Category: Uncategorized

A summer tradition returns.

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.

Enjoy!

2024
2023
2022
2021
2020

(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: Ainsley Kelm
School: Portage Northern
Grade: 10th

Personal Records

5k (XC) – 18:33
1600m – 5:27
3200m – 10:56

Accolades

XC

34^th Place – 2024 Division 1 State
3^rd Place – 2024 Region 3
4^th Place – 2024 SMAC Championship

Track

15^th Place – 2025 Division 1 State 3200m
2025 Region 3 3200m Champion
2^nd Place – 2025 SMAC Championship 3200m

Her Specialty

3200m on the track. Following a solid freshman cross campaign, Kelm first laid her eyes on shorter track races, hitting in the 5:20’s for the 1600m, participating in some 4×4’s. When May came, she truly concentrated on the 32 and to great benefit. An 11:21 at JT Long was a significant personal best and her subsequent races kept lowering that mark. 11:09 to win Region 3, 11-flat at Distance Night, then a 10:56 at State to close.

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
9	Ainsley Kelm	18:33.0	Portage Northern	142.7	Division 1 State	2-Nov	2024
9	Ainsley Kelm	18:42.3	Portage Northern	142.6	Region 3	25-Oct	2024
9	Ainsley Kelm	18:46.7	Portage Northern	139.4	SMAC Championship	19-Oct	2024
9	Ainsley Kelm	18:57.8	Portage Northern	139.4	Portage	5-Oct	2024
9	Ainsley Kelm	19:12.2	Portage Northern	139.3	Cougar Falcon	21-Sep	2024
9	Ainsley Kelm	19:54.6	Portage Northern	125.8	SMAC West 1	18-Sep	2024
9	Ainsley Kelm	19:13.4	Portage Northern	136.2	Ottawa Hills	13-Sep	2024
9	Ainsley Kelm	19:04.7	Portage Northern	131.4	Lakeview	7-Sep	2024
9	Ainsley Kelm	19:28.7	Portage Northern	131.8	Under the Lights v2	23-Aug	2024

Name: Annabelle Lowman
School: Ludington
Grade: 11th

Personal Records

5k (XC) – 18:02
1600m – 5:11
3200m – 10:56

Accolades

XC

8^th Place – 2024 Division 2 State
2x All-State
2024 WMC Lakes Champion
2^nd Place – 2024 Region 10

Track

5^th Place – 2025 Division 2 State 1600m
2x All-State
2025 WMC Lakes 3200m Champion
2^nd Place – 2025 Region 11 1600m

Her Specialty

Showing up every year and season at State. Name a State Finals from either of Annabelle’s high school years and you’ll find a race where she stepped up her effort. First crack at the state stage as a young freshman in 2023? 14^th place, her first race in the 18’s, a 40+ second personal best. Late May? Rattled off another 5^th place 3200m finish and her 4^th fastest time ever. Four for four with more to come.

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
10	Annabelle Lowman	18:32.4	Ludington	143.2	MITCA	9-Nov	2024
10	Annabelle Lowman	18:21.9	Ludington	146.4	Division 2 State	2-Nov	2024
10	Annabelle Lowman	18:02.3	Ludington	145.6	Region 10	25-Oct	2024
10	Annabelle Lowman	18:45.3	Ludington	146.6	Late Season Warrior	19-Oct	2024
10	Annabelle Lowman	19:06	Ludington	133.7	WMC Lakes 3	15-Oct	2024
10	Annabelle Lowman	18:57.1	Ludington	138.3	Oiler Blue & Gold	12-Oct	2024
10	Annabelle Lowman	19:06.5	Ludington	137.5	Bluejay	28-Sep	2024
10	Annabelle Lowman	19:08.4	Ludington	140.5	Cougar Falcon	21-Sep	2024
10	Annabelle Lowman	20:41.6	Ludington	118.8	Ludington	14-Sep	2024
10	Annabelle Lowman	20:21.3	Ludington	131.6	WMC Invitational	10-Sep	2024
10	Annabelle Lowman	19:46.1	Ludington	132.3	Leanna Wolf Geers	5-Sep	2024
10	Annabelle Lowman	18:57.4	Ludington	139.2	Pete Moss	24-Aug	2024
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
9	Annabelle Lowman	18:07.6	Ludington	149.5	MITCA	11-Nov	2023
9	Annabelle Lowman	18:26.2	Ludington	145.6	Division 2 State	4-Nov	2023
9	Annabelle Lowman	19:08.7	Ludington	137.1	Region 10	27-Oct	2023
9	Annabelle Lowman	19:13.6	Ludington	135.5	Late Season Warrior	21-Oct	2023
9	Annabelle Lowman	19:23.0	Ludington	123.3	WMC Mega	17-Oct	2023
9	Annabelle Lowman	19:52.5	Ludington	118.8	Hart & Sole	14-Oct	2023
9	Annabelle Lowman	20:24.6	Ludington	107.1	Bluejay	30-Sep	2023
9	Annabelle Lowman	19:46.2	Ludington	122.6	Cougar Falcon	23-Sep	2023
9	Annabelle Lowman	20:39.5	Ludington	120.8	Ludington	16-Sep	2023
9	Annabelle Lowman	20:10.8	Ludington	116.4	Leanna Wolf Geers	7-Sep	2023
9	Annabelle Lowman	19:52.0	Ludington	127.3	Pete Moss	25-Aug	2023

Name: Lucia Llanes
School: Ann Arbor Skyline
Grade: 10th

Personal Records

5k (XC) – 17:49
800m – 2:16
1600m – 5:12

Accolades

XC

12^th Place – 2024 Division 1 State
3^rd Place – 2024 Region 4
8^th Place – 2024 SEC Red Championship

Track

8^th Place – 2025 MITS 800m

Her Specialty

Rapidly dropping time from race to race. Just look at the descent! Over the course of the season, Llanes subtracted over two minutes from her opener to the official end of the season at MIS. For many, that’d take place in chunks, the larger ones closer to the beginning of the season. Lucia did lessen her times quickly, opening with a 20:02, then handing out a solid string of 19-minuteish efforts. Then out of nowhere, she chopped off more than a minute with a wild 17:49 at MIS.

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
9	Lucia Llanes	18:05.5	Ann Arbor Skyline	152.2	MITCA	9-Nov	2024
9	Lucia Llanes	17:49.8	Ann Arbor Skyline	157.1	Division 1 State	2-Nov	2024
9	Lucia Llanes	18:51.3	Ann Arbor Skyline	141.9	Region 4	26-Oct	2024
9	Lucia Llanes	18:59.7	Ann Arbor Skyline	138.4	SEC Championship	17-Oct	2024
9	Lucia Llanes	18:59.8	Ann Arbor Skyline	141.1	River Rat Open	11-Oct	2024
9	Lucia Llanes	19:19.9	Ann Arbor Skyline	139.0	SEC Red 2	24-Sep	2024
9	Lucia Llanes	19:05.2	Ann Arbor Skyline	146.9	SEC 1	10-Sep	2024
9	Lucia Llanes	20:02.0	Ann Arbor Skyline	132.7	Early Bird Open	29-Aug	2024

Name: Natalie Foltz
School: Frankenmuth
Grade: 12th

Personal Records

5k (XC) – 18:09
400m – 62.20
800m – 2:15
1600m – 5:07
3200m – 11:02

Accolades

XC

9^th Place – 2024 Division 2 State
2x All-State
2024 Saginaw County Champion
2^nd Place – 2024 Region 15 & TVC

Track

3^rd Place – 2025 Division 2 State 800m
7^th Place – 2025 Division 2 State 4×8
2^nd Place – 2025 MITS DMR
3x All-State

Her Specialty

Excelling at EVERYTHING. Sometimes even as grueling as walking a marathon. But for real, Natalie has had a hand in many pots, finding success in all of them. Come cross, it’s been in the late season, hitting a 18:45 breakthrough at State as a sophomore, patiently racing to a Saginaw County win as a junior. In springtime, it’s a bit speedier, spinning the wheels in the 800m this spring, an event she’s never truly concentrated on. It was to great benefit, as Foltz dropped her personal best from 2:22 to 2:15, earning yet another state medal in the process.

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
11	Natalie Foltz	18:18.5	Frankenmuth	147.9	MITCA	9-Nov	2024
11	Natalie Foltz	18:22.1	Frankenmuth	146.3	Division 2 State	2-Nov	2024
11	Natalie Foltz	18:20.1	Frankenmuth	147.6	Region 15	25-Oct	2024
11	Natalie Foltz	18:09.9	Frankenmuth	147.0	Saginaw County	19-Oct	2024
11	Natalie Foltz	19:43.6	Frankenmuth	144.8	TVC Overall	15-Oct	2024
11	Natalie Foltz	18:36.0	Frankenmuth	146.4	TVC 3	8-Oct	2024
11	Natalie Foltz	18:24.2	Frankenmuth	144.6	Greater Flint	5-Oct	2024
11	Natalie Foltz	18:36.7	Frankenmuth	147.4	Bluejay	28-Sep	2024
11	Natalie Foltz	19:03.2	Frankenmuth	146.9	TVC 2	25-Sep	2024
11	Natalie Foltz	20:00.7	Frankenmuth	140.4	TVC 1	17-Sep	2024
11	Natalie Foltz	19:27.2	Frankenmuth	141.3	Spartan	13-Sep	2024
11	Natalie Foltz	18:28.9	Frankenmuth	150.7	Northwood	7-Sep	2024
11	Natalie Foltz	19:09.2	Frankenmuth	141.9	John Bruder Classic	4-Sep	2024
11	Natalie Foltz	18:33.7	Frankenmuth	147.1	Pete Moss	24-Aug	2024
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
10	Natalie Foltz	19:02.2	Frankenmuth	131.3	MITCA	11-Nov	2023
10	Natalie Foltz	18:45.3	Frankenmuth	139.2	Division 2 State	4-Nov	2023
10	Natalie Foltz	19:06.4	Frankenmuth	131.9	Region 15	27-Oct	2023
10	Natalie Foltz	18:47.0	Frankenmuth	135.3	Saginaw County	21-Oct	2023
10	Natalie Foltz	19:01.3	Frankenmuth	130.2	TVC Overall	17-Oct	2023
10	Natalie Foltz	19:05.5	Frankenmuth	130.8	TVC Red Championship	10-Oct	2023
10	Natalie Foltz	19:06.6	Frankenmuth	129.5	Greater Flint	7-Oct	2023
10	Natalie Foltz	18:47.6	Frankenmuth	139.5	Bluejay	30-Sep	2023
10	Natalie Foltz	20:44.3	Frankenmuth	124.6	Frankenmuth Eagles	21-Sep	2023
10	Natalie Foltz	19:14.0	Frankenmuth	136.7	Northwood	9-Sep	2023
10	Natalie Foltz	19:16.9	Frankenmuth	139.0	Pete Moss	25-Aug	2023
10	Natalie Foltz	19:39.5	Frankenmuth	132.8	Under the Lights	18-Aug	2023
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
9	Natalie Foltz	19:21.4	Frankenmuth	124.2	MITCA	12-Nov	2022
9	Natalie Foltz	19:36.3	Frankenmuth	126.2	D2 State	5-Nov	2022
9	Natalie Foltz	19:46.4	Frankenmuth	116.5	Region 15	28-Oct	2022
9	Natalie Foltz	20:13.6	Frankenmuth	118.1	Saginaw County	22-Oct	2022
9	Natalie Foltz	19:07.9	Frankenmuth	130.7	TVC Overall	18-Oct	2022
9	Natalie Foltz	19:11.0	Frankenmuth	128.3	Greater Flint	8-Oct	2022
9	Natalie Foltz	19:59.3	Frankenmuth	113.2	Birch Run Fall	4-Oct	2022
9	Natalie Foltz	19:11.5	Frankenmuth	131.8	Bluejay	1-Oct	2022
9	Natalie Foltz	19:45.9	Frankenmuth	126.0	TVC 8 2	27-Sep	2022
9	Natalie Foltz	20:58.2	Frankenmuth	117.6	Frankenmuth Eagles	22-Sep	2022
9	Natalie Foltz	20:04.9	Frankenmuth	122.4	Holly	17-Sep	2022
9	Natalie Foltz	20:03.2	Frankenmuth	118.9	Northwood	10-Sep	2022
9	Natalie Foltz	20:33.1	Frankenmuth	111.0	Marauder	7-Sep	2022
9	Natalie Foltz	21:18.0	Frankenmuth	121.0	Races at SVSU	2-Sep	2022
9	Natalie Foltz	20:19.7	Frankenmuth	117.1	Pete Moss	27-Aug	2022
9	Natalie Foltz	20:19.7	Frankenmuth	123.8	Under the Lights	19-Aug	2022

Name: El McMahan
School: Rochester Adams
Grade: 11th

Personal Records

5k (XC) – 18:27
800m – 2:14
1600m – 4:57
Mile (Road) – 4:53
3200m – 10:58

Accolades

XC

50^th Place – 2024 Division 1 State
2x State Qualifier
5^th Place – 2024 Region 8

Track

7^th Place – 2025 Division 1 State 1600m
5^th Place – 2025 MITS 1600m
2025 Region 8 1600m Champion

Her Specialty

The Mile. At the culmination of indoor and outdoor, she’s brought her best material to the race. Slipping under 5:10 for the 1600m as a freshman, El established herself as one that can be a force for years to come. But another level was needed to earn medals on the big stages, and El got there in early February, breaking 5 for the first time. McMahan kept the pace honest at Indoor State and received 5^th place for her duties. Grinding through outdoor, she emerged at season’s end with a 4:57 from the slow heat, good enough for 7^th. And if you think she was done progressing, she blasted a 4:53 on the roads.

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
10	El McMahan	18:50.4	Rochester Adams	136.9	Division 1 State	2-Nov	2024
10	El McMahan	18:27.0	Rochester Adams	142.3	Region 8	25-Oct	2024
10	El McMahan	18:38.2	Rochester Adams	137.9	OAA Red 3	17-Oct	2024
10	El McMahan	19:47.2	Rochester Adams	133.9	Oakland County	5-Oct	2024
10	El McMahan	20:28.5	Rochester Adams	109.2	Hansons	28-Sep	2024
10	El McMahan	19:25.7	Rochester Adams	127.4	Brooks Mid-Season Spectacular	21-Sep	2024
10	El McMahan	19:16.1	Rochester Adams	144.6	Holly	14-Sep	2024
10	El McMahan	21:23.4	Rochester Adams	99.2	OAA Red 1	11-Sep	2024
10	El McMahan	19:36.6	Rochester Adams	141.8	Averill	7-Sep	2024
10	El McMahan	19:42.6	Rochester Adams	133.1	Budd Cicciarelli	29-Aug	2024
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
9	El McMahan	20:02.1	Rochester Adams	114.0	Division 1 State	4-Nov	2023
9	El McMahan	19:54.9	Rochester Adams	118.4	Region 8	27-Oct	2023
9	El McMahan	19:36.6	Rochester Adams	120.8	OAA Red Championship	19-Oct	2023
9	El McMahan	21:00.2	Rochester Adams	108.3	Oakland County	7-Oct	2023
9	El McMahan	21:14.5	Rochester Adams	103.8	Mott Fall Classic	22-Sep	2023
9	El McMahan	20:54.6	Rochester Adams	107.5	Holly	16-Sep	2023
9	El McMahan	21:00.0	Rochester Adams	113.7	Averill	9-Sep	2023
9	El McMahan	20:28.9	Rochester Adams	114.0	Budd Cicciarelli	31-Aug	2023

Name: Cassie Karasinski
School: Hudsonville
Grade: 11th

Personal Records

5k (XC) – 18:42
800m – 2:20
1600m – 5:06
3200m – 10:46
5000m – 17:23

Accolades

XC

2x State Qualifier
8^th Place – 2024 Region 1
10^th Place – 2024 OK Red Championship

Track

8^th Place – 2025 Division 1 State 3200m
23^rd Place – 2025 Division 1 State 1600m
14^th Place – 2025 Division 1 State 4×8
2^nd Place – OK Red & Region 2 3200m

Her Specialty

Long distances on the track. Which truly came to fruition this past May. During her three separate seasons prior to the spring, Karasinski had shown flashes of her ability, placing highly in the ultra-competitive OK Red, slipping under 19:00 last fall. Though nothing compared to the prowess displayed in anything eight laps and above. In her 3^rd 3200m of the year, Cassie blasted a 11:11 to place 2^nd in the conference, an effort that proved she could run at the state level. After narrowly earning a qualifier, Karasinski gave herself the opportunity to hang in there with the state’s best, dropping 25 seconds from that early May effort, grabbing 8^th place in Division 1.

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
10	Cassie Karasinski	19:27.6	Hudsonville	124.5	Division 1 State	2-Nov	2024
10	Cassie Karasinski	18:42.3	Hudsonville	139.2	Region 1	26-Oct	2024
10	Cassie Karasinski	18:50.9	Hudsonville	135.7	OK Red Championship	17-Oct	2024
10	Cassie Karasinski	19:13.3	Hudsonville	132.2	Kent Ottawa	12-Oct	2024
10	Cassie Karasinski	19:19.7	Hudsonville	132.1	Portage	5-Oct	2024
10	Cassie Karasinski	19:21.1	Hudsonville	128.3	Otsego Bulldog	28-Sep	2024
10	Cassie Karasinski	20:17.8	Hudsonville	127.4	OK Red 2	25-Sep	2024
10	Cassie Karasinski	19:33.9	Hudsonville	129.4	Ottawa Hills	13-Sep	2024
10	Cassie Karasinski	19:57.5	Hudsonville	128.5	OK Red 1	10-Sep	2024
10	Cassie Karasinski	21:14.4	Hudsonville	114.2	Kalamazoo	28-Aug	2024
10	Cassie Karasinski	20:14.3	Hudsonville	116.6	Under the Lights v2	23-Aug	2024
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
9	Cassie Karasinski	19:40.8	Hudsonville	121.1	Division 1 State	4-Nov	2023
9	Cassie Karasinski	19:11.9	Hudsonville	128.7	Region 1	28-Oct	2023
9	Cassie Karasinski	19:06.2	Hudsonville	131.9	OK Red Conference	19-Oct	2023
9	Cassie Karasinski	19:15.3	Hudsonville	132.9	Portage	7-Oct	2023
9	Cassie Karasinski	19:13.1	Hudsonville	134.0	Allendale Falcon	30-Sep	2023
9	Cassie Karasinski	19:41.6	Hudsonville	124.8	Ottawa Hills	15-Sep	2023
9	Cassie Karasinski	19:50.3	Hudsonville	118.6	Lakeview	9-Sep	2023
9	Cassie Karasinski	20:22.3	Hudsonville	117.2	Under the Lights v2	25-Aug	2023

Name: Hope MIller
School: Blissfield
Grade: 12th

Personal Records

5k (XC) – 18:20
800m – 2:19
1600m – 5:03
3200m – 11:16

Accolades

XC

12^th Place – 2024 Division 3 State
3x State Qualifier
2^nd Place – 2024 LCAA Final & Region 27
3^rd Place – 2024 Lenawee County

Track

2^nd Place – 2025 Division 3 State 800m
3^rd Place – 2025 Division 3 State 1600m
6^th Place – 2025 Division 3 State 4×8
5x All-State

Her Specialty

Piling on race after race at State. To be fair, Hope had good practice a week prior at Team State, toeing the line in everything from the 400m to 3200m, placing no lower than 8^th, winning the 3200m at the culmination of it all. On the true state level, Miller was present for her Royals in the 4×8, 800m, and 1600m. All were a resounding success. Kicking off the day, she anchored the Blissfield 4×8 squad to a 6^th place finish. A significant personal record was bested in the 1600m, shaving off 3 seconds to run 5:03. Then after 2400m of fire, Miller dropped a 2:20 for 2^nd in the 800m. XC, with its single race on the docket, should be a breeze.

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
11	Hope Miller	18:22.2	Blissfield	146.6	MITCA	9-Nov	2024
11	Hope Miller	18:20.7	Blissfield	145.4	Division 3 State	2-Nov	2024
11	Hope Miller	18:45.8	Blissfield	141.4	Region 27	26-Oct	2024
11	Hope Miller	18:53.7	Blissfield	135.4	LCAA Final	19-Oct	2024
11	Hope Miller	19:13.3	Blissfield	136.9	Lenawee County	12-Oct	2024
11	Hope Miller	18:53.4	Blissfield	139.9	Hudson Booster	5-Oct	2024
11	Hope Miller	19:01.6	Blissfield	141.5	Rambling Rock	7-Sep	2024
11	Hope Miller	19:02.8	Blissfield	144.1	Lenawee County Preview	24-Aug	2024
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
10	Hope Miller	18:57.7	Blissfield	132.8	MITCA	11-Nov	2023
10	Hope Miller	19:19.9	Blissfield	126.0	Division 3 State	4-Nov	2023
10	Hope Miller	19:47.8	Blissfield	117.7	Region 27	28-Oct	2023
10	Hope Miller	19:43.2	Blissfield	119.6	LCAA Championship	21-Oct	2023
10	Hope Miller	19:49.5	Blissfield	130.2	Lenawee County	14-Oct	2023
10	Hope Miller	19:36.4	Blissfield	124.2	Hudson Booster	7-Oct	2023
10	Hope Miller	20:44.2	Blissfield	115.3	Blissfield Early Bird	19-Sep	2023
10	Hope Miller	19:44.6	Blissfield	131.5	Lenawee County Preview	18-Aug	2023
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
9	Hope Miller	19:43.6	Blissfield	126.5	D3 State	5-Nov	2022
9	Hope Miller	19:08.7	Blissfield	129.1	Region 27	29-Oct	2022
9	Hope Miller	19:25.2	Blissfield	129.3	Lenawee County	15-Oct	2022
9	Hope Miller	20:18.6	Blissfield	120.1	LCAA 2	5-Oct	2022
9	Hope Miller	20:21.1	Blissfield	113.0	Blissfield Early Bird	20-Sep	2022
9	Hope Miller	20:54.2	Blissfield	113.9	Lenawee County Preview	20-Aug	2022

Name: Tessa Mascari
School: Traverse City West
Grade: 11th

Personal Records

5k (XC) – 18:25
400m – 61.41
800m – 2:19
1600m – 4:59
3200m – 11:14

Accolades

XC

40^th Place – 2024 Division 1 State
2x State Qualifier
5^th Place – 2024 Big North Conference
6^th Place – 2024 Region 2

Track

14^th Place – 2025 Division 1 State 1600m
20^th Place – 2025 Division 1 State 3200m
6^th Place – 2025 Division 1 State 4×8

Her Specialty

You can throw her in anything. Single lap? She can earn you some points, hitting 61’s. 5k’s on the grass in the fall? A whole season spent sub-19, the lead runner on a typically top-10 Traverse City West outfit. Where Tessa has seemed to truly found a home is the 1600m. She really honed her craft in championship season, breaking 5:10 for the first time at Big North, hitting 14^th at East Kentwood, then ripping a sub-5 at MITCA’s Meet of Champions.

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
10	Tessa Mascari	18:25.1	Traverse City West	145.6	MITCA	9-Nov	2024
10	Tessa Mascari	18:40.6	Traverse City West	140.1	Division 1 State	2-Nov	2024
10	Tessa Mascari	18:32.7	Traverse City West	143.4	Region 2	25-Oct	2024
10	Tessa Mascari	18:57.1	Traverse City West	133.0	BNC Championship	15-Oct	2024
10	Tessa Mascari	18:59.4	Traverse City West	138.9	Portage	5-Oct	2024
10	Tessa Mascari	18:53.8	Traverse City West	141.7	Bluejay	28-Sep	2024
10	Tessa Mascari	18:27.2	Traverse City West	146.3	VSV	21-Sep	2024
10	Tessa Mascari	18:49.8	Traverse City West	144.1	Ottawa Hills	13-Sep	2024
10	Tessa Mascari	18:55.2	Traverse City West	142.6	Titan Takeoff	7-Sep	2024
10	Tessa Mascari	18:54.0	Traverse City West	140.3	Pete Moss	24-Aug	2024
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
9	Tessa Mascari	19:05.0	Traverse City West	130.3	MITCA	11-Nov	2023
9	Tessa Mascari	19:24.9	Traverse City West	126.4	Division 1 State	4-Nov	2023
9	Tessa Mascari	19:28.4	Traverse City West	124.5	Region 2	27-Oct	2023
9	Tessa Mascari	19:14.2	Traverse City West	124.6	Northern Mich. MOC	21-Oct	2023
9	Tessa Mascari	19:23.3	Traverse City West	124.2	BNC Championship	17-Oct	2023
9	Tessa Mascari	19:23.0	Traverse City West	130.3	Portage	7-Oct	2023
9	Tessa Mascari	19:03.8	Traverse City West	134.1	Bluejay	30-Sep	2023
9	Tessa Mascari	19:53.7	Traverse City West	116.1	Cadillac	23-Sep	2023
9	Tessa Mascari	19:42.5	Traverse City West	124.5	Ottawa Hills	15-Sep	2023
9	Tessa Mascari	20:28.5	Traverse City West	111.8	Northwood	9-Sep	2023
9	Tessa Mascari	20:10.8	Traverse City West	121.1	Pete Moss	25-Aug	2023

Name: Savannah Staton
School: Saline
Grade: 10th

Personal Records

5k (XC) – 18:27
400m – 61.41
800m – 2:18
1600m – 5:09
3200m – 10:57

Accolades

XC

33^rd Place – 2024 Division 1 State
4^th Place – 2024 SEC Red
6^th Place – 2024 Region 6

Track

2^nd Place – SEC Red 1600m
3^rd Place – SEC Red 3200m
3^rd Place – Region 5 3200m

Her Specialty

Longer distances. After a few rustbusters and introductions to the sport, Staton quickly displayed the ability to grind things out. At Saline’s first major invite – Bath, Savannah raced to an 18:55, her first of many sub-19’s. By season’s end, she had gotten as quick as 18:27. On the oval, Staton concentrated on the 3200m. For good reason, as she was one of nine Michigan freshmen girls to break 11:00. May the good times continue to roll in the long stuff.

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
9	Savannah Staton	18:32.2	Saline	142.9	Division 1 State	2-Nov	2024
9	Savannah Staton	19:06.8	Saline	133.1	Region 5	26-Oct	2024
9	Savannah Staton	18:40.6	Saline	144.8	SEC Championship	17-Oct	2024
9	Savannah Staton	18:55.2	Saline	140.3	Portage	5-Oct	2024
9	Savannah Staton	19:07.4	Saline	143.2	SEC Red 2	24-Sep	2024
9	Savannah Staton	18:27.8	Saline	148.4	Jackson	21-Sep	2024
9	Savannah Staton	18:54.8	Saline	150.4	SEC 1	10-Sep	2024
9	Savannah Staton	18:55.7	Saline	147.8	Bath	7-Sep	2024

Name: Leah Corby
School: Rochester Hills Stoney Creek
Grade: 12th

Personal Records

5k (XC) – 17:38
1600m – 5:01
3200m – 10:47

Accolades

XC

13^th Place – 2024 Division 1 State
3^rd Place – 2024 Region 8
4^th Place – 2024 Oakland County
2x All-County

Track

16^th Place – 2025 Division 1 State 3200m
2025 Region 8 3200m Champion
3^rd Place – 2025 Oakland County 3200m

Her Specialty

Bouncing back. Throughout her sophomore fall, Leah had shown she was someone not only capable of qualifying for State, but inflicting some damage while there. Unfortunately, that was not to be, but that didn’t deter Corby from getting back to it the following year. Corby was able to kick off her 2024 season with a personal best, then trended upward from there. She was 4^th on the tough Kensington track at Oakland County, then three weeks later, earned her second state qualifier. You would’ve had no clue that she was absent from the MIS stage for two years, as Leah laid down a 17:54, good for 13^th in all of D1.

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
11	Leah Corby	17:38.4	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	161.2	MITCA	9-Nov	2024
11	Leah Corby	17:54.1	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	155.6	Division 1 State	2-Nov	2024
11	Leah Corby	17:52.0	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	154.0	Region 8	25-Oct	2024
11	Leah Corby	18:22.7	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	147.8	OAA White League	17-Oct	2024
11	Leah Corby	19:50.4	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	126.9	Stan Ford	11-Oct	2024
11	Leah Corby	19:28.4	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	140.2	Oakland County	5-Oct	2024
11	Leah Corby	18:52.4	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	141.2	Hansons	28-Sep	2024
11	Leah Corby	18:58.4	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	138.2	OAA White 2	24-Sep	2024
11	Leah Corby	19:22.9	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	142.7	Spartan	13-Sep	2024
11	Leah Corby	20:38.2	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	112.9	OAA White 1	10-Sep	2024
11	Leah Corby	18:35.3	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	154.9	Lamplighter	23-Aug	2024
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
10	Leah Corby	21:40.5	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	95.5	Region 9	27-Oct	2023
10	Leah Corby	19:01.9	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	136.7	OAA White Championship	19-Oct	2023
10	Leah Corby	19:39.5	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	130.2	Gabriel Richard	14-Oct	2023
10	Leah Corby	20:02.0	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	127.7	Oakland County	7-Oct	2023
10	Leah Corby	19:05.8	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	137.7	Hansons	30-Sep	2023
10	Leah Corby	19:32.9	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	133.0	Spartan	15-Sep	2023
10	Leah Corby	20:08.8	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	121.1	Muskrat Classic	9-Sep	2023
10	Leah Corby	18:57.7	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	147.8	Lake St. Clair Early Bird	30-Aug	2023
10	Leah Corby	18:50.7	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	153.8	Lamplighter	18-Aug	2023
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
9	Leah Corby	20:11.8	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	115.1	D1 State	5-Nov	2022
9	Leah Corby	19:45.1	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	115.6	Region 9	29-Oct	2022
9	Leah Corby	20:08.2	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	115.6	OAA White Championship	20-Oct	2022
9	Leah Corby	19:47.3	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	114.2	Gabriel Richard	15-Oct	2022
9	Leah Corby	20:40.0	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	112.7	Oakland County	8-Oct	2022
9	Leah Corby	20:37.8	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	100.1	Hansons	1-Oct	2022
9	Leah Corby	20:21.9	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	110.7	OAA White 2	27-Sep	2022
9	Leah Corby	19:34.6	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	119.5	Mid-Season Spectacular	23-Sep	2022
9	Leah Corby	20:46.4	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	110.9	Spartan	16-Sep	2022
9	Leah Corby	20:49.1	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	102.6	OAA White 1	13-Sep	2022
9	Leah Corby	19:55.3	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	115.6	Muskrat Classic	10-Sep	2022
9	Leah Corby	21:09.5	Rochester Hills Stoney Creek	108.2	Lamplighter	19-Aug	2022

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.

Division 4’s summer work will always be a bit off. For a solid segment of the schools, especially the private ones, there isn’t a feeder school. With that, some schools are underrated as I can’t discern who is going where. A few deserving schools might not be listed as they operated with a few runners last year, lost some to graduation, but don’t have five returners. D4 coaches are perhaps the best at creatively replenishing their roster, but I can’t predict those additions from my perspective.

Anyhow, here are your D4 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 28 – five teams in the top-33. And perhaps underestimating outfits such as Petoskey St. Michael, who always seems to find a way to add impactful athletes over the course of the season.

Region 29 – six teams in the top-24. Annually the deepest region thanks in part to a running rich tradition in the Traverse City area. Would likely be even stronger if Bear Lake and Onekama still combined forces.

Region 34 – two top-6 teams. A 6^th ranked team would typically be a regional favorite. Unfortunately Concord will need to deal with regional rival Hillsdale Academy in order to capture a regional crown. The Colts return five of their top-seven girls from last year’s 3^rd place squad, then add a freshman who dipped under 6:00 for the 1600m during track.

Region 35 – six teams in the top-36. Probably not so much in terms of qualifying, as the top-three appear to have a significant point gap. But squads such as Harbor Beach, Brown City, and North Huron have the juice where they’d be contenders in other spots.

Region 36 – five teams in the top-30. Auburn Hills Oakland Christian and Royal Oak Shrine should be clear, but beyond those two, it could be three teams vying for one spot. Lutheran Westland looks to be the favorite, returning their top-five regional finishers. These projections don’t even include a Plymouth Christian Academy, the Eagles coming back with four girls from last year’s qualifying squad. One more and they’re in the mix.

Intriguing Battles

Region 28 – four teams vying for the final two spots. Rogers City is projected as a significant favorite early.  I’m intrigued by Bellaire, who appears to have the most depth of the bunch. Not only helpful from the bodies that can have a good regional day, but also the possibility of placing four in the top-20. Ellsworth, East Jordan, and Petoskey St. Michael all project to be in contention as well.

Region 34 – final spot up for grabs.Previously mentioned Concord and Hillsdale Academy should solidly take up the top-two spots. Two teams close in rank – Petersburg-Summerfield and Hudson. Last year, it was P-S advancing out of the third slot and the Bulldogs bring back a great majority of that squad. However, Hudson moves into D4 with a senior-laden team.

Region 35 – the win. Kingston and Ubly are separated by three spots in the rankings, but one projected point here. This typically points to an advantage at the state level that isn’t as magnified at the regional level. In Kingston’s case, this is their two very low Kiley sticks. Lilah has been a fixture, the winds point toward Norah being one as well. Ubly’s sophomore class was a fixture in 2024’s regional race, four freshman Bearcats occupying spots in the top-15.

Region 36 – the win. The past fall, no one progressed as heavy and fast as Auburn Hills Oakland Christian. They’ll look to reap the benefits of that increased fitness and could potentially add tons of freshmen. With additions, Royal Oak Shrine could have some of the best depth in the division, as the Knights could bring in three freshmen girls who hovered around the 14-min. mark in middle school cross.

Region 28

Top 27 Teams

#17 Rogers City
#27 Ellsworth

Proj. Place	Team	Score
1	Rogers City	35
2	Ellsworth	79
3	Bellaire	81
4	East Jordan	87
5	Petoskey St. Michael	94
6	Indian River Inland Lakes	107

Top Athletes

Harlie Fox – coming off a track season where she placed 18^th in the D4 1600m.

Danielle Agren – 17^th in late May’s D4 3200m.

Ruby Pletcher – finished 4^th here last year in her first ever sub-20.

Avery Langlois – a 2023 All-Stater that’s twice been top-10 here.

Place	Grade	Name	Team
1	11	Harlie Fox	Johannesburg-Lewiston
2	11	Danielle Agren	Johannesburg-Lewiston
3	11	Ruby Pletcher	Ellsworth
4	11	Avery Langlois	Rogers City
5	11	Elizabeth Furman	Indian River Inland Lakes
6	9	Madalyn Dewey	Bellaire
7	10	Fenlynn Johnson	Rogers City
8	11	Veronica Paga	Petoskey St. Michael
9	9	Nora Inman	East Jordan
10	12	Taylor Hefele	Rogers City
11	9	Reese Brege	Rogers City
12	11	Avary Bearden	East Jordan
13	12	Sophia Harding	Gaylord St. Mary
14	10	Keri Coolman	Rogers City
15	11	Natalie Fitzgerald	Ellsworth
16	11	Morgan Reh	Bellaire
17	11	Isabella Hocking	Bellaire
18	12	Ella Nolan	Petoskey St. Michael
19	9	Grace Campbell	Bellaire
20	10	Mea Wesley	Petoskey St. Michael

Region 29

Top 27 Teams

Top-10 Maple City Glen Lake
Top-10 Grand Traverse Academy
#13 Buckley
#17 Bear Lake
#19 Frankfort
#24 Mason County Eastern

Proj. Place	Team	Score
1	Maple City Glen Lake	43
2	Grand Traverse Academy	59
3	Buckley	72
4	Bear Lake	87
5	Frankfort	95
6	Mason County Eastern	142

Top Athletes

Callie Sinke – proved herself as one of Michigan’s top freshmen on the grass and track. Four All-States between the two seasons, including a 9^th place cross finish.

Amelia McKinney – 15^th in D4, 2^nd here in her first season of high school cross.

Carmella Julian – another first year of success, achieving a regional 3200m title and a 20^th place finish at MIS.

Addy Zeller – double qualifier this spring, competed in both the 1600m and 3200m at the State Finals

Place	Grade	Name	Team
1	10	Callie Sinke	Onekama
2	11	Amelia McKinney	Grand Traverse Academy
3	10	Carmella Julian	Maple City Glen Lake
4	11	Addy Zeller	Onekama
5	9	Tessa Rutherford	Bear Lake
6	9	Autumn Bailey	Maple City Glen Lake
7	10	Sophie Grinage	Leland
8	12	Addison Jarosz	Frankfort
9	10	Melodie Hulinek	Bear Lake
10	9	Alyse Cox	Maple City Glen Lake
11	9	Ava Higley	Frankfort
12	11	Natalie Burpee	Leland
13	12	Leire Mahiques	Buckley
14	9	Ellie Wright	Maple City Glen Lake
15	11	Addison Patrzik	Grand Traverse Academy
16	12	Kinsey Peer	Buckley
17	9	Brooklyn Griffin	Buckley
18	11	Madison Smith	Grand Traverse Academy
19	10	Claire Couturier	Lake Leelanau St. Mary
20	11	Mikayla Kulawiak	Buckley

Region 30

Top 27 Teams

#18 Breckenridge
#22 Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary

Proj. Place	Team	Score
1	Breckenridge	29
2	Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary	48
3	Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart	76
4	Vestaburg	101
5	Montabella	108

Top Athletes

Ally Schmitz – has a penchant for running her best at the end of the year. Two sub-20’s and two All-State finishes from 2023 and 2024.

Claire Long – absolute stud on the track, winning the 400m in this spring’s D4 finals

Place	Grade	Name	Team
1	12	Ally Schmitz	Breckenridge
2	11	Claire Long	Saginaw Nouvel
3	10	Maizy Matthews	Breckenridge
4	10	Skylar Maclennan	Fulton
5	11	Nolee Leppert	Beal City
6	10	Piper Schultz	Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary
7	12	Olive Wakefield	Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary
8	10	Dilyn Colpean	Merrill
9	10	Taylor Wills	Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart
10	9	Maezee Humm	Breckenridge
11	10	Peyton Rohn	Ashley
12	12	Emma McCarty	Carson City-Crystal
13	11	Jessica Stouten	Vestaburg
14	11	Greta Schroeder	Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary
15	10	Anna McCarty	Carson City-Crystal
16	11	Kaylie McCracken	Carson City-Crystal
17	12	Kylo Riedel	Breckenridge
18	11	Ryann Ball	Montabella
19	9	Macie Bush	Breckenridge
20	12	Laura Bigard	Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart

Region 31

Top 27 Teams

Top-10 Gobles
#15 Martin

Proj. Place	Team	Score
1	Gobles	27
2	Martin	36
3	Holton	72

Top Athletes

Libby Smith – a D4 household name at this point, earning 7^th and 3^rd place finishes the past two years at MIS. Those places were identical to those found on the track this spring, with her 3^rd place in the 3200m and 7^th in the 1600m.

Veyda Conley – twice an All-Stater, twice top-3 in her two high school years.

Ryleigh Alderink – potentially impactful 9^th grader, having gone down as low as a 5:41 1600m this spring

Lauren Shaffer – made tremendous gains during track, dropping 15+ seconds from her 1600m best and qualifying for state in the 800m.

Place	Grade	Name	Team
1	11	Libby Smith	Gobles
2	11	Veyda Conley	Martin
3	9	Ryleigh Alderink	Holton
4	11	Lauren Shaffer	Gobles
5	10	Zoe Fabing	Fowler
6	12	Madison Cooley	Gobles
7	10	Laura Rotman	Holland Calvary Christian
8	9	Jane Vonk	Holland Calvary Christian
9	11	Ava DeYoung	Gobles
10	12	Acacia Williams	Holland Calvary Christian
11	10	Allison Rodgers	Martin
12	10	Leah Thelen	Fowler
13	12	Alison Rotman	Holland Calvary Christian
14	11	Marian Davlin	Portland St. Patrick
15	9	Riley Bender	Martin
16	10	DuRae Sage	Martin
17	11	Sara Schipper	Martin
18	12	Olivia Thelen	Fowler
19	9	Taylor Cooley	Gobles
20	10	Addison Tomsic	Gobles

Region 32

Top 27 Teams

Top-10 Kalamazoo Hackett

Proj. Place	Team	Score
1	Kalamazoo Hackett	19
2	Three Oaks River Valley	53
3	Decatur	62

Top Athletes

Emma Riker – the reigning regional champ that’s fresh off one of the better distance seasons in all of D4. All-State with her 4×8 girls to go along with 4^th and 5^th place finishes in the 1600m and 3200m, respectively.

Brie Siems – triathlete who surely takes those skills and applies them to many of our disciplines. Cross, hurdles, high jump, and long sprints among the many areas that Siems excels.

Rowan Allen – a mainstay at this region, top-6 finishes throughout her freshman through junior years.

Place	Grade	Name	Team
1	12	Emma Riker	Kalamazoo Hackett
2	11	Brie Siems	Kalamazoo Hackett
3	12	Rowan Allen	Mendon
4	9	Cayla Buss	Decatur
5	12	Kate Van Es	Kalamazoo Hackett
6	10	Delaney McBride	Kalamazoo Hackett
7	11	Ella Hendrixson	Three Oaks River Valley
8	11	Harper Bowman	New Buffalo
9	10	Abigail Riker	Kalamazoo Hackett
10	11	Emmy Nofs	Battle Creek St. Philip
11	11	Sarah Stemaly	Athens
12	11	Anne Gradowski	New Buffalo
13	12	Rachel Byler	White Pigeon
14	10	Brittney Hernandez	Three Oaks River Valley
15	9	Grace Ulbrich	Kalamazoo Hackett
16	9	Jordan Ynclan	Kalamazoo Hackett
17	11	Helen Donner	Three Oaks River Valley
18	9	Annabell Bent	Marcellus
19	10	Dalyn Bogard	Climax-Scotts
20	10	Linda Ultz	Burr Oak

Region 33

Top 27 Teams

Top-10 Whitmore Lake
#12 Lansing Christian

Proj. Place	Team	Score
1	Whitmore Lake	18
2	Lansing Christian	49
3	Genesee Christian Academy	97
4	Webberville	119
5	Dansville	121
6	Novi Christian Academy	132

Top Athletes

Kaylie Livingston – she’s got a ticket coming, our defending D4 champ!

Taylor Wiegand – has been operating at a high level for the past two years, racking up 18^th and 10^th place finishes at MIS.

Carina Burchi – three times an All-Stater, twice a team state champ. I’d call that a successful career.

Elodie Weaver – title-clinching race from 2023 propelled Elodie into her best season yet. 2024 contained a sub-20 PR and first All-State finish ever.

Place	Grade	Name	Team
1	11	Kaylie Livingston	Whitmore Lake
2	12	Taylor Wiegand	Livingston Christian
3	12	Carina Burchi	Whitmore Lake
4	12	Elodie Weaver	Whitmore Lake
5	10	Malynda Lambros	Whitmore Lake
6	11	Adrienne Mitchell	Lansing Christian
7	9	Cassa Minnis	Dansville
8	10	Madison Markowicz	Novi Christian Academy
9	12	Sofia Robertson	Whitmore Lake
10	11	Annie Wernet	Lansing Christian
11	12	Juliette Tallon	Lansing Christian
12	10	Gabriella Wood	Lansing Christian
13	12	Alaina Driver	Potterville
14	9	Piper Guilloz	Whitmore Lake
15	11	Jane Wilder	Webberville
16	11	Makenna Bush	Lansing Christian
17	11	Caroline Darrah	Whitmore Lake
18	12	Tori Ferguson	Genesee Christian Academy
19	10	Ariana Stewart	Genesee Christian Academy
20	12	Yazmine Beverly	Webberville

Region 34

Top 27 Teams

Top-10 Hillsdale Academy
Top-10 Concord
#23 Petersburg-Summerfield
#25 Hudson

Proj. Place	Team	Score
1	Hillsdale Academy	28
2	Concord	43
3	Petersburg-Summerfield	87
4	Hudson	100
5	Manchester	152
6	Addison	157
7	Jackson Preparatory	167

Top Athletes

Evelyn Meyer – dropped more than a minute from her 9^th to 10^th grade seasons. Quickened times led to a state appearance, where Meyer placed 41^st.

Makenzie Wolfe – during the spring, this Bulldog pulled off the rare high jump/distance combo. When it came time for State, she concentrated on the distance races, hitting qualifiers in the 1600m and 3200m

Place	Grade	Name	Team
1	11	Evelyn Meyer	Hillsdale Academy
2	12	Makenzie Wolfe	Petersburg-Summerfield
3	9	Audrey Rinehart	Concord
4	12	Elizabeth Caspar	Hillsdale Academy
5	11	Allie Miller	Hillsdale Academy
6	9	Audrey Pyle	Concord
7	11	Haley Stimer	Concord
8	9	Heather Morris	Hillsdale Academy
9	12	Annabelle Czeiszperger	Hudson
10	12	Audrey Nehlsen	Hillsdale Academy
11	12	Grace Raymond	Petersburg-Summerfield
12	12	Cieara Barrett	Concord
13	9	Eliza Roberts	Hillsdale Academy
14	11	Moira Beier	Hillsdale Academy
15	10	Mya Barrett	Concord
16	10	Abby Raymond	Petersburg-Summerfield
17	11	Lillian Jagielski	Pittsford
18	10	Ellie Woodring	Addison
19	9	Madelyn St. John	Hudson
20	9	Braelynn Thorrez	Concord

Region 35

Top 27 Teams

Top-10 Kingston
Top-10 Ubly
#14 Dryden
#20 Harbor Beach

Proj. Place	Team	Score
1	Kingston	44
2	Ubly	45
3	Dryden	60
4	Harbor Beach	92
5	Brown City	148
6	Kinde North Huron	152
7	Marlette	171

Top Athletes

Lilah Kiley – coming off an outstanding track season where she claimed regional titles in the 800m and 1600m, then turned around and nabbed top-10 D4 finishes in each.

Norah Kiley – likely to be one of the better freshmen in Michigan. Undefeated during her 8^th grade fall season, then found a 4^th place finish in the prestigious Megastar 1600m.

Cara Prusakiewicz – your defending regional champ. Busted into the 19’s twice at season’s close, winning here then grabbing 23^rd in Brooklyn.

Place	Grade	Name	Team
1	12	Lilah Kiley	Kingston
2	9	Norah Kiley	Kingston
3	12	Cara Prusakiewicz	Dryden
4	12	Katie Sweeney	Ubly
5	10	Alyvia Janke	Unionville-Sebewaing
6	10	Claire Wright	Dryden
7	10	Payton King	Kingston
8	9	Ella Gustner	Dryden
9	10	Abbygail Plester	Ubly
10	12	Alexis Fabbro	Vassar
11	10	Taylor Geiger	Ubly
12	10	Myah Peruski	Ubly
13	10	Emily Meek	Unionville-Sebewaing
14	9	Isabella West	Mayville
15	12	Madison Prowse	Brown City
16	11	Aspen Jimkoski	Kinde North Huron
17	9	Rachel Becker	Unionville-Sebewaing
18	11	Cailin Spearman	Harbor Beach
19	10	Brooklyn Morell	Ubly
20	12	HarLee Leasher	Brown City

Region 36

Top 27 Teams

Top-10 Auburn Hills Oakland Christian
#11 Royal Oak Shrine
#21 Lutheran Westland
#26 Southfield Christian

Proj. Place	Team	Score
1	Auburn Hills Oakland Christian	42
2	Royal Oak Shrine	46
3	Lutheran Westland	83
4	Southfield Christian	98
5	Allen Park Cabrini	106
6	Austin Catholic	131
7	Detroit Crockett	197

Top Athletes

Raley Keith – cross times hit a freefall come October then the accomplishments couldn’t stop flowing. 13^th place at MIS helped spur the Lancers’ runner-up finish. And then led into a track season where Raley medaled in both the 1600m and 3200m at State.

Eleanor Cole – steadily moving up in the XC world. Earned a State Finals appearance first as a sophomore, then dropped 30+ seconds at MIS as a junior, earning a spot up on the stage.

Place	Grade	Name	Team
1	12	Raley Keith	Auburn Hills Oakland Christian
2	12	Eleanor Cole	Lutheran Westland
3	10	Cassidy Bowers	Austin Catholic
4	11	Lydia Gleason	Auburn Hills Oakland Christian
5	12	Stella Behnan	Cardinal Mooney Catholic
6	10	Deirdre O’Connell	Allen Park Cabrini
7	9	Sumaiya Ahmed	Royal Oak Shrine
8	9	Lily McClendon	Auburn Hills Oakland Christian
9	10	Nora Tillman	Royal Oak Shrine
10	11	Louisa Denks	Royal Oak Shrine
11	9	Oyin Bankole-Ayoola	Southfield Christian
12	9	Melanie Clark	Royal Oak Shrine
13	12	Maya Ferguson	Cardinal Mooney Catholic
14	9	Dania Wojdyla	Royal Oak Shrine
15	10	Ava Bates	Lutheran Westland
16	9	Katalin Ballaz	Auburn Hills Oakland Christian
17	11	Sydney Erickson	Lutheran Westland
18	9	Abigail VanHooser	Auburn Hills Oakland Christian
19	11	Ella Clarke	Southfield Christian
20	9	Yaya Thomassen	Auburn Hills Oakland Christian

A summer tradition returns.

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.

Enjoy!

2024
2023
2022
2021
2020

(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: Lucas Ballard
School: Marquette
Grade: 11th

Personal Records

5k (XC) – 16:03
400m – 51.70
800m – 1:56
1600m – 4:17

Accolades

XC

4^th Place – 2023 & 2024 UP Division 1 State

Track

2025 UP Division 1 State 800m Champion
3^rd Place – UP Division 1 State 1600m
4x All-State

His Specialty

From my eyes, mid-distance. At Romeo, Ballard was a revelation to me, winning the 3^rd fastest section by a considerable 4 second margin. A few weeks later, he raced to a 3^rd place finish in the UP’s Division 1. Better than that 3^rd was a win in the 800m. For the entire season, Ballard never gave us a time north of 2-flat, spitting times as fast as 1:56.

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
10	Lucas Ballard	16:03.2	Marquette	193.6	MITCA	9-Nov	2024
10	Lucas Ballard	16:07.2	Marquette	187.6	UP Division 1 State	19-Oct	2024
10	Lucas Ballard	17:27.4	Marquette	166.2	Eskymos	3-Oct	2024
10	Lucas Ballard	16:41.0	Marquette	184.7	Bluejay	28-Sep	2024
10	Lucas Ballard	17:12.2	Marquette	178.6	Wildcat	23-Aug	2024
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
9	Lucas Ballard	16:41.4	Marquette	180.2	Bluejay	30-Sep	2023
9	Lucas Ballard	17:49.6	Marquette	166.1	Spartan	15-Sep	2023

Name: Ben Romero
School: Forest Hills Central
Grade: 11th

Personal Records

5k (XC) – 15:44
800m – 1:53
1600m – 4:15
3200m – 9:08

Accolades

XC

4^th Place – 2024 OK White Championship
11^th Place – 2024 Region 3
47^th Place – 2024 Division 1 State

Track

2^nd Place – 2024 Division 1 State 4×8
7^th Place – 2024 Division 1 State 3200m
2024 OK White 1600m & 3200m Champion

His Specialty

Long distances on the track. After all, that’s where his freshman state record lies. In May of ’24, Romero ran a 9:08 in the 3200m, pummeling the previous record of 9:20. By the end of that season, Ben had captured an OK White crown and placed 7^th in all of Division 1 in that 3200m event. Come fall, that translated to the grass in the form of a few sub-16 efforts. He was absent from competition this spring, but trust me, he’ll be flashing that talent once more.

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
10	Ben Romero	16:00.3	Forest Hills Central	193.9	Division 1 State	2-Nov	2024
10	Ben Romero	16:16.5	Forest Hills Central	192.8	Region 3	25-Oct	2024
10	Ben Romero	15:44.8	Forest Hills Central	198.4	OK White Championship	16-Oct	2024
10	Ben Romero	16:15.5	Forest Hills Central	197.8	OK White 2	2-Oct	2024
10	Ben Romero	15:44.5	Forest Hills Central	203.5	Bluejay	28-Sep	2024
10	Ben Romero	15:55.3	Forest Hills Central	201.2	OK White 1	18-Sep	2024
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
9	Ben Romero	16:07.2	Forest Hills Central	191.9	Division 1 State	4-Nov	2023
9	Ben Romero	16:12.3	Forest Hills Central	193.9	Region 3	27-Oct	2023
9	Ben Romero	16:18.7	Forest Hills Central	188.8	OK White Championship	18-Oct	2023
9	Ben Romero	16:13.0	Forest Hills Central	192.7	Portage	7-Oct	2023
9	Ben Romero	16:08.4	Forest Hills Central	194.2	Ottawa Hills	15-Sep	2023
9	Ben Romero	17:16.2	Forest Hills Central	177.0	Bredeweg	9-Sep	2023

Name: Vincent Pattison
School: Goodrich
Grade: 12th

Personal Records

5k (XC) – 15:47
800m – 2:01
1600m – 4:29

Accolades

XC

28^th Place – 2024 Division 2 State
2024 FML Champion
4^th Place – 2024 Greater Flint
6^th Place – 2024 Region 15

Track

3^rd Place – 2025 MITS DMR
6^th Place – 2025 MITS 4×8

His Specialty

Peaking at the right time each year. You go through Vince’s history and you see three years of personal bests at the end of the season. As a freshman, this occurred at the MITCA meet. In 2023, a 16:00.4 at State that I’m sure had him aching for a chance to get into the 15’s. The 15’s came early in his junior year, but most prominently occurred at the end, where Pattison rolled out two consecutive 15:47’s, the latter of which earned his first All-State.

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
11	Vincent Pattison	16:10.9	Goodrich	191.0	MITCA	9-Nov	2024
11	Vincent Pattison	15:47.8	Goodrich	198.1	Division 2 State	2-Nov	2024
11	Vincent Pattison	15:47.5	Goodrich	199.8	Region 15	25-Oct	2024
11	Vincent Pattison	16:17.3	Goodrich	197.2	FML 3	16-Oct	2024
11	Vincent Pattison	16:08.8	Goodrich	199.1	Kayla O’Mara	12-Oct	2024
11	Vincent Pattison	16:00.3	Goodrich	193.9	Greater Flint	5-Oct	2024
11	Vincent Pattison	16:19.6	Goodrich	191.8	Bluejay	28-Sep	2024
11	Vincent Pattison	16:09.5	Goodrich	201.8	FML 2	25-Sep	2024
11	Vincent Pattison	16:22.7	Goodrich	201.1	Spartan	13-Sep	2024
11	Vincent Pattison	16:03.7	Goodrich	199.4	Northwood	7-Sep	2024
11	Vincent Pattison	16:07.6	Goodrich	201.8	FML 1	4-Sep	2024
11	Vincent Pattison	15:53.4	Goodrich	201.5	Pete Moss	24-Aug	2024
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
10	Vincent Pattison	16:01.1	Goodrich	192.6	MITCA	11-Nov	2023
10	Vincent Pattison	16:00.4	Goodrich	193.9	Division 2 State	4-Nov	2023
10	Vincent Pattison	16:18.6	Goodrich	186.8	Region 15	27-Oct	2023
10	Vincent Pattison	16:22.0	Goodrich	182.7	FML Championship	18-Oct	2023
10	Vincent Pattison	16:51.7	Goodrich	176.8	Bluejay	30-Sep	2023
10	Vincent Pattison	18:03.5	Goodrich	161.5	Spartan	15-Sep	2023
10	Vincent Pattison	16:45.9	Goodrich	182.7	Northwood	9-Sep	2023
10	Vincent Pattison	17:05.5	Goodrich	183.2	Corunna Early Bird	29-Aug	2023
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
9	Vincent Pattison	16:39.7	Goodrich	179.4	MITCA	12-Nov	2022
9	Vincent Pattison	17:45.0	Goodrich	166.0	Region 16	29-Oct	2022
9	Vincent Pattison	17:01.5	Goodrich	175.8	FML Championship	19-Oct	2022
9	Vincent Pattison	17:42.8	Goodrich	167.1	Kayla O’Mara	15-Oct	2022
9	Vincent Pattison	17:01.7	Goodrich	170.8	Greater Flint	8-Oct	2022
9	Vincent Pattison	17:28.6	Goodrich	165.5	Bluejay	1-Oct	2022
9	Vincent Pattison	17:27.6	Goodrich	171.5	FML 2	28-Sep	2022
9	Vincent Pattison	18:01.9	Goodrich	163.7	Holly	17-Sep	2022
9	Vincent Pattison	18:30.1	Goodrich	152.0	Bath	10-Sep	2022
9	Vincent Pattison	18:16.1	Goodrich	158.0	FML 1	7-Sep	2022
9	Vincent Pattison	18:32.8	Goodrich	153.4	Corunna Early Bird	30-Aug	2022

Name: Abenezer Cerone
School: Royal Oak Shrine
Grade: 12th

Personal Records

5k (XC) – 15:40
200m – 22.96
400m – 50.18
800m – 1:53
1600m – 4:24

Accolades

XC

2^nd Place – 2024 Division 4 State
2x All-State
2023 & 2024 Region 36 Champion
2024 CHSL Cardinal Champion

Track

2025 Division 4 State 800m Champion
2x All-State
2025 MITS 4×4 & SMR Champion
3^rd Place – 2025 MITS 800m
2025 Oakland County 800m Champion

His Specialty

Sprints and mid-distance. Not often you see a kid running in the 15’s and the 22’s. Yes, the 22’s, as Cerone powered to a 22.96 200m in an early May meet. If you don’t trust the time, he came back two weeks later and won his league in a (still fast) 23.01. That sprinting prowess extended to the 400m, where Abenezer owned the 2^nd quickest time in D4 and the 800m, where he became an Oakland County and State Champion.

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
11	Abenezer Cerone	15:55.2	Royal Oak Shrine	196.3	MITCA	9-Nov	2024
11	Abenezer Cerone	15:40.6	Royal Oak Shrine	198.8	Division 4 State	2-Nov	2024
11	Abenezer Cerone	16:06.9	Royal Oak Shrine	196.0	Region 36	26-Oct	2024
11	Abenezer Cerone	16:17.2	Royal Oak Shrine	194.6	CHSL Cardinal Championship	18-Oct	2024
11	Abenezer Cerone	16:34.8	Royal Oak Shrine	197.7	Oakland County	5-Oct	2024
11	Abenezer Cerone	15:43.1	Royal Oak Shrine	204.0	Hansons	28-Sep	2024
11	Abenezer Cerone	15:49.4	Royal Oak Shrine	200.5	Brooks Mid-Season Spectacular	21-Sep	2024
11	Abenezer Cerone	16:04.0	Royal Oak Shrine	209.0	Holly	14-Sep	2024
11	Abenezer Cerone	16:40.0	Royal Oak Shrine	193.0	OCS Small School	5-Sep	2024
11	Abenezer Cerone	16:11.8	Royal Oak Shrine	201.7	Lamplighter	23-Aug	2024
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
10	Abenezer Cerone	16:12.6	Royal Oak Shrine	188.8	MITCA	11-Nov	2023
10	Abenezer Cerone	16:06.4	Royal Oak Shrine	189.9	Division 4 State	4-Nov	2023
10	Abenezer Cerone	16:47.3	Royal Oak Shrine	186.9	Region 36	27-Oct	2023
10	Abenezer Cerone	16:09.1	Royal Oak Shrine	193.3	CHSL C/D Championship	20-Oct	2023
10	Abenezer Cerone	16:39.8	Royal Oak Shrine	191.1	Gabriel Richard	14-Oct	2023
10	Abenezer Cerone	17:00.5	Royal Oak Shrine	189.2	NCA Small School	10-Oct	2023
10	Abenezer Cerone	17:01.6	Royal Oak Shrine	187.5	Oakland County	7-Oct	2023
10	Abenezer Cerone	16:28.6	Royal Oak Shrine	196.1	Holly	16-Sep	2023
10	Abenezer Cerone	17:01.3	Royal Oak Shrine	186.9	OCS Small School	7-Sep	2023
10	Abenezer Cerone	16:57.6	Royal Oak Shrine	190.1	Michigan Catholic	26-Aug	2023
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
9	Abenezer Cerone	17:46.6	Royal Oak Shrine	161.1	D4 State	5-Nov	2022
9	Abenezer Cerone	17:27.6	Royal Oak Shrine	157.5	Region 36	28-Oct	2022
9	Abenezer Cerone	18:05.2	Royal Oak Shrine	154.3	CHSL CD Championship	21-Oct	2022
9	Abenezer Cerone	18:10.3	Royal Oak Shrine	147.6	Gabriel Richard	15-Oct	2022
9	Abenezer Cerone	18:42.0	Royal Oak Shrine	157.0	Novi Christian Small School	11-Oct	2022
9	Abenezer Cerone	19:30.3	Royal Oak Shrine	153.2	CHSL Cardinal 3	6-Oct	2022
9	Abenezer Cerone	17:46.9	Royal Oak Shrine	157.4	Mid-Season Spectacular	23-Sep	2022
9	Abenezer Cerone	19:12.2	Royal Oak Shrine	148.3	Soter-Crane	21-Sep	2022
9	Abenezer Cerone	17:46.7	Royal Oak Shrine	168.8	Holly	17-Sep	2022
9	Abenezer Cerone	17:34.2	Royal Oak Shrine	162.9	Muskrat Classic	10-Sep	2022
9	Abenezer Cerone	17:52.9	Royal Oak Shrine	156.0	CHSL Cardinal 1	7-Sep	2022

Name: Jacob Szalay
School: Saline
Grade: 11th

Personal Records

5k (XC) – 15:38
1600m – 4:21
3200m – 9:27

Accolades

XC

16^th Place – 2024 Division 1 State
3^rd Place – 2024 SEC Red Championship & Region 5

Track

3^rd Place – 2025 SEC Red 3200m
4^th Place – 2025 SEC Red 1600m
19^th Place – 2025 MITS 1600m

His Specialty

Transformation. Evident on the cross course, evident on the oval. From spring to spring, Szalay erased over 10 sec. in the 1600m and 30 sec. in the 3200m. But from fall to fall is where we saw the most significant change. Jacob was really good as a freshman, one of many strong runners in the 2027 class, a consistent mid-16 kid by season’s end. Hard to fathom that at his best, he dropped nearly a minute from his 9^th to 10^th grade years. His 15:38 at State was good for 16^th and was the 5^th best sophomore finish.

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
10	Jacob Szalay	15:44.7	Saline	199.8	MITCA	9-Nov	2024
10	Jacob Szalay	15:38.1	Saline	201.3	Division 1 State	2-Nov	2024
10	Jacob Szalay	15:57.0	Saline	195.7	Region 5	26-Oct	2024
10	Jacob Szalay	15:58.8	Saline	200.1	SEC Championship	17-Oct	2024
10	Jacob Szalay	16:06.2	Saline	199.6	River Rat Open	10-Oct	2024
10	Jacob Szalay	16:12.4	Saline	193.9	Portage	5-Oct	2024
10	Jacob Szalay	16:40.3	Saline	193.6	SEC Red 2	24-Sep	2024
10	Jacob Szalay	16:02.6	Saline	197.1	Jackson	21-Sep	2024
10	Jacob Szalay	16:54.9	Saline	190.7	SEC 1	10-Sep	2024
10	Jacob Szalay	16:29.6	Saline	195.8	Bath	7-Sep	2024
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
9	Jacob Szalay	16:31.2	Saline	183.9	Division 1 State	4-Nov	2023
9	Jacob Szalay	16:20.4	Saline	184.5	Region 5	28-Oct	2023
9	Jacob Szalay	16:59.7	Saline	183.8	SEC Championship	19-Oct	2023
9	Jacob Szalay	16:21.4	Saline	189.9	Portage	7-Oct	2023
9	Jacob Szalay	16:09.0	Saline	185.0	SEC Red 2	27-Sep	2023
9	Jacob Szalay	16:45.6	Saline	181.8	Jackson	23-Sep	2023
9	Jacob Szalay	16:48.5	Saline	184.5	Bath	9-Sep	2023
9	Jacob Szalay	17:06.0	Saline	184.7	Milan Puddle Jumper	29-Aug	2023

Name: Landen Styka
School: Ithaca
Grade: 12th

Personal Records

5k (XC) – 15:48
1600m – 4:36
3200m – 9:35

Accolades

XC

6^th Place – 2024 Division 3 State
2x All-State
2024 Region 25 & TVC Champion

Track

6^th Place – 2025 Division 3 State 3200m
3^rd Place – 2025 Division 3 State 4×8
4x All-State

His Specialty

The more needed enduring, the better. During the spring, that’s the 3200m, an event where Styka has nabbed two D3 podium finishes to go along with a few conference and regional titles. On grass, he’s blossomed into a kid that’ll always flirt with sub-16’s. In fact, 10 of his 13 races from 2024 were 16:20 or below. September, October, November, it don’t matter – Styka is consistently there.

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
11	Landen Styka	16:05.4	Ithaca	192.9	MITCA	9-Nov	2024
11	Landen Styka	15:48.3	Ithaca	196.6	Division 3 State	2-Nov	2024
11	Landen Styka	15:49.3	Ithaca	196.6	Region 25	26-Oct	2024
11	Landen Styka	16:04.5	Ithaca	197.2	TVC 3	8-Oct	2024
11	Landen Styka	16:02.8	Ithaca	193.7	Birch Run Fall	1-Oct	2024
11	Landen Styka	15:48.2	Ithaca	202.3	Bluejay	28-Sep	2024
11	Landen Styka	16:19.5	Ithaca	201.2	TVC 2	25-Sep	2024
11	Landen Styka	16:55.5	Ithaca	199.5	TVC 1	17-Sep	2024
11	Landen Styka	16:11.2	Ithaca	204.9	Spartan	13-Sep	2024
11	Landen Styka	16:15.3	Ithaca	195.6	Central Montcalm Hornet	7-Sep	2024
11	Landen Styka	15:54.0	Ithaca	205.7	John Bruder Classic	4-Sep	2024
11	Landen Styka	16:39.8	Ithaca	199.7	Yellowjacket	28-Aug	2024
11	Landen Styka	16:21.4	Ithaca	197.9	Birch Run Early	22-Aug	2024
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
10	Landen Styka	16:30.7	Ithaca	182.8	MITCA	11-Nov	2023
10	Landen Styka	16:10.7	Ithaca	189.1	Division 3 State	4-Nov	2023
10	Landen Styka	16:20.1	Ithaca	186.3	Region 25	27-Oct	2023
10	Landen Styka	16:11.2	Ithaca	186.6	TVC Overall	17-Oct	2023
10	Landen Styka	17:05.1	Ithaca	179.3	TVC Blue Championship	10-Oct	2023
10	Landen Styka	16:42.8	Ithaca	179.7	Bluejay	30-Sep	2023
10	Landen Styka	17:02.9	Ithaca	181.7	Spartan	15-Sep	2023
10	Landen Styka	17:08.4	Ithaca	181.5	Central Montcalm Hornet	9-Sep	2023
10	Landen Styka	16:41.9	Ithaca	187.7	John Bruder Classic	7-Sep	2023
10	Landen Styka	16:54.5	Ithaca	182.5	Yellowjacket	30-Aug	2023
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
9	Landen Styka	17:15.9	Ithaca	167.4	MITCA	12-Nov	2022
9	Landen Styka	17:20.7	Ithaca	171.4	D3 State	5-Nov	2022
9	Landen Styka	17:12.8	Ithaca	168.7	Region 24	29-Oct	2022
9	Landen Styka	17:20.4	Ithaca	167.2	TVC Overall	18-Oct	2022
9	Landen Styka	17:37.3	Ithaca	169.6	TVC 10	11-Oct	2022
9	Landen Styka	17:38.8	Ithaca	159.1	Apples 2 Apples	6-Oct	2022
9	Landen Styka	17:37.3	Ithaca	162.6	Bluejay	1-Oct	2022
9	Landen Styka	18:53.5	Ithaca	158.8	TVC 10 2	27-Sep	2022
9	Landen Styka	18:08.6	Ithaca	162.1	Spartan	16-Sep	2022
9	Landen Styka	17:48.1	Ithaca	164.3	TVC 10	13-Sep	2022
9	Landen Styka	17:48.1	Ithaca	167.3	John Bruder Classic	7-Sep	2022
9	Landen Styka	18:25.9	Ithaca	164.0	Yellowjacket	31-Aug	2022
9	Landen Styka	18:09.8	Ithaca	163.4	Birch Run Early	25-Aug	2022

Name: Ryan Barnes
School: Clarkston
Grade: 12th

Personal Records

5k (XC) – 15:41
800m – 2:02
1600m – 4:16
3200m – 9:30

Accolades

XC

3^rd Place – 2024 Oakland County Championship
2x State Qualifier

Track

2025 MITS DMR Champion
12^th Place – 2025 MITS 1600m

His Specialty

The 1600m. Don’t get me wrong, Ryan’s inclusion on this list is mainly based on his cross country career, hitting as low as 15:41, showing himself to be one of Oakland County’s best. But this spring, he displayed a wild ability to rapidly drop time in the 1600m. Early winter debuts showed him in mid-4:30 form. Merely a month or so later, he was dropping a 4:22 and placing 12^th at indoor state. A stunted spring resulted in only four races run, but at the tail end of those four, Barnes was able to unleash a 4:16. Imagine the kid with a full fall season.

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
11	Ryan Barnes	16:29.0	Clarkston	185.0	MITCA	9-Nov	2024
11	Ryan Barnes	16:24.4	Clarkston	185.9	Division 1 State	2-Nov	2024
11	Ryan Barnes	16:01.7	Clarkston	191.1	Region 8	25-Oct	2024
11	Ryan Barnes	15:41.9	Clarkston	197.7	OAA Red 3	17-Oct	2024
11	Ryan Barnes	16:20.7	Clarkston	202.4	Oakland County	5-Oct	2024
11	Ryan Barnes	15:54.5	Clarkston	200.2	Hansons	28-Sep	2024
11	Ryan Barnes	15:44.8	Clarkston	203.1	Jackson	21-Sep	2024
11	Ryan Barnes	16:37.8	Clarkston	195.4	OAA Red 1	11-Sep	2024
11	Ryan Barnes	16:59.2	Clarkston	205.6	Milford	29-Aug	2024
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
10	Ryan Barnes	16:20.6	Clarkston	187.5	Division 1 State	4-Nov	2023
10	Ryan Barnes	16:20.2	Clarkston	191.3	Region 8	27-Oct	2023
10	Ryan Barnes	16:23.4	Clarkston	184.9	OAA Red Championship	19-Oct	2023
10	Ryan Barnes	17:09.6	Clarkston	184.8	Oakland County	7-Oct	2023
10	Ryan Barnes	16:43.3	Clarkston	186.9	Hansons	30-Sep	2023
10	Ryan Barnes	16:36.5	Clarkston	184.8	Jackson	23-Sep	2023
10	Ryan Barnes	17:12.7	Clarkston	191.4	Milford	31-Aug	2023
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
9	Ryan Barnes	18:34.4	Clarkston	154.9	Oakland County	8-Oct	2022
9	Ryan Barnes	18:07.2	Clarkston	152.6	Hansons	1-Oct	2022
9	Ryan Barnes	18:45.7	Clarkston	140.4	OAA Red 2	27-Sep	2022
9	Ryan Barnes	18:27.4	Clarkston	146.2	Autumn Classic	17-Sep	2022

Name: Justin Johnson
School: East Kentwood
Grade: 11th

Personal Records

5k (XC) – 15:41
800m – 1:59
1600m – 4:27
3200m – 9:24

Accolades

XC

24^th Place – 2024 Division 1 State
7^th Place – 2024 OK Red Championship
8^th Place – 2024 Region 3
2x State Qualifier

Track

11^th Place – 2025 Division 1 State 3200m
10^th Place – 2025 Division 1 State 4×8
3^rd Place – 2025 OK Red & Region 3 3200m

His Specialty

Transforming into a new athlete each season. Johnson came into this sport already running at a high level and he’s only gotten faster each season, track or cross. In 2023, Johnson laid low early before popping a sub-17 at State. A year later, it was the same tale – 16’s throughout the fall and consecutive 15:4x’s to close it at MITCA and State. It ain’t only in the fall, as Johnson smashed through the 10-min. barrier during the spring, subtracting nearly 40 sec. from his freshman 3200m best. There’s gotta be more to come this fall.

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
10	Justin Johnson	15:42.6	East Kentwood	200.5	MITCA	9-Nov	2024
10	Justin Johnson	15:41.7	East Kentwood	200.1	Division 1 State	2-Nov	2024
10	Justin Johnson	16:09.8	East Kentwood	195.1	Region 3	25-Oct	2024
10	Justin Johnson	16:07.5	East Kentwood	191.2	OK Red Championship	17-Oct	2024
10	Justin Johnson	16:13.5	East Kentwood	193.5	Portage	5-Oct	2024
10	Justin Johnson	16:45.6	East Kentwood	197.5	OK Red 2	25-Sep	2024
10	Justin Johnson	16:13.7	East Kentwood	193.4	Jackson	21-Sep	2024
10	Justin Johnson	16:20.4	East Kentwood	193.2	Ottawa Hills	13-Sep	2024
10	Justin Johnson	16:51.8	East Kentwood	191.1	OK Red 1	10-Sep	2024
10	Justin Johnson	17:01.3	East Kentwood	190.9	Queen City	30-Aug	2024
10	Justin Johnson	16:33.3	East Kentwood	189.9	Under the Lights v2	23-Aug	2024
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
9	Justin Johnson	16:54.7	East Kentwood	176.1	Division 1 State	4-Nov	2023
9	Justin Johnson	17:32.2	East Kentwood	167.3	Region 3	27-Oct	2023
9	Justin Johnson	17:07.4	East Kentwood	171.2	OK Red Conference	19-Oct	2023
9	Justin Johnson	17:33.5	East Kentwood	167.9	Kent Ottawa	13-Oct	2023
9	Justin Johnson	17:39.4	East Kentwood	163.9	Portage	7-Oct	2023
9	Justin Johnson	17:57.7	East Kentwood	157.8	Jackson	23-Sep	2023
9	Justin Johnson	17:52.7	East Kentwood	159.4	Ottawa Hills	15-Sep	2023
9	Justin Johnson	18:42.4	East Kentwood	157.5	Averill	9-Sep	2023
9	Justin Johnson	18:28.0	East Kentwood	154.0	Under the Lights v2	25-Aug	2023

Name: Gavin Katic
School: Fenton
Grade: 10th

Personal Records

5k (XC) – 15:49
1600m – 4:20
3200m – 9:25

Accolades

XC

2025 Greater Flint Champion
32^nd Place – 2025 Division 1 State (top freshman!)
4^th Place – 2025 FML & Region 4

Track

13^th Place – 2025 Division 1 State 3200m
2^nd Place – 2025 FML 1600m
3^rd Place – 2025 Region 3 3200m

His Specialty

Handling pressure at a young age. We have two seasons of evidence that Katic spits out his best material when races matter most. At the beginning of his fall championship season, Katic was undaunted by an experienced field at Greater Flint, the then freshman winning his first major title. A month later at MIS, he narrowly missed a podium finish, yet still threw out a lifetime best. The other major piece of evidence was this past May, where Katic put out personal bests at his conference meet and regionals, then doubled back on his 3200m effort at State. In the future, we have a good bet that he’ll be reliable when all the chips are in the middle.

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
9	Gavin Katic	16:15.0	Fenton	189.7	MITCA	9-Nov	2024
9	Gavin Katic	15:49.0	Fenton	197.7	Division 1 State	2-Nov	2024
9	Gavin Katic	16:05.8	Fenton	197.4	Region 4	26-Oct	2024
9	Gavin Katic	16:43.8	Fenton	188.4	FML 3	16-Oct	2024
9	Gavin Katic	15:54.4	Fenton	195.9	Greater Flint	5-Oct	2024
9	Gavin Katic	16:34.8	Fenton	193.4	FML 2	25-Sep	2024
9	Gavin Katic	16:36.1	Fenton	193.0	Linden Classic	21-Sep	2024
9	Gavin Katic	16:42.9	Fenton	196.0	Holly	14-Sep	2024
9	Gavin Katic	16:37.1	Fenton	193.3	Bath	7-Sep	2024
9	Gavin Katic	16:50.9	Fenton	187.4	FML 1	4-Sep	2024
9	Gavin Katic	17:01.5	Fenton	190.5	Early Bird Open	29-Aug	2024

Name: Liam Wierzba
School: Traverse City West
Grade: 11th

Personal Records

5k (XC) – 15:46
800m – 1:59
1600m – 4:19
3200m – 9:34

Accolades

XC

3^rd Place – 2025 Big North Conference

Track

8^th Place – 2025 Division 1 State 1600m
22^nd Place – 2025 Division 1 State 3200m
7^th Place – 2025 MITS 4×8
2025 Big North Conference 1600m Champion

His Specialty

Similar to Barnes, the 1600m. Once again, cross country results are the main resume builder and backdrop of his inclusion here – multiple low-16’s and a personal best of 15:46. Enhancing Liam’s portfolio was his spring season of four lappers. April commenced with a 4:28 at Freeland and by early May, that had turned into wins at Ken Bell and in the Big North, the latter a 4:19 personal best. By season’s end, Liam had accrued a state qualifier in the event and not just satisfied with that, he turned that into an 8^th place finish.

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
10	Liam Wierzba	16:14.5	Traverse City West	189.9	MITCA	9-Nov	2024
10	Liam Wierzba	16:53.6	Traverse City West	177.8	Region 2	25-Oct	2024
10	Liam Wierzba	16:10.5	Traverse City West	190.5	BNC Championship	15-Oct	2024
10	Liam Wierzba	16:24.0	Traverse City West	190.0	Portage	5-Oct	2024
10	Liam Wierzba	16:06.8	Traverse City West	196.1	Bluejay	28-Sep	2024
10	Liam Wierzba	15:51.3	Traverse City West	198.9	VSV	21-Sep	2024
10	Liam Wierzba	16:16.7	Traverse City West	194.4	Ottawa Hills	13-Sep	2024
10	Liam Wierzba	16:13.9	Traverse City West	197.0	Titan Takeoff	7-Sep	2024
10	Liam Wierzba	15:46.6	Traverse City West	203.8	Pete Moss	24-Aug	2024
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
9	Liam Wierzba	16:37.8	Traverse City West	181.7	Division 1 State	4-Nov	2023
9	Liam Wierzba	16:41.1	Traverse City West	179.3	Region 2	27-Oct	2023
9	Liam Wierzba	16:09.7	Traverse City West	187.1	Northern Mich. MOC	21-Oct	2023
9	Liam Wierzba	17:07.0	Traverse City West	170.7	BNC Championship	17-Oct	2023
9	Liam Wierzba	16:18.4	Traverse City West	190.9	Portage	7-Oct	2023
9	Liam Wierzba	16:12.9	Traverse City West	189.7	Bluejay	30-Sep	2023
9	Liam Wierzba	16:26.3	Traverse City West	186.2	Cadillac	23-Sep	2023
9	Liam Wierzba	16:52.9	Traverse City West	180.4	Northwood	9-Sep	2023
9	Liam Wierzba	16:45.6	Traverse City West	188.8	Pete Moss	26-Aug	2023