Hunter entered 2019’s XC season as one of the more heralded freshmen ever, and he backed up those accolades
His middle school accomplishments are well known, 4:32/9:34 on the track
His only defeat on the year came at Pete Moss, against the likes of Owen Johnson and Tyler Buchanan; beyond that he was undefeated
In those future races, took down sophomore sensations such as Baracco and Sumner, and beat an ever-improving Carson Hersch
One would imagine that 15:24 PR would be even lower if he was pulled along
Was able to run 4:28 indoors and 15:30 on the track this spring
6. Sarah Forsyth, Ann Arbor Pioneer
Speaking of heralded freshmen, the Forsyth family always has someone in the pipeline, Sarah being no different
She entered her freshman year with some blazing times, nearly sub-18 at Jackson and Pete Moss, before finishing as an All-State runner
This past year, she was able to do the same, all while breaking 18:00 and finishing in the top-10 at MIS
She takes the reins from the great Zofia Dudek and looks to lead Pioneer to another state title
Her indoor performances were a great indicator of her ability to do that, nearly equaling her times from 2019’s outdoor season and bettering her indoor marks by 10+ seconds from the prior year
Where else can you enjoy cider and donuts after a meet?
The stretch of road from St. Johns to Clare is truly Michigan’s XC heartland. The region is home to some of our best small town running cultures: Ithaca, Shepherd, Breckenridge, to name a few. In Shepherd, you have the best course in Michigan. Ithaca, the best coach’s TikTok account. Breckenridge’s trophy trailer will be hauling more metal this fall. Sacred Heart has been dominant during the past 10 years, St. Louis seems to be on the rise. Need I go on?
Here are the teams I have in the area:
Alma Ashley Beal City Breckenridge Carson City-Crystal Clare Farwell Fowler Fulton Harrison Ithaca Montabella Mt. Pleasant Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart Ovid-Elsie Pewamo-Westphalia Shepherd St. Johns St. Louis Vestaburg
