Preview: Champs Return as Favorites
November 4, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
A total of 987 girls will launch from the starting line during four MHSAA Lower Peninsula Cross Country Finals on Saturday at Michigan International Speedway.
And a number of those athletes have plenty of experience crossing the finish line first over the last few seasons as well.
In all four divisions, the reigning team champions enter as favorites to win again, Birmingham Seaholm in Division 1 for the third straight season. Two individual champions – one from 2015 and another from 2014 – will also look to add to their accolades.
Click for all Finals qualifiers, a map of the course and links to buy tickets and watch the Finish Line camera on MHSAA.tv, and come back to Second Half later Saturday for coverage of all four meets. See below for many of the competitors to watch; Saturday’s first race begins at 10 a.m., with the final awards presentation slated to end at 4 p.m.
DIVISION 1
Reigning champion: Birmingham Seaholm
2015 runner-up: Brighton
2016 top-ranked: 1. Birmingham Seaholm, 2. Northville, 3. Ann Arbor Pioneer.
Seaholm has won the last two Division 1 titles and is the favorite to extend the streak to three straight despite graduating a few top runners for the second straight year. Senior Audrey Ladd and juniors Rachel McCardell and Emily Rooney took the top three places at their Regional at Grosse Pointe South, all in 18:12, as all seven Seaholm runners finished among the top 20. Ladd was 11th and McCardell 16th as the team’s top two at last year’s Final, when the Maples won by 46 points. Northville is the 2013 champion and finished fourth and third at the Finals the last two seasons, respectively. The Mustangs again dominated their Regional (at Willow Metropark) despite graduating their top three from last season. Junior Ana Barrott was the Regional champion in 18:35 and sophomore Nicole Cybul was fourth in 19:07. Pioneer won its Regional at Lake Erie Metropark ahead of No. 6 Saline and should make a big jump from eighth at last season’s Final with five back from last year led by junior Anne Forsyth; she was 13th last season and won her Regional in 18:16.
Individuals: Five of the top 10 from 2015 will return – Saline junior Jessi Larson (second), Traverse City Central junior Sielle Kearney (fourth), Royal Oak senior Grace Cutler (sixth), Milford senior Mallory Barrett (seventh) and Milford sophomore Victoria Heiligenthal (10th). Forsyth finished ahead of Larson by 17 seconds at their Regional and Kearney also was a Regional champion in 18:05. Battle Creek Lakeview senior Maggie Farrell was only 97th last season but has dropped major time to become the possible favorite; she won her Regional in 17:21, with Grandville sophomore Madison Malon second at Portage in 17:59. Watch also for Midland Dow freshman Anna Jensen (18:07) and Grand Ledge senior Jenna Magness (18:15), both Regional winners, and Macomb L’Anse Creuse North junior Karenna Duffey (18:51) and West Bloomfield sophomore Kyla Christopher-Moody (18:43) also claimed Regional titles last week. Allen Park junior Makayla Perez was seventh in Division 2 last fall but will run in Division 1 as an individual qualifier.
DIVISION 2
Reigning champion: Otsego
2015 runner-up: East Grand Rapids
2016 top-ranked: 1. Otsego, 2. Grand Rapids Christian, 3. East Grand Rapids.
Otsego has been ranked No. 1 in Division 2 all but one week this season, with its top six runners back from the team that finished 83 points better than the field at MIS a year ago. Seniors Megan Aalberts and Sophie Hirzel – who finished fifth and sixth, respectively, at last year’s Final – took second and third at their Regional as Otsego placed all seven runners among the top 11 in the Division 2 race at Portage. Grand Rapids Christian is the only other team to occupy the top spot in the coaches poll this fall with four of its top six back from 2015 including senior Megan Schenkel. She finished 25th last season but won her Regional last week in 19:32 as the Eagles placed four among the top five. Grand Rapids Christian was third in 2015 behind also East Grand Rapids, which won its Regional by six last week over No. 7 DeWitt. The Pioneers have their top four back from 2015, led by junior Kate O’Connell, who was 29th at the Final and took sixth (19:12) in last week’s Regional.
Individuals: Not counting Allen Park’s Perez, now in Division 1, nine of the top 11 from Division 2 will race this weekend. Reigning champion Erika Freyhof, runner-up Kayla Windemuller and third-place Alia Frederick all are back; Freyhof and Frederick are seniors and Windemuller is only a junior. Flint Powers Catholic senior Julia Vanitvelt, St. Joseph junior Anna Fischer, DeWitt sophomore Ashley Shipps and Ludington senior Lauren Biggs (same time as Shipps but one place back) finished eighth through 11th, respectively, in 2015. Biggs (18:46), Vanitvelt (19:18), Frederick (19:34) and Windemuller (18:16) were Regional champs last week, Windemuller just ahead of Freyhof (18:39). They’ll be joined by some interesting new contenders among the other Regional winners: Plainwell freshman Makenna Veen (18:17) finished ahead of the Otsego pack, while Mason sophomore Cecilia Stalzer (18:34), St. Clair junior Gabrielle Morton (19:51) and Tecumseh senior Christina Sawyer (19:10) also were victorious.
DIVISION 3
Reigning champion: Traverse City St. Francis
2015 runner-up: Benzonia Benzie Central
2016 top-ranked: 1. Traverse City St. Francis, 2. Lansing Catholic, 3. Benzie Central.
Gone is reigning individual champion Holly Bullough, who graduated after leading St. Francis to the team title. But returning for the Gladiators are five others who ran, including fourth place Katelyn Duffing, fifth-place Emmalyne Tarsa and 12th place Joyana Tarsa. Duffing, a sophomore, won their Regional in 18:30, while Joyana Tarsa, a junior, was second in 18:36. Benzie Central was at the same Regional, finishing second while putting four among the top nine led by junior Sierra Pallin at 18:39. Four Benzie Central runners are back from the team that finished second at MIS in 2015. Lansing Catholic finished fourth last fall and is again paced by now-junior Olivia Theis, who finished ninth at the Final and won her Regional last week in 18:26 ahead of sophomore teammate Lauren Cleary (18:50) and freshman teammate Jaden Theis (18:57.2). Olivia Theis and Cleary are among four Cougars returning to Brooklyn.
Individuals: Six freshmen finished among the top 10 last season, so this year’s field is predictably strong, even with Bullough’s graduation. Hart sophomore Adelyn Ackley and Shepherd sophomore Amber Gall were second and third, respectively, a year ago, while McBain sophomore Klaudia O’Malley was sixth and Hopkins sophomore Laura Velderman was 10th – and between them, Clare senior Jasmine Harper was seventh and sophomore Lainey Veenkant was eighth. Ackley (17:39) won a speedy Regional ahead of O’Malley (18:47), Gall (18:49), Harper (19:07), junior sister Alayna Ackley (19:16) and Veenkant (19:24). Velderman (19:08) also was a Regional champ, as were Saugatuck sophomore Thea Johnson (20:20), Quincy senior Gabby Porter (20:26), Montrose junior Remington Hobson (19:45), Otisville-LakeVille junior Kailyn Allmon (20:31) and Ann Arbor Greenhills senior Phoebe Sotiroff (19:55). Saugatuck junior Paisley Sipes was eighth in Division 4 a year ago.
DIVISION 4
Reigning champion: Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart
2015 runner-up: Harbor Springs
2016 top-ranked: 1. Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart, 2. Pewamo-Westphalia, 3. Harbor Springs.
No seniors ran on Sacred Heart’s first championship team since 1999, and six of seven runners are back this weekend including fourth-place Alexis McConnell, fifth-place Bailley McConnell and 10th-place Scout Nelson. All seven of this year’s runners were among the top nine at their Regional, won by senior Alexis McConnell (18:43) ahead of Bailley (18:44), sophomore Cammie McConnell (19:19) and sophomore Lauren MacDonald (19:37). Reigning Finals runner-up Harbor Springs should be in the hunt again after placing the top two at its Regional in junior Alyssa Kihnke (19:14) and sophomore Ellie Fleming (19:41) and seven of the top 17. Pewamo-Westphalia was ninth in Division 3 last season with only two seniors; this season’s team has four freshmen but also three of the team’s top four Finals finishers in 2015. Freshman Aubrey George won her Regional by 40 seconds in 19:44 as the Pirates took seven of the top 11 places.
Individuals: Battle Creek St. Philip senior Ava Strenge was runner-up last season and won Division 4 as a sophomore; she’s a favorite again after claiming her Regional in 18:38. She was followed at the Regional by Athens junior Corra Hamilton (19:38) and Kalamazoo Hackett junior Mary Ankenbauer (19:52); Hamilton was 39th at last year’s Final and should make a jump, and Ankenbauer was third and will be in the mix. Springport junior Caitlin Henne returns after finishing sixth and Concord junior Samantha Saenz is back after placing seventh a year ago. Saenz (19:14) won her Regional, as did Marion senior Kyle Sikkema (19:19), Walkerville senior Emily Merten (20:05), Auburn Hills Oakland Christian senior Megan Nichols (19:19) and Plymouth Christian sophomore Sienna Ruiter (20:59).
The MHSAA Cross Country Finals are sponsored by the Michigan National Guard.
PHOTO: Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart runners dominated the front of the pack during the Sept. 13 Beal City Invitational. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Preview: Past Champs Back in Running
November 5, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The first runners down the home stretch at Michigan International Speedway this weekend could look familiar for at least three divisions of the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Girls Cross Country Finals.
The fourth? That’s guaranteed to finish much differently than a year ago.
Reigning champions are expected to set the pace again in Divisions 1, 2 and 3. But Division 4 will be another story entirely, as the reigning team and individual champions are running in Division 3 this time.
A change in format also will switch things up a bit. To limit the number of participants in each race, the four divisions will be run over two days – Friday and Saturday – with each gender in each division spread over two races. Third-place teams and individual qualifiers from Regionals will run first, and first and second-place Regional finishers will run second.
Watching this year’s Finals at MIS also will be different. Attendance is limited due to COVID-19 precautions, but opportunities to watch off-site are available again via MHSAA.tv. Coverage will be enhanced this year with an additional camera on the back of the course to better capture the first 800 meters, 1.5-mile and 2.25-mile marks of the race. The traditional Finish Line camera also will cover the action, with commentary from a crew of announcers.
Here’s the schedule, with links to broadcasts of each race:
Friday – Nov. 6
Division 1 Finals - Boys at 9:30 and 10 a.m. - Girls at 11 and 11:30 a.m.
Division 2 Finals - Boys at 1:30 and 2 p.m. - Girls at 3 and 3:30 p.m.
Saturday – Nov. 7
Division 3 Finals - Boys at 9:30 and 10 a.m. - Girls at 11 and 11:30 a.m.
Division 4 Finals - Boys at 1:30 and 2 p.m. - Girls at 3 and 3:30 p.m.
Come back both Friday and Saturday for coverage of all four meets on Second Half, and see below for teams and individuals who should be in the running. References to a list of fastest times per division this fall includes only the top time for each runner and can be found with the Finals program and much more information on or linked to MHSAA.com.
Division 1
Reigning champion: Ann Arbor Pioneer
2019 runner-up: Traverse City Central
2020 top-ranked: 1. Traverse City Central, 2. Ann Arbor Pioneer, 3. Holland West Ottawa
This could come down to Pioneer and Central again after the Pioneers edged the Trojans 80-113 at the top of the standings of last year’s Final. Pioneer graduated last season’s individual champion Zofia Dudek and total two of its top five but is keyed by a Regional champion freshman in Rachel Forsyth, while Central brings back five of last season’s top six who are joined by a pair of standout freshmen. Trojans junior Julia Flynn didn’t run at her team’s Regional but has the fastest time in Division 1 this fall at 16:51.27 and finished third at the Final a year ago. Pioneer junior Sarah Forsyth was ninth at the Final in 2019, and Central senior Avery McLean was 17th. West Ottawa is expected to move up from seventh last season as it pursues its first Finals championship, anchored by Arianne Olson – the individual runner-up last season as a freshman.
Individuals: Although Dudek graduated, 14 of last season’s top 20 finishers will reload the field. Following Olson and Flynn last year was Saline now-junior Madi Wood in fourth and Birmingham Seaholm now-senior Audrey DaDamio in fifth, with Novi now-senior Elizabeth Babcock in seventh. Those five finished within 17 seconds of each other, and DaDamio’s season-best 17:16.40 is the second-fastest time in Division 1 this fall. Also back from last season’s top 20 are Forsyth, Plymouth junior Lauren Kiley (11th), Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills senior Madison Ebright (12th), Lake Orion senior Sophie Novak (13th), East Lansing senior Abbie Draheim (14th), McLean, Plymouth senior Londyn Swenson (18th), Northville senior Yasmine Mansi (19th) and Ottawa Hills’ junior Adit Dau (20th). Two more freshmen – Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central’s Clara James-Heer and Macomb Dakota’s Jayden Harberts – have posted times among the 10 fastest in Division 1 this fall.
Division 2
Reigning champion: East Grand Rapids
2019 runner-up: Petoskey
2020 top-ranked: 1. East Grand Rapids, 2. Petoskey, 3. Grand Rapids Christian
Like in Division 1, last season’s top finishers are expected to push for the championship again – East Grand Rapids for the third straight season and Petoskey attempting to win for the first time. The Pioneers won the race at the top in 2019 36-92, placing five of the top 14 individuals but graduating two last spring including champion Anna Petr. At the same time, freshman Drew Muller, junior Ainsley Workman and senior Hannah Bodine have posted times among the 11 fastest in Division 2; Bodine was seventh and Workman 10th at the Final last season. Petoskey senior Emma Squires has the fastest time in Division 2 (17:26.70), with senior Cambrie Smith fifth (18:07,60), senior Sarah Liederbach 12th and junior Noel Vanderwall 13th – Squires was fifth at the 2019 Final, Liederbach was 20th and Vanderwall was 27th. Grand Rapids Christian finished 12th last season but has three titles and a runner-up finish over the last decade and one of the fastest individuals in junior Madelyn Frens, who edged Muller by just more than a second at their league’s championship race and was sixth at her most recent Finals in 2018.
Individuals: Squires, Bodine and Workman are the only top-10 finishers from 2019 back in the field, but six more return who came in 13-20th – Plainwell sophomore Grace Pettit (13th), Whitehall junior Ryann Jibson (15th), Lansing Catholic sophomore Hannah Pricco (16th), Freeland junior Kiera Hansen (17th), Otsego junior Joy Wolfe (18th) and Liederbach, with two more currently scratched for this weekend's race. Cadillac junior Kendall Schopieray was 47th last year but has the sixth-fastest time in Division 2 this fall. A trio of freshmen as well should make a massive impact on the individual standings: Muller, along with Mason’s Meghan Ford and Frankenmuth’s Mary Richmond. Ford’s best of 17:36.40 ranks second in Division 2 this season, and Richmond’s best is seventh on the list. Shepherd senior Madde Skeel, who ran 20th in Division 3 last season, also is in this field.
Division 3
Reigning champion: Hart
2019 runner-up: Shepherd
2020 top-ranked: 1. Hart, 2. Grandville Calvin Christian, 3. Benzie Central
Hart is hoping to become the fourth Lower Peninsula girls cross country program to win four consecutive Finals, and the Pirates remain formidable coming off a Regional where they took the top four places. Freshman Alyson Enns (17:46.75) ranks fifth on the list of fastest Division 3 times this fall, with senior Savannah Ackley (4th), junior Audrienna Enns (5th) and senior Lynae Ackley (14th) the team’s top three finishers from last season’s impressive win. Calvin Christian is looking to make a jump from third last season, when now-junior Leanne Krombeen led the way with a 19th-place individual finish. Senior teammate Catherine Kortman also has been among Division 3’s fastest this fall. Benzie Central was seventh last season and is led by standout freshman Mylie Kelly joining four of the team’s top five Finals finishers from 2019.
Individuals: A fast returning field will be bolstered even more by another two-time champion. Stockbridge junior Rylee Tolson won Division 3 last season and is back, and Muskegon Western Michigan Christian junior Abby VanderKooi is in Division 3 this weekend after winning Division 4 the last two years. She has the fastest Division 3 time this fall at 16:48.71. Ithaca junior Lani Bloom, Roscommon junior Allison Chmielewski and Jackson Lumen Christi junior Faith Smith have the next three fastest times, respectively, and the finished 18th, third and 22nd in 2019. Other top-20 finishers from last season running again are Boyne City sophomore Ava Maginity (7th), Harbor Springs junior Maye Burns (8th), St. Louis junior Libby Munderloh (10th), New Lothrop junior Clara Krupp (11th), Reed City senior Abbigail Kiaunis (13th) and Kent City senior Layla Martini (16th). Bridgman senior Karsyn Stewart, who set the pace for her team's Division 4 championship last fall by coming in sixth, is running in Division 3 as well.
Division 4
Reigning champion: Bridgman
2019 runner-up: Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart
2020 top-ranked: 1. Lansing Christian, 2. Hillsdale Academy, 3. Beal City
Lansing Christian and Hillsdale Academy are running for what would be a first championship, while Beal City is hoping to add a third after topping Division 4 back-to-back in 2013 and 2014. The Pilgrims didn’t qualify for the Finals as a team last season, but did enjoy a third-place individual finish from now-senior Madison Volz, a 20th by now-sophomore Ashlyn Kephart and a 35th place by now-senior Natalie Tebben. Those three rank among the top 19 in Division 4 this fall. Hillsdale Academy is looking to move up from fourth in 2019 with sophomore Megan Roberts again among the division’s fastest after placing 22nd individually a year ago. The Aggies will follow a speedy 1-2 punch of sophomore Kaylee Locke and junior Rachal Weber, who crossed eighth and 10th, respectively, last season as the team finished 17th. Sophomore Tailor Onstott also has run among the leaders this season.
Individuals: This field opens up with VanderKooi running in Division 3. Volz is the highest-placing returnee and also finished second in Division 4 as a sophomore and fifth as a freshman. Maple City Glen Lake junior Makenna Scott (18:42.84) has the fastest time in Division 4 this fall and finished fourth at the 2019 Final, and Buckley freshman Aiden Harrand (18:43.07) surely will be in the mix with the second-fastest time in Division 4, just ahead of the best by Volz (18:47.37). Concord senior Skylar Thompson was fifth last season and ranks fifth on this year’s fastest times list, with Westland Huron Valley sophomore Erika Van Loton fourth this season and coming off a seventh-place 2019 finish. Also back from last season’s top 20 are Mayville senior Haley Rowbotham (9th), Sacred Heart sophomore Olivia Ervin (12th), Gaylord St. Mary freshman Miriam Murrell (14th), Brethren senior Alexis Tracy (15th) and Harbor Beach senior Makara Kramer (19th).
PHOTO: Petoskey's Emma Squires (1427) leads a pack through the middle of last season's Division 2 championship race at Michigan International Speedway. (Click for more from RunMichigan.com.)