Ellsworth On Course for More Big Finishes
September 21, 2018
By Chris Dobrowolski
Special for Second Half
ELLSWORTH — Running fever is running rampant in Ellsworth, and it’s got quite a grip on the small Antrim County school.
Despite having fewer than 100 students in their high school, the Lancers’ boys and girls cross country teams thrive on a statewide level, thanks to nearly two dozen runners who grace the team’s roster — a number that holds pretty steady from year to year.
“I like to believe I don’t do any recruiting,” said head coach Ruben Oviedo, in his sixth year leading Ellsworth’s program. “I simply invite kids. Honestly, I just want our kids doing something.”
Running is the avenue that many at the school elect to take. Sometimes they’re just following in the footsteps of an older sibling. Some start with other sports but become drawn in by friends who are on the cross country team. Others are persuaded into giving running a try by Oviedo, who has even sought out kids who aren’t involved in anything as they’re heading to the bus after school to see if they’re interested.
“It’s fun to try to get kids who wouldn’t be invited to a high school varsity sport,” said Oviedo. “It’s fun when they say, ‘I hate running.’ It’s fun to say, ‘You’re the kid I want’ and to challenge them.”
What all of them discover is a family atmosphere that welcomes each of them with open arms, and where they get an opportunity to develop and compete on a perennially strong squad.
“I think a lot of people just like being a part of something,” said senior Isaiah Romeyn, the top runner on the Lancers’ boys team. “Cross country is a lot different from other sports, where it’s more of a family environment. It’s a lot more like an actual family.”
That kind of vibe is what drew Oviedo to running in his own right. The 2008 Ellsworth graduate joined the cross country team his sophomore year and helped the Lancers reach the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 4 Finals three straight years, highlighted by a sixth-place finish in 2007.
“That’s what kind of roped me in was so many friends and people were doing it,” remembers Oviedo. “Why not? (Former head coach) Kirk (Ikens) just made it all about being a team and making it fun.”
Oviedo has carried over that philosophy since taking over for Ikens in 2013.
“They let me punish them into running, but I like to say that running isn’t punishment,” said Oviedo. “I’ve never used running as a punishment. Most of the time I like to use it as an escape. Hey, we’re stressed out. We’re having a bad day. Let’s go run and lose our minds in the woods. That’s one of the things I’ve tried to put into place. We try to get out of Ellsworth, and we try to go somewhere else to run different places just so it’s not the same place all the time.”
The Lancers often have ended the season in the same place, however — the Division 4 Finals. The boys squad has put together a string of four straight Finals’ appearances, with last year’s fourth-place finish the school’s highest. They were the only team among the top five with an enrollment under 100 students.
The girls team has qualified for the Finals in back-to-back years, last year tying for 17th. Both teams have the capabilities to return to Michigan International Speedway — the annual site of the Finals — again this year, too. Ellsworth’s boys have six of their top seven back, while the girls return four of the top seven.
Romeyn earned all-state honors a year ago when he finished 13th at the state meet. His older brother Winter, a redshirt junior on the men’s cross country team at Michigan State, was a two-time all-stater in 2013 and 2014, finishing ninth and eighth, respectively, at the Finals. Winter also proved to be a big influence on getting Isaiah into running.
“He started me with running, and he encouraged me to join the team,” said Isaiah. “I ran because he was on the team. It was mainly because he was there. I wanted to be with him.”
Isaiah remembers watching his brother’s success, but also seeing what a tight-knit group the Lancers were and feeling connected himself.
“I could see that family aspect,” he said. “Everyone just kind of bonds and accepts one another. I really wanted to be part of that. I would watch his race, then go to the Ellsworth tent and just hang out with the kids — tried to be part of that. So, when I actually got the chance to be part of it, I definitely wanted to join.”
Romeyn is getting his biggest push within the team from junior Robbie Wise, who was Ellsworth’s fifth counter at last year’s Finals, but has seen his performance jump so far this season. A good summer of work equated to a fast start to the season and vaulted Wise into the company of Romeyn.
“I can’t believe how much effort I put into it,” said Wise, a football player who converted to cross country as a freshman. “My first year I would remember all these insane runs. Ruben would say, ‘OK we’re going out for six miles.’ Just one mile sounded insane. Now, as somebody who runs over the summer — I got over 150 miles in over the summer — six miles doesn’t sound near as bad.”
Seniors Lucas Sweet, Richard Adams, Alex Adams, and junior Caleb Godwin give Ellsworth a formidable veteran lineup that has shown it can compete with anyone in the state.
The girls team is anchored by a pair of sophomores in Christy Figueroa and Judy Veldboom. Figueroa has competed at the Finals the past two years, including with a 38th place as an eighth grader that was Ellsworth’s best individual finish in a 19th-place team performance.
“It was really stressful being in my shoes (as an eighth grader), but I enjoyed it,” said Figueroa, who started participating in the sport as a sixth grader and quickly proved to be a natural.
Veldboom burst onto the scene last season as a freshman and created a dynamic duo with Figueroa. The two were separated by six places and a total of 14 seconds at the Finals and have a healthy competitiveness between them.
“When she’s in front of me, it just pushes me to do better and pushes me to go harder,” said Figueroa.
This season Figueroa and Veldboom have seen eighth grader Maia Romeyn, the younger sister of Winter and Isaiah, enter the picture to give the Lancers even more depth at the top.
“She’s pushes me and Christy to keep going,” Veldboom said. “She’s one of my best friends, so she inspires me to run faster. She’s a great asset.”
Seniors Sarah Sitzema and Ana Oviedo provide additional Finals experience to the lineup.
Ellsworth is one of the few schools in the Northern Lakes Conference that has enough runners to earn a team score in league meets, which it’s dominated in recent years. On the Regional level the Lancers have formed a rivalry with East Jordan, a school just a few miles down the road but with more than twice as many students.
“I think we can get first place in the Regional and make it to states,” said Veldboom. “That’s my goal for this team. I think we have a really strong team.”
Ellsworth is undaunted about running against the Red Devils or any of the other larger schools it races. Those are the kinds of tests Oviedo likes to give his runners as they navigate through the season, and the Lancers have shown they’re capable of holding their own.
“It shows that we really put in the effort and want it,” said Wise, who has the bar set as high as possible for his team. “I hope this year we can win states. We got fourth place last year. I think it’s within our grasp.”
Chris Dobrowolski has covered northern Lower Peninsula sports since 1999 at the Ogemaw County Herald, Alpena News, Traverse City Record-Eagle and currently as sports editor at the Antrim Kalkaska Review since 2016. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) The Ellsworth boys and girls cross country teams after a Northern Lakes Conference meet this season. (Middle) Judy Veldboom, right, tries to get past a St. Ignace runner near the finish line of the House on the Hill Invitational. (Below) Isaiah Romeyn runs with a pack during the Central Lake Invitational. (Top two photos by Olivia Adams; below photo by Chris Dobrowolski.)
Preview: Reigning Champions, Record Chasers Fill Out Loaded Lineup
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 2, 2023
Michigan has enjoyed its share of star-powered and history-making Lower Peninsula Girls Cross Country Finals. But this weekend’s may surpass them all.
All four 2022 individual champions will run again this weekend, and 2021 Division 1 champion Rachel Forsyth is potentially powering toward the fastest finish in 5K Finals history. Two of last season’s team champions enter the weekend top-ranked in their divisions, and the other two are ranked among the top five. East Grand Rapids, last season’s runner-up in Division 2, remains in pursuit of a ninth Finals title, which would tie the record set by Jackson Lumen Christi.
See below for more on several team and individual contenders Saturday. The "season bests" list referred to frequently is a ranking list of every runner's best time this season, maintained by Athletic.net. The first race, Division 4 girls, begins at 9:30 a.m.; click here for the full schedule and ticket information. Additionally, all eight races Saturday at MIS will be streamed live and viewable with subscription on MHSAA.tv.
Division 1
Reigning champion: Holland West Ottawa
2022 runner-up: Romeo
2023 top-ranked: 1. Romeo, 2. Ann Arbor Pioneer, 3. Brighton.
West Ottawa dislodged Ann Arbor Pioneer from the top spot last season, ending Pioneer’s three-year championship run as the Panthers won their first title, and they do enter ranked No. 4 and with reigning individual champion Helen Sachs coming off a Regional runner-up finish. But Romeo is set up to copy last year’s narrative. Just as West Ottawa was the 2021 runner-up and ascended to the top spot last fall, Romeo finished second last year but enters this weekend as the favorite. Four Romeo runners have posted season bests that rank among the top 14 in Division 1, led by freshman Annie Hrabovsky and including sophomore Emmerson Clor, who finished 19th individually a year ago. Of course, Pioneer is still in the mix after finishing third last season, and Brighton has run with the elite all fall as well – both spent a week ranked No. 1 before Romeo took over the top spot for good at the end of September. Pioneer senior Rachel Forsyth is seeking to add to her 2021 individual championship, and her best time this fall of 16:07.5 is more than a minute faster than the next best and would set an all-Finals 5K record by more than 44 seconds.
Individuals: As Forsyth attempts to chase history, a group of 12 runners from last season’s top 20 make up an experienced group of challengers. Sachs, noted above, won last year’s race by 12 seconds, with Rochester junior Lucy Cook (third), Midland Dow junior Victoria Garces (fifth) and Macomb Dakota senior Jayden Harberts (seventh) also back from the top 10. Grand Rapids’ Ottawa Hills senior Selma Anderson, Midland Dow senior Katie Watkins, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central senior Clara James-Heer and Garces round out the top five on the season-bests list, respectively, with Harberts sixth. Anderson was 12th and James-Heer 11th last season at MIS, and Watkins has dropped major time after finishing 64th in 2022. Grand Haven junior Valerie Beeck, Watkins, Anderson, Brighton sophomore Lydia LaMarra, Forsyth, Livonia Churchill senior Morgan Brown, White Lake Lakeland junior Ava Alicandro, Cook and Hrabovsky were Regional champions.
Division 2
Reigning champion: Otsego
2022 runner-up: East Grand Rapids
2023 top-ranked: 1. Grand Rapids Christian, 2. Otsego, 3. Zeeland East.
There’s plenty of familiarity at the top, as Otsego is the reigning champion, Grand Rapids Christian finished third in 2022 and second in 2021, and No. 5 East Grand Rapids has won three of the last five championships and finished runner-up most recently last season and in 2020. Zeeland East and No. 4 Goodrich, however, are hoping to join the mix. East has never won a championship and finished eighth last season, and Goodrich was seventh in 2022 and last won in 2005 in Division 3. Grand Rapids Christian was first and Otsego second when they raced Oct. 7 at the Portage Invitational, and four GR Christian runners rank among the top 21 on the Division 2 list of season bests, while Otsego has three among the top nine. Senior Natalie VanOtteren sets the pace for the Eagles and is second on the season bests list after finishing fourth at the Final last fall. Otsego sophomore Emma Hoffman is the reigning individual runner-up and has the sixth-fastest season best in Division 2, and she’s joined by seniors Logan Brazee (seventh in 2022), Megan Germain (eighth) and junior Taylor Mitchell (14th) in one of the most experienced lineups in any division. Reigning champion Drew Muller is building toward another big finish for East Grand Rapids; she and junior Sadey Seyferth (15th in 2022) were first and second, respectively, at their Regional over the weekend. Zeeland East has interesting possibilities with senior Allison Kuzma coming off a sixth-place Finals finish and junior Emma Drnek posting the eighth-fastest season best in Division 2 this fall, and Goodrich is paced by junior Kamryn Lauinger, who has the 10th-fastest Division 2 best this fall.
Individuals: This is another seasoned group, with 17 of last year’s top 20 racing again. Less than a second behind Hoffman last year was Frankenmuth senior Mary Richmond in third, and fifth-place Grand Rapids Catholic Central junior Emily Tomes has the fastest time in Division 2 this fall of 17:33.6. St. Joseph senior Gail Vaikutis and junior Elena Figueroa posted the third and fourth-fastest season bests in Division 2 this fall while at the Portage Invitational, Vaikutis having finished 12th at last year’s Final and Figueroa 16th, and St. Johns’ freshman Ava Schafer is among the most intriguing newcomers in any division with the fifth-fastest season best in Division 2. Gaylord sophomore Katie Berkshire, VanOtteren, Vaikutis, Schafer, Lauinger, Linden junior Chloe Josephson, Croswell-Lexington senior Morgan Newton and Adrian junior Sophy Skeels joined Muller as Regional champs.
Division 3
Reigning champion: Traverse City St. Francis
2022 runner-up: Pewamo-Westphalia
2023 top-ranked: 1. Traverse City St. Francis, 2. Jackson Lumen Christi, 3. Elk Rapids.
Balance was the name of the game in this division in 2022, with only four of the top 10 teams paced by more than one top-20 individual – and that could be the theme again this weekend. St. Francis and Hart have combined to win the last eight Division 3 championships, the Gladiators breaking Hart’s five-year hold on Division 3 last fall with a balanced lineup that has four runners back this weekend led by junior Betsy Skendzel, who finished seventh individually and has the fifth-fastest season-best time in Division 3 this fall. Lumen Christi is looking to move up from ninth last season as it pursues a first championship since 2012, with senior Madison Osterberg leading the charge with the third-fastest time on the season bests list. Elk Rapids was eighth a year ago and brings six runners back from that team led by sophomore Brynne Schulte.
Individuals: Hart junior Jessica Jazwinski leads another impressive group of returnees; she won last season’s championship by nearly 41 seconds and is one of 13 top-20 finishers back in this field. Jazwinski’s season-best time of 16:47.8 this fall is more than 41 seconds faster than the next and trails only Ann Arbor Pioneer’s Forsyth on the statewide list. Otsego junior Emmry Ross is second on the Division 3 list and finished third at last year’s Final, and Central Montcalm junior Kyah Hoffman is fourth on the Division 3 season-best list and finished ninth a year ago. Kent City junior Lila Volkers, Benzie Central senior Mylie Kelly and Lansing Catholic senior Tessa Roe also are back from the individual top 10 in 2022. Skendzel, Jazwinski, Volkers, Buchanan junior Emma Miller, Ross, Hoffman, Pinconning senior Kinsie Jacques, Roe and Ypsilanti Arbor Prep junior Eliza Bush were Regional champions in this division.
Division 4
Reigning champion: Johannesburg-Lewiston
2022 runner-up: Hillsdale Academy
2023 top-ranked: 1. Johannesburg-Lewiston, 2. Muskegon Western Michigan Christian, 3. Whitmore Lake.
Johannesburg-Lewiston’s championship last season was its first in any sport in school history, and the Cardinals are lined up to double their success with five of last season’s seven runners back including third-place Allie Nowak and seventh-place Yolanda Gascho. Nowak, now a junior, is fourth on the Division 4 season-bests list this fall. Gascho, a senior, is joined by freshman Harlie Fox and senior Madalyn Agren also among the top 30. Western Michigan Christian is back in Division 4 after winning the 2021 title and finishing 14th in Division 3 last fall, when junior Grace VanderKooi was 16th individually. Whitmore Lake was third last season with three freshmen among its top four, and all of those top four are back with sophomore Carina Burchi seventh on the season bests list after finishing fourth last season and freshman Kaylie Livingston joining the elite with the second-fastest season best in the division this fall.
Individuals: The top five placers and 17 of the top 20 individuals from 2022 are back, with Buckley senior Aiden Harrand seeking a repeat after winning last season’s title by 13 seconds. She has the top time in Division 4 this season at 17:39.6, just under a second faster than Livingston’s best of 17:40.4, and VanderKooi is next with a best of 18:24.7. Auburn Hills Oakland Christian junior Eliza Keith, Allen Park Cabrini senior Ava Teed (fifth) and Mendon sophomore Rowan Allen (ninth) join those mentioned above as also back from last season’s top 10, and Teed and Gobles freshman Libby Smith rank fifth and sixth, respectively, on the Division 4 season bests list. Nowak, Harrand, Vestaburg junior Abigail Davis, VanderKooi, Concord freshman Haley Stimer, Livingston, Pittsford senior Brooke Smith, Kingston sophomore Lilah Kiley and Teed were Regional champions over the weekend.
PHOTO Otsego takes off during the start of last season’s Lower Peninsula Division 2 Final, including returning runners Logan Brazee (1310), Megan Germain (1312), Emma Hoffman (1313) and Taylor Mitchell (1315). (Photo by Gary Shook.)