Category: Uncategorized

THE SUMMER PREVIEW

Accomplishments & Accolades

1600m – 4:29
3200m – 9:27
5k (XC) – 15:49

• 32^nd Place – D2 State
• 4^th Place – Greater Lansing
  • 2x Top-10
• 4^th Place – Region 14
  • 3x Top-10 at Regionals
• 14^th Place – D2 State 3200m
• CAAC Red 3200m Champion
• 3^rd Place – CAAC Red 1600m

Ratings Throughout the Years

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
11	Alex Doneth	15:57.6	Mason	194.8	Division 2 State	4-Nov	2023
11	Alex Doneth	16:39.6	Mason	192.5	Region 14	27-Oct	2023
11	Alex Doneth	16:15.3	Mason	189.6	CAAC Red 3	19-Oct	2023
11	Alex Doneth	16:24.3	Mason	196.6	Greater Lansing	14-Oct	2023
11	Alex Doneth	15:56.8	Mason	198.1	Portage	7-Oct	2023
11	Alex Doneth	16:22.5	Mason	193.2	Eaton Rapids	12-Sep	2023
11	Alex Doneth	16:02.5	Mason	200.8	John Bruder Classic	7-Sep	2023
11	Alex Doneth	16:07.5	Mason	196.2	Saranac	30-Aug	2023
11	Alex Doneth	16:28.7	Mason	199.4	Lamplighter	18-Aug	2023
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
10	Alex Doneth	16:52.4	Mason	183.5	Division 2 State	5-Nov	2022
10	Alex Doneth	16:33.2	Mason	181.9	Region 14	29-Oct	2022
10	Alex Doneth	16:31.8	Mason	186.7	Greater Lansing	15-Oct	2022
10	Alex Doneth	16:37.5	Mason	182.8	CAAC Red 2	4-Oct	2022
10	Alex Doneth	16:41.7	Mason	181.1	Bluejay	1-Oct	2022
10	Alex Doneth	16:30.4	Mason	184.2	CAAC Red 1	26-Sep	2022
10	Alex Doneth	18:03.6	Mason	173.5	Averill	10-Sep	2022
10	Alex Doneth	17:00.1	Mason	191.3	Saranac	31-Aug	2022
10	Alex Doneth	16:57.6	Mason	190.8	Lamplighter	19-Aug	2022
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
9	Alex Doneth	17:01.4	Mason	178.5	MITCA	13-Nov	2021
9	Alex Doneth	16:51.7	Mason	180.1	Division 2 State	6-Nov	2021
9	Alex Doneth	16:43.6	Mason	179.8	Region 13	30-Oct	2021
9	Alex Doneth	17:07.0	Mason	185.7	CAAC Red 3	21-Oct	2021
9	Alex Doneth	16:56.4	Mason	186.2	Greater Lansing	16-Oct	2021
9	Alex Doneth	17:05.5	Mason	180.8	Portage	9-Oct	2021
9	Alex Doneth	16:47.0	Mason	183.7	CAAC Red 2	5-Oct	2021
9	Alex Doneth	16:39.7	Mason	185.8	Bluejay	2-Oct	2021
9	Alex Doneth	16:46.8	Mason	184.7	CAAC Red 1	21-Sep	2021
9	Alex Doneth	17:02	Mason	181.7	Lansing Catholic Mini 1	9-Sep	2021
9	Alex Doneth	17:21.0	Mason	189.0	Mustang	31-Aug	2021
9	Alex Doneth	18:00.0	Mason	171.0	Lamplighter	20-Aug	2021

The Rundown

Writing these requires jogging the ol’ memory bank, and that recall includes thinking that Alex would be impactful at the high school level. And why not, as the dude was a steady 11-min. performer in middle school.

Well, it’s gotta carry over to high school and it sure has. Moving around from region to region has had no impact on his ability to deliver in late October, as Alex has rattled off three straight top-10 regional finishes. The State Finals have gradually gotten better, Doneth moving from 71^st during his freshman campaign to now last year, 32^nd.

The 9:27 from track season shows the train is still rolling, knocking 3 sec. off his sophomore best. His State Finish wasn’t quite as low as 2023, but he did come away with a CAAC Red victory in the 3200m. Nothing flashy from Alex, but that’s okay, the fast times and gradual progress speak for themselves.

SUMMER PREVIEW

Last Year

Summer
Mid-Season
Final Projections
The Result

Boys

1. Grand Rapids Covenant Christian (3^rd in D3)
2. The Potter’s House (19^th)
3. Holland Black River (17^th)

Girls

1. Grand Rapids Covenant Christian (5^th)
2. Kent City (14^th)
3. Fennville (13^th)

5 for 6, with the Covenant Christian boys coming through with a strong season and Black River nabbing the third boys spot.

Top 27 Teams

Boys

Top Ten – Grand Rapids Covenant Christian
#16 – Muskegon Western Michigan Christian
#22 – Montague
#23 – Holland Black River

Girls

Top Ten – Muskegon Western Michigan Christian
#11 – Grand Rapids Covenant Christian
#15 – Kent City

Projected Scores

Boys

Place	Team	Projected Score
1	Grand Rapids Covenant Christian	40
2	Muskegon Western Michigan Christian	107
3	Montague	112
4	Holland Black River	129
5	The Potter’s House	149
6	Saranac	190
7	Olivet	195
8	Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian	198
9	Parchment	215
10	Kent City	239
11	Grandville Calvin Christian	300
12	Ravenna	310
13	North Muskegon	317
14	Delton-Kellogg	346
15	Newaygo	379

Girls

Place	Team	Projected Score
1	Grand Rapids Covenant Christian	62
2	Muskegon Western Michigan Christian	71
3	Kent City	76
4	Grandville Calvin Christian	115
5	Saranac	126
6	Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian	138
7	The Potter’s House	208
8	Newaygo	209
9	Montague	212
10	Delton-Kellogg	239
11	Olivet	272
12	Holland Black River	302

Top Runners

Boys

Place	Grade	Name	Team
1	12	Levi Kamps	Grand Rapids Covenant Christian
2	12	Matthias Morse	Muskegon Western Michigan Christian
3	10	Graeson Decker	Grand Rapids Covenant Christian
4	12	Isaac Edgington	Holland Black River
5	10	Jonas Ballard	Holland Black River
6	11	Noah Raeth	Montague
7	12	Luke Dykstra	Grand Rapids Covenant Christian
8	10	Caleb Swiney	The Potter’s House
9	9	Logan Gregory	Saranac
10	10	Barrett Nance	North Muskegon
11	11	Luke Tibbe	Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian
12	11	Edward Mugisha	The Potter’s House
13	12	Tyler N. Kooienga	Grand Rapids Covenant Christian
14	12	Elliot Cole	Parchment
15	9	Nolan Kessler	Montague
16	10	Micah Kuiper	Grand Rapids Covenant Christian
17	10	Owen Sytsema	Muskegon Western Michigan Christian
18	12	Ethan Rimmer	Delton-Kellogg
19	9	Rex Pumford	Montague
20	9	Lucas Winter	Parchment
21	11	Reuben Anderson	Muskegon Western Michigan Christian
22	12	Alix Draves	Montague
23	11	Kaden Mingerink	Grand Rapids Covenant Christian
24	10	David Castrejon	Newaygo
25	11	Isaac Norcross	Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian

Levi Kamps

Improvement just never stops with this kid. Has dropped close to a minute each year, this past one ending in the 15’s. That progress ain’t just limited to cross, as he made another D3 Final 1600m, dropping 9 seconds from 2023.

Matthias Morse

Mid-distance star this past spring, impactful from the 200m to the 3200m (I guess that’s pretty much ALL distances). But biggest efforts came in the 400m and 800, each ranking in the top-10 in D4, that 800m earning Morse an All-State

Graeson Decker

The graph on Graeson’s progress is pretty darn steep. He needed a few races near 18:00 to start out, but after mid-September, it was game on. Every race in the 16’s, ending at a 16:11 and 17^th place at State.

Isaac Edgington

Last three races were all bangers, one of them being a 16:29 that was the final podium spot in D3.

Jonas Ballard

Found a home in the 3200m, rattling off a number of 10:20ish performances before a 10:07 (#6 across D3’s freshmen) late.

Noah Raeth

First cross season led to extended strength for track, as Noah moved up to the 1600m. His last three races were all between 4:38 and 4:42, the kind of efforts one needs to be competitive in this region.

Luke Dykstra

Reliable in late season for this top team. All but one of his championship meets where below 17:10.

Girls

Place	Grade	Name	Team
1	12	Lila Volkers	Kent City
2	12	Grace VanderKooi	Muskegon Western Michigan Christian
3	10	Shelby Kuiper	Grand Rapids Covenant Christian
4	9	Elliana Max	Kent City
5	12	Lola Bryce	Grandville Calvin Christian
6	10	Leah Sneller	Muskegon Western Michigan Christian
7	10	Lydia Minderhoud	Grand Rapids Covenant Christian
8	9	Shelby Zimmer	Kent City
9	10	Anna DeVries	Grand Rapids Covenant Christian
10	12	Hannah Geaney	The Potter’s House
11	10	Kaylie Riksen	Muskegon Western Michigan Christian
12	12	Morgan Lawrence	Muskegon Western Michigan Christian
13	10	Marnath Tuol	Grandville Calvin Christian
14	10	Jenna Terpstra	Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian
15	10	Laura Castrejon	Newaygo
16	11	Sylvia Skujins	North Muskegon
17	12	Alyssa Possehn	Saranac
18	12	Grace Torsch	Montague
19	9	Abbie Koole	Grand Rapids Covenant Christian
20	9	Esther Cahill	Saranac
21	10	Anneliesse Patterson	Olivet
22	9	Kaytlyn Day	Saranac
23	11	Dylan Bosma	Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian
24	12	Kylie Main	Delton-Kellogg
25	10	Kayla Koppenhofer	Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian

Lila Volkers

More to be written later on this 2x Region 21 Champion.

Grace VanderKooi

And of course, more to be written later too on this defending Region 31 Champion.

Shelby Kuiper

Took a few races, but really got the hang of the four lap race. By her fifth one, she was at 5:20, the 32^nd best time in the entire state.

Lola Bryce

May have only moved from 9^th to 6^th here in Region 21, but the time jump was significant, moving from the 20’s to many, many performances in the 19’s.

Leah Sneller

Really took to the cross country scene and distance, running the majority of her October and November races in the 20’s. There was even a 33^rd place D4 finish in there.

THE SUMMER PREVIEW

Accomplishments & Accolades

• 1600m – 5:14
• 3200m – 10:59
• 5k (XC) – 18:25

• 6^th Place – KLAA Championship
• 6^th Place – Region 4
• 4^th Place – KLAA Championship
• 4^th Place – Region 4

Ratings Throughout the Years

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
11	Elle Bissett	19:10.8	Brighton	131.1	Division 1 State	4-Nov	2023
11	Elle Bissett	19:28.9	Brighton	130.4	Region 4	28-Oct	2023
11	Elle Bissett	19:29.1	Brighton	137.3	KLAA Conference	20-Oct	2023
11	Elle Bissett	18:25.8	Brighton	149.4	Portage	7-Oct	2023
11	Elle Bissett	18:26.5	Brighton	147.2	Jackson	23-Sep	2023
11	Elle Bissett	19:44.5	Brighton	129.2	Spartan	15-Sep	2023
11	Elle Bissett	20:36.0	Brighton	121.7	Averill	9-Sep	2023
11	Elle Bissett	21:41.3	Brighton	97.2	Mustang	29-Aug	2023
11	Elle Bissett	19:41.1	Brighton	137.0	Lamplighter	18-Aug	2023
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
10	Elle Bissett	20:35.3	Brighton	107.2	Division 1 State	5-Nov	2022
10	Elle Bissett	21:40.9	Brighton	88.0	KLAA Conference	22-Oct	2022
10	Elle Bissett	19:34.3	Brighton	124.9	Portage	8-Oct	2022
10	Elle Bissett	20:28.4	Brighton	116.9	Spartan	16-Sep	2022
10	Elle Bissett	21:49.5	Brighton	102.5	Averill	10-Sep	2022
10	Elle Bissett	20:55.2	Brighton	112.9	Lamplighter	19-Aug	2022
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
9	Elle Bissett	19:50.8	Brighton	120.1	Division 1 State	6-Nov	2021
9	Elle Bissett	20:12.0	Brighton	116.3	Region 4	29-Oct	2021
9	Elle Bissett	19:45.7	Brighton	122.4	KLAA Conference	21-Oct	2021
9	Elle Bissett	20:52.0	Brighton	106.7	Portage	9-Oct	2021
9	Elle Bissett	20:44.5	Brighton	106.2	Coaching Legends	2-Oct	2021
9	Elle Bissett	21:59.3	Brighton	90.2	Spartan	17-Sep	2021
9	Elle Bissett	22:33.4	Brighton	83.9	Averill	11-Sep	2021
9	Elle Bissett	22:34.8	Brighton	88.4	Mustang	31-Aug	2021
9	Elle Bissett	23:59.1	Brighton	51.3	Lamplighter	20-Aug	2021

The Rundown

As Lydia LaMarra got on this list because of her late-season XC heroics, Elle Bissett is included because of her ability to lay down times during track. Across the board, she displayed significant improvement in each event. 800m? 2:35 to 2:24. 1600m? 5:25 to 5:14? 3200m? Perhaps the greatest, 11:27 to 10:59. That 3200m also came with the most honors, Elle racking up 4^th place finishes in both the KLAA and in Region 4.

This all comes off a cross season that was her best yet. In terms of time, Elle transformed from a girl running 19-20’s to one that showed flashes of dipping into the 18’s. We saw that mid-season, where her 18:25 and 7^th place finish at Portage showed she can absolutely hang with the state’s best, a fact that she’d later prove in the spring. In terms of place, consider the regional stage. As a freshman, she placed 30^th and as a sophomore, competed in the JV race. This past fall, she placed 6^th, an integral member of the winning Bulldogs squad.

Elle’s ability, heightened improvement, and a great training backdrop should make for an impactful senior year.