Performance: Rockford's Ericka VanderLende
October 12, 2018
Ericka VanderLende
Rockford senior – Cross County
After spending Saturday morning taking the SAT, the reigning Lower Peninsula Division 1 champion ran the second-fastest time of the day at the prestigious Portage Invitational, besting the field by 45 seconds with a 17:33 to earn the Michigan Army National Guard “Performance of the Week.” Her 16:55.9 at the Allendale Invitational on Sept. 29 is the fastest girls time in the state this season, especially impressive since earlier this fall she missed a month between meets with a knee injury.
VanderLende’s is an incredible story of finding a niche. She had never run farther than a mile at a time before high school, and only joined cross country at the cajoling of her parents. She finished 81st at the LPD1 Final her first season and 99th as a sophomore in 2016, although her personal record (PR) that fall was more than a minute faster than her best time as a freshman. She cut another full minute off her PR as a junior, when she won every race she ran but two – and claimed the MHSAA title by nearly 14 seconds at 17:16.8, the eighth-fastest time in Finals history. She’s won all five races she’s run this fall, and the victory at Portage ended a progression that saw her come in 75th as a freshman, 11th as a sophomore and third as a junior before taking first last weekend.
Rockford as a team finished fifth against a Portage Division 1 field that included seven of the top 11-placing teams from last year’s MHSAA Final. The Rams took third at Michigan International Speedway last season, but graduated three of their top four from that team – although VanderLende again gives them an accomplished and experienced pace-setter at the top. She led the Rockford girls track & field team to a second-place Finals finish in the spring, winning the 1,600 in a PR 4:45.17 and taking second in the 3,200, where her PR is 10:05.01. She is undecided on where and what she'll study, but VanderLende would like to run collegiately and carries a 4.04 grade-point average.
Coach Ben Watson said: “Ericka has really bought into and understands what it takes to be a great distance runner. Being good at distance running takes a consistent and patient approach to improving with a lot of attention to details, and this is why Ericka has really excelled. She sets lofty, long-term goals and puts herself to the task of doing what it takes to achieve those far-off dreams each and every day. She does what we call ‘all the little things’ that over time lead up to great outcomes. She is incredibly motivated to do her very best and matches that with a fierce competitive spirit during competition, where she wants to do her very best!”
Performance Point: “Going into the race, I wasn’t expecting to run super fast because I’d taken the SAT right before that, so I wasn’t really mentally prepared for the race,” VanderLende said of the Portage win. “I was just going to go with however I felt that day. On the SAT, I tried to not think about the race, and on the race I tried to forget that I even took the SAT. I would’ve liked to have run a little faster, but I knew it wasn’t really that important to get a fast time that day. I was just happy that I could run that race, because earlier in the year I had to take some time off for an injury and I didn’t really know when I would be back. I was just happy that I could get a good time and build off of it. … I’m happy with my times (this season). I obviously would’ve liked to have run a little bit faster based on my goals I set earlier in the year. But how I was able to come back from taking time off, I’m pretty happy with how I’ve been able to handle it.”
Comeback trail: “My goals were to take a lot of time off of my PR like I’ve been able to do the last couple of years – probably not a full minute like I’ve done in the past, but I would’ve liked to be under 17 so I was happy I was able to do that a couple of weeks ago. I’m not running every day of the week yet. I’m still building up, and I would like to run well at the state meet, and still building through that my goal is to run fast at the Foot Locker Midwest Regional and then hopefully move on to nationals after that as well.”
Getting on the right track: “I didn’t really want to do cross country in the first place, but my parents thought I’d be good at it, so they wanted me to try it. I gave it a shot. I always enjoyed running when I was younger, but not like to the extent where I wanted to do it for fun every day. (Now) I never really want to go a day without it. … At first I really didn’t like it. I was pretty slow. I think everyone on the team was faster than me. I didn’t really try that much. Then the first meet (in 2015) I was the top freshman on our team, and I wasn’t supposed to be. That motivated me to start trying throughout the year.”
Trust the process: “I don’t think anyone ever expected me to be good at running or any sport in general, so a lot of people are surprised. It kind’ve surprised me, because I wasn’t very good to start, so to get to this level, it just seems unreal. … Rockford’s program is good at having all of their runners improve gradually. The runners before that have run pretty fast here consistently dropped a lot of time too. So just knowing if they could drop a lot of time, I could do that too – but I didn’t think I’d drop as much time as I have.”
Be the example: “Last year we definitely graduated a lot of our top runners. It was fun being ranked number one in the state going into the state meet. Our goal is to win conference this year, and I think we can do that. And obviously place well at state, but we’re not really sure what we’re capable of yet – we’re a pretty young team. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. … (I) just let the girls know you can do more than you think you can.”
- Geoff Kimmerly, Second Half editor
Every week during the 2018-19 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.
Past 2018-19 honorees
October 4: Kobe Clark, Schoolcraft football - Read
September 27: Jonathan Kliewer, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern soccer - Read
September 20: Kiera Lasky, Bronson volleyball - Read
September 13: Judy Rector, Hanover-Horton cross country - Read
PHOTOS: (Top) Rockford’s Ericka VanderLende leads the pack during the Division 1 race at Saturday’s Portage Invitational. (Middle) VanderLende, third from left, with her teammates after their Allendale Invitational win. (Photos courtesy of the Rockford girls cross country program.)
Blissfield's Miller Set for Senior Success After 3 Junior-Year Finals Trips
By
Doug Donnelly
Special for MHSAA.com
August 15, 2023
BLISSFIELD – Last fall, June Miller raced for an MHSAA cross country title at Michigan International Speedway. During the winter she played in the Division 3 Basketball Final at the Breslin Center. In the spring, she competed at the Lower Peninsula Division 3 track & field championships in Kent City.
As she embarks on her senior year at Blissfield Community Schools in southeast Michigan, Miller isn’t concerned about an encore.
“I don’t worry about topping my junior season,” she said. “I don’t feel the need to. I’ll fight for it to the best of my ability, but if I don’t make it that’s okay. There were a lot of factors that went into last year, and I can’t control all of them this year.
“I’ll leave my best out there and know that I gave it my all, and in the end that’s the true accomplishment. If it takes me that far or further, then great. If not, that’s okay.”
Miller’s remarkable run to MHSAA Finals in three sports remains even more impressive when considering she had eight goals and five assists playing defense for the Royals soccer team.
“Shows up to work, busts her tail every practice, every game,” said Blissfield girls basketball coach Ryan Gilbert. “Never have to worry about June Miller.”
Miller is as steady an athlete as they come, never getting too high or too low in pressure situations. In basketball, Gilbert said Miller never met a shot she didn’t like. Miller started all 29 games last season, leading the team in 3-pointers.
Gilbert said Miller is even-keeled.
“It takes a while to get into the ‘June Miller circle,’ but I’m almost in,” he said. “This is her senior year; this is my year. She’s very funny when you get to know her and has a brilliant mind.
“She wants to win over everything,” Gilbert said.
Miller wasn’t the fastest runner on the cross country team last fall – that spot would belong to her younger sister, Hope. June has no problem with that.
“I love running with my sister,” she said. “She’s an amazing and incredibly kind person. Her dedication to running inspires me and keeps me fighting for it. We train together sometimes and she’s the one that pushes me, and I love that.
“I always knew she’d be faster than me someday, and I couldn’t be prouder of how fast she’s become and how much she’s achieved. (People might) think I’d hold some resentment for her beating me while I’m older, but she’s lived in my shadow for years and I’m so glad she’s been able to find her place that she can dominate.”
Blissfield is eyeing a big season in cross country after winning a Regional and just missing the top 10 at the Final a year ago. The Miller sisters are a big reason for the giddiness.
“I’m ready to leave it all out there,” Miller said. “It’s my senior season, and I want to go out strong. I think the end goal for all of us is to really push it this season and improve with each race so by the time we hit Regionals we’re in the best shape physically and mentally so we can leave it all on the course to get to states again.”
Because of her work schedule this summer, Miller missed some of the team workouts but was able to get the details from her sister and went out on her own time and trained to build up her mileage in preparation for the season.
“I think the experience from last year will give us something to fight for,” she said. “It allows us to look at the season with our end goal being the state meet. It gives us a passion and something to fight for.”
Blissfield cross country coach Ryan Bills called Miller a strong competitor.
“She is fun kid,” he said. “You never know which June you’re going to get – funny, chatty June or serious, no-nonsense June. Either way she always gives it her all during competition, which is why she has seen so much success the past year.”
The four-sport athlete spent the first couple of weeks of summer refreshing her body before kicking it into high gear.
She did take some time to reflect on all the places she got to play and compete last year and is grateful to be part of a team that helped her reach those places.
“It was a unique experience,” she said. “When I’m playing basketball or running track and cross country, I’m not focused on where I am physically – instead I’m in my head focused on what I need to do.
“Once you get to someplace, you stop thinking about getting there and you move on to the next step of being there and doing what you need to there.”
Miller is one of the top students in her class. She’s currently trying to decide whether she wants to pursue playing soccer in college. She wants to major in business and minor in sustainability, eventually getting a master’s degree in architecture.
“I want to be a sustainable design architect,” she said, “who can better the world through the art of architecture.”
Miller’s future looks bright, as does the outlook for this athletic year. In all three sports for which she reached the Finals last year, the Royals have enough returning talent to make lengthy runs again.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Miller said, about four days before the first cross country event of the season. “I want to make it to all those state tournaments again, but I want to do it with my teammates because they’re the ones that make it memorable and something to remember forever.”
Doug Donnelly has served as a sports and news reporter and city editor over 25 years, writing for the Daily Chief-Union in Upper Sandusky, Ohio from 1992-1995, the Monroe Evening News from 1995-2012 and the Adrian Daily Telegram since 2013. He's also written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Blissfield’s June Miller (750) races during a cross country meet last fall. (Middle) Miller pulls up for a jumper during last season’s basketball postseason run. (Cross country photo by Deloris Clark-Osborne; basketball photo by Gary Sullivan.)