Frederick Sticks with XC, Stays in Lead
September 14, 2016
By Bill Khan
Special to Second Half
LINDEN — One of the leading contenders to win an MHSAA cross country championship this fall nearly gave up that opportunity so she could switch gears for her senior year.
Linden's Alia Frederick, who was third in the Lower Peninsula Division 2 Final last season, considered playing volleyball instead of running cross country this fall.
She wasn't totally invested in cross country, having only one season in the sport — albeit one amazing season. Frederick was looking for a different experience before completing her high school career, knowing that she would be completely dedicated to soccer once she gets to college. She found herself attracted to volleyball, a sport she played in middle school.
"I did consider (volleyball), but it's as demanding as soccer," said Frederick, who has committed to play soccer for Eastern Michigan University. "One had to give. Neither was willing to give. Soccer is my passion, so I decided to stick with cross country."
Chances are she would've excelled in volleyball.
Frederick performs at a high level in any sport she chooses, making all-state in her first season of cross country and her second season of track & field. In her primary sport, soccer, she received honorable mention all-state from the coaches' association.
It's not uncommon for an elite runner to make all-state in cross country and track, except that Frederick's all-state event on the track is the 300-meter hurdles. It's the rare athlete who can compete at the highest level in both events, which require different skill sets.
"From several coaches I've talked to, they're pretty amazed by her versatility," said Linden girls cross country coach Ben Cox, who coaches Frederick in the hurdles during track season. "I would put her up against anyone in our school in anything from the 100-meter dash, to the 100 hurdles all the way up to 5K. She's just an incredible athlete, an incredible competitor. In pretty much any running event you throw her in, she'll compete and do well there."
Frederick ran her first cross country race ever on Sept. 9 of last season, taking third in the Flint Metro League jamboree. Two months later, she trailed only Hamilton's Erika Freyhof and Holland Christian's Kayla Windemuller in Division 2 Final and Michigan International Speedway.
It took considerable prodding to get Frederick to come out for cross country in the first place, so perhaps it's not a surprise that she considered playing another sport this fall.
"There were people telling me I should join," Frederick said. "My neighbor, Jordan Holscher, who played soccer and who I grew up with, she was telling me every year I should come out. I was finally like, 'Why not?' I tried it and ended up enjoying it.
"I actually had no clue what to expect coming in, because I'd never done the sport before. I was kind of oblivious, kind of going with the motions. I saw what I could do. At the state meet, I was very happily surprised how well I did. I did not see that coming at all at the beginning of the season."
Frederick's third-place finish was the highest ever by a Linden girl in an MHSAA Final. Sydney Elmer (2012) and McKayla Guy (2013) previously had 16th-place finishes for Linden.
With her time of 18:10.0 at the Portage Invitational earlier last fall, Frederick shattered the school record of 18:29.5 set by Elmer in 2012.
Her performance in an elite field at Portage established Linden's unknown newcomer as a contender for the MHSAA title. After getting her first three career victories in the three meets prior to the MHSAA meet, Frederick understood that she was capable of big things on the sport's biggest stage.
"I was very nervous," Frederick said. "I'm not used to getting nervous, because I don't really get nervous for soccer games at all. It was definitely a different feeling to get used to. I woke up two hours before my alarm went off. I couldn't get back to sleep. The whole bus ride there, I knew what I could do. I had high expectations of myself. I knew what I could do, what I should do and I didn't want to mess that up."
Like many first-timers at MIS — and even some veterans — Frederick didn't succumb to the pressure-packed environment. She ran a smart race, getting into the top 10 by the mile, then steadily moving up until she crossed the line in third.
"I have high expectations for myself now that I know what I can do," Frederick said. "I want to do at least as good as I did last year; I would really like to do better."
Frederick will get pushed just to repeat as a league champion this fall.
In the first Metro League jamboree, she placed third in 20:00.05 behind Fenton freshman Alexa Keiser (18:47.41) and Flushing senior Jessi Lindstrom (19:38.07). Just behind Frederick was sophomore teammate Audrey Steiert (20:02.02), who made all-state as a freshman when she took 20th at the MHSAA meet in 18:59.5. Frederick, Elmer and Steiert are the only Linden girls ever to break 19 minutes.
"I was not real pleased with my result in the first league meet," said Frederick, who has won invitationals at St. Johns and Bath this season. "I can use that to get better. I can use both of those girls to train me. Like (Fenton's) Jacob Lee last year, I didn't have anybody to compete against until states. I'm glad there's at least those two girls that are pushing me and I can hang with them and try to get better than them."
Frederick had more of a hurdling background than a distance running background when she got to high school. She hurdled in middle school, but didn't come out for track as a freshman because she was on the varsity soccer team.
It wasn't until her sophomore year that she decided to be a dual-sport athlete in the spring. She made the MHSAA meet in both hurdles, taking 21st in the 100 and 10th in the 300 one day after losing in a District championship soccer game to eventual Division 2 finalist Fenton.
She had an extra day to recover from a District Semifinal soccer loss to Fenton before the 2016 MHSAA Track & Field Finals. She earned all-state in the 300 hurdles by placing sixth in a personal-best 45.68 seconds. She was 13th in the 100 hurdles in 16.15 seconds.
"My brother did track his senior year, which was my freshman year," Frederick said. "I'd go and watch him hurdle. I'd see the girls hurdle. I wanted to be out there doing it. I thought the next year I was definitely going to dual-sport. I want to live high school to the fullest that I can. I don't want to do anything but play soccer out of high school, so I might as well do it now."
Bill Khan served as a sportswriter at The Flint Journal from 1981-2011 and currently contributes to the State Champs! Sports Network. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Alia Frederick leads a pack toward the finish during last season's MHSAA Finals at Michigan International Speedway. (Middle) Frederick heads a ball forward during this spring. (Top photo courtesy of RunMichigan.com/John Brabbs; middle courtesy of the Linden athletic department.)
Preview: Past Champions Setting Up as Storylines Again in Finals Returns
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 1, 2024
Two reigning champions ranked to repeat and a past individual champion setting the statewide pace are among those anticipated to make headlines across four Lower Peninsula Girls Cross Country Finals on Saturday at Michigan International Speedway.
Romeo in Division 1 and Whitmore Lake in Division 4 will enter their championship races top-ranked after finishing first in their respective divisions a year ago. Holland West Ottawa senior Helen Sachs is looking to close her high school career with a second individual championship after placing first in Division 1 in 2022.
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 girls race, in Division 4, begins at 10:50 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 the NFHS Network: Divisions 1 & 2 | Divisions 3 & 4.
Division 1
Reigning champion: Romeo
2023 runner-up: Ann Arbor Pioneer
2024 top-ranked: 1. Romeo, 2. Holland West Ottawa, 3. Saline.
We’ve seen two repeat Division 1 girls champions over the last decade (technically three as Pioneer won three straight titles from 2019-21), and Romeo is favored to accomplish that feat as well. The Bulldogs placed the first seven individuals at their Regional, with six of those runners their top six from last season’s Final when they finished with 65 points – 61 fewer than the runner-up Pioneers. Sophomore Annie Hrabovsky (fourth), juniors Natalia Guaresimo (seventh) and Emmerson Clor (13th), and senior Lillian Deskins (22nd) all medaled last year. Holland West Ottawa finished third last season, and 2022 Finals individual champion Helen Sachs led West Ottawa to a dominating Regional win this time with four individuals among the top nine. Saline was fifth at the 2023 Final and won its Regional last weekend just ahead of Pioneer 28-41 with six individuals among the top 10.
Individuals: Two-time champion Rachel Forsyth of Pioneer graduated in the spring, but this field still returns a past winner in Sachs, whose 16:52.8 at the Otsego Invitational on Sept. 28 is the fastest time this season among runners competing this weekend in any division. She placed 11th in LPD1 a year ago. Rochester senior Lucy Cook has finished third the last two seasons and has the fourth-fastest top 5K time in any division this fall, and Midland Dow senior Victoria Garces has the third-fastest top time this season and is coming off a fifth-place Finals finish in 2023. Grand Blanc senior Gracy Tykocki was 10th at last year’s Final and finished runner-up at her Regional last weekend. Sachs, Garces, Cook and Annie Hrabovsky were Regional champions, joined by Kalamazoo Central senior Annie Alkema, Brighton junior Lydia LaMarra, Pioneer freshman Natasza Dudek, Canton junior Aiden Pengelly and Novi sophomore Katelynn Egli. Dudek has the fourth-fastest top time in Division 1 this fall.
Division 2
Reigning champion: Grand Rapids Christian
2023 runner-up: Otsego
2024 top-ranked: 1. Goodrich, 2. Zeeland East, 3. Grand Rapids Christian.
Grand Rapids Christian topped 2022 champion Otsego 112-131 a year ago with Goodrich just behind them in third at 139, and some combination could dominate the top of the standings again. The Martians didn’t have a senior in last year’s lineup, and six of those runners from 2023 were among the seven Goodrich competitors who finished among the top 15 at their Regional last weekend. Zeeland East is seeking its first top-two Finals finish and placed fifth last season with only one senior, and Grand Rapids Christian brings back three from last year’s championship lineup and placed five among the top 17 in its Regional victory.
Individuals: St. Johns sophomore Ava Schafer is the top returning placer from last year’s Final after finishing fourth, and she’s undefeated this season with the third-fastest top time in Division 2 at 17:32.4. Zeeland East senior Emma Drnek is right behind her on that list at 17:44.4 and finished seventh at last year’s Final, and Goodrich’s Kamryn Lauinger was ninth at last year’s Final. The fastest top times in Division 2 this season belong to Otsego junior Emma Hoffman – who also is undefeated – and Gaylord junior Katie Berkshire, who placed 17th and 73rd, respectively, in 2023. Berkshire ran a personal record 17:31.05 to win her Regional last weekend and was joined among Regional champs by Drnek, Hoffman, Schafer, East Grand Rapids sophomore Adeline Armstrong, Freeland sophomore Clara Kaczor, Linden sophomore Addison Josephson, Croswell-Lexington senior Eva Thompson and Carleton Airport senior Courtney Bovair.
Division 3
Reigning champion: Jackson Lumen Christi
2023 runner-up: Traverse City St. Francis
2024 top-ranked: 1. Lansing Catholic, 2. Traverse City St. Francis, 3. Central Montcalm.
Lansing Catholic is pursuing a second Finals championship after previously winning Division 2 in 2017 and finishing seventh in Division 3 last fall with just one senior. Four of last season’s Finals runners were among the seven who finished among the top 20 in last weekend’s Regional victory, with freshman Josie Bishop second individually. St. Francis won the championship in 2022 before finishing second last year to Lumen 140-177, and the Gladiators placed six among the top 14 in winning their Regional including the top two in senior Betsy Skendzel and sophomore Molly Kate Hollandsworth. Central Montcalm finished eighth last season with no seniors and is seeking its first top-two Finals finish, coming off falling one point behind No. 4 Pewamo-Westphalia but placing the top two individuals at their Regional.
Individuals: Central Montcalm’s Kyah Hoffman was that Regional champion noted above and finished third at last year’s Final; she’s run the fastest top time in the Division 3 field at 17:25.3. Skendzel is next on the top times list at 17:46.8 and finished fourth last season, and Emmry Ross (17:47.3) follows on the top times list after placing fifth at the 2023 Final. Lakeview sophomore Kamryn Salladay, Ypsilanti Arbor Prep senior Eliza Bush and Kent City senior Lila Volkers finished eighth, ninth and 10th, respectively, in last year’s championship race, and Muskegon Western Michigan Christian senior Grace VanderKooi was third in Division 4 and won her Division 3 Regional last week just ahead of Volkers. Also winning Regionals were Bush, Hoffman, Ross, Skendzel, Salladay, Fennville sophomore Isabelle Sliter, Millington junior Abigail Ross and Leslie junior Hailey Creisher.
Division 4
Reigning champion: Whitmore Lake
2023 runner-up: Johannesburg-Lewiston
2024 top-ranked: 1. Whitmore Lake, 2. Hillsdale Academy, 3. Harbor Springs.
Whitmore Lake’s championship last season was its first since 1996, and four of those title-winning runners return this weekend including 2023 individual runner-up Kaylie Livingston – who outpaced the field at her Regional last weekend by 1 minute, 44 seconds, at 17:51.9. Hillsdale Academy is hoping to make a jump from fourth last season as it pursues its first championship; the Colts didn’t have a senior last year and finished Division 4 runners-up in 2022, and placed all seven runners among the top 17 in a Regional title win. Harbor Springs won back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2009 and finished runner-up in 2015 as it too seeks to move up from a year ago, when it finished fifth also without a senior. The Rams placed six among the top 12 in winning their Regional.
Individuals: Livingston’s top time of 17:46.2 tops the Division 4 list by 14 seconds, and she is followed by Johannesburg-Lewiston senior Allie Nowak, who placed fourth in 2023. Whitmore Lake junior Carina Burchi was sixth at last year’s Final and sits fourth on this year’s top times list, and Gobles sophomore Libby Smith finished one spot behind her at last fall’s Final but is one spot ahead with the third-fastest top time in the division. Adrian Lenawee Christian senior Izzy Brooks is back after placing eighth last year, and Petoskey St. Michael senior Jane Manthei returns after placing 10th. Nowak was first and Manthei second at their Regional, and joining Nowak and Livingston among Regional winners were Brooks, Smith, Bear Lake/Onekama freshman Callie Sinke, Vestaburg senior Abigail Davis, Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep junior Emma Riker, Dryden junior Cara Prusakiewicz and Auburn Hills Oakland Christian senior Eliza Keith.
PHOTO Otsego’s Emma Hoffman (2411) leads on the way to winning Division 2 race Sept. 28 at the Otsego Invitational. (Photo by Gary Shook.)