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: The traditional home on the shores of Lake Huron, Wagener County Park. I haven’t been out there, but I’ve been to county parks near the water in the area, they’re all flat unless you’re going down to the lake. Last year, the adjustments tended to rate the course as very fast, +30 or more.
Once again, we have a course map with great detail:
(As stated earlier, the shoutouts and anecdotes here will be anyone in the Top 15 isn’t on a top 10 team. Top incoming freshmen will get their due at the end of summer or throughout their career 🙂 )
Ethan Green – The defending regional champ. Ran a PB here, breaking 17:00, then went onto win another regional title in the 3200m in track.
Aiden Fitchett – Two years, two top-10 regional finishes. Peaked hard to close the season, two straight sub-18’s. Then did the same in track, running a 4+ sec. PB at State.
Connor Rouse – Don’t be fooled if he starts the season slow. Each of the past two years, he’s been above 19:00 throughout much of September, but like Fitchett, always in the top-10 come late October.
John Schoen – Went from 30th here in 2020 to 7th in 2021, knocked more than a minute off his best too. Trajectory continued into track, where he placed 10th in the 800m at D4 State.
Colin Beck – As a freshman, stepped onto Deckerville’s varsity squad with 6 sub-19:00 efforts.
Gavin Helgeson – Similar story to Schoen, improving from 31st to 11th in one year.
Kendall Dumaw – Has broken 18:00 late in each of the past two years.
Wynn Blake – Brown City moves down from Division 3 this year. No matter, Wynn has championship experience with two consecutive qualifiers. He’s an excellent vaulter too, getting higher than 11’ both in 2021 and 2022.
Turlough Bennett – Freshman peaked at the right time, his first venture into the 18:00’s was a 18:41 here, backed up with a 10 sec. improvement the following week.
Joel Enos – Freshman year similar to many others above. Slow start culminating in a State Meet berth and a few mid-18’s.
Christopher Gonzales – Four minute improvement from the season’s start to the season’s end.
Devin Dudley – Ran the race of his life last year in Brooklyn, a 30+ second personal best.
Maze Gusa – The tradition continues. Ubly, the Gusa clan, and so many awards. Two consecutive regional titles and All-State honors.
Reece Wruble – We like the steady progression throughout her freshman campaign. Performed admirably at championship meets and almost pulled off an All-State (38th).
Sophia Sanford – None of those boys match the massive leap from Sophia. 52nd here as a sophomore, 8th as a junior.
Erica Klee – One of the bigger surprises in November, where she ran a 36 sec. personal best en route to a 29th place finish at MIS.
Kyra Beemer – Showed some mid-D prowess in track, where she ran multiple 2:30’s in the 800m, winning the GTC East League in the process.
Gabriella Reinbold – First season as a harrier for the Patriots was highlighted by a 2nd place finish here. Could be very underrated based on that finish.
Isabella Yeoman – Didn’t even make it to regionals as a freshman, stepped up as a sophomore with a 9th place result. Carried that momentum into track where she busted through 6:00 in the 1600m at season’s end.
Sarah Nimtz – Many years in the USA middle school program led to a freshman led to a freshman season where she was able to break 22:00 late and help the Patriots to a top-10 finish at State.
Shelby Bowers – Dropped a minute from her personal best and 30 places at Regionals.
A few weeks ago, I mentioned that these tickets should be thought of as a career achievement award, a celebration of sorts. Athletes such as Liliane are the reason why. She’s well-known in the metro Detroit area as a jack of all trades, a girl who can sprint, jump, and has endurance to boot. Prepping for State following her Region 8 victory in the pole vault, she tore her ACL. That tear won’t permit her to compete this fall, but she deserves mention here. I have a feeling those South Lyon East girls will band together in her absence and will be a force in the LVC and Oakland County scene.
Some say track record as a view of someone’s past, I think we should just retire the phrase in Lili’s honor
You can look back in time and see the seeds of greatness, a 5’1 jump in 8th grade to finish second at County, a 10’6 vault later that summer
Fast forward to this past season, she held top-100 marks in the State in the PV, HJ, 400m, and 1600m
One might be that accomplished, that focused toward a well-rounded track season that they’d take the fall off in prep for a grueling winter, spring, and summer – that is not the case
From her freshman year on, she’s been a leader for the East team
3rd at LVC all three years, state qualifier all three years, All-County all three years
In the future, I hope we can look back at this season on the sidelines and see it as a minor bump in the road, for a hard-wired athlete such as Lili, that hope is almost certain to come true
Grade
Name
Time
Rating
Meet
Course
Date
11
Liliane Aittama
19:44.8
136.1
Lamplighter
Ford Field
20-Aug
11
Liliane Aittama
19:42.6
131.1
A2 Early Bird
Huron Meadows
2-Sep
11
Liliane Aittama
18:49.1
146.6
Huron
Willow
18-Sep
11
Liliane Aittama
19:05.9
141.0
Jackson
Sharp Park
25-Sep
11
Liliane Aittama
19:28.7
143.4
Oakland County
Possum Hollow
9-Oct
11
Liliane Aittama
19:32.9
140.7
LVC Championship
Possum Hollow
21-Oct
11
Liliane Aittama
18:57.8
141.1
4 Meadows
Huron Meadows
29-Oct
11
Liliane Aittama
18:43.6
142.5
D1 State
MIS
6-Nov
Grade
Name
Rating
Meet
Course
Date
10
Liliane Aittama
135.0
Oakland County
Kensington
10-Oct
10
Liliane Aittama
136.0
PR 8
Huron Meadows
23-Oct
10
Liliane Aittama
135.3
D1 Reg 4
DeWitt HS
31-Oct
10
Liliane Aittama
139.4
D1 State
MIS
6-Nov
Grade
Name
Rating
Meet
Course
9
Liliane Aittama
146.9
A2 Fall Preview
Huron Meadows
9
Liliane Aittama
142.2
Tommy Titan
Cass Benton
9
Liliane Aittama
139.7
Spartan
Forest Akers
9
Liliane Aittama
132.3
Coaching Legends
Huron Meadows
9
Liliane Aittama
140.7
Oakland County
Kensington
9
Liliane Aittama
138.8
Gabriel Richard
Hudson Mills (South)
9
Liliane Aittama
133.7
Lakes Valley
Kensington
9
Liliane Aittama
133.6
4
DeWitt HS
9
Liliane Aittama
135.5
D1 State
MIS
With a generational talent such as Peter Baracco graduating, what are the Falcons to do?
Just kidding, when you’ve got a coach that gets the most out of his talent and a team that buys in, you get cases such as Eddie (and Gavin Steele, along with many others)
That buy in comes in earnest when you’re out of the game, as an IT band injury kept him from running throughout August and September, zero miles on the legs
And should explain the “slow” start, 17:00+ efforts in three of the four races before State, where he knocked an astounding 30 seconds off his season best
As a sophomore on the track in 2020, he established himself in the 1600m with multiple efforts in the 4:35-4:45 range
As a junior, he was able to double the distance at nearly the same speed, topping out with a 9:33 at Oakland County, good enough to grab the victory
Can you imagine what he’ll do on the cross course given a full buildup?
Michigan XC Speed Ratings 