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Here’s six athletes who have made some strides this track season:

Maddy Bean, Richmond

2018 Track: 5:34/12:03

2018 XC: 19:36 (Algonac Regional), 123.5 rating

2019 Track: 5:32/11:43… 20 second PR in the 3200.  Would expect that 1600 to drop as well.

Sam Yoder, Midland

2018 Track: 2:23/5:10

2018 XC: 18:21 (Delta College Regional), 138.4 rating

2019 Track: 4:58/11:11… 3200 time may seem modest, but compared to XC results, show someone who will continue on that low 18 trajectory.  Potentially a senior season in the 17s.

Cierra Guay, Benzie Central

2018 Track: 74/2:39/5:49/12:18

2018 XC: 19:44 (Benzie Central Regional), 115.1

2019 Track: 66/2:37/5:40/12:15…  I know Benzie has some great coaching, but PRs in 4 events is impressive.

Ashton Brennan, Zeeland East

2018 Track: 5:04/10:58

2018 XC: 17:48 (Hudsonville Eagle), 162.9 rating

2019 Track: 5:15/10:13… Steady drops his three years of XC, from sub 20 as a freshman to sub 19 as a soph, to sub 18 as a junior.  3200 time shows that’s still going on.

Anna Petr, East Grand Rapids

2018 Track: 2:25/5:15/11:38

2018 XC: 18:36 (Allendale Regional), 139.6 rating

2019 Track: 63.7/2:21/5:21/10:44… Fairly similar to last year in events below 3200.  3200 obviously carries the most weight in comparison to XC.  I don’t think anyone will challenge Theis next year but definitely in the race for second.

Jozef Meyers, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix

2018 Track: 4:34/9:31

2018 XC: 16:05 (Portage Regional), 192.6

2019 Track: 4:27/9:23… Times are from indoor, but that 9:23 is really really good.  Meyers started last year’s XC season strong, but didn’t drop times at the rate that others did.  Hopeful that we see some 9:1x performances later this year.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I was looking into a method for regional assignments.  My god is that painstaking.  Kudos to those on the site selection committee.  There might be a time where I can contribute to that, but not now.  I knew it was complex, but too much work for me now (and not knowing where the regional sites would be, somewhat pointless).  Instead I’ll just critique the assignments when they are released.  Hope you all enjoy this rainy week.

Dual meets have began to heat up and the weather is trying to follow the same course.  We’ve had some invitationals over the past weekend and times have been dropped, and of course I’m using my day off to look at some 9th-11th graders that will impact this track and upcoming XC season.

Jenna Locricchio, Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard

2018 Track: 63.6 (400)

2018 XC: 20:49, 89.4 rating

2019 Track: 64.4/2:31.8… 400 pretty consistent with last year, 2:31 shows some range.  Had a slower race at regional last year, hopefully track can pave the way to some redemption.

Terry Emeigh, Allen Park

2018 Track: 57.0/2:09/4:47

2018 XC: 18:12, 152.7 rating

2019 Track: 53.9/2:05/5:02… had to include someone from the hometown.  His family has been a part of the Allen Park running scene for awhile, good to see it start to come together.  Maybe they’ve found something in that 400/800, but I’m sure that mile time will drop as well.

Emma Stasiuk, Three Rivers

2018 XC: 20:50, 91.4 rating

2019 Track: 2:54/6:15/12:03… the 12:03 is outstanding in a dual meet.  Of course it’s rare that you’re chasing a ringer like Makenna Veen, but for a freshman who’s already run a mile?  I like it.  Extrapolating from this, one would think she’ll smash her best from XC last year.

Christopher Villaire, Macomb Dakota

2018 Track: 2:30/5:09/11:36

2018 XC: 17:30, 161.0 rating

2019 Track: 2:15/4:48/10:46… it appears Villaire’s improvement came last fall, but it has continued into track.  Ran 17:3x multiple times in cross, a nearly 2 minute improvement from his freshman year.

Lilly Rodriguez, Capac

2018 Track: 2:46/5:58/12:55

2018 XC: 22:22, 62.3 rating

2019 Track: 2:46/6:01… I realize the times are consistent with last year, but Rodriguez hadn’t even had a meet at this point last year.  If the timeline is similar to last year, expect some PRs.

Zach McEvoy, Saginaw Heritage

2018 Track: 6:25

2018 XC: 19:53, 101.8 rating

2019 Track: 2:29/5:20/11:15… there’s some definitely some expletives you could throw around for this guy.  In the fall, Zach finally broke 20 minutes after years of trying.  He’s carried that over into a track season where he’s knocked a minute off his 1600, and ran a 3200 that’s in the range of a 150-155 xc rating.  So yeah, keep doing what you’re doing.

Spring break week, a time to relax, find warm weather, and not compete in track meets.  Unless you’re in the Catholic League or a few schools in mid-Michigan.  There wasn’t much to report this week, but I did scour through results looking for any tiny breadcrumb of improvement.  The schedule does seem to pick up soon, we’ll have some Saturday meets where a few traditional powers will compete (Breckenridge, Shepherd, Heritage, amongst others), then will officially pick up the following week.  Anyway, here’s a few individuals that stood out:

Dominic Comfort, Macomb L’Anse Creuse

2018 Track – 2:32/5:42/12:01

2018 XC – 18:26, 122.7 rating

2019 Track – 5:25/11:14… 17 and 47 second improvements, respectively.

Henry Moran, Brother Rice

2018 Track – 2:11/5:07

2018 XC – 17:30 (Metro Beach), 157.3 rating

2019 Track – 2:08/5:01/11:32… I’d expect that 11:32 to drop if he runs it again and 17:30 to be a starting point next year, not a late season revelation

Natalie Wehner, Flint Powers Catholic

2018 XC – 21:52, -24.4 rating

2019 Track – 2:56/5:47… that 21:52 from XC was a 4 min. drop from the start of the season.  Surely her rating is deflated from early results and that mile time is legit.

Kelcee VanBuskirk, Caro

2018 XC – 22:37, 52.5 rating

2019 Track – 2:46/6:12/13:26… I think the 2:46 is the best time and the range is obviously there.  13:26 lets you know the endurance is there for drops this year and into XC.

 

Now that division cutoffs have been released, my current project is regional assignments.  I realize that regional sites change from year to year, but I’m working on a method to make them as fair as possible, taking into account distance, projections for the following year, and getting the best possible 27 teams to MIS.  From what I understand, MITCA does great work in this regard, but these are two of my favorite areas: geography and running.