Meyers Serves, Strides for Norrix Fall Teams
By
Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com
August 21, 2017
KALAMAZOO — Finding a face in a crowd of 357 runners erupting down a hillside all at once could be a daunting task.
But spotting sophomore Joe Meyers is easy, said Greg Savicke.
“He’ll be one of the ones out front,” the Kalamazoo Loy Norrix coach predicted.
That was true at Friday’s Portage Central Early Bird Invitational, where Meyers finished 14th with a time of 17 minutes, 12 seconds.
That sounds like a great time for a first race of the season, but Meyers was not celebrating.
“I had a pretty bad race,” he said. “I was training in Colorado for like a month with my new coach, and I put in a lot of training.
“I should have been well in the 16s. It was just not a good race.”
He didn’t have much time to fret.
The two-sport athlete had his first tennis match of the season Monday.
He’s playing No. 2 singles for the Knights after putting together a 21-5 record at the same flight last year.
Juggling two fall sports is not a problem for the amiable Meyers, with tennis taking priority.
“We work around the tennis schedule,” said Savicke, in his 29th year as Norrix’s head cross country coach. “We get Joe when he’s available. Early in the season it’s not so much, but down the stretch, yes.
“That’s the championship part of our season for us, in October, so we get him for the most important meets coming up.”
Both sports are in Meyers’ DNA.
His mother, Jody, got him on the tennis court when he was 5 and just playing for fun.
“Then I quit and mainly played hockey for years until seventh grade, then picked up tennis again,” he said.
He started running with his father, John, at age 9.
As a freshman, “I didn’t really want to pick one because I knew I could do pretty good in both,” Joe Meyers said. “It worked out last year.”
Both are individual sports, but in running, “you have to definitely have a lot more drive to go out and run by yourself because you can have a lot of excuses not to,” he said.
“In tennis, you go to group and you have to try as hard as you can. I don’t really get as tired in matches (since I’ve been) running.”
Meyers works out with sophomore Reed Crocker, Norrix’s No. 1 singles player.
Crocker qualified for the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 2 Finals last season, losing his top-flight title match, 7-6(6), 3-6, 7-6(8), to top-seeded Varun Shanker of Midland Dow.
The only way Meyers will make it to the Finals is if Loy Norrix as a team qualifies, since the No. 1 player is the only individual eligible if the team falls short at Regionals. The No. 1 singles champion and runner-up at Regionals advance to Finals play even if their teams do not qualify.
“We have a better chance (as a team) this year,” Crocker said. “The team’s looking better.
“We’ve been doing a lot of sprints, a lot. (Sunday) was an easy day. We only ran a mile” before practice.
Crocker said Meyers pushes him to be better.
“Joe is like the marathon runner, so it helps me with conditioning and it helps me on the court because I know he can help build the wins,” Crocker said.
“We hit together, and he pushes me get better. I’ve had the joy to hit with him the last year or so because he joined my coach (Bill Jenkins, who is also Norrix’s head coach).”
Jenkins, in his third season with the Knights, has coached tennis for 38 years.
Meyers possesses a “good work ethic, and genetics are very much in his favor as far as a force in track,” Jenkins said. “He’s built for it in tennis as well.
“He’s also extremely coachable so he has a very good perspective, very good mindset and disposition for tennis. He’s extremely intense, extremely passionate and competitive, but he’s also very level-headed, so he’s able to channel a lot of that energy into proper use.”
Jenkins said, in his experience, it is unusual to have an athlete be so successful in two sports in the same season.
“He’s got very set dreams but he works at them on a daily basis, knowing that the only way to achieve them is through his commitment,” the coach said.
“Regardless of whatever natural distractions may come up, he seems to stay on track very diligently and is years ahead of his time.”
While Meyers needs the team to qualify for the MHSAA Finals in tennis, he has a much better shot of earning a berth in cross country.
Last year, then-senior Gabe Runyon was the only Norrix runner to qualify for the Lower Peninsula Division 1 competition at Michigan International Speedway.
Meyers just missed qualifying, finishing 21st at his Regional with a time of 17:04. The top 15 runners moved on.
Savicke lost Runyon and four of his other top seven runners to graduation this spring, noting that Meyers has moved up from second in the order to become the team’s top runner.
Meyers has improved on his 2016 Regional time and has an unofficial personal best of 16:30. He has hit 17:00 in a race, and his short-term goal is to get into the 16s during competition.
Said Savicke: “Joe’s father was a runner in high school for (Kalamazoo) Hackett in the 1980s, and he’s really active in bicycling and running events. He’s brought Joe along with him.
“I think that just paid dividends with his running abilities. I saw Joe in middle school, so I knew he would be a good fit for us.”
Norrix’s next cross country meet is Thursday with Meyers leading a varsity contingent of junior Will Carrier, senior Zach Skinner, sophomore Myles Baker, junior Rowan Mathieson, senior Garrett Bloom and sophomore Erick Ponce.
Once the fall season is over, Meyers does not plan to leave sports behind.
He bicycles and was the Michigan Bicycle Racing Association road race junior state and point series champ a year ago and “might pick up hockey or swimming this year,” he said.
In the spring, he is part of the varsity track & field team, competing in the 1,600, 3,200 and 3,200 relay.
Pam Shebest served as a sportswriter at the Kalamazoo Gazette from 1985-2009 after 11 years part-time with the Gazette while teaching French and English at White Pigeon High School. She can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Kalamazoo Loy Norrix sophomore Joe Meyers returns a volley during a tennis practice Sunday. (Middle) Clockwise from top left: Meyers, tennis teammate Reed Crocker, Knights’ boys tennis coach Bill Jenkins, Knights’ boys cross country coach Greg Savicke. (Below) Meyers pushes ahead of a pack during Friday’s Early Bird race at Portage Central. (Photos by Pam Shebest.)
Preview: Benzie's Jones, Team Favorites Among Several Chasing History
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 2, 2022
Three of four teams entering Saturday's MHSAA Lower Peninsula Boys Cross Country Finals ranked No. 1 in their respective divisions are hoping to complete the day at Michigan International Speedway as first-time MHSAA Finals champions.
Northville in Division 1, Hart in Division 3 and Wyoming Potter's House Christian in Division 4 are those hopefuls, with the top-ranked team in Division 2 – Pinckney – merely seeking its first team championship since 2007.
And yet, amid the possibility of so many first-time team title winners, the biggest story this weekend might be Benzie Central senior Hunter Jones' pursuit of his fourth individual Finals title. He has the fastest time in Michigan this season, 14.32.1 run at his school's Pete Moss Invitational on Aug. 27, and if he can add another Division 3 Finals title to last week's Regional win he'll complete his high school cross country career as the second Lower Peninsula runner to claim four Finals titles. The only other was Central Lake's Ryan Shay, who won four straight in Lower Peninsula Class D from 1993-96. Potter's House Christian senior Lezawe Osterink also is back seeking a repeat individual title in Division 4.
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 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: Brighton
2021 runner-up: Caledonia
2022 top-ranked: 1. Northville, 2. Saline, 3. Traverse City Central.
Northville’s lone top-two Finals finish came in 2015, when the Mustangs placed runner-up, and they were fourth last year. But they are coming off a Regional title that saw them place four racers among the top seven despite running against a field including No. 4 Plymouth. Junior Brendan Herger’s 15:23.9 to win that Regional ranks 14th on the statewide bests list this fall, and senior Brady Heron was fourth at that Regional and also has posted a top-50 time. Herger placed 18th at last year’s Final. Saline is coming off an eighth-place team finish last season and is seeking its first Finals championship as well to go with four runner-up finishes, the most recent in 2016. Senior Samuel Jackson won his Regional in 15:29.38, the 17th-fastest time on the best-times list, and he’s joined by junior Truman Johnson among the top 50. Traverse City Central also is seeking its first team title and first top-two finish since placing Class A runner-up (while still Traverse City High) in 1996. Senior Joe Muha made the best times top-50 list with his Regional runner-up time of 15:41.8, and five Trojans finished among the top 13 as they won the team championship. Central finished sixth at the Final last season.
Individuals: From last season’s top 15 Finals finishers, 12 graduated but two of the top three are back. Grand Haven junior Seth Norder finished runner-up to Hartland’s Riley Hough with a 15:19.91 last fall, and Norder has the third-fastest best time statewide this season at 14:45.4. Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills senior Benne Anderson was third at the 2021 Final and has the second-fastest best time at 14:44.1 – they ran those in finishing third and second, respectively, to Benzie Central’s Hunter Jones on Oct. 8 at the Portage Invitational. New Baltimore Anchor Bay junior Thomas Westphal is another contender coming off a personal-record 15:12.2 to win his Regional, and he and Utica senior Trent McFarland have run some fantastic races against each other over the last month especially. McFarland, Norder, Anderson, Ann Arbor Skyline senior Nicolas Fry, Berkley senior Matthew Short and Traverse City West senior Jonah Hochstetler also were Regional champions, and Kalamazoo Central junior Jasper Cane ran one of the top times in LPD1 this season as runner-up to Anderson last weekend.
Division 2
Reigning champion: Otsego
2021 runner-up: Chelsea
2022 top-ranked: 1. Pinckney, 2. Chelsea, 3. East Grand Rapids.
Pinckney is in position to win its first championship since claiming three straight from 2005-07, and after finishing fifth a year ago. The Pirates graduated individual champion Caleb Jarema but return five of their top seven racers and placed four among the top 10 in winning last week’s Regional at Waterford Mott. Junior Evan Loughridge’s 15:20.9 at the Portage Invite is tied for 10th on the statewide best times list. Chelsea finished team runner-up last season and previously won Division 2 in 2017 and 2018. Junior Connell Alford has run the fourth-fastest time on the statewide list at 14:53.1, and he finished fourth at last year’s Final. Chelsea total returns its top four and five of its top six from 2021, with senior Bram Hartsuff having finished 14th individually a year ago. East Grand Rapids was fifth as a team last season with only two seniors, and its top four from that lineup are back led by junior Alex Thole, who finished second at last weekend’s Regional at Grand Rapids South Christian.
Individuals: Alford and Hartsuff are joined as returnees from last year’s top 15 by Dearborn Divine Child senior Michael Hegarty (third), St. Johns senior Joey Bowman (10th) and Freeland sophomore TJ Hansen (12th). Hegarty’s 15:03.7 to finish second to Alford at the Milan Regional also is the fifth-best time on the statewide bests list, and Bowman and Hansen both have season-best times among the top 30. Monroe Jefferson senior Carter McCalister ran third at Milan, but his 15:07.4 is seventh on the statewide bests list and third among Division 2 runners to Alford and Hegarty. Bowman and Hansen also were Regional champs, joined by Loughridge, Otsego senior Colin Wesseldyk, Ada Forest Hills Eastern senior Aiden Sullivan, Grand Rapids Christian sophomore Simon Triezenberg and Cadillac junior Nolan Nixon.
Division 3
Reigning champion: St. Louis
2021 runner-up: Hart
2022 top-ranked: 1. Hart, 2. Traverse City St. Francis, 3. Hanover-Horton
St. Louis has won the last two championships and Hart finished runner-up both years, but the Pirates enter with the top ranking this time as they seek their first Finals team title. Hart won a Regional including No. 7 Reed City and No. 11 Benzie Central with five placers among the top 12, and seniors Clayton Ackley and Wyatt Dean are among five returnees to the Finals lineup after finishing 10th and 26th, respectively, a year ago. St. Francis is expected to be in the mix for its first top-two team finish returning five runners from last season’s sixth-place team and after placing seven among the top 12 to win a Regional at East Jordan that included No. 9 Clare and No. 13 Elk Rapids. Hanover-Horton is seeking its third championship in six seasons after winning Division 3 in 2017 and 2019. The Comets were 16th last season but return three of their top four led by senior Rogan Melling, who placed seventh individually in 2021. St. Louis is ranked No. 4 and returns four of last year’s top six including junior Ben March, who ran ninth individually.
Individuals: Benzie Central’s Jones is arguably the biggest story going into the weekend, and he’ll have an experienced group attempting to push him. Melling, March and Ackley were among the top 10 a year ago, with Ithaca senior Parks Allen (11th), Quincy senior Rhett Reif (13th), Bloomingdale junior Jaden Barnes (14th) and Pewamo-Westphalia junior Collin Farmer (15th) among other high Finals placers heading back to MIS. Joining Jones among Regional champs were Melling, Allen, March, Dansville sophomore Thomas Davis, Parchment senior William Winter, Grandville Calvin Christian senior Nathan Jenkins and Clare junior Brad White. Davis finished fifth in Division 4 last season.
Division 4
Reigning champion: Hillsdale Academy
2021 runner-up: Concord
2022 top-ranked: 1. Wyoming Potter’s House Christian, 2. Johannesburg-Lewiston, 3. Petoskey St. Michael
Six schools have won Division 4 championships over the last six years, and Potter’s House Christian could run that streak to seven if it can make the jump from last season’s 12th-place finish. The reigning individual champion, now-senior Lezawe Osterink, leads three Potter’s House returnees followed by senior Logan Swiney who placed 25th a year ago. Potter’s House, Johannesburg-Lewiston and St. Michael are among teams seeking a first Finals championship. Johannesburg-Lewiston finished ninth last season with three top-23 individual finishers, and all three are back – senior Jacob Wartenberg (10th), junior Malaki Gascho (21st) and junior Blake Fox (23rd). St. Michael was sixth last season with only one senior, and now-senior Macartan Moore sets the pace among returnees after finishing 17th a year ago.
Individuals: Osterink won last season by nearly 24 seconds, and his best time this fall of 15:05 (run at the Portage Invite) ranks sixth on the statewide season bests list with the next-best time in Division 4 a 15:50. Four more runners are back from last season’s top 15 – Reading senior Tyler Bays (seventh), Wartenberg, Kalamazoo Christian senior Isaac Bogard (12th) and Riverview Gabriel Richard senior Alex Meszaros (14th). Wartenberg, Osterink and Bays were joined as Regional champions last weekend by Mason County Eastern senior Nathan Wing, Blanchard Montabella senior Dakota Dykhuis, Concord senior Adair Artis, Whitmore Lake senior Braylan Majesky, Kingston senior Ethan Green and Allen Park Cabrini senior Christopher Russelburg.
PHOTO Grand Haven’s Seth Norder, left, and Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills’ Benne Anderson enter the final stretch during last season’s LPD1 Final. (Click for more from RunMichigan.com.)