Category: Uncategorized

Last Year

SUMMER PREVIEW

MID-SEASON

REGIONAL PROJECTIONS

THE RESULT

Girls

1. Northville (9^th)
2. Canton (27^th)
3. Ann Arbor Huron (24^th)

Boys

1. Northville (State Champions)
2. Plymouth (6^th)
3. Livonia Churchill (23^rd)

Top 27 Teams

Previous years had top-25 teams, but there’s 27 (and sometimes more) team qualifiers and what does it hurt to add another two?

Girls

Northville (10^th), Farmington (21^st)

Boys

Northville (Top 2), Plymouth (15^th), Canton (20^th), Livonia Churchill (26^th)

(If your team isn’t listed in the images above or the scores below, you probably don’t have five returners, at least on ol’ athletic.net. I’m sure many of these teams will fill out their rosters by late October)

Projected Scores

Place	Girls Team	Score
1	Northville	57
2	Farmington	91
3	Ann Arbor Huron	130
4	Livonia Franklin	143
5	Canton	145
6	Livonia Stevenson	164
7	Livonia Churchill	170
8	Salem	182
9	Plymouth	218
10	Farmington Hills Mercy	235
11	Wayne Memorial	305
12	Detroit Renaissance	315
13	Oak Park	331

Place	Boys Team	Score
1	Northville	31
2	Plymouth	78
3	Canton	88
4	Livonia Churchill	110
5	Salem	128
6	Ann Arbor Huron	141
7	Detroit U-D Jesuit	152
8	Livonia Stevenson	200
9	Detroit Renaissance	290
10	Farmington	310
11	Livonia Franklin	316
12	Westland John Glenn	391
13	Wayne Memorial	391
14	Ferndale	428

Top Runners

I’m making a slight change for the Division 1 folks. Previous regional writeups had the top finishers, even if they were mentioned in the Top 10’s or 50 Tickets. Because so many Division 1 kids make up the top 50 returners (which makes sense, since D1 covers about 60% of the state), I’ll write about a few returners beyond those 50. This will hopefully extend a bit more coverage towards more deserving athletes. Some of the 50 have been covered, others will get their own post. Check the Summer Preview page or keep checking back until next Thursday for those.

Nora Gerzema, Farmington Hills Mercy

The rare addition to here of someone that didn’t run cross. But when you gather valuable intel, you must share it. Nora ended her freshman season with personal bests of 2:15 and 5:04, qualifying for State in both the 800m and 1600m.

Kaelin Hughes, Livonia Stevenson

Flashed some speedy times late, reaching down into the low-19’s in this region and in Brooklyn. She was 4^th here, a far cry from the 38^th place in which she crossed the line as a freshman.

Ava Peters, Livonia Franklin

Subtracted over 80 seconds from her freshman 3200m best. An 11:18 in the KLAA Final earned Ava a 5^th place finish. Six days later in the regional rain, she also earned a 5^th spot, but lowered her best down to 11:13.

Kylee King, Oak Park

Another spring and summer of never folding, Kylee overcame a mid-season slump to finish 2^nd in the Division 1 800m, then represented the Motor City on her way to a 17-18 National Title in Des Moines.

Sofia Figueroa, Wayne Memorial

Slipped into the 19’s for the first time ever as a junior, ending her season with three of four races in that category. Unfortunately unable to compete at the MHSAA level, but managed top-10 finishes in Wayne County and the KLAA.

Adam Dicken, Canton

Some take a step forward, level off, then take another one. Some take that step forward, then just keep on rolling. If you thought Adam was done after reaching the mid-16’s in cross, you were dead wrong. If you thought he was done after going sub-2 during track, you were dead wrong. Kid just kept kicking it down, ending with a 1:55 in the 800m at the MITCA meet.

Jack Chadwick, Plymouth

Has always been a guy that has excelled through his strength. Well this spring, added some speed, lowering his bests from 2:05 to 2:00 and 4:35 to 4:25. Over at Stevenson’s regional, he raced in both the 1600m and 3200m, placing top-8 in each.

Ian Lewis, Livonia Churchill

Has undergone that typical Skroll transformation, coming from a freshman running on the high side of 19:00 to now a senior that has been sub-17 on seven occasions.

Nicholas Yaquinto, Northville

Before 11^th grade, nearly half of his races were north of 18:00. During that 11^th grade year, he was sub-17 on six occasions. More importantly, two of those came at Regional and State.

Benjamin Hartigan, Northville

Potentially one in the next generation of Northville studs. Slipped into the 16’s once in September, then ended the year getting there on three of four occasions, his 16:31 here at Willow being the quickest of the bunch.

THE SUMMER PREVIEW





2022 Results

Meet	Division	Place
Portage EB		3rd of 20
Under the Lights v2	Sunset	2nd of 14
Ottawa Hills	Session 2	6th of 15
Otsego Bulldog	D1	3rd of 10
Portage	D1	9th of 32
SMAC Championship		2nd of 9
Region 3		1st of 14
Division 1 State		10th of 27



Top Returners

Jasper Cane

Noting his track times on Thursday’s post brought all sorts of haters out of the woodwork. But I challenge anyone to begin racing on May 13^th and then nail 2:02s and 4:32s.

Andrew Wright

The best rising sophomore that has yet to be mentioned this summer. His ascent began with descending times in the fall, spitting out a sub-17 at Otsego Bulldog which eventually turned into a 16:21 at Region 3.

Joseph Spada

Had one of the key efforts in the Giants’ regional victory, his 16:26 was a 25+ second personal best and put 4 KC boys in front of Portage Central’s 3^rd.

Ty Billings

Fall concluded juuust on the upper side of 17:00, though I think his spring was a great step towards shooting into the 16’s. A 10:02 in JT Long’s 3200m ranked Ty 15^th amongst Division 1 9^th graders in the event.

Michael Kloosterman

Has ventured into the 17’s during all three of his cross seasons.

Elijah Thompson

Efforts on the track may be a greater representation of his fitness than his cross times. Buttoned it down to 10:22 in the 3200m, placing 9^th in the SMAC as a freshman.

Finlay Cane

Only competed in two races during cross, but showed us valuable endurance during the spring, running 10:40 in the 3200m.

Potential Newcomers

Samuel Baker

Up for debate, but could be the best incoming freshman entering the high school scene. Undefeated during the official middle school season, then hung with the big boys at MITCA, running 16:23.

THE SUMMER PREVIEW





2022 Results

Meet	Division	Place
Pete Moss	Big	2nd of 11
John Bruder	Large	1st of 16
Spartan	Elite	5th of 19
Jackson	Orange	1st of 6
Portage	D1	1st of 31
Freeland Falcon		1st of 14
SEC Red Championship		1st of 7
Region 5		2nd of 11
Division 1 State		3rd of 28



Top Returners

Rachel Forsyth

This former Division 1 Champion spent 2022 on the comeback trail. Her season started inauspiciously at the 2^nd SEC Red Jamboree and progressed toward a 2^nd place in the conference championship and 9^th place in Region 5.

Natalie Mello

I spent all this time gushing about Natalie’s racing, very little time mentioning what she accomplished on the track. This 2023 season featured her first bout of 3200m races, to which she ran 11:19 and qualified for State. She also set PBs in the 800m and 1600m.

Sylvia Sanok Dufallo

After missing her sophomore season, wasted no time in improving from her freshman form. Her opener at Benzie was a personal best, and at the end of it all, she moved into the 18’s.

Lydia Bowman

A 19:01 on the long gradual downhills of Ella Sharp Park cut off more than 90 seconds from her freshman best. That race was more of an anomaly, though her spring was not. Lydia kept reducing time in the 1600m, eventually ending with a 5:11.

Katie Hume

Her sophomore self laid down a 5:37 to close the track season, leading to a junior season that ended in a majority of sub-20’s. Now she’s knocked 10 seconds off that 1600m.

Quincy Behm

Freshman year was bookended by two sets of sub-20 efforts. The best of which was a 19:17 in the SEC Red Championship.

Hana Boggess

First season of cross started in the 21’s and quickly moved towards the 20’s. By the end of the year, Hanna placed in the top-20 in the SEC Red.

Potential Newcomers

Since the Ann Arbor schools don’t typically use athletic.net, it’s tough for me to even know who’s coming in. Of the above girls, Boggess and Behm were freshman last year, and at this date last year, I had no clue either existed. So expect some newcomers, but I have zero intel.