Category: Uncategorized

THE SUMMER PREVIEW

Accomplishments & Accolades

• 800m – 2:16
• 1600m – 4:48
• 3200m – 10:23
• 5k (XC) – 17:19

• 3^rd Place – D1 State
• 3x All-State
• 2x Regional Champion
• 3x Oakland County Champion
• 3^rd Place – D1 State 3200m
• Region 8 3200m Champion
• 5x All-State (Track)
• 4x Oakland County Champion (Track)

Ratings Throughout the Years

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
11	Lucy Cook	17:19.7	Rochester	168.1	Division 1 State	4-Nov	2023
11	Lucy Cook	18:18.7	Rochester	150.4	Region 8	27-Oct	2023
11	Lucy Cook	18:37.9	Rochester	144.7	OAA White Championship	19-Oct	2023
11	Lucy Cook	18:23.5	Rochester	160.5	Oakland County	7-Oct	2023
11	Lucy Cook	18:15.6	Rochester	154.5	Hansons	30-Sep	2023
11	Lucy Cook	18:10.7	Rochester	160.4	Spartan	15-Sep	2023
11	Lucy Cook	19:28.3	Rochester	147.9	Milford	31-Aug	2023
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
10	Lucy Cook	17:25.4	Rochester	162.9	MITCA	12-Nov	2022
10	Lucy Cook	17:49.8	Rochester	162.4	Division 1 State	5-Nov	2022
10	Lucy Cook	18:49.5	Rochester	145.5	Region 8	29-Oct	2022
10	Lucy Cook	18:34.1	Rochester	147.0	OAA White Championship	20-Oct	2022
10	Lucy Cook	18:45.5	Rochester	150.8	Oakland County	8-Oct	2022
10	Lucy Cook	18:07.9	Rochester	150.0	Hansons	1-Oct	2022
10	Lucy Cook	18:39.7	Rochester	144.8	OAA White 2	27-Sep	2022
10	Lucy Cook	18:38.2	Rochester	149.3	Mott Fall Classic	23-Sep	2022
10	Lucy Cook	19:06.7	Rochester	144.1	Spartan	16-Sep	2022
10	Lucy Cook	19:24.9	Rochester	130.7	OAA White 1	13-Sep	2022
10	Lucy Cook	19:19.7	Rochester	152.8	Milford	1-Sep	2022
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
9	Lucy Cook	17:49.0	Rochester	161.3	MITCA	13-Nov	2021
9	Lucy Cook	17:50.8	Rochester	160.1	Division 1 State	6-Nov	2021
9	Lucy Cook	18:32.8	Rochester	149.7	OAA White 3	22-Oct	2021
9	Lucy Cook	19:51.0	Rochester	133.7	Oxford	15-Oct	2021
9	Lucy Cook	18:57.8	Rochester	153.7	Oakland County	9-Oct	2021
9	Lucy Cook	19:04.8	Rochester	141.7	Hansons	2-Oct	2021
9	Lucy Cook	18:57.2	Rochester	150.9	Spartan	17-Sep	2021
9	Lucy Cook	19:19.4	Rochester	143.5	OAA White 1	14-Sep	2021
9	Lucy Cook	14:40.2	Rochester	145.3	Golden Grizzly	3-Sep	2021

The Rundown

Don’t pay attention to the 19:28 at Milford. You can toss away the 19:06 at Spartan. 19:04 at Hansons, erase it from your memory.

When October rolls around, championships begin heating up, then the whole state descends upon MIS, Lucy brings her best material.

Take note of the accomplishments. Three All-States. Three Oakland County crowns. Wins in every OAA White race. Two regional victories.

Take note of the times. 18’s and 19’s all fall, each year dropping down to the 17’s for State and MITCA.

On the track, placed in the early legs of the 4×8, placing her Falcons in great positions to attain spots on the podium. Clutch when it matters.

THE SUMMER PREVIEW

Accomplishments & Accolades

• 1600m – 4:18
• 3200m – 9:08
• 5k (XC) – 15:08

• 4^th Place – D1 State
• Region 5 Champion
• SEC Red Champion
• 4^th Place – D1 State 3200m
• Region 5 3200m Champion
• 2^nd Place – NBON Freshman 2 Mile

Ratings Throughout the Years

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
9	Kamari Ronfeldt	15:09.8	Ann Arbor Pioneer	209.7	MITCA	11-Nov	2023
9	Kamari Ronfeldt	15:08.6	Ann Arbor Pioneer	211.5	Division 1 State	4-Nov	2023
9	Kamari Ronfeldt	15:20.0	Ann Arbor Pioneer	204.7	Region 5	28-Oct	2023
9	Kamari Ronfeldt	15:29.9	Ann Arbor Pioneer	213.7	SEC Championship	19-Oct	2023
9	Kamari Ronfeldt	15:59.1	Ann Arbor Pioneer	204.6	Gabriel Richard	14-Oct	2023
9	Kamari Ronfeldt	15:11.2	Ann Arbor Pioneer	204.3	SEC Red 2	27-Sep	2023
9	Kamari Ronfeldt	15:13.9	Ann Arbor Pioneer	212.4	Jackson	23-Sep	2023
9	Kamari Ronfeldt	16:11.2	Ann Arbor Pioneer	205.6	Mustang	29-Aug	2023

The Rundown

Ann Arbor Pioneer is one of our legacy programs. Under the guidance of Coach Sleeman, they’re always making it to the State Finals, consistently in contention, and forever pumping out great talent. Kamari might be one of the, if not the best to walk those halls.

I don’t say that lightly, the times and stats speak for themselves. From the jump, he’s been an outstanding runner for the Pioneers. His first HS race ever was a little rustbuster, traversing the Cass Benton hills in 16:11. From then on, he was hitting low-15’s and winning races against the best competition in Southeast Michigan. By season’s end, his 15:08 at State earned him a 4^th place finish in Division 1. That 15:08 was the fastest freshman in MIS history (30+ seconds faster than the previous mark) and the highest placing freshman in Division 1 in the MIS era (Ritz was 5^th in 1997).

Track was a bit slower at the beginning, though by June, Ronfeldt found himself where he rightfully belongs. He led the D1 3200m for a bit before placing 4^th. Two weeks later, a 9:11 in the NBON freshman 2 Mile. Converted to 3200m, that’s approximately 9:08.1, perhaps a freshman class record if there were a camera (either way, Ronfeldt and Romero would be worthy record-holders).

Samuel Baker. Ryan Good. Luka Hammond. Ezekiel Baltierra. Jack MacGregor. Bobby Jazwinski. Ben Romero. Many more athletes. And Kamari, too.

The class of ’27 is loaded with talent, good people, and names that’ll certainly go down in history.

THE SUMMER PREVIEW

Accomplishments & Accolades

• 800m – 2:16
• 1600m – 4:52
• 3200m – 10:37
• 5k (XC) – 17:43

• 3^rd Place – D2 State
• 16^th Place – 2023
• 2^nd Place – Region 13
  • 3x Top-20
• 2^nd Place – SMAC
  • 3x Top-5
• 6^th Place – D1 State 1600m
• 3^rd Place – MITS 1600/3200m
• Region 3 & SMAC 3200m Champion

Ratings Throughout the Years

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
11	Elena Figueroa	17:46.6	St. Joseph	158.8	Division 2 State	4-Nov	2023
11	Elena Figueroa	17:59.0	St. Joseph	155.0	Region 13	28-Oct	2023
11	Elena Figueroa	18:34.9	St. Joseph	139.7	SMAC Championship	21-Oct	2023
11	Elena Figueroa	18:35.4	St. Joseph	142.9	Rock n’ Run	12-Oct	2023
11	Elena Figueroa	17:43.2	St. Joseph	163.6	Portage	7-Oct	2023
11	Elena Figueroa	18:06.1	St. Joseph	151.3	Berrien County	30-Sep	2023
11	Elena Figueroa	17:43.9	St. Joseph	163.4	Cougar Falcon	23-Sep	2023
11	Elena Figueroa	17:44.0	St. Joseph	164.0	Ottawa Hills	15-Sep	2023
11	Elena Figueroa	19:19.4	St. Joseph	148.9	St. Joseph	22-Aug	2023
11	Elena Figueroa	18:19.9	St. Joseph	162.7	Portage Early Bird	18-Aug	2023
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
10	Elena Figueroa	19:05.3	St. Joseph	136.6	Division 2 State	5-Nov	2022
10	Elena Figueroa	18:56.8	St. Joseph	135.4	Region 13	29-Oct	2022
10	Elena Figueroa	18:37.9	St. Joseph	144.7	SMAC Championship	22-Oct	2022
10	Elena Figueroa	19:11.7	St. Joseph	131.4	Rock n Run	13-Oct	2022
10	Elena Figueroa	18:41.1	St. Joseph	142.6	Portage	8-Oct	2022
10	Elena Figueroa	19:21.6	St. Joseph	130.5	SMAC West 2	5-Oct	2022
10	Elena Figueroa	19:06.0	St. Joseph	130.0	Berrien County	1-Oct	2022
10	Elena Figueroa	18:30.2	St. Joseph	143.6	Cougar Falcon	24-Sep	2022
10	Elena Figueroa	19:26.5	St. Joseph	139.5	SMAC West 1	21-Sep	2022
10	Elena Figueroa	18:45.7	St. Joseph	142.8	Ottawa Hills	16-Sep	2022
10	Elena Figueroa	18:52.1	St. Joseph	141.3	Lakeview	10-Sep	2022
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
9	Elena Figueroa	19:32.1	St. Joseph	126.3	Division 1 State	6-Nov	2021
9	Elena Figueroa	19:40.4	St. Joseph	120.5	Region 3	29-Oct	2021
9	Elena Figueroa	20:03.0	St. Joseph	120.3	SMAC Championship	23-Oct	2021
9	Elena Figueroa	19:55.8	St. Joseph	119.1	Rock n Run	14-Oct	2021
9	Elena Figueroa	19:29.5	St. Joseph	134.2	Portage	9-Oct	2021
9	Elena Figueroa	20:03.8	St. Joseph	118.7	SMAC West 2	6-Oct	2021
9	Elena Figueroa	18:55.7	St. Joseph	127.1	Berrien County	2-Oct	2021
9	Elena Figueroa	19:06.8	St. Joseph	139.1	Cougar Falcon	25-Sep	2021
9	Elena Figueroa	19:52.0	St. Joseph	121.7	SMAC West 1	22-Sep	2021
9	Elena Figueroa	18:52.5	St. Joseph	148.8	Ottawa Hills	17-Sep	2021
9	Elena Figueroa	19:14.1	St. Joseph	141.3	Lakeview	11-Sep	2021
9	Elena Figueroa	20:00.4	St. Joseph	123.9	Harper Creek Optimist	28-Aug	2021
9	Elena Figueroa	20:34.3	St. Joseph	128.2	St. Joseph	24-Aug	2021

The Rundown

Parked far in the southwest corner of our State, Elena Figueroa quietly goes about her business. No influencing on social media, no grandiose proclamations. Just dutifully doing her work, ascending into one of the better girls in Michigan.

At the time that I wrote last year’s ticket, Elena was known more for her track prowess than cross. Well, her fall season put an end to that. After a few meets where her and Gail Vaikutis cruised through the line, one and two, she let it all out at Ottawa Hills. Going into her junior year, her XC PR was 18:30. When she left Riverside Park on that Friday, Figueroa was well under-18, 17:44.

She summoned a number of those efforts when needed. 17:59 at Regionals, 17:43’s at Cougar Falcon and Portage, 17:46 at State. When not needed, she wisely held off the gas a little. By season’s end, the ability to speed through the course resulted in a 3^rd place finish in D2, her second All-State and 13 spots better than her sophomore version.

All this talk about cross, do you think she lost her speed? Heck no. Despite hovering around 5-flat at Regionals and GR Elite, Elena found a way to muster out a 4:52 in the D1 State 1600m, matching 2023’s best and laying down the 7^th best time in Michigan.

Writings and rankings revel in the anticipation, hype, drama. Elena’s counterpart to that, the silent consistency, is a much appreciated characteristic in our running environment.