Performance: Lansing Catholic's Olivia Theis
September 21, 2017
Olivia Theis
Lansing Catholic senior – Cross Country
After missing out on winning her first Finals championship last fall by less than a second, Theis is undefeated at the 5K distance this fall. On Friday, she outpaced the toughest field the state has seen this season to date – running a personal record 16:59 to win the Spartan Invitational “elite” race at Michigan State University and earn the Michigan Army National Guard “Performance of the Week.”
Theis crossed the line first ahead of Hart junior Adelyn Ackley, who edged her to win last year’s Lower Peninsula Division 3 race at Michigan International Speedway. Also in the “elite” field were reigning LP Division 1 runner-up Anne Forsyth of Ann Arbor Pioneer, reigning LP Division 2 runner-up Anna Fischer of St. Joseph and a combined nine others who finished among the top 10 in either LP Division 1, 3 or 4 including sophomore sister Jaden. Lansing Catholic, which moved to LP Division 2 this season after finishing runner-up last year at MIS in Division 3, came in fourth at MSU on Friday behind two Division 1 teams and Hart.
Olivia did get her first Finals championships last school year, winning the 1,600 and 3,200 meters at the LP Division 3 Track & Field meet. Her 16:59 on Friday made her one of four girls who have broken 17 minutes this fall (Forysth, Ackley, and Traverse City Central’s Sielle Kearney – who came in fifth at the Spartan – are the others) after no one broke 17 in 2016. Theis is exploring her college options and carries a 4.0 grade-point average, with interests in becoming an occupational or physical therapist. Lansing Catholic is ranked No. 2 in LP Division 2 this week and seeking its first team MHSAA Finals championship in girls cross country to go with last year’s runner-up finish and another from 2000.
Coach Tim Simpson said: “She has the talent and then adds in a desire to work as hard as she has to. We are lucky because we have a few girls who will do whatever it takes. Olivia is tireless in her work and very conscientious about it. I literally have to reign in her training. The fact that she ran track has now given her well over a year of continuous training for running; she has stayed injury free as well. In that year of running she has earned her way onto big stages like the FootLocker Nationals and New Balance Track Nationals. In those meets she has done extremely well and pushed her times to new heights as well as her confidence in her abilities. Track season showed everyone including her just how talented she was, and it wasn't just cross country. She has broken records of many of the best runners ever from Michigan and even though she doesn't pay a lot of attention to that, she knows what it means. But she takes everything seriously, never overlooks anyone and is diligent about being prepared.”
Performance Point: “I know that the original plan was to go out and stay with the lead pack, and that’s what Jaden and I did, essentially,” Theis said. “Not even halfway in, a girl started breaking away, so I was like, I’ll go with her. And eventually I just ended up being able to break away from her – Adelyn Ackley, she beat me at states last year. I didn’t want her to be close enough to me where she could out-sprint me again. So I just wanted to keep going, and eventually I realized I could break 17. I had no idea what time I was going to be at, and then in the straightaway I saw it and was like, ‘Oh, I can do this.’ It’s definitely a huge accomplishment. I was definitely hoping to do that at MSU. I knew the competition would be really good, but I had no idea how I’d be feeling. I felt really good, and I’m really happy I took advantage of that level of competition. “
Division 3 to 2: “I think it’s going to be a lot more challenging team-wise. There’s a lot of teams in D2 that have a lot of pack runners. So they have a lot of girls not necessarily individually that are fast, but groups that are fast. I feel like that will be challenging for us as a team.”
Speedy sisters: “It’s really nice, because I can train with (Jaden) at home. It’s someone to push me. A lot of times you don’t want your sibling beating you, especially when she’s younger than you, so it’s pretty motivational. Sometimes it’s hard because we’re siblings, but sometimes we just have to use each other as competition. It’s great. I love having her on the team. I think (eventually) she’ll beat me easily. She already almost beat my (personal record) from last year; she’s a sophomore. I want her to beat all my times, and I think she can do it.”
Born to run: “I like how it makes me feel, and I like how it’s hard. I like challenging myself. I like knowing the people I’m racing, because I know I can talk to them afterward and be like ‘good job’ no matter what happens. I think running has allowed me to get to know a lot more people.”
Also born to help: The human body interests me, and I want to help people. (Occupational therapists) help you get back from injury, back into normal life, from illness back into real life, so I think it would be really cool to be able to help people do that.”
- Geoff Kimmerly, Second Half editor
Every week during the 2017-18 school year, Second Half and the Michigan Army National Guard will recognize a “Performance of the Week" from among the MHSAA's 750 member high schools.
The Michigan Army National Guard provides trained and ready forces in support of the National Military Strategy, and responds as needed to state, local, and regional emergencies to ensure peace, order, and public safety. The Guard adds value to our communities through continuous interaction. National Guard soldiers are part of the local community. Guardsmen typically train one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer. This training maintains readiness when needed, be it either to defend our nation's freedom or protect lives and property of Michigan citizens during a local natural disaster.
Previous 2017-18 honorees:
September 14: Maddy Chinn, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep volleyball - Read
PHOTOS: (Top) Lansing Catholic's Olivia Theis pushes toward the finish line during Friday's Spartan Invitational "elite" race. (Middle) Theis comes down the stretch with the clock telling her how close she is to breaking 17 minutes. (Click for more from RunMichigan.com.)
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.)