Traverse City's Best Pace State's Elite
August 26, 2015
By Dennis Chase
Special for Second Half
TRAVERSE CITY - Two decisions, no regrets.
Holly Bullough made the switch from soccer, Anthony Berry from football.
Today, the two Traverse City seniors are among the best high school runners in the state.
Bullough, a four-time MHSAA champion in track at St. Francis, enters the cross country season as the defending Lower Peninsula Division 3 champion. The Michigan State University commit rallied from nearly 75 yards back to edge Charlevoix's Amber Way by two-tenths of a second in a spectacular finish in last year's Final.
Traverse City Central's Berry finished third in the LP Division 1 boys race. His time of 15:21 was the fastest among all the underclassmen in the state.
Now the two will try to build on their past success, starting Saturday in a season-opening invitational at Benzie Central.
"Anthony Berry and Holly Bullough are the two best distance runners to ever come out of here," Central Hall of Fame coach John Lober said matter-of-factly.
That's a strong statement, considering the area has produced some talented runners, including Central Lake's Ryan Shay, a former All-American at Notre Dame and the NCAA 10,000-meter champion in 2001. Shay was a four-time high school MHSAA champion in cross country. His best time in an MHSAA Final was 15:30.
"Ryan had a great career," Lober said. "But as far as high school runners, Anthony is running faster times than anybody ever has in this part of the state. It's really cool as a coach to see a kid apply himself like that."
Bullough's 2014 Finals time of 17:51.3 was the second fastest among area girls, trailing only Gaylord's Sloan Secord's 17:49.7 in 2007.
And it doesn't end there. A third Traverse City runner, Central sophomore Sielle Kearney, is taking her place among the elite. Kearney finished fifth in last year's Division 1 meet in a 17:57.7. That was the second fastest time by a freshman and it earned her a spot - along with Berry and Bullough - on the Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association all-state Dream Team. In the spring, Kearney broke Central's school record in the 3,200 by five seconds.
"She had an incredible year," Central coach Lisa Taylor said.
Kearney and Bullough, who like to train together, have similar race philosophies – run as hard as you can for as long as you can. It's paid off for Bullough, who used her track speed down the stretch to catch Way in one of the more memorable MHSAA Finals finishes.
"It was crazy," Bullough said. "I didn't think I could catch her, but then at the last second somehow I did. I was in shock. It went by so fast I didn't really feel like it happened."
It did, much to the delight of her coach, Ben LaBelle.
"I think I've worn that video clip out," he said.
Bullough's been involved in a number of close races. Not all have gone her way. She finished second by less than a second to Manistee's Annie Fuller in the 1,600 and 800 at the LP Division 3 Track and Field Finals in June. Facing that type of competition has sharpened her edge.
"Running is a totally mental sport, and I feel I have a stronger mental personality now," she said.
Bullough also has a calming disposition that enables her to stay focused and level-headed. No moment seems too big.
"She is as she presents herself," LaBelle said. "She's a happy person. She's well balanced. She can make herself go when she needs to and she doesn't get flustered."
Bullough is hoping to run in the 17:40s this season, although she realizes it will be a process over the next several weeks. She trained hard – running and lifting – over the summer. She worked out with teammates, Kearney and Way, who will be her future teammate at Michigan State and is a good friend. No shortcuts were taken.
“(Bullough’s) a gifted athlete," LaBelle said. "That's the foundation. But she also works extremely hard to get the best from her God-given gifts."
This could be a special year for the Gladiators. "I expect to contend for the state championship," LaBelle said.
The 17-year-old Bullough, of course, will lead the way. Can she repeat?
"That would be so cool to win again," she said.
Berry has a Finals championship among his goals, too. In fact, he's hoping to win every race he enters this season.
"That's a big thing to say, but I really don't plan on not winning," he said. "I'm going to hold myself to that, and I'm going to work as hard as I can to make that happen."
Lober likes that attitude.
"That's a great goal," he said. "My wish for him is that he does the best he can do every time out. Winning every race, that's the way he operates."
Berry has been on a steady climb since he dedicated himself to running in the ninth grade. In cross country, over the last three years at the MHSAA Finals, he's posted the top freshman, sophomore and junior times in Division 1.
"That's tough to do," Lober said. "What this year holds, well, that's why we're having the season, to find out."
Berry – who plans to take official visits to the University of Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State this fall – seems primed for a banner year. He runs almost every day, averaging about 60 miles a week. Sunday is the exception. He bikes on that day.
"We have all these great biking paths here, so I try to get 30 to 40 miles in to take some of the pressure off my legs and keep my aerobic system up," he said.
His goal is to drop his time under 15 minutes. Berry ran a 14:16.56 to win the Cherry Festival 5K in July, although the course was actually short of that distance.
"It was still a full three miles," Berry said. "And that (time) was with a week off before the race. If I continue training hard, and stay healthy, I can do it (under 15). I don't have a doubt in my mind.”
Like Bullough, Berry is a hard worker with a strong mental makeup and good foot speed. Lober expects him to run under 50 seconds in the 400 next spring.
Berry, 17, is well aware that, on paper, he is the state's top returnee this season. He acknowledged that adds pressure, but at the same time helps motivate him.
And he's not overlooking the competition.
"I'm not taking anything for granted," he said. "I know there are some really good runners in this state."
Lober feels fortunate that he might have the best.
"You're not going to see an Anthony Berry come along very often," he said. "If you haven't seen him run, you better go watch him. He's the real deal. I feel lucky to be part of it."
Taylor feels the same coaching the up-and-coming Kearney.
The 15-year-old was a star in middle school, and she continued to excel in her first year on varsity.
"She loves to run," Taylor said. "I've always felt the kids who are really going to go far, beyond the high school level, always have that as their starting point."
Kearney became the first Central girl to run under 18 minutes at the MHSAA Finals. Her teammate, Ashley Ko, was right behind (17:57.7 and 17:58.5, respectively) as the Trojans placed second as a team. Kearney and Ko, who is now running at Northwestern University, worked together throughout the season, pushing each other, to reach their goal of running under 18.
Kearney is looking to improve upon that this season. She’s shooting for a top-two finish and a time in the 17:30s. But that's not her first goal.
"I really want our team to make the podium again at states," she said. “I think that would be super cool.”
Kearney ran two half marathons in July as part of her off-season training.
“I upped my mileage, and I'm a lot more confident in my running,” she said.
Kearney followed a half-marathon training schedule for most of her summer workouts. That was fine with Taylor.
“I'm not the kind of coach who says you have to follow my schedule to be successful,” Taylor said. “For me, it’s always been, ‘What can I do to keep you happy as a runner in our program?’
“I think every coach knows deep in their heart that when you have a runner like Sielle, it's not your training that makes them fast. Any coach who is being honest knows these type of kids have something special about them that really has nothing to do with you. Our job as coaches for kids like Sielle is to keep them happy and recognize how much fun the whole team part can be and the friendships that can develop. Sielle’s really good at that.”
For her part, Kearney tries to keep running in perspective. When Taylor recently handed out questionnaires to her team, she asked them what their dream goal will be in three to six years.
Kearney responded: “My biggest goal is to continue to love running. It would be cool to run in college, and maybe even in some big races, but the ultimate goal in my running career is to never stop loving it, even if that means giving up competitive running.”
That answer impressed Taylor.
“That’s what every really great runner can say about their feelings for the sport – that the love was always there, the desire, the motivation,” Taylor said. “That was part of why they were successful because they have those roots for the love of the way it feels, mentally and physically.”
With Bullough, Berry and Kearney, it’s a special time right now in Traverse City, Lober said.
“It's going to be pretty cool to watch these runners,” Lober said. “We're lucky. People have to go watch these kids run to understand what we've got.”
Dennis Chase worked 32 years as a sportswriter at the Traverse City Record-Eagle, including as sports editor from 2000-14. 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) Holly Bullough (1740) pulls away at the end of last season's LP Division 3 Final at Michigan International Speedway. (Middle) Anthony Berry (157) leads a pack around the final turn of the LP Division 1 boys race. (Below) Sielle Kearney (1172) runs toward a fifth-place finish at her first MHSAA Final. (Photos by RunMichigan.com.)
Preview: Hart, East Grand Rapids Set to Challenge Records for All-Time Success
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 3, 2022
Saturday’s MHSAA Lower Peninsula Girls Cross Country Finals at Michigan International Speedway will give hundreds of athletes a chance to build on what they’ve accomplished this fall – and allow some of the state’s top programs an opportunity to build on their impressive histories in the sport.
Start with Hart, which has won five straight LP Division 3 championships and can become the first Lower Peninsula team to reach six straight with another title this weekend.
Meanwhile East Grand Rapids, the top-ranked team in LP Division 2, can tie Jackson Lumen Christi’s record of nine Lower Peninsula Finals titles.
Contenders Ann Arbor Pioneer and Grand Rapids Christian are tied for third on that all-time Lower Peninsula championship list with six apiece, followed by Hart with its five. Pioneer has won three in a row, and with a fourth straight would tie for the sixth-longest championship streak in either peninsula.
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: Ann Arbor Pioneer
2021 runner-up: Holland West Ottawa
2022 top-ranked: 1. Saline, 2. Ann Arbor Pioneer, 3. Holland West Ottawa
Pioneer has won three-straight Division 1 championships, last year ahead of West Ottawa 68-100, with Saline running fifth. But as the Pioneers seek a fourth-consecutive win, the competition could be as tough as ever. The Hornets sit in the top spot, seeking their first Finals championship since 2009, after winning last week’s Regional at Milan ahead of Pioneer 33-42. Pioneer did win the Portage Invitational on Oct. 8 with West Ottawa a close second and Saline third, and West Ottawa was the top Michigan placer (second) at the Spartan Invitational Elite race back on Sept. 16. West Ottawa is paced by the two fastest runners in the state this fall – sophomore Helen Sachs (season best 17:01.6) and senior Arianne Olson (17:11.3), who finished fifth and third, respectively, at last year’s Final. Reigning champion and now-junior Rachel Forsyth (season best 18:11.6) returns for Pioneer and is teaming with senior Emily Cooper (17:49.8), who has won three straight races including their league and Regional championship runs. Senior Mia Rogan (18:12.3) paces Saline and was the Regional runner-up last weekend at Milan. All five runners rank among the top 22 on the statewide season best list.
Individuals: Including Forsyth, Olson and Sachs, five of last season’s top seven Finals finishers will return this weekend. Rochester sophomore Lucy Cook is back after running sixth, and Macomb Dakota junior Jayden Harberts returns after running seventh, and both have season-best times among the top 18 statewide. Sachs, Cooper, Cook and Harberts won Regional titles last week, joined by Midland Dow sophomore Victoria Garces, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central junior Clara James-Heer, Ann Arbor Skyline senior Natalie Kessler, Northville junior Ella Christensen and Farmington sophomore Molly Baracco.
Division 2
Reigning champion: East Grand Rapids
2021 runner-up: Grand Rapids Christian
2022 top-ranked: 1. East Grand Rapids, 2. Otsego, 3. Grand Rapids Christian
East Grand Rapids has been a regular at the front of this pack the last two decades and is the reigning champion after also recently earning titles in 2018 and 2019 and the runner-up spot in 2020. Five of last season’s Finals runners are back and six Pioneers finished among the top 16 at their Regional last week at Grand Rapids South Christian, paced by junior champion Drew Muller. She was fifth at last season’s Final, while sophomore Sadey Seyferth was 12th and junior Sophia Lado finished 15th. Muller ranks fifth on the statewide season best list with a 17:25.3. Otsego is only a few years removed from back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016 and finished fifth last season with four underclassmen among its top five runners. Three of those four are back this weekend led by junior Megan Germain. Grand Rapids Christian is another team always in the mix, with another runner-up finish coming in 2017 and its most recent championships in 2013 and 2014. Last season’s individual champion Madelyn Frens was a senior, but the next five Eagles runners from 2021 will return this weekend, with junior Natalie VanOtteren coming off a fourth-place Finals finish a year ago and ranking seventh on the season best statewide list this fall with a 17:37.4.
Individuals: Including the three East Grand Rapids returnees and Christian’s VanOtteren, nine of last season’s top 15 finishers will race again this weekend hoping to follow Frens as the individual champion. Mason junior Meghan Ford finished second at the Final as a freshman and third last year, and Frankenmuth junior Mary Richmond was fourth as a freshman and second last season. Richmond has the third-fastest season best time in Division 2 (and 23rd statewide) of 18:12.6. Also returning from last year’s top 15 are Grand Rapids West Michigan Aviation Academy junior Emma DeVries (10th), Zeeland East junior Allison Kuzma (11th) and Marshall junior Camille Decola (14th).
Division 3
Reigning champion: Hart
2021 runner-up: Kent City
2022 top-ranked: 1. Traverse City St. Francis, 2. Pewamo-Westphalia, 3. Hart
Hart’s championship record pursuit will be led by one of the state’s fastest runners in sophomore Jessica Jazwinski, whose 17:15.1 is the third-fastest season best time statewide this fall. Junior teammate Alyson Ens is not far behind with a 17:49.9 that is tied for 11th-fastest season best time. Ens was runner-up and Jazwinski third at last year’s Final, and three more of their top six runners from that meet also will be back this weekend. But the challenge will be mighty. St. Francis finished third last year without a senior, and six of those seven runners – including the top five – are back led by sophomore Betsy Skendzel, who placed eighth in 2021 and has the 16th-fastest season best time statewide of 18:07.5. P-W finished 10th last season and returns its top six runners from that team. Lansing Catholic was fourth last season with only one senior and brings four runners back including its top three, with senior Hannah Pricco seventh last season, junior Tessa Roe 17th and senior CC Jones 18th. Jones and Pricco’s season-best times this fall rank among the top 27 statewide.
Individuals: Division 3 graduated an impressive class after last season, including three Finals champions. But eight of last season’s top 15 will return this weekend. Joining Enns and Jazwinski, Pricco and Skendzel will be Benzie Central junior Mylie Kelly (sixth in 2021), Ypsilanti Arbor Prep sophomore Eliza Bush (ninth), Jackson Lumen Christi junior Madison Osterberg (12th) and Kent City sophomore Lila Volkers (14th). A newcomer will challenge them as well; Onsted freshman Emmry Ross is undefeated this season, and her top time of 17:47.6 ranks second in Division 3 only to Jazwinski’s season best and ninth on the statewide list. Skendzel, Jazwinski, Volkers, Ross, Pricco and Bush won Regional titles last weekend, as did Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett sophomore Kerith Short, Reese senior Ellymae McCoy and Lawton junior Kendra Koster. Muskegon Western Michigan Christian sophomore Grace VanderKooi and Kalamazoo Christian sophomore Alaina Klooster were placers in Division 4 last season, crossing the line eighth and 15th, respectively, in that race.
Division 4
Reigning champion: Muskegon Western Michigan Christian
2021 runner-up: Kalamazoo Christian
2022 top-ranked: 1. Johannesburg-Lewiston, 2. Whitmore Lake, 3. Harbor Springs
Western Michigan Christian became the third-straight first-time Finals champion in Division 4 last fall, and Johannesburg-Lewiston would run that streak to four if it matches its ranking. The Cardinals finished sixth a year ago with only one senior and bring back their top five runners from that meet, including senior Adelaida Gascho, who finished fourth individually last fall. Johannesburg-Lewiston finished second at last weekend’s East Jordan Regional to Harbor Springs, but sophomore Allie Novak and freshman Yolanda Gascho were the top two individual placers. Whitmore Lake is seeking its first team title since 1996 and bringing back four of its top six runners from last year’s ninth-place team – including 13th-place now-junior Natalie Meadows – plus standout freshman Carina Burchi, whose 17:42.5 is the second-fastest time on the Division 4 season best list. Harbor Springs was 12th in Division 3 a year ago and brings three of its runners back this weekend, and placed four among the top seven individuals in that Regional win over Johannesburg-Lewiston. Harbor Springs is seeking its first Finals team title since 2009.
Individuals: Four-time Finals champion Abby VanderKooi graduated this spring, but Buckley junior Aiden Harrand is another big star from a small school. She was fifth as a freshman and runner-up last season, and her season-best time of 18:11 ranks 20th on the statewide list. She’s one of 10 runners back from last season’s Division 4 top 15 (not including the two who are running in Division 3 this weekend). Joining Harrand, Gascho and Meadows are Huron Valley Lutheran senior Erika Van Loton (fifth in 2021), Mendon sophomore Presley Allen (sixth), Auburn Hills Oakland Christian sophomore Eliza Keith (ninth), Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest senior Mackenzie Lemke (10th), Allen Park Cabrini junior Ava Teed (11th), Pittsford sophomore Ava Mallar (12th) and Wyoming Potter’s House Christian junior Ivy Andreas (14th). Joining Nowak among Regional champs were Harrand, Allen, Burchi and Teed, as well as Genesee junior Isabella Yeoman, Adrian Lenawee Christian sophomore Izzy Brooks, Hudsonville Libertas Christian freshman Sadie Schout and Beal City senior Kaylee Locke.
PHOTO Hart's Alyson Enns (255) and Jessica Jazwinski kick toward the finish of last season's Lower Peninsula Division 3 Final at Michigan International Speedway. (Click for more from RunMichigan.com.)