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)
8th Place – 2024 Division 1 State 2nd Place – 2024 Region 2 & SVL Championship
Track
11th Place – 2025 Division 1 State 3200m 2025 Region 1 3200m Champion 2nd Place – SVL Championship 3200m 2025 MITS DMR Champion
Her Breakout Race
As she’d already run fast early, it’s tough to pick ONE race that impacted the rest of her season. Though I commonly think the Shepherd/Portage weekends are a great time period to set up a championship season. The weather has cooled, the courses haven’t been too wrecked, and competition is at a premium. While Emilia had already made the most of a few opportunities early (sub-18 at Northwood, a quick debut at Under the Lights), this was the chance to let it all rip. And in a setting against Michigan’s best, she did just that – a shiny new 17:49 personal best.
Look afterward and see what transpired. More 17:xx’s, high finishes in the SVL and Region 2. And the November closers – a personal best at MITCA, a top-10 finish at MIS.
Time to get cracking on 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 3 & 4, these are a bit more solid in terms of predicting which incoming freshmen are going where and all regions have a full assortment of teams.
Anyhow, here are your D2 Girls predictions. 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.
Toughest Regions
Region 10 – six teams in the top-24. With the addition of Clare, a tough region gets tougher (I wonder if they’d have had a better home in Region 15? Not getting into that this year!) Spring Lake won last year and the Lakers return their top-3 finishers. Ludington loses a bit, but bring in Michigan’s best freshman (I can affirmatively say that). The other 2024 qualifier, Cadillac, brings back everyone. There are quite a few teams that’d be safe in other regions that may be sitting at home in early November.
Region 12 – three top-10 teams, then a #15 team that would be a qualifying favorite in many other regions. Yep, you gotta feel bad for Forest Hills Eastern. The Hawks return four girls who were either sub-20 or right on the cusp. Sadly, that’s life in an area where a great number of D2 schools exist and other areas of the state with similar enrollments might not have the same running culture as Grand Rapids.
Region 15 – four top-20 teams. Many of the similar subjects that have made it tough over the years – traditionally strong programs such as Shepherd, Frankenmuth, and Freeland. Then you add in a defending champion in Goodrich taking the long trek up north.
Intriguing Battles
Region 10 – by mere fact of the many teams capable of qualifying. The projections have all six top-27 teams within range of a qualifier. Obviously, Spring Lake has the highest odds of advancing, followed by Cadillac. Ludington will have an edge through two runners, but looks to need a fifth. The other three project to be fairly equal through two, with Clare having the best depth. Can the Pioneers successfully pull off the move from D3?
Region 14 – four teams in the running for two spots. Ranked between 25th-35th are St. Johns, Haslett, Charlotte, and Parma Western. Of course, the Redwings have the best frontrunner of the bunch, and thus will only have to concern themselves with scoring four. Haslett and Charlotte are both depth-based teams, the Vikings projecting a little faster as of now. Parma Western could benefit from some youth, such as Madisyn Blair, undefeated in 8th grade cross in ’24.
Region 15 – Frankenmuth vs. Shepherd. Shepherd, the hometown team, looking to use some Bluejay Magic on their familiar course. Frankenmuth, hoping to repeat the feat of last fall’s narrow qualifier. Each lose a runner from 2024’s top-five and the projection is even closer than last autumn’s result – 1 point.
Region 16 – five teams in contention for two spots. The projections show Pinckney, Bloomfield Hills Marian, Cranbrook-Kingswood, Lake Fenton, and Notre Dame Prep separated by 27 points with a huge logjam in the middle. There is much contrast as Pinckney and Lake Fenton have strength up front. Marian, Cranbrook-Kingswood, and Notre Dame Prep are depth-based.
Region 18 – Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard vs. Adrian for the win, New Boston Huron vs. Carleton Airport for the final qualifying spot. Carleton Airport replaces the standout Courtney Bovair and New Boston Huron instead will have the frontrunners. Last year, girls such as Brenna and Ella Baker were crucial to the Jets’ qualifying, they’ll need to close the gap towards Huron’s top-two to advance again. Both Adrian and Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard were youthful last year, 12 of their 14 varsity runners underclasswomen. Taking Sophy Skeels out of the mix, the gap between the two becomes quite a bit closer.
Region 10
Top 27 Teams
Top-10 Spring Lake Top-10 Cadillac #14 Clare #22 Ludington #23 Fremont #24 Cedar Springs
Proj. Place
Team
Score
1
Spring Lake
68
2
Cadillac
83
3
Clare
98
4
Ludington
115
5
Cedar Springs
122
6
Fremont
122
7
Petoskey
168
8
Gaylord
213
9
Fruitport
221
10
Gladwin
282
11
Howard City Tri-County
284
12
Big Rapids
367
13
Whitehall
371
14
Ogemaw Heights
453
Top Athletes
Eliza Schwass – her 4:44.88 full mile at New Balance (roughly a 4:43.2 1600m) was the fastest mark in Michigan this spring. All divisions, all grades. Only fitting for our indoor 1600m champion.
Ella McInerney – had been over 20:00 for the first 15 races of her career, then moved to the 19’s in mid-September. Made quick work of that time frame and began spitting mid-18’s during championship season, placing 16th in D2.
Alexis Kotkowicz – Spring Lake senior had been just out of the All-State running her first two high school seasons. But turned it on late during her junior campaign, placing 28th in D2.
Linnea Paige – 3x top-10 performer here, always finding a way to get into the low-19’s (or faster) by season’s end.
Place
Grade
Name
Team
1
9
Eliza Schwass
Ludington
2
12
Katie Berkshire
Gaylord
3
12
Brooklynn Brown
Cadillac
4
11
Annabelle Lowman
Ludington
5
11
Ella McInerney
Cadillac
6
12
Alexis Kotkowicz
Spring Lake
7
12
Linnea Paige
Fremont
8
10
Chloe Mazza
Cadillac
9
10
Kaleigh Clark
Spring Lake
10
9
Alison Villa-Bilton
Clare
11
11
Sophia Buzzelli
Clare
12
10
Addy Nesbitt
Cedar Springs
13
12
Ava Pawlick
Petoskey
14
9
Stella Irving
Fremont
15
11
Abby Noorman
Cedar Springs
16
9
Charly Braidwood
Spring Lake
17
10
Peyhton Beardsley
Fruitport
18
11
Cora Parker
Spring Lake
19
9
Hazel Cherney
Spring Lake
20
12
Meghan Guczwa
Spring Lake
Region 11
Top 27 Teams
Top-10 Holland Christian #13 Coopersville #16 Hudsonville Unity Christian
Marie Gates – didn’t miss a beat after missing her sophomore year. Spent the majority of her late season in the 18’s and found a 14th place finish in D2.
Johanna Mulder – coming off a track season that featured personal bests in the 800m and 1600m, both placing in the OK Black
Oakley Osterhart – the lead runner on a resurgent Bronco squad. Acquitted herself nicely to the high school scene, placing 3rd in her inaugural year of the inaugural year of the River Cities Alliance.
Place
Grade
Name
Team
1
10
Avery Engbers
Holland Christian
2
11
Mia May
Sparta
3
12
Marie Gates
Hudsonville Unity Christian
4
11
Johanna Mulder
Holland
5
10
Oakley Osterhart
Coopersville
6
11
Ellery Lampen
Holland Christian
7
9
Lauren Meyer
Allendale
8
11
Eliana Stob
Holland Christian
9
12
Layla Geurink
Holland Christian
10
11
Olivia Hollebeek
Holland Christian
11
11
Mackenzie Huizenga
Holland Christian
12
10
Lexi Gibson
Holland
13
10
Addison Bixler
Coopersville
14
9
Breslyn Klein
Coopersville
15
9
Anna May
Sparta
16
10
Annika Stob
Holland Christian
17
12
Sadie Schout
Hudsonville Unity Christian
18
9
Tessa Nienhuis
Holland
19
11
Carly Bruxvoort
Hudsonville Unity Christian
20
12
Jayden VandenAkker
Allegan
Region 12
Top 27 Teams
Top-10 Grand Rapids Christian Top-10 Grand Rapids South Christian Top-10 East Grand Rapids #15 Forest Hills Eastern
Adeline Armstrong – already abundant in talent, added winning to resume this past October. Captured both the OK White and this region before placing 17th in D2.
Caroline Randall – 2024 season was much condensed compared to her freshman version, but ended in a similar manner – on the podium at MIS.
Lilah Poel & Annika TerBeek – two Eagle seniors who’ve been through it all together – state titles, coaching changes, and both finding the 18’s at various points in their career.
Place
Grade
Name
Team
1
12
Ellie Scholma
Grand Rapids Christian
2
11
Adeline Armstrong
East Grand Rapids
3
11
Caroline Randall
Hastings
4
12
Lilah Poel
Grand Rapids Christian
5
12
Annika TerBeek
Grand Rapids Christian
6
11
Zoe Hoekstra
Grand Rapids Christian
7
11
Ahna Woltjer
GR West Michigan Aviation
8
12
Jillian Clason
Forest Hills Eastern
9
10
Tiffany DeMaagd
Grand Rapids South Christian
10
12
Chloe Rinzema
Grand Rapids South Christian
11
12
Rory Workman
East Grand Rapids
12
10
Lily Phillips
Forest Hills Eastern
13
11
Lucy Waalkes
Grand Rapids Christian
14
9
Isabelle Oostema
Grand Rapids South Christian
15
12
Madelyn Baar
East Grand Rapids
16
9
Lily VanEyk
Grand Rapids South Christian
17
11
Sofia Lewis
GR West Michigan Aviation
18
11
Ainsley Sullivan
Forest Hills Eastern
19
10
Vivienne Conflitti
Forest Hills Eastern
20
12
Lydia Huisman
Grand Rapids South Christian
Region 13
Top 27 Teams
Top-10 Otsego Top-10 Sturgis #11 St. Joseph
Proj. Place
Team
Score
1
Otsego
34
2
Sturgis
84
3
St. Joseph
98
4
Plainwell
158
5
Battle Creek Harper Creek
161
6
Richland Gull Lake
187
7
Stevensville Lakeshore
205
8
Paw Paw
211
9
Edwardsburg
226
10
Marshall
275
11
Vicksburg
313
12
Three Rivers
315
13
Coldwater
370
14
Niles
371
15
Dowagiac Union
375
16
Berrien Springs
410
Top Athletes
Emma Hoffman – you may have guessed it, but her writeup is pending!
Lulu Park – always tough to project incoming freshmen, but when you have one that was the St. Joseph County champion and Zone 1 (Bangor) winner, you’re confident they’ll be a factor for the next level
Alayna Verhage – 2024’s MS Wolverine Conference Champion steps into a setup ideal for her. Plenty of quick teammates and excellent senior to learn from.
Place
Grade
Name
Team
1
12
Emma Hoffman
Otsego
2
12
Georgia Babcock
Edwardsburg
3
11
Lane Isom
Richland Gull Lake
4
12
Berkley Holtz
Sturgis
5
9
Lulu Park
Sturgis
6
9
Alayna Verhage
Otsego
7
10
Audrey Kline
St. Joseph
8
11
Skylar Mejeur
Otsego
9
9
Addelyn Sabatke
Otsego
10
9
Adelyn Verhage
Otsego
11
9
Vittoria Perucchetti
St. Joseph
12
9
Taylee fox
Otsego
13
12
Sydney Bir
Sturgis
14
10
Mai Nguyen
Plainwell
15
12
Beatrice Perucchetti
St. Joseph
16
12
Julia Faber
Battle Creek Harper Creek
17
12
Rebekah Stachura
Otsego
18
12
Tessa Hatt
Sturgis
19
9
Lydia Dwyer
Stevensville Lakeshore
20
11
Hayden Lemieux
Paw Paw
Region 14
Top 27 Teams
#18 DeWitt #25 St. Johns #27 Haslett
Proj. Place
Team
Score
1
DeWitt
77
2
St. Johns
101
3
Haslett
105
4
Charlotte
120
5
Parma Western
137
6
Williamston
150
7
Fowlerville
156
8
Alma
208
9
Eaton Rapids
245
10
Owosso
255
11
Corunna
269
12
Jackson Northwest
296
13
Lansing Eastern
404
Top Athletes
Ava Schafer – the reigning D2 champ, of course we’ve gotta wait on her ticket
Remie Ellis – really hit a new stride during track, especially at Greater Lansing. Ellis captured the 3200m title there, running a personal best to go along with her other personal best in the 1600m.
Madisyn Blair – mentioned earlier she was undefeated in the fall, didn’t mention how she raced to a 5:33 in the 1600m this spring.
Alivia Ottinger – quite an improvement from 9th to 10th grade, evident in many aspects. But most importantly, on the biggest day of the year, where Alivia dropped 70 seconds and 62 places to nab an All-State
Elise Barden – junior season saw almost a minute drop in her personal bests, even a sub-19 to place 3rd in Saginaw County
Addison Josephson – a track season that featured a solid 16 sec. drop in the 3200m (and state qualifier) should portend well to this upcoming cross season
Melody Meckstroth – a constant sub-20 figure these past two years, finding her way into the top-5 here each time out
Elliana Hufton – standout on the track which can hopefully carry over to the fall. Regional champion in the 800m.
Place
Grade
Name
Team
1
11
Jaelyn Ray
Pinckney
2
11
Addison Josephson
Linden
3
11
Melody Meckstroth
Linden
4
11
Elliana Hufton
Lake Fenton
5
11
Sidney Shepard
Linden
6
10
Janae Coleman
Oak Park
7
11
Hannah Haines
Madison Heights Lamphere
8
12
Annabelle Ellenbogen
Detroit Country Day
9
10
Eastynn Charder
Pinckney
10
11
Paige Willman
Lake Fenton
11
12
Anna Kujansuu
Dearborn Divine Child
12
11
Diya Goyal
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood
13
10
Ana Lovell
Lake Fenton
14
9
Emma Durling
Linden
15
11
Claire Dunn
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep
16
11
Lucille Clark
Bloomfield Hills Marian
17
10
Leah Krzeszewski
Bloomfield Hills Marian
18
12
Elizabeth Salinas
Dearborn Divine Child
19
10
Molly Roberts
Linden
20
12
Catherine Kipila
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep
Region 17
Top 27 Teams
#26 Macomb Lutheran North
Proj. Place
Team
Score
1
Macomb Lutheran North
43
2
St. Clair
49
3
Armada
73
4
Yale
84
5
Croswell-Lexington
168
6
Grosse Pointe North
178
7
Marysville
180
8
Warren Regina
203
9
Richmond
226
10
Detroit University Prep
282
11
Detroit East English
366
12
Detroit Southeastern Tech
376
13
Harper Woods
399
Top Athletes
Saige Cole – showed out in the mid-distances this past track season. State qualifier in the 400m, even extended her wings to the 1600m with a Blue Water title and 5:26 personal best.
Samantha Whitlam – took the leap as a sophomore, dropping over a minute from her previous best and placing 2nd here.
Place
Grade
Name
Team
1
10
Saige Cole
Yale
2
11
Samantha Whitlam
Macomb Lutheran North
3
9
Claire Albrecht
Armada
4
12
Molly McNabb
St. Clair
5
10
Chloe Boright
Macomb Lutheran North
6
12
Aubrey Sargent
St. Clair
7
11
Lillian Bender
Yale
8
9
Josie Komarowski
St. Clair
9
9
Kamille Fitzpatrick
Armada
10
10
Lucy Gump
Macomb Lutheran North
11
11
Ella Thornton
St. Clair
12
11
Evelyn Buckley
Macomb Lutheran North
13
12
Abigail Denoyer
Armada
14
11
Avery Stallmann
Macomb Lutheran North
15
10
Hailey Morrison
Croswell-Lexington
16
10
Madelyn Barkley
Croswell-Lexington
17
9
Katelyn Schweihofer
Yale
18
11
Kenzie LeVey
Marysville
19
12
Pauline Chapman
Richmond
20
11
Gabriella Komarowski
St. Clair
Region 18
Top 27 Teams
#17 Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard #21 Adrian
Proj. Place
Team
Score
1
Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard
63
2
Adrian
67
3
New Boston Huron
122
4
Carleton Airport
126
5
Tecumseh
150
6
Chelsea
173
7
Dundee
200
8
Milan
201
9
Grosse Ile
207
10
Riverview
230
11
Trenton
242
12
Monroe Jefferson
264
13
Dearborn Henry Ford Academy
394
Top Athletes
Ayda Skeels – has followed in her sister’s footsteps, a fixture at the front here and in the SEC White, then picking up an All-State as an underclasswoman.
Madison Petty – showed out early and often as a freshman, breaking 20:00 at Rambling Rock, 19:00 at Otsego, then hitting a 5th place finish in the SEC White
Avery Turk – must have used that 300h toughness to grit out a 29th place D2 finish last fall. Three straight seasons (track & cross) of state qualifiers for this Huron senior.
Falyn Doss – ended a successful track season with PRs in every distance race. Most notable was a 20 sec. drop in the 1600m, an event where she found her first individual track qualifier.
Bridget Fidkowski – yet another girl coming off a huge track season. Bridget’s included her 2nd state trip in the 1600m, where a 5:18 personal best at regionals gave her the qualifier.
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: Gabe Litzner School: Sault Ste. Marie Grade: 12th
Personal Records
5k (XC) – 15:14 1600m – 4:18 3200m – 9:10
Grade
Name
Time
Team
Rating
Meet
Date
Year
11
Gabe Litzner
15:14.1
Sault Ste. Marie
210.0
MITCA
9-Nov
2024
11
Gabe Litzner
15:14.4
Sault Ste. Marie
205.2
UP Division 1 State
19-Oct
2024
11
Gabe Litzner
15:26.7
Sault Ste. Marie
209.1
Portage
5-Oct
2024
11
Gabe Litzner
16:24.8
Sault Ste. Marie
188.4
Harbor Springs
1-Oct
2024
11
Gabe Litzner
16:03.4
Sault Ste. Marie
205.9
SSM Elks
28-Sep
2024
11
Gabe Litzner
15:41.7
Sault Ste. Marie
204.1
Jackson
21-Sep
2024
11
Gabe Litzner
15:34.8
Sault Ste. Marie
218.7
Holly
14-Sep
2024
11
Gabe Litzner
17:23.9
Sault Ste. Marie
169.7
Manistique Emeralds
11-Sep
2024
11
Gabe Litzner
15:26.7
Sault Ste. Marie
211.1
Party in the Park
28-Aug
2024
11
Gabe Litzner
15:47.5
Sault Ste. Marie
209.2
Birch Run Early
22-Aug
2024
Grade
Name
Time
Team
Rating
Meet
Date
Year
10
Gabe Litzner
15:28.6
Sault Ste. Marie
203.5
MITCA
11-Nov
2023
10
Gabe Litzner
15:53.5
Sault Ste. Marie
199.2
Jackson
23-Sep
2023
10
Gabe Litzner
16:04.8
Sault Ste. Marie
204.1
Holly
16-Sep
2023
10
Gabe Litzner
15:59.1
Sault Ste. Marie
198.3
Northwood
9-Sep
2023
10
Gabe Litzner
15:44.0
Sault Ste. Marie
199.0
Red Devil
30-Aug
2023
Grade
Name
Time
Team
Rating
Meet
Date
Year
9
Gabe Litzner
16:44.4
Sault Ste. Marie
180.9
Jackson
24-Sep
2022
9
Gabe Litzner
16:50.0
Sault Ste. Marie
187.7
Holly
17-Sep
2022
9
Gabe Litzner
16:55.3
Sault Ste. Marie
188.2
Birch Run Early
25-Aug
2022
Accolades
XC
3x UP Division 1 State Champion 4th Place – 2024 MITCA Meet of Champions
Track
2024 & 2025 UP Division 1 State 3200m Champion 7x All-State 2nd Place – 2025 MITS 1600m 4th Place – 2025 MITS DMR
His Championship Season
Back in 2024 was something special, a true test of adversity.
From this feature on the Bear Den podcast, I’ll let Gabe spin his tale. As runners, we can empathize with many other struggles. The heavy legs, the feeling of training when the world is sleeping, heading out the door in the freezing rain. But I don’t think many can share the experience of being in a serious car accident.
What I also cannot relate to is how fast he returned to his previous form. The previous fall, Gabe had won his second consecutive UP Division 1 title, racing into the mid-15’s by season’s end. Clearly, not just an ordinary champion, but one that was one of the better sophomores in the entire state. Commencing his season in May, Litzner had approximately a month to prepare for the UP Finals. He opened with a 4:43 in the 1600m and for his first real opportunity to run fast in the 3200m, a 9:59. Very good, but in this new age of UP endurance, maybe not championship worthy. With only a month of training under his belt, those times were slashed down to 4:27 and 9:35, good for 2nd in the 1600m and the win in the 3200m.
Since then, Litzner has racked up another cross country and 3200m crown.
I’m sure there was a bit of talent involved with the spring of ’24. Likely much more heart.
Michigan XC Speed Ratings 