Northern Michigan is well-represented at the championship level, both individuals and teams. Hart, Hunter Jones, Traverse City, Aiden Harrand, Petoskey, Cambrie Smith, you name it. It’s an all-encompassing region (Northern Michigan Championships), that has very distinct areas. I’ve divided it into four areas (131, Lake Huron, Little Traverse Bay, Sleeping Bear) on separate pages and then the entire North shown here.
If regionals are a go this fall, I hope to make it up to Benzie. The four regions there are made up of many of these teams, and almost all will be among the fastest, tightest regions in their respective divisions. The families, leaders, and community support in the towns that dot our North are the driving force in this competitiveness.
Conor may be the highest ranked returner that was unable to win a race
That’s part of the effect of running on a team like Fremont (who will have another runner previewed)
Conor’s freshmen year was unheralded compared to Baracco, Sumner, but he still ran a blazing 16:10 at Regional (Michaywe Pines)
This past season, he inched his way up to those aforementioned studs with multiple sub-16/200+ efforts
He ran the massive PR’s (Benzie Regional, Portage), but also the clutch, tough performances that seal a State Title
Fremont’s depth and quality should give much leeway, but consistent performers like Somers are the key to recapturing that glory
10. Elizabeth Babcock, Novi
Elizabeth is likely the epitome of this preview’s emphasis on year to year improvement
As a sophomore, her first year in the sport, she ran fairly decent, breaking 20:00 multiple times, but didn’t qualify for MIS
As a junior, she started her season in the 19’s, nearly broke 18:00, and finished 7th in Division 1
I’m not sure what sparked that massive improvement, but I’m betting it wasn’t pure luck
One thing for certain, we couldn’t predict this coming, Elizabeth spent the 2019 track season honing her long jump skills – 3rd in Oakland County. What a talent!
As with Adit Dau, it is tough to rate Ottawa Hills runners because of the few races on their plate, with one subpar performance, they can be underrated
Madison didn’t have that subpar performance (and really hasn’t throughout her career), even getting better as the season progressed
She ran a massive PR at the Benzie Regional, then followed it up with an equally impressive race at MIS
That State Meet race earned Madison her first All-State honor
After missing the 2019 track season, she was on her way to (again) setting some massive PRs, starting with an 11:06 in the Elite 3200m at Grand Valley
11. Owen Johnson, Ann Arbor Pioneer
Late in 2018, Owen began to show he’ll be a contributor in this sport
Sub-17 efforts at Jackson, Willow, a 17:02 on a cold, muddy November day in Brooklyn
Then he opened with a 15:49 at Pete Moss, and we saw that potential realized
Owen’s State Meet last year may not have gone how he wanted, but his overall track record shows a runner that will be at the front of every race
Multiple sub-16/200+ performances
The most significant, I believe, is his 15:36/207.8 at Portage, where he placed 9th in a loaded field
And beat some of our better seniors who will be competing in the Big 10 this season
During indoor, he was able to better his 1600m PR from 4:30 to 4:25 and demolish his 3200m best, improving from 9:41 to 9:23
