Category: 2020 Previews

The List

40. Gary Gardella, Salem

Gary is one of the most hard working guys on the team. He’s one of the guys you would want on your team because he holds the team together and he provides a level of support and commitment you’d expect from one of the fastest guys on the team. He’s also one of the smartest trainers and racers on the team; he really understands the ins-and-outs of training and preparing for races.

GAVIN RAY, SALEM

• An additional factor I added in this summer was tracking individual improvement, and if a kid has improved, I feel they’re likely to show that again
• Gary is the perfect embodiment of that factor, both between seasons and during seasons
• As a freshman, he started out in the high 21’s and dropped into the 18’s by the end of the year
• This past fall, a similar track, with races above 17:00 and even approaching 18:00, but finishing the year with multiple low 16:00 efforts
• The ratings reflect his rise as well, showing nearly a 4 MINUTE improvement in two years

40. Alyson Enns, Hart

• Our first freshman! (but definitely not the last)
• Always tough to project middle schoolers, but the times speak for themselves, multiple sub-12 efforts
• A common thread with successful MS athletes is running a competitive race at Portage, Alyson’s 8:45 there is faster than a few State Champions and FootLocker finalists
• Track PRs from 2019 are 5:07/11:18

The List

41. Yasmine Mansi, Northville

Yasmine is hard working talented runner, that has yet to reach her full potential. She is a team worker, competitive, and dedicated runner. She is still trying to figure out her favorite event. She gave up soccer for running after her freshman year. Although she still wishes she can do both. She loves pushing herself at different events. I think she is one of the only distance runners that jumps Long Jump. Very proud of her and can’t wait to see what the future holds for her.

HER MOTHER

• What a career so far, 3x state qualifier (top 3 in the region each time), 2x All-State, victories at Bath and Coaching Legends, and has broken 18:00
• Major bit of redemption from a disappointing 2018 State race, improving from 129^th then to 19^th this past November
• Helped Northville finish 6^th as a team last year and will be a major factor in their quest for another state title

41. Braydon Honsinger, Freeland

• Ran an incredible 15(!!!) races last year and didn’t have a blowup race among them
• Along with a runner to be mentioned later, entered 2019 as one of the top MS runners in the state
• That hype was well warranted, turning in multiple 200+ ratings and even a sub-16 performance on a fast day at Wagener Park
• Accomplishments are many to list: League Champ, County Champ, Regional Champ, and All-State

The list.

42. Klay Grant, Muskegon Reeths-Puffer

• Klay had an impressive freshman campaign, where he was able to sneak under 17:00 multiple times
• He started 2019 at that level and continued to build, breaking 16:00 at the Benzie Regional
• That Benzie race earned him an All-Region spot and knocked off 17 places from his finish the year prior
• Hit the medal stand in notable big meets, such as Pete Moss, Cougar Falcon, and Allendale Falcon
• Muskegon City Champion
• Also a very good 800m runner comparable to his XC times, breaking 2:00 as a freshman

42. Hannah Pricco, Lansing Catholic

Hannah is a smart and mature racer for someone so early in their career. She is an excellent point guard in basketball and has a great understanding of what it takes to win and the importance of staying under control and letting the game or race come to her. She is the next in a pretty long line of really good runners we have had at Lansing Catholic and may not even know yet how good she can be.

COACH TIM SIMPSON

• Another extremely consistent year from a young runner
• All-State, All-Region, and one of the better Catholic runners in the entire state
• Speed ratings had her as the 4^th best freshman girl in the state