Blog

Teams

Benzie Central
Evart
Farwell
Harrison
Hart
Hesperia
Lake City
LeRoy Pine River
Manistee
Manton
Mason County Central
McBain
Morley Stanwood
Reed City
Shelby

Boys

Team Projections

Individual Projections

Ranked Teams

Hart (2), Manistee (7), McBain (11), Benzie Central (15)

Highest Rated Seniors

• Alex Enns, Hart

Alex’s 2019 track season was cut short, but he was able to bounce back in a major way.  He didn’t improve on his personal best, but he did cut down places in other races.  He captured the crown in the Oceana County Meet and ended the season with his first top-10 finish at MIS.  And I should mention that he’s been sub-16 in each of the past two years.

• Kinkade Dubreuil, Evart

Kinkade has gone from a kid who couldn’t break 20:00 as a freshman to a successful runner who spent much time in the 17’s as a junior.  His first race under the barrier was at Carson City, a 14^th place effort.  Over the next month, he was able to gradually knock that PR down to a 17:00.  He finished 11^th at the regional here, much lower than his 49^th and 54^th place finishes the previous two seasons.

• Connor Murphy, McBain

In each of his two XC seasons, Connor has been able to run his best at the end of the year.  Benzies usually produces many PRs and he has come through in both years with 16:2x efforts.  The All-State honor has escaped him, but if he runs to his capabilities as he’s displayed here, it’s within his wheelhouse.

Career Achievement

• Hunter Jones, Benzie Central

Profile.

• Ransom Hoeflinger, Manistee

Ransom racked up a number of victories last season in the Lakes 8 Conference.  He was victorious at both jamborees and the championship race.  He took that to Regionals, where he placed in the top-10 for the first time ever.

Anyone Else?

• Wesley VanPoortfliet, Benzie Central

Following an emotional high of a PR, it’s tough to come back the next week and replicate that performance.  Wesley’s run at the State Meet showed he’s capable of embracing his success.  His 17:06 at MIS was another sub-17 equivalent, a major improvement from his underclass years spent in the 19’s.

• Noah Morrow, Manton

Noah had a successful season that perhaps didn’t manifest at MIS.  But one race does not a season make.  Victories at all three of the conference jamborees, Buckley, Dwayne Rau, and Late Season Warrior.  Also, a 7^th place finish and 30 sec. personal best at Regionals.

• Jayce Methner, Leroy Pine River

Jayce has embraced the gradual progress that many of us see in running.  He had his first taste of sub-18 at the 2018 Regional meet, then was able to considerably lower that mark this past fall.  Two consecutive individual qualifiers for him.

Girls

Team Projections

Individual Projections

Ranked Teams

Hart (1), Benzie Central (5), McBain (7), Reed City (14), Manton (18)

Highest Rated Seniors

• Abbigail Kiaunis, Reed City

Abbigail has a track record of progress that should continue into 2020.  Each year of HS, she’s accomplished more and more.  As a freshman, it was a sub-20, the next year, dropping that time by 25+ seconds.  As a junior, she nabbed her first All-State finish.  In track, she concentrates more on mid-distance, with PRs of 2:24/5:17.

• Savannah Ackley, Hart

When you’re an Ackley and running at Hart, your success might be ignored.  Savannah’s should not.  She’s been top-10 in Division 3 all throughout HS and has spent considerable time in the 18’s.  Her 2019 season may not have been as “fast” as previous years, but she placed 4^th at MIS, her best finish yet.  She was also able to run 5:12 this spring, a 2 second PR. 

• Lynae Ackley, Hart

Lynae has been right there with Savannah, an integral part of Hart’s success.  She’s been All-State all three years as well, the final two of those in the top-15.  She was able to run her best race of the season here at Benzie, nearly breaking her 18:41 PR.

Career Achievement

• Audrianna Enns, Hart

Profile.

• Cierra Guay, Benzie Central

Although a 38 sec. drop in her personal best may seem par for the course, Cierra’s championship was arguably her best yet.  A win in the final NWC jamboree was one in a string of 6 consecutive sub-20 races.  The last of which was her first All-State honor.

Anyone Else?

• Alyson Enns, Hart

Profile.

• Maggie O’Malley, McBain

With her sister Klaudia off to GVSU (one of the better freshmen in the GLIAC too), Maggie stepped up her performance.  Time-wise, she dropped into the 19’s, both at Regional and State.  The State Meet performance had to be extra sweet, as she ran 70+ seconds faster than in 2018. 

• Miranda McNeil, Morley-Stanwood

Miranda has been an accomplished MS runner with results over all distances.  She finished 17^th at Portage in a sub-10 (2500m) effort and 3^rd at Bluejay in 12:43.

• Mylie Kelly, Benzie Central

Mylie is an example of my end goal here.  This winter, she embraced the ratings and used them as motivation for her training.  This spring, she was able to run 18:45 in a time trial, a show of the direct relationship of hard work and results.  For some, that process takes longer, for her, that immediate response to a stimulus speaks to her potential in this sport.

Teams

Delton-Kellogg
Fennville
GR Wellspring Prep
Grand Rapids Covenant Christian
Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian
Grandville Calvin Christian
Holland Black River
Kent City
Lakeview
Montague
Muskegon Western Michigan Christian
North Muskegon
Ravenna
Saranac
Stanton-Central Montcalm

Boys

Team Projections

Individual Projections

Ranked Teams

Grandville Calvin Christian (5), Montague (24)

Highest Rated Seniors

• Luke Witvliet, Grandville Calvin Christian

Like Dean Reynolds profiled a few days ago, Luke was on the cusp of the 50 Tickets list.  He’s your defending regional champion and owns a PB in the low 16’s.  That 16:13 at Portage represented a 45 second drop from 2018.  Taking a peek at his summer training, it’s easy to tell how that improvement came about, Luke has quietly been putting in the miles, and given the times on his workouts, is capable of improving at a similar rate. 

• Grayson Rasmus, Saranac

It seems as if Grayson has been at Saranac for a thousand years, his name constantly popping up in the top tier of any results.  He’s been under 17:00 and top-5 in his region during all three years.  Last year, he was able to avenge a 55^th place finish (and unusually subpar race) the previous year to reach his 2^nd All-State honor.

• Emerald Lawrence, North Muskegon

Emerald showed a bit of promise as a sophomore (his first year of XC), with a gigantic PR at Regionals.  At Portage this year, he was able to surpass that PR, running 16:49.  At this region, he was able to break 17:00 once again, finishing in 5^th place.  Along with Summer Fast, one of my favorite names of anyone in the sport.

Career Achievement

• Micah Ordway, Delton-Kellogg

Each of the past two years, Micah has been able to come in with a clutch performance late.  As a sophomore, it was at regionals, where he ran a 0:35 PR and in an upset, snuck into the top-15.  As a junior, that performance came at State, his first sub-17 and All-State effort.

Anyone Else?

• Dan Kehoe, Grandville Calvin Christian

Even though it may not have shown late, Dan realized his potential in 2019.  He must have a special place in his heart for Shepherd (many do – voted the best course in Michigan), as he has PRed both years there.  He lowered his best by almost a minute, from 17:42 to 16:47.  He reached that sub-17 mark only once the rest of the year, but was able to achieve his first All-Region finish.

• Andrew Hardy, Stanton-Central Montcalm

Andrew was a great MS runner, racing into the low 11’s both on the track and XC course.  As a freshman, it didn’t take long for him to acquit himself to the extra distance.  He ran a few low-18 performances in the early season, then was able to make his breakthrough in championship season.  A 17:30 here was his personal best, then he followed that up with a 17:45 at MIS. 

• Owen Fairchild, Montague

Montague will be relying heavily on its ability to pack up, and Owen will likely be at the front of that pack.  He started his freshman year reasonably well; any coach would be happy with a youngster running in the 18’s.  But he turned it on late with a 17:49 at Chippewa Hills (not an easy course), and a 19^th place finish here. 

Girls

Team Projections

Individual Projections

Ranked Teams

Grandville Calvin Christian (2), Grand Rapids Covenant Christian (11), Muskegon Western Michigan Christian (23), Kent City (24)

Highest Rated Seniors

• Catherine Kortman, Grandville Calvin Christian

Catherine has been consistently been a sub-20 runner for GCC.  She first hit that mark at regionals as a freshman, then has been there many times since.  A few races last year stick out – 4^th place at Portage, 1^st at Saranac, and most importantly, 1^st at Regionals.  She’s got a little speed too, having run 62/2:22 on the track.

• Layla Martini, Kent City

As with Catherine, Layla has been a solid athlete all three years.  She has the victories, winning the CSAA Silver, Sparta, and Kent City Long Lake.  She has the times, nearly breaking 19:00 early in her sophomore year.  And she has the big race experience, twice in the top-20 in Brooklyn.

• Ashley Spronk, Grand Rapids Covenant Christian

Not sure how she was skipped over last year in these projections, but Ashley has been right there her whole career as well.  She reached a new level late last year, running a personal best here at this region and nabbing her first top-50 State finish. 

Career Achievement

• Abby VanderKooi, Muskegon Western Michigan Christian

Profile.

• Leanne Krombeen Grandville Calvin Christian

To discuss career achievement and a Calvin Christian girl, one has to discuss their team accomplishments.  With Leanne running in the past two years, they’ve finished top-3 both times.  She’s been an integral contributor as well, finishing in the top-100 both years, an All-State level performance last year too.

Anyone Else?

• Jonathah Bouwman, Grandville Calvin Christian

In terms of my projections, Jonathah was a shocker.  Those projections had her outside of the top-20 at Regionals and outside the top-30 at State.  She finished 5^th here, then grabbed that last All-State spot.  For much of the season, she ran in the 22-23:00 range, but slipped under 20:00 in her final two races.

• Gabriella Wingard, North Muskegon

Gabriella showed much promise in her sophomore season, in a few races, running over a minute faster than her freshman year.  A Few that stick out are Pete Moss (22:00 to 20:17) and Portage (21:37 to 20:26).  Unfortunately, her season ended at Portage.  Hopefully in 2020, we get to see her compete for a full season.

• Mia Phillips, Holland Black River

In her three seasons at Black River, Mia has been a big race runner.  During her 9^th and 10^th grade years, she was able to turn it up late into All-State and sub-20 performances.  She hovered around that mark this past year, didn’t break through, but still managed a 42^nd place finish.

Teams

Bangor
Bloomingdale
Bridgman
Bronson
Buchanan
Centreville
Coloma
Constantine
Galesburg-Augusta
Hartford
Lawton
Niles Brandywine
Parchment
Schoolcraft
Watervliet

Boys

As with many regions, a bit of change has occurred.  Saugatuck, always on that Division 3/4 border, moves back into 4.  Bridgman comes in from Division 4 and Bronson moves west from Region 23.  Bronson was an extremely young team in 2019, their top 7 runners all underclassmen.  They were unable to qualify as a team, but given the vast improvement seen in youngsters, should be a force to reckon with.  The battle for 3^rd is as tight as you’ll find, Coloma likely being the steadiest bet, having six quality runners to fall back on. 

Team Projections

Individual Projections

Ranked Teams

Bronson (14), Parchment (23), Coloma (25)

Highest Rated Seniors

• Joe Furlan, Bloomingdale

Joe has always been a solid runner, but hit a new level last season.  He was able to show his improvement on a few levels.  Time-wise, a 16:28 at Portage and 16:42 at MIS stand out (as a sophomore, he didn’t run under 17:00).  He’s been a top-5 finisher in the region the past two years, but nailed an All-State spot this past year.

• Luis Ortiz, Bronson

Luis has been a consistent presence for Bronson over in Region 23-3, this year they move a bit west.  Given his two previous years, he should acquit himself quite well here.  He was able to slip under 17:00 late into last season and finish 53^rd at State.

• Liam Houtkooper, Parchment

During Liam’s sophomore year, he was able to flash his potential, though the entirety of the season was marked by inconsistency.  In 2019, he put it together each and every week.  He was able to break 18:00 multiple times, but his 18:02 (15^th place) may be the most impressive.

Career Achievement

• Luke Blesy, Bridgman

Winners win, and although Luke hasn’t technically won a race, he’s always been able to pull through in big races.  With the move to Division 3, Luke should be more than capable of being in the mix.  He’s finished All-Region in each season and has been top-10 in Berrien County the past two years.

Anyone Else?

• Walker Barz, Buchanan

Walker’s two years at Buchanan have been nearly identical.  6^th, then 3^rd at Regionals.  41^st both years at State.  The ratings value consistency at Walker has brought that.  There have been subpar performances, but they’re few and far between, and outweighed by runs such as his freshman regional performance, a 0:25 PR that came out of nowhere. 

• Garrett Winter, Parchment

Garrett was able to experience some significant drops last year, both in awards and time.  He knocked nearly a minute off his PR (in tougher conditions as well, Otsego vs. MIS), reached top-10 at Regionals, and finished 17^th at State.

• Boden Genovese, Coloma

Ava Genovese has been a revelation for Coloma’s girls team, Boden should be her equal on the boys’ side.  He’s quietly been dominant in the Southwestern scene, beaten only once last year.  That defeat came at Portage, where he finished 3^rd.  In his victories, he was able to run in the low-11’s, breaking that barrier once.

Girls

As stated earlier, Bridgman find themselves in Division 3.  Beginning the 2019 season ranked 17^th, early season performances indicated a special team.  They were knocked off slightly at Portage, but recovered to win the Division 4 State Title.  They lose Mikaela Owen to Wayne State, where she’ll contribute on the track, and in the process, will need to find a fifth runner.  That is where Bloomingdale should step in, with runners such as Olaisa Moss and Marta Douglas that can provide quality depth.   

Team Projections

Individual Projections

Ranked Teams

Bridgman (17), Bloomingdale (19)

Highest Rated Seniors

• Karsyn Stewart, Bridgman

Karsyn is the senior leader and top returner on this very successful Bridgman squad.  Her 6^th place finish at MIS, a PR on a tough day, set the course for their state title.  She’s always been very good, with three consecutive top-5 regional finishes and two All-State honors.

• Kallie Harrison, Bloomingdale

Kallie’s reliability will be a major factor in Bloomingdale’s success.  You can pick out any race in her career and you’ll find a great performance.  She’s been All-Region twice and is almost always in the 20:00 range.

• Aubree Sedore, Galesburg-Augusta

When she’s on, Aubree can bring it with anyone in this region.  After all, she’s the defending champ.  Her 1^st place finish was her third straight qualifier.  That Centreville course ran slower than most, and her 20:10 there was certainly a sub-20 equivalent after the adjustment.

Career Achievement

• Mary Dow, Parchment

Mary has always racked up the medals and honors, but not to the level that she did last season.  She’s been top-15 in the region in each year she’s competed.  In 2019’s Fennville open, she was able to secure her first victory, and at Portage, her first run below 20:30.

Anyone Else?

• Arie Hackett, Bridgman

The additions of Arie and Summer Fast were also major influences on Bridgman’s title run.  Arie is a multi-sport star who took her talents to cross country.  She started slow, in the 22-23:00 range, but with some racing under her belt, moved into the low-20’s.  Her season ended with a clutch 11^th place finish at MIS, her first sub-20 performance.

• Abigail & Gabriella Schlabach, Centreville

Both Schlabach girls were able to have some success last year.  Gabriella was able to dip under 20:00 at Portage (October 5^th) and Abigail was able to match that a week later at Bloomingdale.  They’ve both been All-Region all three years and in 2019, the top two finishers at the St. Joseph County Meet.