Tends to run slightly fast come regional time.

2021 Boys: St. Clair (12^th), Yale (15^th), Armada (29^th)

2021 Girls: Warren Regina (9^th), Croswell-Lexington (25^th), Marysville (20^th)

Looking back to last year’s regional preview, I’m struck at how accurate it was. I’m kidding, I’m struck by how well the Cros-Lex girls moved up. Eva Thompson, at least to my knowledge, hadn’t run a lick of cross country before her breakout freshman year. Abagayle Barkley wasn’t even on my radar before the season, she only dropped a mere 2:00 from her freshman best. It’s those kind of awe-inspiring sophomore seasons we live for. Who will do it this year?

I know someone from St. Clair, Yale, or Warren Regina will undergo that transformation. The tradition breeds more tradition, and when you see a kid like Sam Vitale or Lukas Kriesch put in the work and see the pay off or even a Grace Zdankiewicz who continually plugs away, you can’t help but feel the need to wake up every morning and strive for success.

Top 25 Boys Teams: Yale (9^th), St. Clair (17^th)

Top 25 Girls Teams: Warren Regina (25^th)

Here, I’m writing at least a little anecdote about kids that are in the top-15 but aren’t freshman, in the 50 Tickets, or on Top 10 teams. The only athletes being eliminated here are the Yale boys, which is great, MORE SUPERB ATHLETES TO WRITE ABOUT. 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.

Camden Khon, Armada: The defending regional champ. Had a solid track season, highlighted by a massive personal best in the 1600m (4:51 to 4:32) and a state qualifier in the 3200m.

Carter Boullard, St. Clair: This spring was Carter’s first foray into track and boy did he rock anything under a mile. The 800m seemed to be his prime event, where he finished 2^nd at Regionals in 2:00.

David Harris, St. Clair: Has gradually moved his way up the Saint ranks, growing into a role on their vaunted varsity outfit. What started as a career in the 19’s has turned into a kid that continually hits sub-17:00.

Dylan Distelrath, St. Clair: His track season was cut short early, but was on pace to be miles better than his freshman year. 5:11 at the Barnyard was a 30 second improvement from the spring of ’21.

Riley Andrews, Armada: Showed considerable progress in both the 1600m and 3200m. Knocked more than 20 seconds off each personal best.

Jamison Snay, Macomb Lutheran North: Big moves up the standings in his championship races. Jamison moved up 38(!) spots in Macomb County, from 61^st to 23^rd and moved from 35^th into 14^th at Regionals, good enough to continue his season one more week.

Brewer Snay, Macomb Lutheran North: Gotta run your 18:0x’s before you smash that wall. Brewer ran three races between 18:00 and 18:10. His 3200m from this spring is a great indicator that 18:00 will be an afterthought. His final six races were all sub-11.

Joe Edgemon, St. Clair: Turned over a new leaf come championship season. The new level started at the MAC Division Meet, where Joe ran 18:10. Three more sub-18:30s followed, setting up a senior year to remember.

Eva Thompson, Croswell-Lexington: Numerous high places at important races. 2^nd at Thumb Area, 3^rd in this Region. Paid off those high places with a personal best at State, a 19:52.

Kennedy Roskopp, Warren Regina: Just call her Miss Consistency. Final seven races were all of the sub-21 variety. But she’ll enter a new dimension this fall, evidenced by her 11:59 on the track.

Morgan Newton, Croswell-Lexington: In 2020, she broke 22:00 once. In 2021, she didn’t run a race OVER 22:00. That sort of jump is a major reason the Pioneers solidly made State last fall.

Ava Pergitone, St. Clair: Has been sub-20 EVERY single year for the Saints. Her 6^th place here in 2021 was her best placing at a Regional yet.

Brooklyn Khon, Armada: Just as Joe Edgemon did, Brooklyn entered a new stratosphere come October. A 20:38 at Macomb County paved the way to three efforts around the 20:00 mark and a regional championship.

Elizabeth Ambroggio, Warren Regina: A major factor in Regina’s surprise 9^th place State finish. Placed 25 spots ahead of expectation, enough for the Saddlelites to leapfrog at least three teams.

Olivia Ebel, Macomb Lutheran North: You never see this double too often. Olivia completed the rare 1600m/300h double at many points throughout the season. At the Macomb County meet, she placed top-8 in both. But the 5:34 in the 1600m is the best predictor of cross country success, which she’s had plenty.

Anne May, Macomb Lutheran North: Anne hit the jackpot at the State Meet. After running 20:35 as a freshman, her personal best hovered around that mark for nearly two years. But in one race, she lowered her best to 20:11 and set the stage to lower it once again this fall.

Brianna Albers, Richmond: I’ll have to go back and look at my full projections for D2 State. Brianna wasn’t projected top-50 and I seriously doubt she was top-100. But throw those out the window, Brianna sped to a 31^st place, hitting the line in 19:22. If that’s any indication, she will outperform these rankings. nvm, found them. I had her 114^th.

Casidhe Flesher, Marine City: Quite an impressive array of events and times for Casidhe on the oval. She finished 2^nd in the MAC Blue 200m, 4^th in the 1600m as well.

Grace Clemens, North Branch: Always love the sprinters that come out for cross country. Grace gives a ton to the sport and if she keeps piling on the strength work, sub-26 and sub-60 are in the cards. For now, enjoy a girl who can run under 21:00 that you don’t want around you during the final 100m.

Jenna Denver, Imlay City: Followin’ in her sister’s footsteps, closed her junior year on a tear with four straight races between 20:55 and 21:05.

Natalie Lentine, Warren Regina: We love the gradual drops throughout the year. Started the year on a long course at Lamplighter and a tough one at Michigan Catholic. Great prep for the muddy slog here where she placed 19^th.

Lillian Rutallie, Marysville: Brought along slowly during her freshman year, eventually ending up the 3^rd girl on a Viking squad that finished 20^th at State.

I also want to give a shoutout to Karlie Schlaud. It was an honor to meet you the other day. The mere fact that you came into a running store miles away from home means you care. And that caring definitely led to a track season where you set personal bests in the 800m and 1600m, setting yourself up for a senior year where your goals are 100% within reach.

50 Tickets

Regional Previews

Top Tens

Here’s a list of Michigan freshman boys (in recent history) who have been faster than TJ’s 9:21 3200m:

1. Ben Hill

Yep, that’s it. Ben went onto achieving All-State at the end of each and every year (the one he didn’t, he was hurt, and would’ve seriously challenged Grant Fisher). Then he went onto be a great teammate at Michigan and Wake Forest.

Here’s a list of those who have run in the 9:20’s as a freshman in the past 10 years:

1. Riley Hough
2. Cole Johnson
3. Enael Woldemichael
4. Carter Solomon

Cole has been ripping it up in the mid-distances at Michigan, Enael has broken 14:00 for 5k, and Riley + Solomon have won the last three D1 cross titles.

Needless to say, I believe TJ has a bright future ahead of him and a great coach to guide him along that path.

Grade	Name	Time	Rating	Meet	Course	Date
9	TJ Hansen	16:18.3	199.6	Under the Lights (St. Johns)	St. Johns HS	20-Aug
9	TJ Hansen	17:10.4	195.9	ES Warrior	Chippewa Hills HS	24-Aug
9	TJ Hansen	16:08.3	199.2	John Bruder	Shepherd HS	8-Sep
9	TJ Hansen	15:49.7	197.8	Northwood	Fisher Trails	11-Sep
9	TJ Hansen	16:57.6	187.8	TVC 8	Freeland	15-Sep
9	TJ Hansen	16:16.5	201.2	Holly	Springfield Oaks	18-Sep
9	TJ Hansen	16:09.7	190.4	Cadillac	Veterans Serving Veterans Park	25-Sep
9	TJ Hansen	16:27.0	190.3	TVC 8 2	Delta College	28-Sep
9	TJ Hansen	15:53.6	201.1	Bluejay	Shepherd HS	2-Oct
9	Tj Hansen	16:02.1	202.0	Portage	Portage West MS	9-Oct
9	TJ Hansen	16:38.0	185.3	TVC 8 3	Roberts Park	12-Oct
9	TJ Hansen	16:35.2	202.6	Freeland Falcon	Freeland	16-Oct
9	TJ Hansen	16:22.4	193.2	TVC Overall	Taymouth Township Park	19-Oct
9	TJ Hansen	16:39.5	189.5	Saginaw County	Freeland	23-Oct
9	TJ Hansen	16:21.9	192.0	15 Shepherd	Shepherd HS	29-Oct
9	TJ Hansen	15:55.5	198.8	D2 State	MIS	6-Nov
9	TJ Hansen	16:35.2	187.3	MMOC	Shepherd HS	13-Nov

• Hart is the school, heart is the adjective
  • How this family (the Ackleys are her cousins) and school keeps coming after it year after year takes a bit of talent, but the willpower within must be tremendous
• Alyson began her track season late, people have told me she was recovering from an injury, but I didn’t hear a single complaint coming from their program, family, or herself
• The track season ended the way most seasons do at Hart, with some sort of title, Alyson playing a role in the 4×800
• On the grass, Alyson is just a flat out winner
  • Of the 27 races listed on athleticnet in her career, she’s won 17 of them
  • Among those, 7 of the 7 conference races she’s entered, Portage this year, Regionals last year, Cougar Falcon the past two years
• At the state level, she’s found a ton of success as well
  • Hart has captured the team title each of the past two years
  • Alyson has finished 2^nd in each of those races, some may say the 5^th runner is the most important, but if she walks it in, those titles don’t occur – everyone plays a role
• History can be a great indicator and I think it applies here – Alyson will again play an integral part for her Pirate team and given her response to adversity this spring, great accomplishments are on her horizon

Grade	Name	Time	Rating	Meet	Course	Date
10	Alyson Enns	18:15.3	158.6	Pete Moss	Benzie Central HS	28-Aug
10	Alyson Enns	18:23.9	151.7	Leanne Wolf Geers	Mason County Fairgrounds	9-Sep
10	Alyson Enns	19:04.4	151.9	WMD 1	Walkerville	14-Sep
10	Alyson Enns	18:33.4	158.9	Spartan	Forest Akers	17-Sep
10	Alyson Enns	18:30.1	145.3	WMC 2	Montague HS	21-Sep
10	Alyson Enns	18:08.2	158.6	Cougar Falcon	Gainey Fields	25-Sep
10	Alyson Enns	17:53.8	161.1	Bluejay	Shepherd HS	2-Oct
10	Alyson Enns	18:20.1	152.3	WMC 3	Whitehall HS	5-Oct
10	Alyson Enns	18:18.5	157.8	Portage	Portage West MS	9-Oct
10	Alyson Enns	19:12.5	131.2	Hart & Sole	Colonial GC	16-Oct
10	Alyson Enns	17:55.8	146.7	20 Benzie	Benzie Central HS	30-Oct
10	Alyson Enns	17:59.7	152.1	D3 State	MIS	6-Nov
10	Alyson Enns	18:37.5	145.2	MMOC	Shepherd HS	13-Nov

Grade	Name	Rating	Meet	Course	Date
9	Alyson Enns	146.9	Pete Moss	Benzie Central HS	29-Aug
9	Alyson Enns	149.6	Wolf Geers	Mason County Fairgrounds	10-Sep
9	Alyson Enns	149.4	Ludington	West Shore CC	19-Sep
9	Alyson Enns	150.8	WMC Oakridge	Oakridge HS	22-Sep
9	Alyson Enns	142.1	Cougar Falcon	Gainey Fields	26-Sep
9	Alyson Enns	164.1	Allendale Falcon	Allendale HS	3-Oct
9	Alyson Enns	151.2	Pentwater Falcon	Golden Sands GC	10-Oct
9	Alyson Enns	142.4	WMC Conference	Unversity Park GC	13-Oct
9	Alyson Enns	145.0	PR 40	Manistee HS	23-Oct
9	Alyson Enns	149.2	D3 Reg 20	Buckley HS	31-Oct
9	Alyson Enns	160.7	D3 State	MIS	7-Nov

Regional Previews

50 Tickets

Top Tens

Where: Milan HS

Don’t know much about this course! The Milan area is pretty flat. I was out checking out some nature preserves this summer and I came upon one that borders their HS property. And peering out over the grounds, there were no hills in sight. I had two meets from last fall that were rated, the Puddle Jumper in late August (+11), and the first Huron League Jamboree (+16). My guess is this is a fast one and looking at this boys field, it’s gonna be a burner.

2021 Boys: Chelsea (2^nd), Adrian (6^th), Dearborn Divine Child (17^th)

2021 Girls: Tecumseh (16^th), Chelsea (19^th), Dearborn Divine Child (21^st)

As I said, this boys field is a burner. Across all divisions, all regions, I’d be shocked if there’s another region featuring 6(!) of the top-50 returners. What about another one featuring 3 of the top-6 teams?

Chelsea and Adrian were two teams that faced off quite a bit last year. Adrian won the first of their five matchups, Chelsea took the rest. The Bulldogs were spurred by the gradual improvements of folks such as Nick Spruce, who began the year with many times in the high-17’s, but closed with three of four runs in the 16’s. Nick, along with Jackson Dell and the Swagers will be the key boys for a repeat regional trophy and perhaps more. Adrian returns many of their crew, hard to believe many of them are seniors. It seems like just yesterday that Bryce Soule, Ben Schefka, and Aiden Smith were freshman. Speaking of freshman, it appears that Moises Salazar might join their ranks. He ran for Madison MS in cross country with many times in the 11’s, then Adrian MS for track. This spring, he went undefeated, getting down to 2:14/4:51. Can he be the missing piece to cut into Chelsea’s dominance?

Whereas the boys might be dominant up front and across the entire state, the girls present another exciting scenario. Five teams competing for three spots. Both Chelsea and Tecumseh look to be favorites to move on, both have 6-7 girls capable of finishing in the top 30. That gives insurance if one of their top girls isn’t having a great day, it also gives the added possibility of a breakout performance. But it’s gotta be soothing to a coach when you have an experienced senior such as Emily Stevenson (21:18, 2:42/6:03) or Audra Guthre (20:24) sitting near the all-important 5^th position. The question then becomes, who joins them? Monroe Jefferson is extra strong up front, Adrian and Divine Child have the ability to put numbers in front of the Bears’ 4^th-7^th runners. Ah, the pack and numbers game in cross country. Best team sport out there.

Top 25 Boys Teams: Chelsea (Top 5), Adrian (Top 5), Dearborn Divine Child (6^th)

Top 25 Girls Teams: Chelsea (16^th), Tecumseh (19^th), Monroe Jefferson (24^th)

*LATE BREAKING UPDATE* Abdul Ghennewa, formerly a Manistee standout, is now running for New Boston Huron. I’m not going back and recalculating this, but he’ll likely move Huron solidly into that 4th spot. Likely won’t change much in terms of qualifying here, but it should move Huron to a favorite in the Huron League.

Here, I’m writing at least a little anecdote about kids that are in the top-15 but aren’t freshman, in the 50 Tickets, or on Top 10 teams. Just a show of the strength of the guys side, that contains two boys. Then on the girls side, a ton of individual stars. 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.

Logan Ruffner, Riverview: Junior entered high school a sensation and has kept it up. Two consecutive years running in the 16:30’s, two consecutive State qualifiers. Had a minor step up in track too, knocking 9 seconds off his 1600m personal best.

Brayden Humes, Milan: Three consecutive top-5’s in the Huron League, two straight State qualifiers. Can he make a third trip to MIS? Track season says he’s right on course, having found a new personal best in the 800m and coming close in the 1600m.

Jenna Pilachowski, Monroe Jefferson: Took great strides in track, especially in the eight lapper. Picked up a Regional and Huron League title, along with a 13^th place State finish.

Kirsten Koss, Dearborn Divine Child: Two years of track and she’s established herself as an 800 queen. 2:25 as both a freshman and sophomore, picked up a Regional and CHSL title in that event this past spring.

Courtney Bovair, Carleton Airport: The defending champ! We all know Lake Erie was drenched last year, but she ran nearly 1:30 faster at MIS, her first jaunt under 20:00.

Chesney Wilke, Tecumseh: Broke 2:20 in the 800m during both her sophomore and junior years. As a junior, it came late, and not before State. But on that date in early June, a 2:16 arose and fate led her to a 3^rd place spot.

Sophy Skeels, Adrian: Sam Skeels dominated the soccer fields at Siena, Sophy is now making a name for herself on the cross country course.

Riley Peer, Monroe Jefferson: The second in the triumvirate of top Jefferson girls. Riley moved up a ton of places in important meets this past fall. 13^th to 5^th in the Huron League, 26^th to 14^th at Regionals. Sneaking under 12:00 in the spring shows that progress keeps occurring.

Trillian Krug, Chelsea: Although her late-season times didn’t match that of 2020, Trilian still managed another 4^th place regional finish. When the conditions worsened, she stepped up.

Kaylee Pesta, Tecumseh: Was projected 11^th going into last year’s race. She crossed the line in 6^th, and given that the Tribe won by a single point and were 7 points out of third, Kaylee’s effort may have been the clincher.

Kim Miller, Monroe Jefferson: It took eight races, but Kim was the THIRD Bear to reach the depths of sub-12 in the 3200m this past spring.

Megan Woelkers, Flat Rock: Freshman year contained two top-10 finishes at Regionals and the Huron League, then a 12:16 3200m on the track. Pretty darn good debut.

Gianna-Marie Schubert, Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard: The Irish reload after losing their top two girls from one of the better Division Three teams. Gianna will be at the front of that rebuild, using the momentum from a massive personal best in the 1600m (5:45 to 5:32) at the State Finals.

Marisa Chuey, Trenton: A 19^th place at Wayne County showed her potential. Hitting the tape in second here confirmed it. She didn’t have the payoff the following week, but I know it’s lurking there.

Yoselin Fermin-Campos, Adrian: Home to massive step forward from 2020 to 2021. Subtracted 3.5 minutes from her best and qualified for State. She didn’t even qualify for Regionals as a freshman.