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MITS State Meet

There were plenty of results, stories, and successes from the past weekend.

To me, the biggest success was the LAB itself. In the week before, it appeared the meet would be a repeat of the Midwest Invite experience two weeks prior. Multiple event order changes within a day, entries open to the public, registration opened last minute. When the day came, the meet was efficient, events hummed one after another, and the performances flowed, matching the ease with which the meet ran.

I could write for days and there’s video of all the races, so I’ll speak off the cuff about efforts that I thought were meaningful.

The Track Life University and Motor City Track Club crews are mainstays. They’re always going to put up performances, and with the middle school portion included, you saw a bit of their development program. Hall, Jiles, Johnson, Lynch, they take these kids from their first 400m crying down the homestretch to high school, breaking 4:00 in the 4×4 and 1:40 in the 4×2, going to New York and Eugene and Texas to win countless national titles, then sending those kids off to the college and pro level.

But beyond those main two, other clubs shined. Blazers, Michigan Mustangs, Elite Performance, Michigan Accelerators. Detroit might be the capital of the Michigan sprint world, but there are other pockets of the state producing high-level runners.

One of those was Evan Knox. In his outdoor career, Evan has performed well, but is essentially an unknown. He did finish 2nd in the 100m at the Oakland County Championships, but was unable to crack the final at D1 State in that event. He didn’t even qualify for State in the 200m. This weekend, he won 4 of his 5 individual heats, claiming a 100m victory in the process.

Cementing her place as the 800 Queen of Michigan, Lani Bloom took home yet another title. She’s really rounded out her resume in the final seasons of her career. She captured her first outdoor titles in 2021’s D3 800 and 1600, broke 17:00 in a trip out to Oregon, doubled down on that 5k success in November, then moved back to the half in a victory here.

Second in that race was a girl I was elated to see finally win one. Early in both her junior cross and track seasons, it appeared Julia Flynn was on track to win a title. Sub-17 at Shepherd, 10:06 in the Elite 3200m? Those were some damn good times, but it didn’t pay off. It’s not my place to speculate why, but one must feel for the girl. Things have been looking up on the championship front for Julia. A 6th place finish at Kenosha led to a trip to EastBay Finals. Sunday, she took control of the race from the jump, coming through 800 in 2:18, opening up a considerable lead that was never closed to relinquished. A little jump for joy after crossing the line signified her excitement and relief.

And anyone that knows me, knows that I’m a sucker for improvement. As of this time last year, Shawn Juliette owned PB’s of 2:24/5:08. Through the middle of the outdoor season, he wasn’t even the best 800m runner in Livonia. At Larry Steeb, he had a breakthrough, breaking 2:00 for the first time. A base built through his first fall XC campaign paved the way for another breakthrough, this time during indoor. He was paced to a 1:56 a few weeks back with help from some friends from Johannesburg-Lewiston. Sunday, he took it from the jump, leading wire to wire enroute to another 1:56. As I said on Twitter, it’s The Skroll Effect. I’m not joking with the hashtags though, when you have a coach with championship experience of her own, there’s no way it won’t pay off to her athletes.

All of these were great individual efforts. The dominant club on the distance side was the Up North Elite Track Club. The results speak for themselves. Victories in both DMRs, the Boys 4×800. A sub-9 from Hunter Jones in the 3200m. A medal in the 1600m from Allison Chmielewski (who also had the kick of the weekend in the DMR).

I’m just a city boy. I can walk to the bank, post office, party store, coney island. Conveniences are just a step away, so were running partners. Meet up for a run? Yeah, I’ll just run to Dave’s house and we’ll go from there. I couldn’t imagine living in Roscommon, Buckley, or Manton. Weight room? Yeah, we had that in the school. Treadmills? Community center is four blocks away. Can’t find a clear path? Lower Huron, Stony, Kensington are all paved, plowed, and salted. Need to run inside? Ultimate Soccer can be rented out.

For us suburbanites, reality is set up well for distance running. In the upper reaches of the state, the reality is much different. Another runner of your stature might be an hour away. Your only stretch of clean pavement might be a busy highway. The resources might not be there, but the toughness is so very apparent. That toughness has showed in the past through legends of our sport, Ryan Shay, Jeff Drenth, Paul McMullen. It shows today through future legends. It shows in the coaches creating communities, Brendan Marcum, Asa Kelly, Doug Drenth, Lisa Taylor, Pete Moss, Matt Peterson.

Trevor Thiebaut and I have found a little friendship throughout the past few years. It started a bit rough; I probably ranked Cadillac too low in that 2020 season. The passion is apparent in everything he does. Whether that’s teaching, coaching, building a cross country course, geocaching in the woods, or managing a meet, the guy brings it every time. It’s no shocker that he is a driving force behind this Northern Michigan renaissance. Given the coming out party this weekend, it’s only natural that I lobbed a few questions his way:

Tell us about the formation of the Up North Elite Track Club. When did this become an idea and who were the brainchildren?

The Up North Elite track club started when Asa Kelly and I wanted to give kids a couple familiar faces when they go to indoor meets. The idea actually started two years ago, but it didn’t get off the ground much due to COVID and some other different factors. However, this year, we went full force with the club.

The kids had more than just a familiar face going to these indoor meets, they built great friendships and had training partners throughout the winter. The kids would meet all over northern Michigan to train together. They would meet in Cadillac, Beulah, Manton, Buckley, Roscommon, and all over just to run and train with each other. Often times on a weekly basis, we would carpool to Grand Valley and CMU to use their indoor track for workouts, each 3-4 hour roundtrips.

Being small school, northern Michigan kids, we don’t have a lot of the resources that these large schools down state have. The majority of these kids train by themselves on a yearly basis. We have to drive well over an hour for the nearest indoor track. None of our schools have pools or fitness rooms with 10 treadmills in them. We have to make it work.

This track club gave these kids, that are usually doing everything solo, a group to work with and enjoy. They would train, have breakfast after runs at the Kelly’s house, get Chinese buffet after workouts, and simply just hangout. It truly was life changing for a lot of these kids.

Paul McMullen was a major mentor to you during your formative years. How has his message influenced your coaching?

Paul meant the world to me and not a day goes by that I don’t think of him. He influenced my life a ton in countless different ways.

It’s hard to pick which message has influenced me the most because he had so many, but there is one that sticks out the most. Paul always said, “Today I gave all I had, what I kept is lost forever.” That quote goes very hand in hand with being an athlete. Giving all you had in races, giving all you had in training, and things along those lines. However, I also think it can apply to coaching. Asking specific questions like, “Did I give all I had to make sure my kid had the best race plan possible?” “Did I give all I had to make sure their training fit them the best on an individual basis?” “Did I give all I had to make sure everything was right for them on race day?” “Did I make sure the kids had fun today at practice?”

I often find myself making sure every single box is checked 10 times over for every individual kid on my teams; it gets extremely time consuming and stressful, but I want them to have the best experience possible. Paul always said that the training plans and workouts are nothing if the kid doesn’t trust you and think you care about them. The kids will run through a wall for you and go to war for you if you show them you care. That’s why I always come back to the question that links to Paul’s message: “Did I give everything I had today?”

What are your plans for the club in the future?

Coach Kelly and I are definitely going to keep it rolling! Future plans for the squad are to continue it for years to come and hopefully expand it. Not just in indoor season, but summer training as well. Give these kids a group of like-minded individuals so they can continue to push each other beyond their limits and build friendships.

Moving forward this season, we have a good chunk of kids going to NYC to compete at New Balance Nationals or Nike Nationals in a couple weeks.

Watch out for the kids come outdoor season, they’re hungry and are bound to run fast.

In the midst of your coaching and teaching, you also have some personal goals in the sport. What’s on the schedule in the near future and in years to come?

After Paul passed, I made a goal to get back into competitive running shape to race in his honor.

The next race is on March 20th in Bay City for their St Patrick’s 8k. I’ll have a couple outdoor track races at GVSU and MSU, I’ll do the Bayshore Half Marathon Memorial Day weekend, some road races over the summer like the Crim, then Detroit Marathon in October. Should be fun!

College Conference Championships

In last week’s writing, I looked to a few matchups and athletes to watch from each conference. Let’s see how they performed:

Miles Brown won his initial heat in the 600m prelims, then in the final, came back and laid down a nearly impossible mark to beat, a 1:15.87. Nearly impossible left room for a Hawkeye to sneak through, Jenoah McKiver besting Brown by 0.2 seconds. I believe Brown is training more with the 800m group at Michigan and this isn’t an exact comparison, but McKiver has run 45.4 indoors. I wish this was a single section final so we could have seen the two go head to head.

The Michigan mid-distance contingent as a whole performed well in their battle against Iowa. Dubem Amene set a Michigan record in the 400m prelims (46.34), then doubled down on that record in the final, scorching a 46.04 and 2nd place. Cole Johnson finished 3rd in the 800m, and while not a PB, it was his highest place in a Big Ten Championship. But the Iowa depth was too much, as the Hawkeyes captured their third straight indoor crown.

Jenna Magness did go head-to-head against Bethany Hasz. In Friday evening’s 3k, Hasz and Magness battled down the stretch, with Hasz leaning to an ever so slight victory, a victory nonetheless. Magness left no doubt in Saturday’s matchup, winning by 13 seconds.

Dennis Mbuta was able to join Jonathon Groendyk as a qualifier for D2 Nationals. They’ll need points here to complement the strength of Harding, Chada, and Futter. The GLIAC 800m race was a two team showdown between the Lakers and Northwood, with representatives from each school grabbing the first six spots.

Makayla Sumrall and Alona Olshevska sadly missed each other in competition, but that just left more titles for each. Olshevska took home the 200m and 400m titles, Sumrall the 60m.

With over 80% of the GLIAC schools based in Michigan, we’re a sure bet to take home many of their honors, but that doesn’t make the honors any less notable. Klaudia O’Malley and Isaac Harding were named Athletes of the Year. Reagan Justice and Brandon Miller were named Freshman Athletes of the Meet.

Spurred by their highest finish since 1985, the coaches over at Northwood was named GLIAC Staff of the Year. David Hodge, Collin Nurenburg, Heather Johnson, Marcus Myers, and Jeremy Wilk all combined for the honors and I’m glad it’s the staff being honored rather than one coach. As we know, running a track program is a master course in logistics and communication.

Baldvin Magnusson came away victorious in the 1500, 3k, and 5k. Quite a letdown that he only finished 3rd in the 800. Even with that tremendous letdown, the Eagles rode his contributions on way to a team title.

Central Michigan was able to pick up a victory, with Hayley Manners taking home the long jump with a leap of 20’5”, ranking her in the top-40 in all of Division 1.

Placing 3rd in the mile with a 4:46, Anna Petr helped the Colorado State girls bring home a Mountain West title.

Gabby Hentemann (Grand Haven) nabbed two podium finishes at the Big Twelve Championships, placing 2nd in the 5k and 3rd in the 3k.

Commitment Watch 2022

Justin Miller (Fenton > GVSU)
Jessica Jarski (Warren Regina > Cornerstone)
Donavan Mattson (Caledonia > Michigan Tech)
Evan Knox (Bloomfield Hills > Delaware State)
Sophie Bonnema (Holland West Ottawa > MSU
Ty Nagy (White Lake Lakeland > Wayne State)
Eliot Ross (Belding > Trine)
Easton Williams (Milford > GVSU)
Noah Reuter-Gushow (Midland Dow > GVSU)
Tristin Canales (Otsego > Colorado Mesa), joining his Otsego teammate, Chase Brown.
Jack Brass (Romeo > Lawrence Tech)
Will Houvener (Lake Orion > Adrian)
Brian Langlois (Ionia > Aquinas)
Nick Knust (Croswell-Lexington > SC4)

In the Media

Port Huron area athletes were featured in a Blue Water Healthy Living article about the MITS State Meet. I adored Reese Powers and Hannah Fisher’s attitude toward competing on a relay team at the state level. The two have been at the forefront for Marysville throughout the past four years, but haven’t necessarily been afforded the opportunity to compete against some of the bigger, more established schools. Each week, the girls have been making the hour+ trek to practice with the Breen squad, and this weekend, were both integral parts of teams that medaled.

BVM Sports talked with Comari Hawkins in a lengthy piece about her commitment to Houston, her father’s influence, and the help of the Track Life crew. I had no clue her father played in the NFL and I think that’s a positive in her development. Rather than push her into sports, buoyed by the thought of carrying on his legacy, she exerts positive pressure on herself.

Being a huge basketball fan myself, it’s a pleasure seeing some of our cross country stars take to the hardwood. MLive wrote about Whitney Farrell, an All-State runner for Freeland, but also the PG of a team that’s had success year after year. It’s no surprise that her endurance earned on the course has translated to the court, as she’s turned into a tireless leader for the Falcons.

The Purple Track Club/Ann Arbor Pioneer girls were interviewed by Dyestat’s Doug Binder. I enjoyed hearing more about Emily Cooper’s backstory, the influence of Zofia Dudek, and how the disappointment of missing 2020’s track season led to their emergence of the past few years. Maybe I shouldn’t be impressed by this anymore, but I’m in awe of the outgoingness of these girls. Here’s the video, it appears that it’ll need a RunnerSpace+ subscription in order to view.

Other Happenin’s

Donavan Brazier had a tumultuous weekend that thankfully, ended well. A DQ in his 400m prelim was reversed, allowing him to finish 2nd in the 400m (45.75) and earn a spot heading to Belgrade.

The USATF 50k Championships were held this past weekend on Long Island. Two Michiganders placed high: Sam Skeels (Siena Heights soccer & track) was the top master and finished 6th overall, Rich Power won his 55-59 age group and finished 16th.

NAIA Nationals are being held this weekend in Brookings, South Dakota (South Dakota State’s massive indoor track). You can find the men’s qualifiers here and women’s here. Conveniently broken down by school, too!

The Hansons crew is headed in two different directions this weekend. A majority of the team is headed to race in Sound Running’s The Ten, hoping to get a US 10k qualifier in anticipation of that race in May. Zach Panning and Wilkerson Given are racing in Jacksonville at the Gate River Run, the USATF 15k Championship. The Gate River field is loaded, some names you may recognize include Hillary Bor, Morgan Pearson, Jake Riley, and Galen Rupp.

Welcome back for another week. I *think* we should be on the better side of the weather, at least here in Southeast Michigan. More sunlight, less snow, more 40+ degree days, all heading towards the pinnacle of the indoor track season.

I thought I’d write about a few matchups to look forward to over the weekend, but also try to cover others that have opened up their hearts to the internet.

If you’d like this sent to your inbox every Wednesday morning, subscribe here: https://michiganrunning.substack.com/

MITS Indoor State Meet

Benny Diaz vs. Tamaal Myers. East Side vs. West Side, I like this. But is Detroit really “East Side”? Detroit is just Detroit. This past weekend, Diaz went down to Kentucky and laid down a 7.86, good for #4 in the nation. Myers hasn’t lost a hurdle final since August, where he was able to receive AAU All-American honors. One of those wins was at the LAB Midwest meet, but I believe that was a re-run of a race where the results mysteriously vanished.

Track Life vs. the world. Anyone who follows any twitter drama knows of the tense relationship between Track Life and the LAB. Those Outer Drive girls are good enough without a chip on their shoulder. But with one? Expect to see Jackson, Burr, and the rest of their crew flying around that Ypsi track.

In part two of reaching out to athletes telling THEIR stories in THEIR words, Madison Osterberg of Jackson Lumen Christi was kind enough to let me ask her a few questions regarding her plans for the MITS Indoor State Meet and also her journey through the past year.

Last track season, you had a bout with covid, then came back stronger, finishing 3rd in the 1600. How were you able to experience so much growth in such a short time?

My indoor season last year had so much growth. My speed, mental strength, and love for the sport increased so much. Even though it didn’t show up as much in my indoor races, I believed that it was there and that I was capable of so much more. The most difficult thing about having covid was the mental side of it. It left me with an anxiety that isn’t constant anymore but almost always shows up pre-race. This always affected the event that I focused on the most. Last year going into the state meet, I believed that I had a shot at the individual title in the 800 and a team title in the 4×4.

There wasn’t much pressure on the 1600 because I didn’t even know if I’d be all state. I never would have guessed that I would run a 6 second personal best and place 3rd in that field with the hot conditions. I think overall I always have more than I know physically, but I’m still figuring out how to navigate the mental side of things. Last track season I had a lot of moments where I was just so grateful and happy to be running, which led to large personal bests and higher places than I thought possible.

In the elite mile at GVSU, you were able to set a mile PR. What have you been working on this winter?

Once I got into the elite mile, I wanted to start training like I belonged. During winter break, I was doing some of the hardest workouts I ever have. I’d finish them in disbelief that I was able to hit the right paces. After it was postponed a few weeks, I was definitely disappointed because I believed that I was in great shape. The disappointment was short lived as we soon ran a time trial and I, with the help of my teammates, ran a personal best of 5:06. This was a much-needed confidence booster. Both the time trial and the elite mile were pretty consistent, so I know I’ve improved a lot at pacing, which is something that I struggled with even in my best races last year. I think the improvements this indoor season primarily come from the consistency in workouts and the focusing on the small details while making sure to not overtrain. No matter how I’m feeling at a given moment, I’ve been really trying to trust God’s plan and trust the process.

Which events are you running at indoor state, and do you have any goals or expectations?

I’m planning on racing the 1600 at indoor state. I considered racing the 800, but a back injury caused me to sit out my last couple of opportunities to qualify. The goal is definitely to go sub-5 in the 1600. I believe that I am capable of it and I know it depends on how I go into it mentally. No matter the outcome, I’m thanking God for the opportunity to compete and for quick healing from my injury. I was able to compete at indoor state last year and had such a blast, so I am just excited to be competing.

If it appears that I favor those Lumen Christi girls, it’s true, I do. The back and forth, they support what I do, I can’t help but support what they do. Thank you, Faith and Madi.

Big Ten

Michigan’s mid-D crew vs. Iowa. Checking the meet schedule, it seems impossible that any combo of the 400/600/800 double can be performed.  The Hawkeyes currently own three of the top five times in both the 400m and 600m, Michigan has a range of performers from 400m specialists (Dubem Amene), 800m specialists (Cole Johnson), and Miles Brown, exceptional at both the 600m and 800m.  How the Wolverines split up their trio could help out teams such as MSU and Nebraska in an upset over the #9 ranked Hawkeyes.

Jenna Magness vs. the Hasz sisters. Neither of the three have raced much or matched up this indoor season, but Bethany had the upper hand in NCAA Cross, and Megan in Big Ten Cross. Magness comes in with the fastest 5k time and is seeded 3rd in the 3k (though her 9:05 was run on a 200m track).

Of course there’s also Aurora Rynda and a possible matchup with Alison Johnson and the same for Beadlescomb vs. Hacker. We’re really well covered with our Big Ten schools in both genders/all aspects of the distance events.

GLIAC

Grand Valley’s 800m men vs. NCAA qualifying. Grand Valley harbors hopes of an indoor crown, a necessary addition to their score will be some points in the 800. As of now, John Groendyk is a lock, but they may need a few more qualifiers. Scott Spaanstra and Dennis Mbuta have both run sub-1:50 in the past, they’ll need to be in that range to compete in two weeks.

Makayla Sumrall vs. Alona Olshevska. Last week, both had a knock down, drag out battle in the 60m, Sumrall prevailing in a time of 7.48. The Roseville grad has turnt it up this winter, with victories at the SVSU Classic, Mike Lints, and the GVSU tune up. Olshevska was recently named GLIAC Athlete of the Week for her all-around prowess. She holds the top marks in both the 200m and 400m, along with her #2 spot in the 60m.

MAC

How many events can Baldvin Magnusson win? He holds the top times in the MAC in the mile through 5k, with quite considerable margins in each event.

Can Western or Central pick up a victory? Hayley Manners, Mohogany Wells, and Grace Johnson are all ranked in the top 5 in their respective events.

MIAA

Will Adrian’s Derek Plitt pull off victories in the 60/200 double?  He was able to capture the 200 crown last February and was All-American in that same event in both indoor and outdoor.

Does the title stay in Holland? Hope College is buoyed by the efforts of Grace Behrends and Ana Tucker, two racking up points that set up the Flying Dutch as prohibitive favorites.

WHAC

The WHAC Championships were held this past weekend at Aquinas. Unfortunately, the evil Indiana Tech took home the trophy on both the men’s and women’s sides. Michigan executed a fairly clean sweep of the distance events, but that’s often not enough on the track, Ind Tech’s clear domination of the jumps and sprints were the deciding factors. I have to call out the distance event winners – Cornerstone’s Colten Covington, Cammie McConnell, Anna Martin, and Luke Pohl. While Cornerstone took home their share of the longer events, Aquinas did their part in the mid-distance area, with Clayton Jones, Grace Sweet, and Caleb Hodgkinson. I was also impressed with Lawrence Tech’s Jackie Albo finishing 3rd in the 800. It seems as if Coach Tate is building a winning program. People might scoff at the thought of Lawrence Tech at the front, but the guy has won at every stop he’s coached.

I love that this is a regularly occurring feature, College Choices

I’m not sure if it was the mid-winter break or a conscious decision for everyone to announce during early February, but I saw less commitments compared to previous weeks. Paying more attention to the intersection of art and sport, I did take notice of Ian Thompson’s pledge to MSU, very well done.  Other ones that caught my eye were:

Lauren Sancrant (Temperance Bedford > Western Michigan)
Aubrey Migoski (Wyandotte Roosevelt > Wayne State)
Jimmy Peabody (Ionia > Aquinas)

Spreading Their Message

• Over the past few months, Maggie Farrell (Battle Creek Lakeview, Michigan State) has been guest blogging for Running in Silence. For those unaware, Running In Silence is a non-profit, founded by Rachael Steil, focused on raising awareness towards disordered eating. Rachael has written for various running magazines, authored her own book, and speaks to many local athletes about her story. I can’t help but think that one person sharing their struggles empowered others to share theirs.In three blog posts, Maggie has shared her own experiences with eating disorders, going back as far as elementary school, extending into her collegiate running. She embarked on a mission to run the Austin Marathon and in the process, raise money for Running In Silence. According to her latest Instagram post, $3600 has been raised, which will pay for 4 eating disorder awareness and prevention presentations. But the gofundme is still up, so I’m sure they won’t turn away your donation! You can read Maggie’s posts on the Running In Silence website and donate here.

• In a blog post for The Trek (basically the hiking equivalent to MIXCSR… I kid) Chris Taylor (Bloomingdale) announced their intentions to hike the Appalachian Trail. As someone who adores hiking, paths, maps, the woods and mountains, I’m extremely jealous. Embarking on such an endeavor comes from a different place for everyone, for some wanderlust, for others searching for a deeper meaning. Chris writes a deep dive into the why and I look forward to future writings.

• Through Sara Kroll’s twitter responses and his own astounding results, Morgan Beadlescomb appeared on last week’s Citius Mag podcast. I appreciated how candid he was. I think many people go on these podcasts and are shy about details – rightfully so, it’s a huge stage and opening up to the nation is daunting. But Morgan was open with what he’s expecting from NCAA’s and his strategy going into the final lap in Chicago. Also, one must have appreciation for him wanting to bring a title home with his teammates as well.

Anything Else?

• Quite incredible the depth of distance running in this state, Gazelle’s Elite 3200 another point of evidence. Rachel Forsyth, Riley Hough, and Arianne Olson all raced to the top-10 all-time. What sticks out to me are those that will be in All-State contention, but aren’t yet national class. Frens 10:32, Williams 9:08, Sarah Forsyth 10:27, Venhuizen 9:12. All of which are faster than they were during outdoor 2021, with three months less of training effect.Indoors, from 2015-2019, there were on average 9 boys sub-9:30 and 12 girls sub-11:00. This year, before we’ve even had all parties meet at State, we’re at 14 boys and 17 girls under those marks. I know super shoes exist, but we’re already so far ahead of schedule.

• Anavia Battle (Wayne Memorial) was named National Athlete of the Week by the USTFCCCA. Battle has been steadily decreasing time in her 200m performances, running 22.49 this past week. If you recall, she competed for the US in last year’s Olympics. At this point last season, her season best was 22.88, so look for her to battle with Abby Steiner in the coming weeks and also be a factor come US Championships.

• It was cited in the podcast that Michigan State would travel down to Notre Dame to get a qualifier for NCAA. At the Alex Wilson Invite this past weekend, the Spartan squad ran 9:26, which currently places them 13th, likely on the outside looking in. But we did have a Michigan squad stand out with their performance. Nick Foster, Dubem Amene, Miles Brown, and Cole Johnson will be representing the state in the DMR come nationals.

• I’ve gotta give a shoutout to Amber Gall. The Shepherd grad has had a few setbacks since stepping foot in Ann Arbor, among which, a hip fracture that occurred at this point last year. Her 2:10 from the Alex Wilson Invite isn’t close to her personal best, but I imagine it was one of her more satisfying performances.

I’m putting this out today, because I can! Perks of being your own boss.

You never know what someone is going through. Heck, I’m writing this to you from the hospital. As a few of you are aware, my mother has been experiencing a multitude of hardships. Stage 4 cancer, a rare case of vasculitis, culminating Monday with a fall in the house. Luckily, nothing was broken, her symptoms seem to be getting back under control, but it’s still traumatizing. But anyhow, you don’t know what someone’s going through. Writing, calculating the ratings and rankings, following the sport, running, all are forms of therapy for myself. I can understand criticism if I ever hurt or offend someone. I don’t understand criticism that I’m not providing enough free coverage. If you’d like for me to tell someone’s story, contact me throughout the week so I can write about it in the following newsletter.

Other people might be going through difficulties as well. They could be your competitors, they could be meet managers, coaches, you name it. I know this was a tough weekend for many at the LAB, but let’s practice some empathy (this goes for me as well). There’s no need for yelling at kids, coaches, or meet officials. At their heart, everyone in this sport is a good person. The LAB is providing ample opportunities for athletes, coaches are kickstarting a love for the sport, and you know how I feel about the athletes.

Charlie Newburry (Mendon, Spring Arbor) asked me to share his story. He penned an Instagram post detailing his and his loved ones struggles with mental health. If you need to reach out, he’s a helpful ear.

For some good personal news, I bought a new car. This should allow me to travel to more meets, as no one wants car trouble 2 hours away from home. Come spring, if you have a meet on a Tuesday or Saturday, I’d love to come spectate, and if you need help, volunteer. Note to the high schoolers reading this, take care of your engines! If you don’t, you won’t have confidence to drive far away. And you won’t have confidence to push your body engine when you’re redlining it with a few laps left. I’ve also been playing around in Adobe Illustrator. The purpose is to use Adobe Maps to create some graphics for our store group runs and also produce a few logos for the site. If I’m satisfied with my work, I might move into creating similar maps for cross country courses.

Records and Marks, Far and Wide

Many of the collegiate runners I’ve mentioned have been those competing at Michigan schools. This week, I thought I’d give mention to a few that are from Michigan, but competing elsewhere:

With her 9:21 in the 3000m at the Iowa State Classic, Lindsey Peters (Caledonia, Air Force) hit the #4 mark all-time for the Falcons.  For those unaware, Lindsey had to sit out her senior year of cross, recovering from hip surgery. Her 2021 track season made up for that lost time, as she was able to finish 3rd in the D1 1600m and 2nd in the D1 800m. That improvement looks to have continued, converted to 3200m this is 10:03. Her previous best, 10:37. Is it the altitude in Colorado Springs or the altitude flying high in the air? Either way, it’s working.

West siders must like that track in Ames, as Colorado State’s Anna Petr (East Grand Rapids) sped to a 4:42.56 mile. The time is ranked #2 in Colorado State history, and once again is a significant drop from her high school days. Anna missed out on her 2020 outdoor season and didn’t compete much for Wisconsin last year. Still, her outdoor personal best in the 1600m was 4:56 and this is a considerable descent.

Gabby Hentemann has continually impressed, year after year. Post-HS, I thought she’d be in the mix in college mid-distance races. After all, she ran 2:08 for Grand Haven, quick enough to capture the 2019 D1 state title. As a Poke, she’s moved up to the 5k and this weekend, shattered both the 16:00 mark and their school record. Her 15:45 is ranked 20th in Division 1 this season.

Dakota Ames (Mendon) and Alex Darnell (Napoleon) were two contributors of the winning 4×800 team at NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) Indoor Nationals. Alex split 2:04, handing off to Dakota, who laid down a 2:03 anchor in the Lancers victory.

I screenshotted every record/result that caught my eye over the weekend and I’ll try to give a quick rundown of the more Michigan-based ones I saw. There’s a 100% chance I’ll miss/forget someone, but that’s a result of the many outstanding performances. I’d much rather have that than the opposite.

Again, Northwood showed out in the face of adversity. Instead of being re-routed on the way to Grand Valley, their bus broke down on the trip. Their kids weren’t much affected, in the 5k Zane Aldrich, Brandon Boyd, Carson Laney, and Andrew Wendler all hit top-10 marks in school history, Josh Jones continued to drop time in the 800m, and Dillan Haviland picked up GLIAC Athlete of the Week.

At the Big Meet, Klaudia O’Malley ripped a 4:44.97 mile, grabbing the 2nd fastest time in D2. She was also a part of their nation-leading DMR, which ran a 11:31, good enough for the D2 lead.

If thrust into the D2 meet, Ann Arbor Pioneer would be a contender for that DMR title. Over in the Saginaw Valley, their squad of Sarah and Rachel Forsyth, Cookie Baugh, and Emily Cooper destroyed the previous state record, with a time of 11:21.95. Hell, they even destroyed the previous national record.

It’s another difference in levels, but Morgan Beadlescomb showed he belongs with the big name pros. In anticipation of Valentine’s Day, his penultimate lap surge nearly broke the hearts of all those rooting for Hocker and Teare. It wasn’t meant to be, though his 3:52.03 shocked everyone and sets up for a highly anticipated matchup with the Goose in a few weeks.

The Gately Park track was the host of a few other outstanding marks. I’d prefer to spread my coverage to everyone and not repeat myself, but Aurora Rynda keeps deserving mention. Her 1:27.05 600m set a Canadian Record, Big Ten Record, and is now the World Lead. In the 800m Miles Brown and Cole Johnson etched their names in Michigan history. Brown set the indoor school record with a 1:47.37, Johnson worked his way into the 3rd spot with a 1:47.51. Nick Foster and Oli Raimond broke the vaunted 4:00 mile.

We had a few pros race in Chicago. Natosha Rogers led from the gun on the way to a 15:20. Zach Panning took over with 3k to go, split 32 after 32 on way to a 13:36 PB. The goal was to work around 10k pace then drop it down during the final few laps, and it seems that was accomplished.

Grant Fisher shares traits with so many here. His initial sub-4 foray was indoors, like Foster and Raimond. When at Stanford, he raced and hung with the pros at 2019 Millrose, similar to Beadlescomb. And like Hentemann, realized he didn’t have world-class mid-distance speed, moving up in distance to the 5k/10k. Grant set the American Indoor 5k record with a 12:53.73.

The Beat Goes On…

Those signings just don’t stop.

Noah Morrow (Manton > MSU). He’s a serious candidate to get added to the sub-9 club this spring.
Gabrielle Jones (Macomb Dakota > Northwood)
Molly Kline (Almont > Lawrence Tech)
Beth Baldwin (Croswell-Lexington > Saint Clair CC)
Matt Hoop (Jackson Lumen Christi > Trine)
Samari Finney (Warren Mott > Oakland)
Connor Kreger and Cam Land (St. Clair HS/St. Clair CC > Rochester University)
Ava Arnes (Davison > Adrian)
Ally Hawk (Davison > Indiana Wesleyan)
Madison Clark (Davison > Detroit Mercy)
Kylie Brown (Kent City > Spring Arbor)
Vivian Williams (Detroit Country Day > Northwood)
Allison Stowe (Salem > Madonna)
Jennie Line (Northville > Michigan). What a crew they’ve assembled thus far.
Clara Losey (Royal Oak Shrine > Siena Heights). Good to know the Royal Oak and Siena connection lives on.
Jason Grose (West Bloomfield > UM-Dearborn). Many of you might know Jason’s grandfather, Glenn Craze. Glenn’s coverage of Macomb County cross country and involvement with the sport is an inspiration.

MITS Announcements

There’s been a slew of positive announcements from the crew at MITS. In coordination with the LAB, they were able to secure a mini Middle School Indoor Championship. Events included are the 100m, 400m, and 1600m. In honor of Charles Janke, they’ve also created $500 scholarships, awarded to one senior girl and one senior boy. As we come to the conclusion of another indoor season, it’s worth mentioning that MITS volunteers their services for free. It’s rough being a middleman, but Gene Lebron and the Juraseks keep coming back, year after year. If you’d like to apply for the scholarship they’ve created, click HERE.

Anything Else?

Apparently Mike Andersen was not satisfied with being inducted into the Milford Sports Hall of Fame, he had to go out and win the Super Bowl 5k.

Byron Center coach Colin Hunter previewed the OK White distance scene in a blog post here.

Jacob Tanner listed a number of breakout stars during this indoor season.