Hard to fathom that I’ve been penning these Summer Previews for now, 7 years. Just as in the past, I’ll have the 50 best returners, then as time rolls on, the Regional Previews and Top Ten Teams.
Differing from the past is the format. Individual posts for each region and ticket are a TON OF WORK. Instead, I’ll be knocking off the 50 Tickets with sets of 10 and Regional Previews by their division and gender. Hopefully with these methods, I’ll be finishing on time and actually spending effort detailing what could be some great regional battles.
Anyhow, starting with the girls (they run first this year), your 50 Tickets to Brooklyn. These celebrate our top-50 returners – based on the 2024 XC season, 2025 track season, projected improvement, and a tiny bit of my own opinions.
(Also, first time ever that I’ve included Upper Peninsula folks in these! I know they’re not running at MIS, but they’re still representatives of Michigan)
Name: Rachel Smith School: Okemos Grade: 10th
Personal Records
5k (XC) – 17:39 1600m – 5:00 3200m – 10:32
Grade
Name
Time
Team
Rating
Meet
Date
Year
9
Rachel Smith
17:44.4
Okemos
159.2
MITCA
9-Nov
2024
9
Rachel Smith
17:46.7
Okemos
158.1
Division 1 State
2-Nov
2024
9
Rachel Smith
17:50.8
Okemos
157.4
Region 2
25-Oct
2024
9
Rachel Smith
18:22.8
Okemos
152.7
CAAC Blue 2
17-Oct
2024
9
Rachel Smith
17:40.3
Okemos
163.6
Greater Lansing
12-Oct
2024
9
Rachel Smith
17:39.5
Okemos
166.5
Bluejay
28-Sep
2024
9
Rachel Smith
18:57.1
Okemos
137.3
CAAC Blue 1
19-Sep
2024
9
Rachel Smith
18:11.4
Okemos
166.5
Spartan
13-Sep
2024
9
Rachel Smith
18:50.6
Okemos
149.5
Bath
7-Sep
2024
Accolades
XC
10th Place – 2024 Division 1 State 2025 CAAC Blue Champion 2nd Place – 2024 Greater Lansing 3rd Place – 2024 Region 2
Track
6th Place – 2025 Division 1 State 3200m 2nd Place – 2025 New Balance Freshman 2 Mile CAAC Blue & Region 4 1600m & 3200m Champion
Her Breakout Race
Take a look at the chart and let me know if you notice a stark change at one point in time.
Early on in the year, that was Rachel’s adjustment period. She hadn’t run XC in middle school, thus racing on grass had to be a bit of learning curve. Her races during 8th grade track showed potential, but nothing even to the degree she showed early. Her first 5k on the grass was at Bath, a good course for an introduction and to build a bit of confidence. Her 18:57 was a quality beginning, and led the way to a few more 18 min. efforts.
You know what’s also a good place? Shepherd, especially in late September, when the weather’s cooling and the athletes are deep in their training. By god, it was especially good for Rachel, because those 18’s didn’t just become a minor dip into the 17’s, they became a 17:39. A 30+ second personal best. A minute range that she’d spend the majority of the rest of the season. Runner-up to Victoria Garces, Smith beat out a couple state champions from other divisions and many of Michigan’s best.
From then on – 17:40, 17:50, 17:46, 17:44. A runner-up at Greater Lansing, a win in the CAAC Blue, 3rd in her region, then 10th in all of Division 1.
Finally done with typing out these regional previews. As with the 50 Tickets, these are a bit condensed compared to past years. I found the writing was getting excessive, repetitive, and more work than the actual season. But still, regional projections are in order. I thought I’d highlight a few of the battles, tough regions, and outstanding individuals.
Compared to Divisions 2-4, these are pretty set in terms of full teams and feeder middle schools. Of course, there are cities that don’t really use athletic.net (Ann Arbor) or their middle schools randomly feed into their high schools (Plymouth-Canton). Then are those whose students go to one high school or the other based on where an athlete lives. There’s even some districts that let families decide and don’t care about geography. Long story short, if you’re feeling underrated because I didn’t include an incoming freshman, the season starts soon enough anyway and it won’t matter.
Similar to the 50 Tickets, these are based on last year’s XC season and track seasons, projected improvements, and a few bits of subjective shuffling. I wanted to get these all done before meets begin. The 50 Tickets will likely conclude over the weekend, the Top Tens will be done throughout the week. On a similar timeline to previous summers with a much more time to enjoy my other interests!
Anyhow, here are your D1 Boys predictions.
Toughest Regions
Region 2 – three teams in the top-10, two other top-22 teams on the outside looking in. Already a pretty tough region with powers such as Traverse City Central and West, Saginaw Heritage, etc. Add in what could be the best Midland team we’ve seen in years, plus a traditionally strong Milford team making the unusual trek up north. A very deserving team could be sitting at home in early November.
Region 3 – six teams in the top-20. Probably the most absurd set of ranked teams I’ve ever seen in my seven years of intensely following the sport. Not the most star-powered ever, but five teams ranked between #11 and #20: Lowell, Portage Central, East Kentwood, Forest Hills Central, and Kalamazoo Loy Norrix. On the west coast, the percentage of high-performing D1 schools has to be at an all-time high.
Intriguing Battles
Region 1 – the third spot, likely between Forest Hills Northern and Jenison. Forest Hills Northern brings forth a senior-laden team, Jenison will be picking up the pieces left behind from their 2024 senior-laden squad. The Huskies look to have a little better depth, but on the other hand, many of the Wildcats are untested in big-time varsity races.
Region 2 – Midland vs. Milford for the win. It appears that that the Mavericks and Chemics are a bit ahead of the rest of the quality teams in this field. I can affirmatively say that this may be the first time ever that these two schools will face off for a regional distance running championship. Both advanced to State last year, Midland will hope to return to prove it was not a fluke and to improve on their 27th place finish. Milford will hope to prove their greatness ain’t just on hilly courses.
Region 4 – Brighton vs. Ann Arbor Skyline for the win. Both were qualifiers last year, Brighton winning by a massive margin, 50+ points over the rest of the field. Ann Arbor Skyline was spurred by Zeke Lafferty, who ran a massive PR (then broke 4:30 in track – more in store?) to a surprise qualifier. The Bulldogs lose their top-3 finishers while the Eagles bring back all but one. The projections believe that the Skyline depth, especially through five, will be the deciding factor, although that decision is one point, basically a coin flip.
Region 5 – Pioneer vs. Saline for the win. The age-old battle. There have always been tales told, hearts broken, friendships shattered over competitions between teams at Stadium & Main and to the south. Just like football, the winner of these matches is likely to make serious noise on the bigger stage. The 2024 season saw a sweep by Saline, a team that then went onto finish 2nd in Division 1. But as rivalries go, when one team experiences breakthroughs, the other responds, Ann Arbor Pioneer placing 4th in the D1 4×8 and Beckett Crooks winning the 3200m. The projections find this competition very field-dependent – races with more mid-16 types might favor Saline’s depth, races with a higher proportion of high-15 kids might favor Pioneer’s extreme strength. At the State level, who knows what could happen.
Region 6 – Churchill vs. Canton for the third spot. It’ll be a rebuilding season for the two teams, both losing a considerable chunk of their scorers from their top squads last fall. Canton appears to be a bit stronger up front, bringing back Pengelly and Dusseau, while Livonia Churchill returns Wojtkowicz from their top-five. The unknown is how the rest of the spots respond to varsity pressure. Most runners rise to occasion, but some more than others. As with Pioneer and Saline, the gap grown by Canton’s top-two is just slightly ahead of Charger depth, and this is essentially a coin flip.
Region 7 – Walled Lake Northern vs. White Lake Lakeland for the third spot. Is it me or does this region just feel empty without Milford? Usually, there’s some sort of exploits where a one team wins the LVC, another won a league dual, the forgotten team was out of mind by the regional, but that team won the regional on their sixth runner. Anyhow, the Knights and Eagles are faced with a new challenge: Northville at the front. White Lake Lakeland, the defending champion, always outperforms the projections and has a Gavin Johns capable of breaking up the Mustang pack. Walled Lake Northern returns four of their top-five. The projections see the Knight depth at 2-4 being a significant factor, though once again this will likely be a close battle.
Preston VanOeffelen – those fast 800’s gotta have some residual effect toward cross. Grew from the potential he showed as a sophomore, hitting 1:55 twice, the final one earning a 6th place in D1.
Hayden Lafferty – just truckin’ along, getting better from race to race. 2024 seemed to be a season of gradual improvements, finally ending with a PR of 16:10.
Place
Grade
Name
Team
1
11
Luka Hammond
Grand Haven
2
11
Caden Livermore
Grandville
3
12
Aron Gal
Grand Haven
4
12
Preston VanOeffelen
Greenville
5
12
Hayden Lafferty
Rockford
6
11
Josiah Derksen
Rockford
7
12
Caleb TeBrake
Grand Rapids Northview
8
11
Bradley Smies
Hudsonville
9
12
Nolan Wenglikowski
Jenison
10
10
Chase Sherman
Jenison
11
10
Luke Bultman
Rockford
12
12
Gabriel Williams
Forest Hills Northern
13
12
Philip Chamberlain
Forest Hills Northern
14
12
Kelton Hoover
Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills
15
12
Rhys Holmes
Grand Rapids Northview
16
12
Jacob McDaniel
Grandville
17
12
John Truong
Forest Hills Northern
18
12
Kasen Todtz
Grand Haven
19
9
Benjamin Ratke
Grand Haven
20
10
Carter Cooke
Jenison
Region 2
Top-27 Teams
Top-10 Milford Top-10 Midland Top-10 Traverse City West #14 Traverse City Central #22 Saginaw Heritage
Cameron Cochran – embraced his final few weeks of the season, dropping personal bests at State and at MITCA.
Todd Tobin – 17:37 opener at Possum Hollow left many intrigued what was to come, finished the season as one of the better freshmen in D1.
Alexander Allen – been awhile since the days of the Smiths and Mitchell Day. Allen appears determined to join them in Alpena lore, blasting a 15:39, finishing in the top-5 here and in the Big North.
John Blaskowski – a Heritage standout for a few years, looking to make a return trip to MIS. Big gains in the 3200m this spring are a sign that it’s possible
Place
Grade
Name
Team
1
12
Kyle O’Rourke
Milford
2
12
Caleb Keller
Traverse City Central
3
11
Liam Wierzba
Traverse City West
4
11
Cameron Cochran
Midland
5
10
Todd Tobin
Milford
6
10
Alexander Allen
Alpena
7
12
John Blaskowski
Saginaw Heritage
8
12
Jack Steen
Traverse City Central
9
12
Hayden Murray
Traverse City West
10
12
Andrew Worsley
Midland
11
11
Broden Ladd
Holly
12
12
Bastien Beaubien
Milford
13
12
Logan Bellinger
Midland
14
10
Johnathan Elsea
Mt. Pleasant
15
12
Aidan Simrau
Traverse City West
16
10
Finn-Frost Grayson
Traverse City West
17
11
Matthew Wortley
Saginaw Heritage
18
12
Luke James
Midland
19
12
Dylan Doggett
Milford
20
11
Logan Gessford
Midland
Region 3
Top-27 Teams
Top-10 Kalamazoo Central #11 Portage Central #12 Lowell #17 East Kentwood #18 Forest Hills Central #19 Kalamazoo Loy Norrix #27 Holland West Ottawa
Cooper Byrne – has transformed over the past few years, moving from a freshman that was always over 18:00 to a senior looking to break through into the 15’s.
Ty Billings – has contributed mightily to Giant exploits of the past few years, clutch running recently during their regional 4×8 win and last fall, where they won the SMAC and this very Region.
Owen Fisher – Mattawan senior has moved from 67th to 38th to 14th here in his three years
Noah Johnston – took the disappointment of not qualifying in cross and turned it into a track campaign where he dropped nearly 20 sec. in the 3200m. Darkhorse All-State candidate.
Place
Grade
Name
Team
1
12
Jackson Lam
Kalamazoo Loy Norrix
2
11
Samuel Baker
Kalamazoo Central
3
12
Andrew Wright
Kalamazoo Central
4
11
Justin Johnson
East Kentwood
5
11
Ben Romero
Forest Hills Central
6
11
Marshall Huhn
Lowell
7
12
Cooper Byrne
Lowell
8
12
Ty Billings
Kalamazoo Central
9
12
Owen Fisher
Mattawan
10
12
Noah Johnston
Caledonia
11
11
Matii Tarekegn
East Kentwood
12
10
Karson Lewis
Battle Creek Lakeview
13
12
Keagan Smith
Zeeland West
14
12
Nicolas Morale -Sanchez
Kalamazoo Loy Norrix
15
11
Tristan Zhang
Portage Central
16
12
Elijah Thompson
Kalamazoo Central
17
10
Marcus Essling
Portage Central
18
12
Owen Gifford
Portage Central
19
12
Gavin O’Meara
Forest Hills Central
20
11
Memphis Connor
Byron Center
Region 4
Top-27 Teams
Top-10 Ann Arbor Skyline Top-10 Brighton #21 Grand Ledge
Benjamin Rottier – track saw further ascendancy in the 3200m. Tons of sub-10’s, including a CAAC Blue victory.
Coen Hill – timeline rapidly progressed as a sophomore. 18:05 opener became a 16:05 closer, a top-10 finish here along the ride.
Blake Kulesza – while the cross State Finals may not have gone the way he’d hoped, the track ones did – contributor to a Brighton 4×8 squad that shocked the MIXC predictions, finishing 3rd.
Place
Grade
Name
Team
1
11
Jack MacGregor
Howell
2
12
Ian Morgan
Okemos
3
12
Zach Wyderko
Brighton
4
12
Benjamin Rottier
Grand Ledge
5
11
Coen Hill
Dexter
6
11
Blake Kulesza
Brighton
7
12
Liam Preisser
East Lansing
8
10
Oskar MacArthur
Ann Arbor Skyline
9
10
Rylen Richey
Grand Ledge
10
12
Zeke Lafferty
Ann Arbor Skyline
11
12
Mitchell Cory
Brighton
12
12
Bruno Cifaldi
Ann Arbor Skyline
13
11
Matthew Guikema
Ann Arbor Skyline
14
12
Malcolm Cesario
Okemos
15
10
Rem Piper
Holt
16
10
Martin Gehrke
Ann Arbor Skyline
17
10
Brendan Williams
Brighton
18
11
Nolan Lounds
Grand Ledge
19
11
Simon Shutt
Okemos
20
10
Nikhil Ball
South Lyon East
Region 5
Top-27 Teams
Top-10 Ann Arbor Pioneer Top-10 Saline
Proj. Place
Team
Score
1
Ann Arbor Pioneer
38
2
Saline
39
3
Brownstown Woodhaven
92
4
Temperance Bedford
106
5
Monroe
196
6
Allen Park
210
7
Wyandotte Roosevelt
236
8
Gibraltar Carlson
268
9
Dearborn Fordson
271
10
Dearborn Edsel Ford
284
11
Dearborn
292
12
Ypsilanti Community
308
13
Southgate Anderson
322
14
Ypsilanti Lincoln
354
15
Detroit Cass Tech
391
16
Belleville
392
17
Lincoln Park
586
18
Taylor
594
19
Detroit Martin Luther King
595
20
Melvindale
617
Top Athletes
Kamari Ronfeldt – elite even when battling sickness
Beckett Crooks – fresh off his immaculate final lap at East Kentwood
Mourad Algahmi – definitely has moved past being a darkhorse All-State candidate. His 15:14 summer 5k on the fast Allen Park streets leaves many in wonder what he’ll throw down in the fall
Theo Sacks-Thomas – was part of that Pioneer track renaissance, hitting a 4:20 at MITCA and placing in the highly-competitive SEC Red
Pierce Scheffler – Downriver League champ hopes to lead his Warriors back to MIS, a place where he busted through into the 15’s.
Dane Hieronimus – twice top-10 here, has spent a good part of the past two years right on the 16 min. mark
Lucas Mullan – had one of the better springs of any track freshman. 5th in the New Balance freshman mile, 3rd in the freshman 800m. He’ll have some great seniors to learn from in his initial foray into cross.
Gavin Johns – championship season was his time, with a runner-up in the LVC, top-5 regional finish, and top-50 spot at State.
Ethan Hertza – an under the radar Mustang who’s moved from a freshman barely breaking 20:00 in his opener to one that’s on the cusp of breaking into the 15’s
Evan Owczarek – by the numbers, may have had the most dramatic time drops of anyone that entered the 15’s in 2024. Evan’s PR as a sophomore was a 18:24.
Max Houvener – moved up nearly 20 spots here at Region 8 to help his Dragons earn a State qualifier. Was in the at/near/under 16 in his final four races.
David Dubeck – another one with dramatic drops. Largely unable to compete as a sophomore, but transformed into a reliable 16-flat (or 15:59.8) kid when needed.
Gavin Soviar – possible future champ, but we don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves. MS Regional Zone 3 champ who was sub-11 for a majority of his 8th grade races.
Owen Perry – first cross season as a junior saw him rapidly learn the sport all the way to a 3rd place Macomb County finish.
Hard to fathom that I’ve been penning these Summer Previews for now, 7 years. Just as in the past, I’ll have the 50 best returners, then as time rolls on, the Regional Previews and Top Ten Teams.
Differing from the past is the format. Individual posts for each region and ticket are a TON OF WORK. Instead, I’ll be knocking off the 50 Tickets with sets of 10 and Regional Previews by their division and gender. Hopefully with these methods, I’ll be finishing on time and actually spending effort detailing what could be some great regional battles.
Anyhow, starting with the girls (they run first this year), your 50 Tickets to Brooklyn. These celebrate our top-50 returners – based on the 2024 XC season, 2025 track season, projected improvement, and a tiny bit of my own opinions.
(Also, first time ever that I’ve included Upper Peninsula folks in these! I know they’re not running at MIS, but they’re still representatives of Michigan)
Name: Edison Lopeman School: Parma Western Grade: 12th
8th Place – 2024 Division 2 State 2024 Region 14 Champion 3rd Place – 2024 I-8 Championship
Track
2nd Place – 2025 Division 2 State 3200m 4th Place – 2025 Division 2 State 4×8 2025 Division 2 Team State Champion 2025 MITS 3200m Champion
You Know I Dig His Improvement
And the above chart is a great point of reference. The time changes are vast and numerous.
Peering way back to 2022, Lopeman’s introduction to the high school level began with a bit of a learning period. An accomplished middle school runner, the mid-18 efforts were a good start, but you never know if freshmen will hit a wall and plateau, or bust through and find new heights. Past the tough Holly hills, Edison had enough of the 18’s and moved on a beeline toward 17-flat.
A year later, dude didn’t even miss a beat, skipping right past the 17’s into a season of consistent 16:xx efforts. Once a curious freshman that piqued curiosity, now a sophomore in I-8 and Regional contention. Closing near 16:00, he was a definite candidate to think about getting on the podium the following fall.
Check that, after his sophomore year of track, he was an absolute lock to get on the podium in the fall. In early May, Lopeman shocked the field at Golden Triangle, winning the 3200m against an elite field. A month later, he was 6th in Division 2. By season’s end, his 9:16 ranked 2nd amongst all sophomores in Michigan.
Did he rest on his laurels? Nope. In the 8 common races listed between his 10th/11th grade years, Edison dropped 49 sec. per race. Those improvements led to a season where he won Region 14 and placed in the top-10 of Division 2. Can you even imagine if there’s more progress to be had?
Michigan XC Speed Ratings 