I have to apologize to Mallory, I had no clue she’d have the impact she did in her freshman year
With only one 8th grade cross race (that I didn’t factor into my rankings), I had completely missed her in any pre-season writings last summer
And yep, she completely made her presence known
In times, a few sub-18:30 efforts, both in championship meets
On tougher courses and tougher days, she was right in the thick of competition, placing top-5 at both Oakland County and Regionals
Her spring season didn’t have the same state honors, even then, she did knock 17 seconds off her 3200m best, dropping down to 11:13
Oxford’s girls will be a force in the coming years, watch for Mallory to lead them to a trophy or three
Grade
Name
Time
Rating
Meet
Course
Date
9
Mallory Bigelow
15:03.7
137.4
Golden Grizzly
Oakland University
3-Sep
9
Mallory Bigelow
18:45.5
146.2
Muskrat Classic
Algonac HS
11-Sep
9
Mallory Bigelow
19:32.0
145.3
OAA Red 1
Lake Orion HS
14-Sep
9
Mallory Bigelow
19:49.5
137.8
Cleverley Friday Night
Anchor Bay HS
24-Sep
9
Mallory Bigelow
19:31.1
129.0
OAA Red 2
Bloomer Park
30-Sep
9
Mallory Bigelow
19:31.2
142.6
Oakland County
Possum Hollow
9-Oct
9
Mallory Bigelow
18:23.1
140.6
OAA Red 3
Clintonwood Park
21-Oct
9
Mallory Bigelow
20:24.1
138.0
9 Anchor Bay
Anchor Bay HS
29-Oct
9
Mallory Bigelow
18:24.5
148.8
D1 State
MIS
6-Nov
9
Mallory Bigelow
18:53.0
140.0
MMOC
Shepherd HS
13-Nov
One may wonder how he’s on here with the cross times presented, well I’m about to show you one of three track seasons (I think you can guess one) that were polar opposites from cross country
During both indoor and outdoor, Ethan was a presence on the state scene
Indoor, he placed at MITS in the 3200m, and his 4:22 at the same meet was damn respectable as well
Outdoor, especially in the OAA, is a grind, there are no meets off
But at the end of it all, he was as strong as ever, maybe not in times, but definitely experienced in hanging in a race, qualifying for State and placing high in the OAA Red/White 1600m & 3200m
Ethan’s cross season started out with hope for late-season success, but anemia’s wrath took its toll and ravaged any chance at improvement throughout the fall
Let that be a reminder to get your iron checked, be proactive on that, you don’t want to be in mid-October wondering why your times aren’t coming and you’re dead legged, so late in the season with hardly a chance to recover. Find a way to get it done before the season and early in the season
These ups and downs during his junior year ignore how far he’s come, as a freshman, he had a tough time breaking 20:00, every second to get to this point has been worked for
And with that said, god willing and the creek don’t rise, he’ll be on more podiums this next year
Now we’re getting to the fun part! In previous years, what I’ve done is list the top teams, top individuals. Prior to last summer, I’d write and write and write, then never finish my writings before the season started. In 2021, I made the decision to just list the top teams and not add any creative input. I’m going to bridge that gap this year. The best of the best are covered in the 50 Tickets, the fastest runners on the best teams will be covered in their Top 10s. In these previews, I want to write just a tiny bit about everyone else. Maybe it’s only a sentence, but y’all deserve even the tiniest bit of recognition.
These projections include incoming freshmen. This is a necessary step in the previews, however there are some unknown areas. Many of the schools in this region have identifiable feeder schools, but I’ll always miss someone that didn’t run 8th grade XC or add someone that ran 8th grade XC and won’t run in HS. There’s really no other way to do it other than make it a guessing game or to ask every coach individually, which would take years. As always, if you’re reading here, have an upcoming region with an odd case, reach out!
Where: Allendale HS
Primarily flat with a few bumps in the back section. Wide open, solid footing, easy for spectators. A waterlogged mess for everyone else, last year’s regionals ran fast in comparison. Expect some personal bests as Grand Rapids area athletes are known to do as the season ends.
2021 Boys: The Potter’s House (12th), Muskegon Western Michigan Christian (14th), Gobles (13th)
2021 Girls: Muskegon Western Michigan Christian (1st), St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic (23rd), The Potter’s House (15th)
Top 25 Boys Teams: The Potter’s House (Top Ten), Three Oaks River Valley (Top 10), St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic (19)
Top 25 Girls Teams: The Potter’s House (14th), St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic (21st), Holland Calvary Christian (22nd)
Just a little rundown of those in the top-15 that haven’t been mentioned in the 50 Tickets (Lezawe), the Top Tens (Potter’s House, River Valley), and aren’t freshmen. Many of these are just scouring athleticnet (note – if you have a kid you want to brag about, reach out, tell me their story), but it’s more attention paid than many publications, it helps me learn names, and most of all – GETS ATTENTION TOWARDS KIDS THAT DESERVE IT.
Owen McLoughlin, St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic: Huge change between his freshman and sophomore campaigns. 2020 season ended at State, but above 20:00. 2021 season ended at State and under 18:00.
Matthew Lage, St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic: 10th grade year contained his first result under 18:00, a 17:51 here where he nabbed the 8th spot.
Ryan Blankenship, Eau Claire: Gradual progress marked Ryan’s freshman year. He qualified out of Region 32 and then ran a personal best at State.
Gavin Hancox, Gobles: Valuable third man on Gobles’ state qualifying squad last year, will be counted on to step up in the absence of Nile Devers and Alex Austin.
Caleb Oudbier, Tri-Unity Christian: Didn’t have his best race at last year’s regional, but still was able to attain a sub-19 as a freshman.
Edward Lopez, Eau Claire: Edward must have loved that sweet return to MIS. He qualified as a freshman, placed 20th in his regional as a sophomore, then made a return voyage this past fall.
Ivy Andreas, The Potter’s House: I have no doubt that Ivy loves this course. She sped to a personal best in early October then placed 2nd at Regionals.
Hannah Geaney, The Potter’s House: Steady results in increasingly more important meets led to medals for Hannah. Alliance Conference, Regionals, and State were all between 21:10 and 21:20.
Allison Glendening, St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic: Huge close to track season, a 12:07 to place 11th at D4 State. Could possibly lead to massive improvement from her 20:22 best.
Tatum Dykstra, Fruitport Calvary Christian: Her sophomore campaign to repeat as All-State was cut short early. She was Pre-Regional Champ and 17th at D4 State as a freshman.
Aliz Pusztai, Libertas Christian: After hovering in the 22-23:00 range throughout September, pieced together quite a kick, with four consecutive sub-22 races.
Brielle Voorhees, Tri-Unity Christian: Crashed the medal party at both Alliance Conference and this region, nearly broke 21:00 in her first trek to Brooklyn.
Ava Wilson, Fruitport Calvary Christian: Found a home in the 800m this spring, her 2:36 placed her 4th in the Alliance Conference.
Vanessa Peltoniemi, Holton: Always in awe of those who put it together when everything’s on the line. In 12 of her 13 races before Regionals, she broke 22:00 once. At Allendale, a 21:38 that helped her move onto her second consecutive State Meet.
Abby Kunkle, Libertas Christian: Although Abby missed out on running in November, she still showed progress from year to year. Her 22:37 at Saranac’s Color Run was a minute faster than the previous year and a personal best.
Aubrey Goyings, Holton: Aubrey shared a similar path to Vanessa, but actually one-upped her. Regional performance was a personal best by 74 seconds.
Elliana Young, Martin: Placed 9th here as a freshman.
Michigan XC Speed Ratings 