Many on these lists achieved state-level success last fall, usually an All-State bid or top placing at Regionals, but not Clara
Her season was on that path, full of mid-18’s, on the road to continuing the legacy she established as a freshman, but was unfortunately cut short due to injury
That freshman year was among the best you’ll see: sub-18, Top-10 in Division 1 XC, 10:32 on the track, Regional XC victory
The journey back has been gradual, but we’ve been able to see signs that she’s returning to her previous great form
Sub-11:00 in the 3200m came at three points throughout the season, showing those efforts were no fluke
By mid-May, she had run 5:02 in the 1600m, my guess is if she ran that fresh in June, she would have been sub-5
And how could I forget? The TRIATHLONS
You’ll have to excuse me, I’m well-versed in finding running results, triathlon not so much
I don’t know much, but a 19:54 after swimming and cycling seems pretty dang good
Anyhow, it’s been a journey back, sometimes the slower the better, the more appreciative we’ll be when Clara is back on stage in Brooklyn come fall
Grade
Name
Time
Rating
Meet
Course
Date
10
Clara James-Heer
18:59.7
146.4
Ottawa Hills
Riverside Park
17-Sep
10
Clara James-Heer
18:32.8
143.1
OK White 2
Riverside Park
22-Sep
10
Clara James-Heer
18:37.2
148.9
Cougar Falcon
Gainey Fields
25-Sep
10
Clara James-Heer
18:31.9
148.4
Bluejay
Shepherd HS
2-Oct
10
Clara James-Heer
19:21.2
136.9
Portage
Portage West MS
9-Oct
Grade
Name
Rating
Meet
Course
Date
9
Clara James-Heer
152.4
OK White (GF)
Gainey Fields
16-Sep
9
Clara James-Heer
154.6
Ottawa Hills
Riverside Park
18-Sep
9
Clara James-Heer
154.3
OK White 2
Lowell HS
23-Sep
9
Clara James-Heer
158.8
Cougar Falcon
Gainey Fields
26-Sep
9
Clara James-Heer
159.3
Allendale Falcon
Allendale HS
3-Oct
9
Clara James-Heer
154.9
Bengals
Riverside Park
9-Oct
9
Clara James-Heer
149.4
OK White Championship
Byron Center West MS
14-Oct
9
Clara James-Heer
149.0
PR 2
Cedar Springs ES
24-Oct
9
Clara James-Heer
152.2
D1 Reg 1
Buckley HS
31-Oct
9
Clara James-Heer
157.7
D1 State
MIS
6-Nov
The one major exception
Everyone knows (or should know) that these rankings are all numbers
XC ratings, projected improvements based on past runners, track times converted to future XC ratings – these lists are all formulas
But Thomas throws a wrench into all those – where do you put a kid that couldn’t break 17:00 in the fall, but runs 4:12 as a sophomore (which would be a state record if not for Seth Norder and Brendan Herger)?
I believe this is the best spot and I’m confident those below and above would agree
If you followed Thomas’s meteoric rise, you know his past and story, his first block of consistent training was this winter and spring, the times just kept rolling
First it was a 4:39 indoors in January, then sub-10 in early February, then 4:24, all following a linear progression that kept going until he reached 4:12/9:19
What I found astounding was looking at Thomas’s times as a freshman, a true show of how far he’s come, only breaking 20:00 once
The atmosphere in Anchor Bay is tremendous, no doubt spurred by Tom’s jaw-dropping performances
But from afar, I can tell it’s drawn more from the camaraderie as a team – and in a few weeks we’ll see how much Tom and the Tars can throw a wrench into the Macomb County traditional standings
I like this little course. You’ve got a tiny horseshoe-shaped hill that you’ll run up twice. A woodsy section. Plenty of different footing, along with many turns. Tends to run slightly fast come regional time.
2021 Boys: St. Clair (12th), Yale (15th), Armada (29th)
2021 Girls: Warren Regina (9th), Croswell-Lexington (25th), Marysville (20th)
Looking back to last year’s regional preview, I’m struck at how accurate it was. I’m kidding, I’m struck by how well the Cros-Lex girls moved up. Eva Thompson, at least to my knowledge, hadn’t run a lick of cross country before her breakout freshman year. Abagayle Barkley wasn’t even on my radar before the season, she only dropped a mere 2:00 from her freshman best. It’s those kind of awe-inspiring sophomore seasons we live for. Who will do it this year?
I know someone from St. Clair, Yale, or Warren Regina will undergo that transformation. The tradition breeds more tradition, and when you see a kid like Sam Vitale or Lukas Kriesch put in the work and see the pay off or even a Grace Zdankiewicz who continually plugs away, you can’t help but feel the need to wake up every morning and strive for success.
Top 25 Boys Teams: Yale (9th), St. Clair (17th)
Top 25 Girls Teams: Warren Regina (25th)
Here, I’m writing at least a little anecdote about kids that are in the top-15 but aren’t freshman, in the 50 Tickets, or on Top 10 teams. The only athletes being eliminated here are the Yale boys, which is great, MORE SUPERB ATHLETES TO WRITE ABOUT. Want to spread love but also not overwork myself. All in all, my estimation is through all these previews, I’ll be writing at least a sentence about 1000+ kids.
Camden Khon, Armada: The defending regional champ. Had a solid track season, highlighted by a massive personal best in the 1600m (4:51 to 4:32) and a state qualifier in the 3200m.
Carter Boullard, St. Clair: This spring was Carter’s first foray into track and boy did he rock anything under a mile. The 800m seemed to be his prime event, where he finished 2nd at Regionals in 2:00.
David Harris, St. Clair: Has gradually moved his way up the Saint ranks, growing into a role on their vaunted varsity outfit. What started as a career in the 19’s has turned into a kid that continually hits sub-17:00.
Dylan Distelrath, St. Clair: His track season was cut short early, but was on pace to be miles better than his freshman year. 5:11 at the Barnyard was a 30 second improvement from the spring of ’21.
Riley Andrews, Armada: Showed considerable progress in both the 1600m and 3200m. Knocked more than 20 seconds off each personal best.
Jamison Snay, Macomb Lutheran North: Big moves up the standings in his championship races. Jamison moved up 38(!) spots in Macomb County, from 61st to 23rd and moved from 35th into 14th at Regionals, good enough to continue his season one more week.
Brewer Snay, Macomb Lutheran North: Gotta run your 18:0x’s before you smash that wall. Brewer ran three races between 18:00 and 18:10. His 3200m from this spring is a great indicator that 18:00 will be an afterthought. His final six races were all sub-11.
Joe Edgemon, St. Clair: Turned over a new leaf come championship season. The new level started at the MAC Division Meet, where Joe ran 18:10. Three more sub-18:30s followed, setting up a senior year to remember.
Eva Thompson, Croswell-Lexington: Numerous high places at important races. 2nd at Thumb Area, 3rd in this Region. Paid off those high places with a personal best at State, a 19:52.
Kennedy Roskopp, Warren Regina: Just call her Miss Consistency. Final seven races were all of the sub-21 variety. But she’ll enter a new dimension this fall, evidenced by her 11:59 on the track.
Morgan Newton, Croswell-Lexington: In 2020, she broke 22:00 once. In 2021, she didn’t run a race OVER 22:00. That sort of jump is a major reason the Pioneers solidly made State last fall.
Ava Pergitone, St. Clair: Has been sub-20 EVERY single year for the Saints. Her 6th place here in 2021 was her best placing at a Regional yet.
Brooklyn Khon, Armada: Just as Joe Edgemon did, Brooklyn entered a new stratosphere come October. A 20:38 at Macomb County paved the way to three efforts around the 20:00 mark and a regional championship.
Elizabeth Ambroggio, Warren Regina: A major factor in Regina’s surprise 9th place State finish. Placed 25 spots ahead of expectation, enough for the Saddlelites to leapfrog at least three teams.
Olivia Ebel, Macomb Lutheran North: You never see this double too often. Olivia completed the rare 1600m/300h double at many points throughout the season. At the Macomb County meet, she placed top-8 in both. But the 5:34 in the 1600m is the best predictor of cross country success, which she’s had plenty.
Anne May, Macomb Lutheran North: Anne hit the jackpot at the State Meet. After running 20:35 as a freshman, her personal best hovered around that mark for nearly two years. But in one race, she lowered her best to 20:11 and set the stage to lower it once again this fall.
Brianna Albers, Richmond: I’ll have to go back and look at my full projections for D2 State. Brianna wasn’t projected top-50 and I seriously doubt she was top-100. But throw those out the window, Brianna sped to a 31st place, hitting the line in 19:22. If that’s any indication, she will outperform these rankings. nvm, found them. I had her 114th.
Casidhe Flesher, Marine City: Quite an impressive array of events and times for Casidhe on the oval. She finished 2nd in the MAC Blue 200m, 4th in the 1600m as well.
Grace Clemens, North Branch: Always love the sprinters that come out for cross country. Grace gives a ton to the sport and if she keeps piling on the strength work, sub-26 and sub-60 are in the cards. For now, enjoy a girl who can run under 21:00 that you don’t want around you during the final 100m.
Jenna Denver, Imlay City: Followin’ in her sister’s footsteps, closed her junior year on a tear with four straight races between 20:55 and 21:05.
Natalie Lentine, Warren Regina: We love the gradual drops throughout the year. Started the year on a long course at Lamplighter and a tough one at Michigan Catholic. Great prep for the muddy slog here where she placed 19th.
Lillian Rutallie, Marysville: Brought along slowly during her freshman year, eventually ending up the 3rd girl on a Viking squad that finished 20th at State.
I also want to give a shoutout to Karlie Schlaud. It was an honor to meet you the other day. The mere fact that you came into a running store miles away from home means you care. And that caring definitely led to a track season where you set personal bests in the 800m and 1600m, setting yourself up for a senior year where your goals are 100% within reach.
Here’s a list of Michigan freshman boys (in recent history) who have been faster than TJ’s 9:21 3200m:
Ben Hill
Yep, that’s it. Ben went onto achieving All-State at the end of each and every year (the one he didn’t, he was hurt, and would’ve seriously challenged Grant Fisher). Then he went onto be a great teammate at Michigan and Wake Forest.
Here’s a list of those who have run in the 9:20’s as a freshman in the past 10 years:
Riley Hough
Cole Johnson
Enael Woldemichael
Carter Solomon
Cole has been ripping it up in the mid-distances at Michigan, Enael has broken 14:00 for 5k, and Riley + Solomon have won the last three D1 cross titles.
Needless to say, I believe TJ has a bright future ahead of him and a great coach to guide him along that path.
Grade
Name
Time
Rating
Meet
Course
Date
9
TJ Hansen
16:18.3
199.6
Under the Lights (St. Johns)
St. Johns HS
20-Aug
9
TJ Hansen
17:10.4
195.9
ES Warrior
Chippewa Hills HS
24-Aug
9
TJ Hansen
16:08.3
199.2
John Bruder
Shepherd HS
8-Sep
9
TJ Hansen
15:49.7
197.8
Northwood
Fisher Trails
11-Sep
9
TJ Hansen
16:57.6
187.8
TVC 8
Freeland
15-Sep
9
TJ Hansen
16:16.5
201.2
Holly
Springfield Oaks
18-Sep
9
TJ Hansen
16:09.7
190.4
Cadillac
Veterans Serving Veterans Park
25-Sep
9
TJ Hansen
16:27.0
190.3
TVC 8 2
Delta College
28-Sep
9
TJ Hansen
15:53.6
201.1
Bluejay
Shepherd HS
2-Oct
9
Tj Hansen
16:02.1
202.0
Portage
Portage West MS
9-Oct
9
TJ Hansen
16:38.0
185.3
TVC 8 3
Roberts Park
12-Oct
9
TJ Hansen
16:35.2
202.6
Freeland Falcon
Freeland
16-Oct
9
TJ Hansen
16:22.4
193.2
TVC Overall
Taymouth Township Park
19-Oct
9
TJ Hansen
16:39.5
189.5
Saginaw County
Freeland
23-Oct
9
TJ Hansen
16:21.9
192.0
15 Shepherd
Shepherd HS
29-Oct
9
TJ Hansen
15:55.5
198.8
D2 State
MIS
6-Nov
9
TJ Hansen
16:35.2
187.3
MMOC
Shepherd HS
13-Nov
Hart is the school, heart is the adjective
How this family (the Ackleys are her cousins) and school keeps coming after it year after year takes a bit of talent, but the willpower within must be tremendous
Alyson began her track season late, people have told me she was recovering from an injury, but I didn’t hear a single complaint coming from their program, family, or herself
The track season ended the way most seasons do at Hart, with some sort of title, Alyson playing a role in the 4×800
On the grass, Alyson is just a flat out winner
Of the 27 races listed on athleticnet in her career, she’s won 17 of them
Among those, 7 of the 7 conference races she’s entered, Portage this year, Regionals last year, Cougar Falcon the past two years
At the state level, she’s found a ton of success as well
Hart has captured the team title each of the past two years
Alyson has finished 2nd in each of those races, some may say the 5th runner is the most important, but if she walks it in, those titles don’t occur – everyone plays a role
History can be a great indicator and I think it applies here – Alyson will again play an integral part for her Pirate team and given her response to adversity this spring, great accomplishments are on her horizon
