Following a sensational freshman year where she finished top-10 at State, Julia started 2019 with a banger, 17:26 at Pete Moss
That Benzie course always runs quick, but any time under 17:30 deserves mention, especially that early
She broke 18:00 on a few other occasions as well – Portage, Regional, and State
And may have at Northern Michigan if not for running off course
She improved her State Meet finish by 7 spots, to 3rd
Julia showed some mid-distance ability during her freshman track campaign, running 4:56 in the 1600m
In our stunted spring this time around, she revealed more of that speed, getting down to 2:14/4:54
5. Koby Fraaza, Richland Gull Lake
In the past, I’ve referred to Koby as sort of a silent assassin, I still feel that’s true
Other runners may have more name recognition, but his results speak for themselves
Every single major meet last year, Koby ran sub-16. A scorcher at Holly, windy/muddy track at MIS, burners like Cougar Falcon, every single significant race
He beat some great competition as well
Jozef Meyers at the SMAC Championships
Andrew Lane, Faust, Baracco, Adam (the next Ben) Hill at Holly
State Meet might not have gone so well, the but the rest of the season speaks for itself
Nearly equaled his 3200m best during the indoor season, running 9:27, just sliiightly above his time from spring 2019
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
Michigan XC Speed Ratings 