Took awhile to get to this, but here we are.  August is always a busy time in running stores, COVID added a ton of walkers and runners, and with a few days off, I’ve finally found a bit of time to come up for air and post these. 

With the 50 Tickets and Top 10 Teams, I realized that much of the shoutouts and info was driven towards the absolute top teams and runners, so in these previews, I hope to give mention to not just the best of the best, but those on the cusp of greatness or those that have given a ton to the sport.

Top Teams

These are teams ranked in my top 25.  This encompasses all of D1 and is ranked as if there was a giant meet featuring all of the teams in the division.  Due to some strong regions, you’ll see teams that may not make it out, but still deserve mention. Featured athletes that have contributed, will contribute, or might be slept on. I tried to avoid projecting where the weak spots are, team strengths, as those will become apparent as the season wears on.

State Projections

You’ll notice these don’t match the top 25.  Based on the top 3 teams from regionals (and yes, I realize four teams can make it out of a region, but projecting that requires too many factors).  Certain teams who might have weaker depth will project better here than compared against the whole of D1. Shining example here of Caledonia and Brighton. Against all of D1, Brighton. Across the projected state field, Caledonia. Should be an exciting year!

Top Athletes

Those projected to be All-State.

Regional Breakdown

Hoping to show which regions are strong.  Top 27 teams refers to the whole of D1.  Ideally, they’d be split with 3’s across the board, but geography plays a major role, as does the boys/girls split.  I think MHSAA did a damn good job this year of mixing regional representation with competitive equity.  Top 100 Athletes is an attempt to showcase the individual depth of that region.

Dark Horses

Athletes that aren’t projected to be All-State, but have shown they have the potential to get there.  Either they haven’t run cross, underwent major transformation come track, switched schools, were inconsistent last fall, you name the factor.  Trying to find some diamonds that even the numbers can’t catch.

Girls run first this year, so…

GIRLS

TOP TEAMS

Ann Arbor Pioneer (Rank: 1)

Bay City Western (Rank: 17)

Ambria Nagel: Ambria had her first jaunt under 20:00 in cross, then really took off in track.  A 5:27 stands out, as does top-6 finishes in the 1600/3200m at SVL.

Brighton (Rank: 7)

Brownstown-Woodhaven (Rank: 6)

Canton (Rank: 24)

Cara Newman: The junior has been right in the top-10 at Region 6 for both her regional races.  Hit a personal best in her final 1600m of the spring, a 5:20 at Larry Steeb.

Clarkston (Rank: 13)

Ava Tereau: Ava outperformed her ranking in last year’s championship season.  9^th in Oakland County, 4^th at OAA Red, 24^th in D1.

Fenton (Rank: 19)

Taylor Huntoon: The senior improved her position at MIS by nearly 100 places, just missing an All-State spot at 35.  She excels in mid-distance in track, boasting PB’s of 60.3/2:20

Forest Hills Central (Rank: 11)

Peyton Ludwig: Shot down as far as 19:17 in cross, then reached further into her bag with a 5:19, which placed 6^th in the OK White.

Grand Blanc (Rank: 14)

Lydia Minzey: Entering her senior year, Lydia has experience of being reliable in late-season meets.  11^th in each of the past two years at Regionals.

Grand Haven (Rank: 8)

Holland West Ottawa (Rank: 3)

Hudsonville (Rank: 23)

Abby Martin: From 2019 to 2020, she dropped a minute+ off her previous best, getting down as far as 19:39.

Midland Dow (Rank: 9)

Northville (Rank: 18)

Gina Couyoumjian: So much dedication to the sport from this girl and we saw some real pay off this spring, where she hit 2:20 in the 800m.  Not as if she can’t move up to 5k, as she’s been sub-20 in all three years.

Okemos (Rank: 20)

Alex Beal: She’s slipped under 20:00 the past two years and has been a major factor in Okemos pulling off Regional upsets in both of those years.

Plymouth (Rank: 21)

Sarah Coyne: 800m star had an outstanding cross campaign too.  Dropped over a minute, finally landing at 19:31.  But the track is where we saw her true talent, 2:17/5:09.

Rockford (Rank: 10)

Romeo (Rank: 4)

Saline (Rank: 2)

South Lyon East (Rank: 25)

Liliane Aittama: Much appreciation to those who venture out into new events.  Distance running commonly zaps your fast-twitch, explosive fibers.  Liliane bucks that trend, a 5’5 high jumper.  Oh, she’s run sub-19:15 in both of her fall seasons.

St. Joseph (Rank: 15)

Riley Mullen: Riley recovered from a tough cross season to set down some serious times, 5:25 and 12:18.

Temperance Bedford (Rank: 22)

Ally Betkey: This 400 girl has broken 20:00 in both her freshman and sophomore years.  But she’s a supreme long sprint talent, her 59.1 placing 11^th in D1.

Traverse City Central (Rank: 5)

Traverse City West (Rank: 16)

Elliott Smith: Season in, season out, Elliott’s always a force for TC West.  She had her best individual season yet in track, where she ran as low as 2:22/5:06.

Walled Lake Northern (Rank: 12)

Mia Czarnowski: Her freshman year saw her race in the low-19’s multiple times, most notably at Oakland County (8^th) and Regionals (7^th).

STATE PROJECTIONS

Place	Team	Score
1	Ann Arbor Pioneer	131
2	Saline	133
3	Holland West Ottawa	146
4	Romeo	208
5	Traverse City Central	212
6	Brighton	250
7	Brownstown Woodhaven	256
8	Grand Haven	280
9	Midland Dow	299
10	Traverse City West	304
11	Grand Blanc	337
12	Forest Hills Central	341
13	Clarkston	354
14	Walled Lake Northern	363
15	Northville	388
16	St. Joseph	397
17	Plymouth	424
18	Rockford	436
19	Fenton	443
20	Okemos	455
21	South Lyon East	472
22	Canton	480
23	Jenison	488
24	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	560
25	Troy	569
26	Birmingham Seaholm	614
27	Royal Oak	715

TOP ATHLETES

Julia Flynn

Clara James-Heer

Rachel Forsyth

Arianne Olson

Jayden Harberts

Madison Foster

Lucy Cook: Competed for the RARA Road Runners last fall, so I was unsure which school she’d attend (and thus, no 50 Tickets).  But 5:17/11:22 in track, 17:25 at the River Bends 3 Mile (road, trail, grass).  Real candidate to be sub-18.

Selma Anderson

Jennie Line

Cookie Baugh

Helen Sachs

Lola Thomas

Lauren Kiley

Allie Arnsman

Ava King

Allison Cornell

Madison Clor

Katie Carothers

Lisa Luecke

Sienna Snyder

Anna Delgado

Madi Szymanski

Sarah Forsyth

Lydia Alig

Sophia Thomas

Emily Reeves

Ella Kirkwood: She’s just solid all around.  11:37, 2:20 representing both sides of the spectrum.  A 19:06 at Regionals netted her a 14^th place and helped TC Central advance to another State Meet.

Alexandra Brigham: Clarkston always peaks well and Alexandra was no exception in 2020.  Broke into the 18’s with a 18:45 at the Clintonwood Regional, backed it up with a 29^th place at MIS. 

Mackenzie Wright: To get on this elite level, you’ve gotta run in the 18’s.  Mackenzie did that at KLAA, running a massive PB of 18:49.

REGIONAL BREAKDOWN

Region	Top 27 Teams	Top 100 Athletes
1	3	13
2	4	13
3	5	11
4	3	11
5	4	19
6	3	6
7	3	11
8	0	2
9	2	14

DARK HORSES

Annika Sandman: Her entire sophomore year was full of gradual progress.  19:43 at Benzie led to 19:09 at Riverside Park led to 19:01 at the Meet of Champions.  And all of those set the stage for a track season where she went 5:15/11:17.

Briana Vojinov: Briana’s track season was cut short by injury, but indoor saw semblances of what she’s capable of.  Her 5:11 at the MITS State Meet placed 4^th. 

Kate Jenkins: Kate wasn’t able to train much in the winter, but her and the whole Bloomfield Hills squad went for a wondrous ride in track.  5:12/11:12 in track, but also a major contributor to their 7^th place 4×4 team.

Kylee King: What I love about Motor City is they have their mid-distance kids run cross for the strength.  I have no doubt her cross season was a major help in running 2:11 this summer. 

Madison Rempalski: Has found a home in cross country amongst the 5(!) sports she plays.  She peaked so well last year, running sub-19 in 4 of her final 5 races.

Meagan Verellen: 18:52 at the Hansons 3 Mile at River Bends (I’m sorry for continually referring to this, but probably the best collection of high school girls racing against each other over 3+ miles this summer).  Coach Scott definitely has the Utica program on the right track, and leaps from contributors like Meagan are a major help.

BOYS

TOP TEAMS

Ann Arbor Pioneer (Rank: 3)

Battle Creek Lakeview (Rank: 24)

Parker LaGro: Over 45 sec. leaps per year over the past two years for Parker.  If he keeps it up, he’ll be well into the 15’s.

Brighton (Rank: 1)

Caledonia (Rank: 2)

Davison (Rank: 10)

Detroit Catholic Central (Rank: 8)

Farmington (Rank: 15)

Eddie King: Excelled in the 800/1600m this past track season, reaching as low as 4:34.

Grand Haven (Rank: 18)

Nolan Clark: Incremental improvement throughout the 2020 cross season led to a season best 16:21 at the Buckley Regional.  That ascent continued into track, where he closed with 4 straight sub-10’s.

Hartland (Rank: 6)

Kalamazoo Central (Rank: 22)

Jonas Fraley-Burgett: Big-time, big race runner.  Eighteen second PB in the Portage Regional led to a 5^th place finish.  A 9:49 on a scorching day in East Kentwood was also a slight PB.

Lake Orion (Rank: 14)

Hong Bing Tang: In his junior year, was finally able to show the intriguing potential he displayed as a freshman.  Broke 10:00 to finish 5^th at OAA Red/White.

Lowell (Rank: 13)

Cole Weston: Perhaps the best runner in the state to not compete in Brooklyn.  He’s been in the mid-16’s each of the past two years.  His track season, especially that 9:50, sets the stage for that maiden voyage downstate.

Milford (Rank: 23)

Thomas Kennedy: Could be a breakout performer for Milford.  Broke 18:00 late in the year, then ran 2:07 in track.

Northville (Rank: 7)

Novi (Rank: 9)

Okemos (Rank: 20)

Anders Howe: Enormous breakthroughs late in track set the stage for his senior year.  4:32/9:41 make him a great candidate to storm into the 15’s.

Plymouth (Rank: 21)

Alex Bobak: Two years of HS running, two years under 17:00.  Established himself as an 800m runner this spring, where he went 2:02.

Portage Central (Rank: 19)

Caleb Heid: Didn’t close his cross season to what he’s capable of, but definitely made up for that in track.  Ran 4:33 to end the season at Distance Night at the CAT.

Rockford (Rank: 4)

Romeo (Rank: 5)

Saginaw Heritage (Rank: 25)

Gabriel Trevino: Steady drops every single year.  Gabe started as an 18:30 guy, and got into the 16’s for the first time in 2020.

Saline (Rank: 17)

Jason Whitton: After hovering above and below that 17:00 barrier in cross, cemented himself as a 800 guy in track.  2:01 and important part of Saline’s 4^th place 4×8.

Traverse City Central (Rank: 11)

Joe Muha: One of the better freshmen in the state in 2019 and improved upon that as a sophomore, where he gave us a few sub-16:20’s.

Traverse City West (Rank: 12)

Isaac Stone: People seem to love this kid.  Really made a jump in October, first with a 16:25 at Bluejay and ending with a 16:20 at MIS.

Walled Lake Northern (Rank: 16)

Ethan Parker: He ended his cross season on a high note, then really ripped it in track.  Finished 12^th at D1 State in the 800, 8^th at Oakland County, and dropped a 1:57.3 over the summer.

STATE PROJECTIONS

Place	Team	Score
1	Caledonia	161
2	Brighton	161
3	Ann Arbor Pioneer	183
4	Rockford	192
5	Romeo	222
6	Hartland	241
7	Northville	298
8	Detroit Catholic Central	312
9	Traverse City Central	313
10	Davison	320
11	Novi	327
12	Traverse City West	351
13	Walled Lake Northern	358
14	Farmington	360
15	Grand Haven	365
16	Lowell	369
17	Lake Orion	381
18	Saline	397
19	Okemos	406
20	Portage Central	428
21	Highland-Milford	435
22	Kalamazoo Central	447
23	Clarkston	466
24	Royal Oak	566
25	Grosse Pointe South	571
26	Temperance Bedford	620
27	Warren DeLaSalle	668

TOP ATHLETES

Riley Hough

Peter Baracco

Jeremy Williams

Jack Kelke

Andrew Sesti

Luke Venhuizen

Benne Anderson

Matthew Zeleke

Henry MonteSano

Matthew Crowley

Brett Leidal

Brady McArdle

Owen Johnson

Owen Sharnas

Kenny Minto

Quinn Cullen

Josh Oom

Jordan Domany

Liam Elder

Sean Byrnes

Nicholas Negru

Ryan O’Rourke

Colin Graham

Klay Grant

William Thomas

Easton Williams

Micah Bauer

Jack Campbell

Gabe Gulbransen: First trip to MIS produced a 16:18 and 39^th place.  Continued on that achievement track with a 4:28 this spring, paving the way for dropping more time.

REGIONAL BREAKDOWN

Region	Top 27 Teams	Top 100 Athletes
1	3	16
2	4	14
3	5	16
4	4	15
5	2	9
6	4	9
7	3	9
8	0	3
9	2	9

DARK HORSES

Brendan Wiegand: Romeo always has an upperclassman who surprises.  Last year, it was Owen Sharnas.  The year before, Jonathan Craun.  Before that, Luke Schwartz.  After running 2:03/4:37, could it be Brendan?

Cooper Sorsen: The numbers have Cooper as Caledonia’s sixth man (and the tiebreaker on the above predictions), but don’t be shocked if he’s higher.  Ran 9:52 to close out his track season. 

Luke Butler: Didn’t get the chance to run a great 3200m late in May, but if he had, I’m confident he’d be sub-10.  Went 4:31 to close out the season at Larry Steeb.

Michael Williams: Not just an 800 guy, he moved up to the 16 as well this spring, where he went 4:26.  He’s got the speed endurance and a summer at altitude should enhance the aerobic capacity.  (P.S. don’t be shocked if he goes 4:16 next spring)

Seth Norder: The Grand Haven sophomore closed both cross and track with a bang.  16:18 at the Meet of Champions and 4:28 at OK Red.

Tyler Langley: The highest placing freshman in D1 continued to impress in track, going 4:37/9:54.  That 9:54 ranked 2^nd amongst all freshmen that will be running D1 in cross.

Took awhile to get to this, but here we are.  August is always a busy time in running stores COVID added a ton of walkers and runners, and with a few days off, I’ve finally found a bit of time to come up for air and post these. 

With the 50 Tickets and Top 10 Teams, I realized that much of the shoutouts and info was driven towards the absolute top teams and runners, so in these previews, I hope to give mention to not just the best of the best, but those on the cusp of greatness or those that have given a ton to the sport.

Top Teams

These are teams ranked in my top 25.  This encompasses all of D2 and is ranked as if there was a giant meet featuring all of the teams in the division.  Due to some strong regions, you’ll see teams that may not make it out, but still deserve mention. Featured athletes that have contributed, will contribute, or might be slept on. I tried to avoid projecting where the weak spots are, team strengths, as those will become apparent as the season wears on.

State Projections

You’ll notice these don’t match the top 25.  Based on the top 3 teams from regionals (and yes, I realize four teams can make it out of a region, but projecting that requires too many factors).  Certain teams who might have weaker depth will project better here than compared against the whole of D2.

Top Athletes

Those projected to be All-State.

Regional Breakdown

Hoping to show which regions are strong.  Top 27 teams refers to the whole of D2.  Ideally, they’d be split with 3’s across the board, but geography plays a major role, as does the boys/girls split.  I think MHSAA did a damn good job this year of mixing regional representation with competitive equity.  Top 100 Athletes is an attempt to showcase the individual depth of that region.

Dark Horses

Athletes that aren’t projected to be All-State, but have shown they have the potential to get there.  Either they haven’t run cross, underwent major transformation come track, switched schools, were inconsistent last fall, you name the factor.  Trying to find some diamonds that even the numbers can’t catch.

Girls run first this year, so…

GIRLS

TOP TEAMS

Allendale (Rank: 20)

Ava Buhlman: Ava finished 6^th in the OK Blue in cross, but her Regional meet didn’t go so hot.  She excelled in many events in track, most notably the 800m, where she ran 2:30 and qualified for State.

Cadillac (Rank:11)

Regan Hill: Regan transferred from McBain to Cadillac between her freshman and sophomore years.  As a freshman, she was able to run at State and was on the cusp of breaking 20:00.  Her sophomore campaign wasn’t as quick, but she looked to regain some of that form in track.

Chelsea (Rank: 7)

Dearborn Divine Child (Rank: 24)

Kirsten Koss: The CHSL Bishop Queen.  Sped to a 5:27 this spring, claiming the title there, and finished 5^th in XC.

East Grand Rapids (Rank: 1)

Forest Hills Eastern (Rank: 8)

Frankenmuth (Rank: 10)

Hailey Lenhard: Found an event to excel at in track, the 800m, where she placed 7^th in the Thumb Meet of Champions.

Freeland (Rank: 5)

Goodrich (Rank: 22)

You may notice they’re lower than earlier in the summer, they had some losses from those featured in the image.

Grand Rapids Christian (Rank: 2)

Grand Rapids South Christian (Rank: 18)

Halle Overmire: A 5:52 in track indicates she can be much better than her 22:00 to close the year.

Grand Rapids West Catholic (Rank: 25)

Maggie Duba: You may remember Maggie from her selfless act of helping Sarah Storey walk across the finish line.  She’s a damn good runner, too.  Maggie was 4^th in Region 11, had run a 19:10 earlier in the year, and went 2:25/5:19 this spring.

Mason (Rank: 6)

Middleville Thornapple-Kellogg (Rank: 12)

Jessica Durkee: A two-time qualifier for State who has been in the 19’s each of the last two seasons.

Otsego (Rank: 3)

Petoskey (Rank: 4)

Pinckney (Rank: 16)

Emma Moore: Emma has gradually reduced time in each of the past two seasons, down to 20:03 at 2020’s Bulldog Elite.  A 12:15 in track shows she’s 100% capable of busting through that barrier.

Plainwell (Rank: 14)

Claire Vos: The freshman has a good chance of adding to Plainwell’s already elite top 2.  She finished 4^th in the Wolverine Conference last year.

Shepherd (Rank: 13)

Elle Himebaugh: It’s gonna end up being quite the career arc for Elle.  Her freshman year began with a 28:47 at Chippewa Hills.  Shepherd runs a 1600m time trial to kick off the cross season.  Her time?  5:54.

Spring Lake (Rank: 15)

Lily Parker: The theory is that if you run on a big stage once, you come back with lessons for the next time.  As a freshman, Lily ran 21:33 at MIS.  As a sophomore, she came back with a 19:52, placing 32^nd. 

St. Johns (Rank: 19)

Clara Fletcher: Already accomplished as a freshman, Clara was able to place 13^th at Region 14, 6^th in the CAAC Red in cross, then turned around and placed 2^nd in the 3200m in the CAAC Redduring track.

Tecumseh (Rank: 9)

Warren Regina (Rank: 23)

Kennedy Roskopp: Great freshman year for Kennedy.  3^rd in Region 17, 4^th at CHSL Bishop.  Her and Grace will be a front-runnin’ force at many East Side meets this year.

Whitehall (Rank: 17)

Ryann Jibson: Ryann’s track season showed she’s back on the path to where she was as a sophomore, where she was 15^th in D2.  But we love her no matter where she places.

Zeeland East (Rank: 21)

Bella Hoffer:  On account of her track season, I could probably put Bella in the dark horse category.  Her 5:25 in the 1600m was a winner in the OK Green Conference.

STATE PROJECTIONS

Place	Team	Score
1	East Grand Rapids	56
2	Grand Rapids Christian	149
3	Otsego	188
4	Petoskey	215
5	Freeland	219
6	Mason	253
7	Chelsea	305
8	Forest Hills Easetern	319
9	Frankenmuth	346
10	Tecumseh	362
11	Cadillac	380
12	Spring Lake	390
13	Plainwell	390
14	Middleville Thornapple-Kellogg	397
15	Shepherd	405
16	Pinckney	409
17	Whitehall	451
18	Warren Regina	457
19	Allendale	471
20	St. Johns	473
21	Grand Rapids South Christian	474
22	Goodrich	477
23	Zeeland East	486
24	Marysville	497
25	Dearborn Divine Child	502
26	St. Clair	534
27	Linden	557

TOP ATHLETES

Meghan Ford

Drew Muller

Madelyn Frens

Ava Lutke

Mary Richmond

Noel Vanderwall

Emily Tomes

Ainsley Workman

Natalie VanOtteren

Camryn Bodine

Grace Zdankiewicz: Her junior year featured her first All-State appearance.  A week later, she dropped 12 sec. off her PB at the Meet of Champions.

Whitney Farrell: Unfortunately, Whitney missed last year’s State Meet.  She more than made up for it in track with an 8^th place finish in the 3200m.

Sarah Storey: Another girl that found herself in track.  From 60.8 to 11:19, she put times up all across the board.  A real candidate to be in the Top-10.

Caroline Farley: Caroline displayed a bit of strength during track.  Her 11:07 at Bluejay was a lifetime best, and she backed that up with a 7^th place finish at D2 State.

Mara Longenecker: 10^th at State in 2020.  144^th at State in 2019.  That’s a pretty great improvement, right?

Kendall Schopieray: I’ve told her this privately and I’ll say it here publicly.  Very proud of how Kendall responded to a tough sophomore year.  All-State last year and early time trial results suggest she’s in even better shape.

Mackenzie Hill: She displayed it as a freshman and once again as a junior, she’s a total mid-distance stud.  2:19/5:09 this spring.  But she can also hang in cross, getting it done in 18:55 at Otsego’s regional.

Abigail Petr: Injuries put a dent into the previous fall, but they didn’t deny her the opportunity to compete this spring.  5:14, and 11:14, all while being the consummate teammate.

Sophie Nedoff: As a freshman, her best was 22:26.  As a junior, she finished 18^th in D2. 

Cami Kraai: Multiple mid-12 efforts to her name during her 8^th grade year, along with a 2^nd place finish in the WMC (going up against those Hart girls).

Grace Pettit: Two consecutive All-States for Grace.  2020 also featured her first Allegan County title. 

Sarah Dixon: FHE has quietly built a solid program, and Sarah has quietly put together an outstanding two years.  She grabbed that final All-State spot last year and is in position to place even higher. 

Ellory Clason: While Ellory didn’t have the cross country honors, she more than made up for it in track.  A 12^th place finish in the 3200m at State is her best on a big stage, while her 5:17 in the 1600m shows her outright speed.

Taylor Mater: I appreciate Taylor’s constant reminder that there’s more to Fremont than their boys team.  Two consecutive All-States for this girl.

Megan Germain: Megan joined an already loaded Otsego squad and was an immediate contributor.  In cross, an 8^th place finish in Region 13, but she really came into her own during track with 10^th in the 1600m. 

Kennedi Wood: Kennedi’s freshman year included four sub-20 efforts, highlighted by a 19:34 (3^rd spot) at the OK Silver Conference Meet.

Nora Boufford: Once Nora became acquainted with the 19’s, she went on a roll.  19:26 at Bulldog Elite, 13^th at Region 11.  We didn’t get to see her compete on the grass track, but she was on pace to be a major factor there. 

Cecelia Thorington: Cecelia is a championship level runner.  SEC White Champ in both cross country and the 1600m.

Trilian Krug: Trilian’s 9^th grade fall brought forth a few glimpses into her potential.  Two examples of that would be her 19:28 at Stockbridge and 19:22 at the Meet of Champions.

Haileigh Bissett: She enters her senior year with a BWAC title, Thumb Area title, and an All-State.  Let’s see what else Haileigh can add to her resume.

REGIONAL BREAKDOWN

Region	Top 27 Teams	Top 100 Athletes
10	4	13
11	4	14
12	3	11
13	3	13
14	3	15
15	3	11
16	2	5
17	2	6
18	3	13

DARK HORSES

Ava Pergitone: Ava is a bit underrated because of her performance last November, but don’t let that get in the way of a season where she set a personal best and was a top-10 finisher in Region 17.  Plus she laid down some legit times in track – 5:21 and 11:55.

Bea Reeser: Bea’s profile is one of intrigue.  A few standout performances in cross, a 20:17 at Region 11, but also a majority of races in the 21’s.  In track, we started to see a bit more of that talent, where she ventured into the low 5:30’s.

Eleanor Cool: I’ve learned to trust Coach Thiebaut when it comes to evaluating Cadillac’s team.  He has high hopes for Ellie and so do I.  With a summer of dedicated training, she should find herself in the low-18’s. 

Helena Kerber: Helena’s career debut was above 26:00.  Her freshmen year ended with a 2:34/5:30 double at regionals.  Plus she met Donavan Brazier this summer, so some of his speed probably rubbed off on her.

Julia Finley: Julia nabbed an All-State honor as a sophomore and has spent time in the 18’s the past two years.  As a junior, MIS wasn’t her best race ever, but if there’s an athlete-centric coach that can bring about a great performance, Coach Carlson is that guy.

Olivia Jolly: You won’t find many people that love the sport as much as Olivia does.  The results usually come for those people, and Olivia’s had hints of greatness.  A 19:03 as a freshman is one of them, but so was her contribution to Mason’s 5^th place 4×8 team.

Reese Powers & Hannah Fisher: These Marysville girls bring about greatness in each other.  Reese is an accomplished track star, winner of the D2 400m.  Next spring, she wants that tough 400/800 double.  Hannah’s gone 2:19, so she’s no slouch in the speed department either.  She also threw down a 18:48 at the Hansons 3 Mile a few weeks ago, on a course full of trails and hills. 

Sophie Endrud: I think it was mentioned in the Region 16 preview, but Sophie is massively underrated.  Partially because of the enormity of her breakout race at State.  She hit 27 sec. PB on a day of unfavorable conditions.  Excited to see how she builds upon that performance.

BOYS

TOP TEAMS

Adrian (Rank: 1)

Battle Creek Harper Creek (Rank: 20)

Owen Gilbert: I-8 Champion in an outstanding time of 16:26.

Chelsea (Rank: 5)

Clio (Rank: 25)

Gabriel Phillips: Big career progression from over 19:00 as a freshman to a 2^nd place finish in Region 15.  Narrowly missed All-State, which I’m sure has motivated him over the past 9 months.

East Grand Rapids (Rank: 3)

Flint Powers Catholic (Rank: 22)

Lucas Danic: Sometimes you have to take your lumps at the 0x’s before you break through.  Lucas had 5 results between 17:00 and 17:10 last fall, but his 2:04/4:45 indicate 16’s are in his future.

Fowlerville (Rank: 15)

Tyler Perras: His 2020 season featured his first jaunt under 17:00, a Top-10 finish at CAAC Red, and a voyage down to MIS.

Freeland (Rank: 9)

Fremont (Rank: 13)

Gavin Schuler: Gavin and his teammates are excited to prove that the Packers are still a dynasty.  He’s coming off a track season that saw him showcase his distance prowess with a 10:20.

Grand Rapids Christian (Rank: 6)

Holland Christian (Rank: 14)

Austin Brinks: Can the 400/800 translate to the mud, grass, and gravel?  We’re sure to find out.  Austin rocked a 50.1 at State, earning him a 3^rd place finish.

Ionia (Rank: 17)

Josiah Magley: So severely underrated that I’m not waiting until the dark horse section.  These numbers are, for the most part, half XC, half track.  Josiah was above 18:00 for all of XC, then ran 4:37/9:39 in track.

Linden (Rank: 23)

Ryan Blackwood: Eberhard and Meckstroth will be reliable, but watch out for Ryan.  He snuck under 5:00 as a sophomore.

Mason (Rank: 10)

Monroe Jefferson (Rank: 21)

Carter McCalister: Broke 17:00 a few times, but made his hay in track. Huron League Champ in the 1600m and split a 2:05 on Jefferson’s 4^th place 4×8.

Otsego (Rank: 4)

Petoskey (Rank: 8)

Pinckney (Rank: 2)

Riverview (Rank: 19)

Sam Polgar: Came back from halted 2019 season to help the Pirates qualify for State.  In that State meet, he narrowly scooted under his previous best with a 16:47.

Sparta (Rank: 12)

Noah Momber: Big track season (4:56/10:44) from this guy sets him up to drop significant time.

Spring Lake (Rank: 16)

Carter Phillips: He displays such a nice range.  He’s smashed that 17:00 barrier, he’s also smashed a few 400s, 52.1 as his best.

St. Clair (Rank: 11)

David Harris: If you’ve noticed a theme by now, I look to track season to see which athletes have progressed.  He was on a 1600m tear to close this past one out: 3^rd in the MAC Gold, 4^th at Regionals, and 6^th at the BWA Meet of Champions.

St. Johns (Rank: 24)

Tyler Dohm: The Red Wings graduate a ton and Tyler looks well suited to help fill the void.  He closed the 2021 track season with a 10:40.

Yale (Rank: 7)

Zeeland East (Rank: 18)

Gavin Wiersma: First track season and it seems as if he likes the surface.  2:05/4:38/10:27 this spring. 

STATE PROJECTIONS

Place	Team	Score
1	Adrian	150
2	Pinckney	155
3	East Grand Rapids	162
4	Otsego	171
5	Chelsea	178
6	Freeland	258
7	Grand Rapids Christian	272
8	Yale	281
9	Petoskey	293
10	Fremont	359
11	Mason	360
12	Fowlerville	377
13	Sparta	377
14	Holland Christian	383
15	St. Clair	384
16	Spring Lake	410
17	Linden	436
18	Battle Creek Harper Creek	444
19	Riverview	448
20	Ionia	454
21	Flint Powers Catholic	474
22	Clio	475
23	Goodrich	493
24	Hudsonville Unity Christian	514
25	Berrien Springs	532
26	Wayland Union	550
27	Armada	674

TOP ATHLETES

Caleb Jarema

Ian Hill

Conor Somers

Michael Hegarty

Connell Alford

Parker Lambers

Race Bettich

Caden Meyer

TJ Hansen

Kilian Whalen

Braydon Honsinger

Nick Cockerel

Tinsae Nelson

Aiden Smith

Griffin Armbrustmacher

Aiden Sullivan: From 32^nd at Regionals as a freshman to 38^th at State as a sophomore.  We didn’t see it in a true 800, but he split a 1:57 as well. 

River Meckstroth: 16:30s for both of the past two years and those quick times have carried him to two consecutive top-50 finishes. 

Ben Zwart: Bulldog Elite and Region 13 were two breakout performances, 16:19s at both.  He backed those up with multiple sub-10’s in track. 

Eli Veen: Makenna who?  Eli was 19^th at D2 State last fall. 

Zachary Curd: Zach and the rest of the Fowlerville squad peaked hard, surprisingly achieving a State qualifier.  He begun his championship season with a 16:10 (3^rd) at CAAC Red and continued from there, grabbing 21^st at D2 State.

Kyle Eberhard: Kyle’s here on account of his dominance on the oval.  He earned a victory at Region 19 with a 4:26, two weeks later he placed 11^th at State.

Ryan Brinker: Ryan’s part of an EGR class, that if they continue to train together, will reign together.  He’s already started with a 9:53 this spring. 

Lukas Kriesch: A 9:50 (2^nd in Region 20) gives thought to significant time drops this fall.

Garrett Winter: The Parchment boys move up to Division 2 this year.  Garrett’s had a ton of success in D3, with three All-State efforts across track and XC. 

Michael Dennis: Gotta love his inability to have a bad race.  All 1600s under 4:45, all 3200s under 10:05.  Michael still reached down to hit some quick marks, a 9:46 at Shepherd standing out. 

Alex Thole: Ended his freshman cross season with multiple sub-17’s.  Ended his freshmen track season with multiple sub-10’s.  Expect him, Brinker, and Robinson to continue to carry one another.

Gavin VanSolkema: Gavin turned a ton of heads last fall, knocking more than 100 seconds off his previous best.

Jacob Wurtzel: A 16:57 at State didn’t show his true potential.  He proved that by running 16:28 at his home course a week later.

Elijah Robinson: It’s a broken record with these EGR folks.  9:53 in track.  A little prediction here: One of the three will have a breakthrough race.  The others will soon realize, I’m capable of that.  Then they’ll follow.  That’s a major benefit of having training partners at the same pace and capability.

Jackson Jones: If their 4×8 is any evidence, Sparta will have another rock solid team.  Jackson hit 2:03 in the 800 and has been in the mid-16’s for the past two years.

REGIONAL BREAKDOWN

Region	Top 27 Teams	Top 100 Athletes
10	3	14
11	2	8
12	4	9
13	2	10
14	4	14
15	4	9
16	2	13
17	2	9
18	4	16

DARK HORSES

Brad White: *Astute readers may have noticed that Clare should be D2.  So here you go, Brad*

Early on, the Clare freshman established himself as one of the better youngsters in Mid-Michigan.  He had multiple sub-18 efforts and in track, finished 4^th in the Mid-Michigan Meet of Champions 3200m.

Bram Hartsuff: Any time you can grind through the rigors of GLR, you can handle what’s thrown at you in cross country.  To make up for not getting up there this year, there was some intense Strava viewing.  If you can average sub-7 on the AuSable River Run, you can run low-16’s if not faster. 

Bryce Soule: Adrian’s secret weapon that vaults them to State title contention.  Lenawee County Champ in the 800m, but also went 4:28/9:49.

Brock DenUyl: Great summer of training for Brock.  He ran a 16:58 at Goodells midseason, but his season didn’t close on that level.  He seemingly rectified that in track, his 10:13 at the BWA Meet of Champions was an 11 sec. personal best.

Chase Brown: Chase is another example of the numbers not quantifying his true condition.  His cross times underrate him, as the spring showed he’s back to his previous form.  Chase was sub-17 as a sophomore and ran 9:52 a few months back.

Logan Seymour: I hope Logan is in this sport for good.  He ran very well as a freshman, breaking 17:00 late.  But didn’t run cross last year.  During track, he broke 2:00 twice, the second time netting him a 4^th place finish at State.

Jake O’Neil: He’s got the bloodlines.  But bloodlines don’t mean squat if you’re not putting in the work.  Pure mileage over the summer (read: no speed) has led to a personal best in the 1600m.

Took awhile to get to this, but here we are.  August is always a busy time in running stores COVID added a ton of walkers and runners, and with a few days off, I’ve finally found a bit of time to come up for air and post these. 

With the 50 Tickets and Top 10 Teams, I realized that much of the shoutouts and info was driven towards the absolute top teams and runners, so in these previews, I hope to give mention to not just the best of the best, but those on the cusp of greatness or those that have given a ton to the sport.

Top Teams

These are teams ranked in my top 25.  This encompasses all of D3 and is ranked as if there was a giant meet featuring all of the teams in the division.  Due to some strong regions, you’ll see teams that may not make it out, but still deserve mention. Featured athletes that have contributed, will contribute, or might be slept on. I tried to avoid projecting where the weak spots are, team strengths, as those will become apparent as the season wears on.

State Projections

You’ll notice these don’t match the top 25.  Based on the top 3 teams from regionals (and yes, I realize four teams can make it out of a region, but projecting that requires too many factors).  Certain teams who might have weaker depth will project better here than compared against the whole of D3.

Top Athletes

Those projected to be All-State.

Regional Breakdown

Hoping to show which regions are strong.  Top 27 teams refers to the whole of D3.  Ideally, they’d be split with 3’s across the board, but geography plays a major role, as does the boys/girls split.  I think MHSAA did a damn good job this year of mixing regional representation with competitive equity (*edit*, except for one region).  Top 100 Athletes is an attempt to showcase the individual depth of that region.

Dark Horses

Athletes that aren’t projected to be All-State, but have shown they have the potential to get there.  Either they haven’t run cross, underwent major transformation come track, switched schools, were inconsistent last fall, you name the factor.  Trying to find some diamonds that even the numbers can’t catch.

Girls run first this year, so…

GIRLS

TOP TEAMS

Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard (Rank: 16)

Gianna Hoving: Came up big with a win in Region 18, propelling Gabriel Richard to the State Meet.  Brought that momentum into track and ended up with a 5:31 in the 1600m.

Benzie Central (Rank: 5)

Elise Johnson: Quite the accomplished 800m runner, as she was first in D3’s MITCA Team State. Has spent the last two years in the 19’s.

Bridgman (Rank: 19)

Jane Kaspar: Always runs her best to close the season (she was an important contributor to their 2019 championship squad).  COVID denied their chance to compete at MIS, but she’ll hopefully get a chance to prove herself again.

Buchanan (Rank: 13)

Eleanor Young: Had a nice debuting season.  Broke into the 20’s and then finished 11^th at Regionals.  The team is receiving many freshmen and it’ll be helpful to count on a bit of experience.

Caro (Rank: 12)

Paige Herron & Rachael Walch: As freshmen, both acquitted themselves quite well, qualifying for State to close the year.  But major strides were made during track, where both finished the year with 3200m bests in the 12:30’s.

Clinton (Rank: 14)

Samantha Coots: Made her presence known early in her career with a 3^rd place finish in the Lenawee County Championship.

Grand Rapids Covenant Christian (Rank: 10)

Leah Decker: In 2019, she ran one race in 24:43. In 2020, she dropped 3+ minutes from that time and was able to run at MIS.

Grandville Calvin Christian (Rank: 15)

Emberlynn DeVries: Potential breakout contributor?  Scratch that, she will be a contributor.  12:52 3200m in track placed 3^rd in the OK Silver.

Hanover-Horton (Rank: 22)

Sophia Reynolds: The last name rings out in H-H lore, and Sophia looks like she’ll carry it on well.  Placed 7^th in Region 23 as a freshman.

Hart (Rank: 1)

Lauren VanderLaan: Lauren’s performance at MIS secured their title last year.  Hart reloads and she’ll be counted on again.

Ithaca (Rank: 9)

Kylea Braman: The Lebron Effect plus a great summer of training equals big things for this girl. 

Jackson Lumen Christi (Rank: 20)

Sydney Fazekas: Sydney moved over from Hanover-Horton.  She should fit right in and provide immediate depth.

Kent City (Rank: 7)

Kierra Flegel: Although she didn’t have her best day at State, she was able to bounce back a week later with a lifetime best at the Meet of Champions.

Lansing Catholic (Rank: 3)

Emmie West: Last season was her first full season as an athlete and it was a good one, highlighted by a 7^th place finish at Greater Lansing.

Leslie (Rank: 25)

Kayla Creisher: She rose to the occasion in late October with multiple sub-22 efforts.

McBain (Rank: 21)

Baylie Eisenga: Baylie just barely missed out on a sub-20 time at Benzie’s Pre-Regional.  Don’t be shocked if she’s well under that mark this year.

Napoleon (Rank: 24)

Madelyn Norman: Some runners are just happy to get to the State Meet.  Others, like Maddie, run 30+ sec. personal bests, as she did with her 12:23 a few months ago.

New Lothrop (Rank: 18)

Clara Krupp: Clara gets a lifetime achievement award from me.  Three-time State qualifier and an 11^th place there in 2019.

Pewamo-Westphalia (Rank: 6)

Ella Kowatch: The junior had an impressive track season from a mid-distance perspective.  She was a mainstay on P-W’s 4×8 team and she ran sub-2:40 in every race.

Reese (Rank: 8)

Allison Galsterer: Of her entire career at Reese, her junior season was her best yet.  3^rd place at Regionals, 2^nd place in the GTC, and 59^th at State were all her lowest finishes of her career.

Sandusky (Rank: 11)

Allysen Jansen: Sandusky is a team rarely mentioned, but they have some studs.  Allysen finished 43^rd at D3 State last year.

Saugatuck (Rank: 23)

Maya Veldt: Saugatuck moves on down to Division 3 and Maya hopes to equal her successful freshman year.  Region 31 Champ and All-State.

St. Louis (Rank: 4)

Jenna Abell: Jenna comes off a track season where she was able to run 6:13/13:33. Depth from upperclassmen such as her will be huge come championship season.

Stockbridge (Rank: 17)

Brooklyn Rochow: She’s coming off a track season where she went 5:30/12:00.  Times like that set the stage for a potential All-State finish.

Traverse City St. Francis (Rank: 2)

Margot Hagerty: Early time trial results suggest she’s been putting in the work and is on pace to smash her PB’s.

STATE PROJECTIONS

Place	Team	Score
1	Hart	85
2	Traverse City St. Francis	154
3	Lansing Catholic	159
4	St. Louis	193
5	Benzie Central	203
6	Pewamo-Westphalia	224
7	Kent City	237
8	Ithaca	265
9	Reese	266
10	Grand Rapids Covenant Christian	317
11	Caro	331
12	Grandville Calvin Christian	334
13	Buchanan	343
14	Clinton	347
15	Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard	362
16	Stockbridge	394
17	Jackson Lumen Christi	414
18	Bridgman	416
19	McBain	443
20	Hanover-Horton	462
21	Saugatuck	476
22	Napoleon	506
23	Harbor Springs	556
24	Charlevoix	609
25	Clawson	630
26	Madison Heights Bishop Foley	732
27	Almont	802

TOP ATHLETES

Lani Bloom

Alyson Enns

Allison Chmielewski

Rylee Tolson

Clara Fast

Eliza Bush (she is actually running for Ypsi Arbor Prep instead of Dexter)

Jessica Jazwinski

Mylie Kelly

Audrianna Enns

Faith Smith

Madison Osterberg

Kyah Hoffman: Incoming freshman was undefeated in 8^th grade cross and won the CSAA Gold title along the way. 

Hannah Pricco: Hannah was All-State over in Division 2 in both her freshman and sophomore years.

Whitney Werner: The lead runner on a dominant P-W Middle School squad, Whitney was sub-13 in every single race.  She threw down some quality times in track as well, most notably a 5:18 1600m.

Lila Volkers: Another potentially impactful freshman.  Lila reached down as far as 12:33 in cross and 5:43 in track. 

Mikenna Borie: Mikenna has been All-State in two of her three seasons, with 2020 as her highest finish yet.  She had a great track state experience, where she placed 8^th in the 1600 and *almost* doubled back with the same place in the 3200m.

CC Jones: A transfer from Haslett, CC had to sit out last year’s XC season.  But under Coach Simpson in track, we saw a glimpse into how she can perform.  She won the distance triple at the CAAC White Championship.

Libby Munderloh: Three-time All-State in cross and future heptathlete on the track.  Name an event and she’s done it.  300h? 49.6.  400m? 59.3. 3200m? 12:17. 2000m Steeple? 7:35.

Lexie Beth Nienhuis: Probably the best of the second runner as an 8^th grader across the whole state.  Finished 3^rd in the WMC in cross, then sprinted to a 2:34 in track.

Jaiden Dickman: Jaiden really came into her own during track, where she was able to hit a 5:19 and then double back with a 3200m qualifier that same day.  St. Louis will be in a good place through their Top 3 girls.

Sophia Rhein: Sophia’s sophomore season was cut short, but judging by her early times, she was well on her way to a second straight All-State.  Can she achieve that accomplishment again?  A 5:15 in track gives much confidence.

Jenna Sweeney: One loss as a freshman, and even in that defeat, she was only beat by 18 other girls.  That was at D3 State.  She’s the reigning Region 25 and GTC Champ.  With St. Louis moving into that region, it will be a fun fight to watch.

Tessa Roe: Tessa is in a great spot for Lansing Catholic.  CC and Hannah up front should give her teammates to latch onto.  A 5:36 in track suggests improvement from her already solid freshman year.

Jaidyn Smith: Haley Ellis graduates, now it’s time for another Leslie girl to take over.  She finished 2^nd in the GLAC during cross, then improved by one spot with a victory in the 3200m.

Ava Maginity: Two seasons, two All-States.  Girl’s got wheels too, sprinting to a 27.8/62.5, both of which placed 18^th at D3 State.

Alyeska Linsley: It’s been a career of growth for Alyeska.  From running on the plus side of 22:00 as a freshman to breaking 20:00 as a junior.  From not being on Kent City’s state team in 2018 to finishing 28^th in 2020. 

Maye Burns: Three consecutive seasons running in the 19’s for Maye.  She was All-State as a sophomore and based on her 5:23 this spring, is poised to get back to that level.

Grace Slocum: A litany of victories last year for another incoming freshman.  LMC, Bluejay in cross, then a double at the LMC in track.

Makenzie Kreger: This young 9^th grader didn’t lose a single middle school race last year.  Four cross races, four sub-13 efforts.

Meghan Beute: Another bit of stupendous growth.  22:50 to 18:58 and she closed last season on a tear.  18^th at D3 State and a massive PB at the Meet of Champions.  Pretty good for having to miss a significant amount of time in quarantine.

REGIONAL BREAKDOWN

Region	Top 27 Teams	Top 100 Athletes
19	1	9
20	3	14
21	3	14
22	4	9
23	4	10
24	4	15
25	5	18
26	0	2
27	3	9

DARK HORSES

Ava Viegelahn: Championship experience is big with this one.  She was an important member of Grass Lake’s 2^nd place 4×4 squad (and State title winning track team).  Her times weren’t all that shabby either – 2:32 & 5:40.

Kara Tarakedis: Cross season was cut short after she slipped into the low-21’s.  Her track season was able to last until June and she made the most of it, qualifying for State in the 1600m and running 2:33 in the 800m.

Kendra Koster: Has been tearing up the road race circuit this summer with times as low as 19:20. This should come as no surprise after a track season where she raced to 10^th in the D3 3200m.

Kinsie Jacques: Get used to seeing that Pinconning jersey up at the front of races.  Kinsie was victorious at the Bay County Championships in cross and the Jackpine 3200m this spring.

Lauren Staal: A three-year contributor for Grandville Calvin Christian.  Lauren progressed down into the 20’s last fall, but a broken collarbone cut short her track campaign.  She’s healthy now and Calvin is motivated to outperform their ranking.

Madeleine Hill: Madeleine blasted a few sub-20 runs last year.  Once at Allendale and another time to win a CMAC Jamboree (and beat a few All-State girls in the process) in a huge PB.  Brooklyn didn’t go the way she’s capable of, but I’m confident she’ll return back to that podium.

Molly Harding: Of all her seasons of competing, Molly’s track one was by far the best.  In a highly competitive regional, she placed 6^th in the 3200m in 11:37.  Two weeks later, she was 7^th in the entire state.  Based off times and medal stands, she’s due for a breakout senior year.

BOYS

TOP TEAMS

Benzie Central (Rank: 15)

Michael Musgrave: Looks primed to step into the role of #2 guy after a 10:44 in track.

Bridgman (Rank: 25)

John Sanderson: Has been sub-18 for both of his initial two years and All-Region as well.

Bronson (Rank: 18)

Ashton Wells & Aden Hathaway: The juniors were both able to benefit from the move over to Region 22, as they both moved into the top-15 at Regionals.

Caro (Rank: 17)

Tristan Lovett: We love the year to year improvement.  Tristan saw reductions in time (17:45 to 16:52) and place (17^th at Regionals to 6^th, 169^th at State to 61^st)

Charlevoix (Rank: 11)

Dominic Schwein: Dominic is a little underrated because of his slow start, but he kicked it in hard with a 17:31 at Regionals.

Coloma (Rank: 9)

Ethan Vandermolen: Coloma is receiving a blast of youth, but will still need experience.  Ethan has been in the 18’s all three years and showed some speed in track with a 54.2 400m.

Elk Rapids (Rank: 19)

Charlie Ward: Charlie ran a 17:09 at last year’s East Jordan Regional to qualify – a 34 second PB.

Grand Rapids Covenant Christian (Rank: 20)

Nate Bylsma: Nate is a good example of when you stick with the sport, it’ll pay off for you.  After two years hovering around the 20:00 mark, he took it to another level by running in the low-18’s.

Grandville Calvin Christian (Rank: 3)

Ben Wertz: Calvin has an outstanding top three, and their 4^th/5^th runners could push them to title town if they step up.  Ben stepped as one of those contributors in track with a 2:08 800m.

Harbor Springs (Rank: 12)

Cal Benjamin: Between his freshmen and sophomore years, Cal definitely went through #theleap.  18:14 to 16:53.

Hart (Rank: 4)

Noah Bosley: 2020 was Noah’s first year qualifying for State, where he ran a personal best of 17:11.

Ithaca (Rank: 8)

Nolan Woodman: Ithaca’s 3^rd through 7^th runners make their team.  Without solid depth, the Yellowjackets might struggle.  With athletes like Nolan who drop 4+ minutes in two years, they’re continually a top-10 outfit.

Kalkaska (Rank: 24)

Gavin Guggemos: Tyler’s younger brother came into his own during track, where he finished in the LMC 3200m.

Kent City (Rank: 16)

Thomas Swanson: Thomas is coming off his best segment yet – a junior track campaign that saw him run 2:01 in the 800m and finish in the top-15 at State.

Lansing Catholic (Rank: 5)

Josh Otten: A new addition to the team, Josh isn’t included in the ratings (literally just found out about this).  But he’s run 2:00/4:27 and with that background, it appears as if Lansing Catholic could move up from their already lofty position.

Madison Heights Bishop Foley (Rank: 21)

Max Mader: After having a tough time breaking 20:00 as a freshman, Max was in the 17’s for the majority of his races.  He continued to ascend in track, qualifying in the 800m.

Manchester (Rank: 23)

Caiden Kippnick: Following a 10:18 3200m, Caiden looks poised to break out. 

Monroe St. Mary CC (Rank: 13)

Simon VanderVlucht: Simon had a great close to his freshman season with personal bests in his final two meets.

New Lothrop (Rank: 22)

Cole Yaros: Who will replace Carson and Drew?  Cole is a great candidate.  He missed Regionals but bounced back with a 114^th place finish at D3 State.

Pewamo-Westphalia (Rank: 14)

Alex S. Thelen: The Pirates pack will carry their success, and Alex had the best spring of the bunch.  His 10:43 3200m placed 3^rd in Region 29.

Reed City (Rank: 10)

Anthony Kiaunis: Anthony showed his potential with a 17:12 effort at the Buckley Regional.

Saugatuck (Rank: 7)

Tristan Ashley: In the Sharnas/Pettinga shuffle, Tristan gets a little ignored.  Not here.  I’m excited for a little MIS redemption and looking forward to seeing him build upon the 16:57 he ran at Regionals.

St. Louis (Rank: 2)

Craig Bebow: The numbers underrate Craig because they’re based off last year.  He ran in the 18’s as a sophomore, then was injured to begin his junior year.  He recovered and regained his past form, running 2:16 in the 800m. 

Stockbridge (Rank: 6)

Micah Bolton: Stockbridge’s Top 3 plan to dominate races up front and Micah will be right up there pushing the pace. 

Traverse City St. Francis (Rank: 1)

Tucker Krumm: If TCSF’s time trial is any indication, Tucker is due for some personal bests this fall.  St. Francis has outstanding depth, and an added benefit of that depth is you have breakout candidates. 

STATE PROJECTIONS

Place	Team	Score
1	Traverse City St. Francis	153
2	St. Louis	162
3	Grandville Calvin Christian	176
4	Hart	182
5	Lansing Catholic	233
6	Stockbridge	239
7	Saugatuck	254
8	Ithaca	288
9	Caro	315
10	Reed City	328
11	Harbor Springs	331
12	Benzie Central	345
13	Monroe St. Mary CC	355
14	Coloma	356
15	Kent City	362
16	Charlevoix	386
17	Pewamo-Westphalia	393
18	Bronson	406
19	Grand Rapids Covenant Christian	414
20	Madison Heights Bishop Foley	419
21	Bridgman	420
22	Manchester	424
23	Hudson	450
24	Hanover-Horton	483
25	Sanford-Meridian	597
26	University Liggett	768
27	Memphis	788

TOP ATHLETES

Hunter Jones

Max Sharnas

Noah Morrow

Parks Allen

Tyler Guggemos

Espen Lehnst: The Haslett transfer saw immediate success in the move to D3.  He finished 15^th at State and helped Ithaca secure a 7^th place finish.

Boden Genovese: Breakout track season for this youngster with a 4:35/9:42.

Rogan Melling: Yet another Melling in the pipeline.  Two years in the 16’s and a 13^th place finish at MIS last year.

Aaron Bowerman: Eat your heart out, Caro boys.  Aaron is back and ready to help the Sharks defend their title.  Aaron showed some strength in track, grinding out a 10:04 and a 9^th place finish at State.

Adam Martinson: Adam must be a major fan of the Allendale course.  He ran in the 16:40s in each of his three races there last fall.

Thomas Richards: Thomas will be counted on as the lead guy on a St. Francis team that’s ready to make it happen.  He finished 13^th in the state as a sophomore and looks to get back on that podium. 

Matthew Pattullo: Matthew brings upon us the next generation of Caro legends.  He gritted out a 4:39 in track and finished 2^nd in the Thumb Area. 

Sam Peterson: It finally clicked for Sam.  4:20 in the 1600m, LMC Champion.  If this carries over into cross, watch out. 

Ben March: St. Louis peaked at the right time in 2020 and Ben is a shining example of that.  He moved into the 16’s for the first time at Bluejay, then hit that mark three more times on the way to a 23^rd place at MIS. 

Hunter Sanford: It’s always tough to project freshmen, but Hunter made my job a bit easier with his multiple sub-11’s. 

Nathan Jenkins: Steady progress from this guy.  Broke into the 16’s late last fall, then ran 4:42/10:24 in track.

Lance Smar: 2020 presented Lance’s best placing at MIS.  He finished 29^th in his third year running down in Brooklyn.

Connor Stefanovsky: The third member of Caro’s top three to be mentioned, Connor ran a personal best in May on a humid regional day, then placed 15^th in that 3200m two weeks later.

Clayton Ackley: Clayton stepped up in track, knocking out a 10:06 and a 10^th place finish in D3’s 3200m.

Rhett Reif: Identical season bests in his freshman and sophomore years (16:39).  He placed All-State as a freshman, but missed out as a sophomore.  A 10:10 in track shows he has the ability to get back there. 

Logan Manion: Two straight top-5 races at both OK Silver and Region 21 for Logan. 

Nate March: Getting tired of all these St. Louis kids, but their inclusion speaks to their late season greatness.  His final five races of the year were all between 16:39 and 16:57 and that steadiness wins you championships.

Gabe Nelson: Gabe continually runs his best to close the year.  2018 and 2019’s regionals were both personal bests, as was his 2020 State Meet.

Tristan Lovett: Also had drops in the 800m (2:12 to 2:07) and 1600m (4:48 to 4:44).

Alex Czeiszperger: In his first year of HS, proved that he can be reliable in a pressurized setting.  1^st in the LCAA Final, 2^nd in Lenawee County, and 30^th in Brooklyn.

Andrew Mabry: The freshman comes in as the Berrien County Champ with multiple sub-12s to his name.

Levi Maier: Chesaning’s boys had a nice track season, placing 7^th at D3 State. Levi leads the charge in hoping to repeat that in cross.  He qualified for State last year and finished 54^th.

Dan Kehoe: Ran his best in May to close out the track season.  Winner of the OK Silver 800m, then a few weeks later, PR’ed with a 4:41 1600m. 

Eddy Granados: Only one loss in 8^th grade XC, in the Berrien County Meet to Andrew Mabry.  Besides that, a litany of sub-12 performances.  He didn’t stop there, getting down under 11:00 in track. 

Erik Kent: Erik is another one on the path of continual improvement.  His regional performances: 41^st, 13^th, 3^rd. 

REGIONAL BREAKDOWN

Region	Top 27 Teams	Top 100 Athletes
19	5	16
20	4	15
21	3	15
22	3	9
23	1	13
24	4	13
25	2	8
26	1	1
27	4	9

DARK HORSES

Brad White: Early on, the Clare freshman established himself as one of the better youngsters in Mid-Michigan.  He had multiple sub-18 efforts and in track, finished 4^th in the Mid-Michigan Meet of Champions 3200m.

Carson Brunk: Carson was a little inconsistent last fall, reaching down as low as 17:08, but also running in the high-18’s at D3 State.  He bucked that trend in track, becoming reliable late in the year with a win in the CMAC 1600m and a 5^th place in the D3 800m.

Jacob Walker: Jacob finished 2^nd in that LCAA Final to Czeiszperger and then rattled off a few 17:0x efforts.  But the real hay was made in track, where he was victorious in the LCAA 1600m and ran as low as 4:37

Lane McDonald: Key member of Ithaca’s 4×8 which placed 7^th at the State Meet.  The word is he’s out for cross and Ithaca should gain some stability. 

Matt Hoop: 3^rd place in this summer’s Eliminator Race (a knockout style race held at Hillsdale, some might be familiar with Wisconsin’s Grindfest, similar concept).  Matt had to run 75’s for 18 laps, so the strength is 100% there.

Nathan Kippnick: The Kippnicks in general train hard, and Nathan is no exception.  He’s been putting in 60+ a week in the offseasons, and we saw it pay off in track with a 4:49 1600m.

Samuel Martini: Layla’s younger brother is another one with serious strength.  Despite barely breaking 5:00, he was able to scrape together a 10;23.

Walker Barz: A three-time qualifier to MIS, he’s finished in the top 60 each year.  Low marks in the 3200m indicate he’s capable of breaking into that top-30.