Even with the unseasonably long stretch of hot temperatures, personal bests have still been falling as we reach the mid-season point of cross country. The Brooks Mid-Season Spectacular and the James Cleverley Invite were both hosted locally and featured great performances from Blue Water Athletes. The Skippers of SC4 and Monarchs of Macomb Community College also had a big week, competing in the MCCAA Eastern Conference Championships at Stony Creek Metropark.
County Press/North Branch Meet (all meet titles are links to results).
Tues., Sept. 17, 2024 @ North Branch High School
Top area finishers per school:
BOYS 9. Kai Fisher 18:52 Memphis 2. Wyatt Opperman 19:18 SR North Branch 16. Donovan Glasgow 19:34 SR Capac 69. Jacob Clark 31:48 Blue Water Christian Academy | GIRLS 9. Rowan Conley 21:57 SR North Branch 22. Livia Kuecken 24:20 Blue Water Christian Academy 27. Morgan Brown 25:37 SR Memphis 52. Samantha Skurda 33:38 PR Capac |
Friday, Sept. 20, 2024 @ Stony Creek Metropark
Photos courtesy of MCC/SC4 Instagram and Facebook.
The Macomb Community College Monarchs can now claim the title, “Champions of the East” for both of their cross country teams. At Friday morning’s MCCAA Eastern Conference Championships, the men’s and women’s teams earned first-place honors. Ava LaMilza won an individual championship in 20:03 and was named the MCCAA East Runner of the Year. Emma Dell was fourth in 21:17 (PR) and Erin Rowan was seventh (22:15) to round out three Lady Monarchs in the top ten. The men’s team had a dominant pack with Dylan Penberthy (27:42 PR), Jack DeWaele (28:10), Brandon Penberthy (28:19 PR), and Gabe Rusch (28:28 PR) going 2-3-4-5. Carson Gilbertson was seventh in 28:41.
The SC4 Skippers placed second in both the men’s and women’s races, with Lance Kowalski leading the men in eighth (28:45) and Ethan McCombs taking 10th (29:12), with Acer Campbell (11th; 29:15) and Vinny Schweihofer (13th; 29:18 PR) not far behind. Lily Lemanski earned runner-up honors for the women (20:57) and Jenna Denver (5th; 21:44 PR), Laela Bhatti (6th; 22:01 PR), and Olivia Crawford (8th; 22:25) rounded out Skippers in the top ten.
The SC4 women are currently ranked 11th in the nation, with the men ranked 21st in NJCAA DII polls. The Macomb men are 15th and the women are 15th as of Sept. 22 (www.ustfccca.org).
Official Team Scores - MEN
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Friday, Sept. 20, 2024 @ Anchor Bay High School
Photos courtesy of Rick Leslie/AB XC.
Greg Vogt and Aaron Osterman had a big Friday night on their home course, with both running significant personal bests. Vogt was second in 16:32 and Osterman fifth in 16:46. Their team finished third overall. Osterman dropped 40 seconds on his best this fall and chipped close to 30 off his PR last year, while Vogt did the same on his season best and keeps dipping deeper into the 16s. Fellow Tar Brandon Ziehmer was 20th to earn a medal in 18:20. Nico DiPonio of Austin Catholic was 16th, running a PR in 18:04. His teammate Andrew Rosso was 21st in his best-ever time of 18:21. The top 25 places were medalists, but Max Durham was the top finisher for New Haven in 30th (19:23 PR).
Freshman Cassidy Bowers (Austin Catholic) continues her impressive inaugural cross country season, snagging a runner-up invitational finish with a best of 20:46. Tenaya Jendza (12th; 23:25 PR), Juilanne Drobek (13th; 23:29 SR), and Ava Pouliot (14th; 23:32 PR) all finished in a bunch for Anchor Bay, with Samantha DeFrain taking 22nd (24:42) to round out the medalists for Anchor Bay. Sophia Szabo of New Haven grabbed the last medal in 25th (24:55).
Sat. Sept. 21 @ Goodells County Park
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Approximately 40 teams - most of them local - came to Goodells Park on Saturday to race. Runners were separated only after results for awards, which meant all divisions were together on the course, providing some good competition and great times. Once races were completed, medals were given to the top 30 into small/large school divisions and trophies to the top two teams, so full results described below vary slightly from division-awarded medals and teams. 12 boys and 19 girls put their personal bests on the Blue Water Area top performance list at this meet.
Joshua Macri of Macomb Lutheran North has only one second-place finish next to his name so far this season, but if he had to add another one, at least it was to one of the best in the state. Abenezer Cerone of Royal Oak Shrine, coming off a win last week at Holly and third in the state last year in D4, dropped a big personal best of 15:49. Macri was pulled with the fast pace and ran his personal best by 21 seconds to finish in 16:16. He retains his spot for another week as the fastest male runner covered by Blue Water Running. Teammate Xavier Roman was tenth in his best of 17:07, helping the MLN Mustangs to a third-place team finish overall. Julian Walker (Algonac) did just what he stated was a season goal in the last episode of The Blue Water Running Podcast: he dipped under 17 minutes, placing seventh. Ethan Kreger led the St. Clair Saints, taking 12th in 17:20, a season-best for him. They were fourth overall as a team.
In the girls’ race, Cros-Lex’s Eva Thompson toed the line with Kaylie Livingston of Whitmore Lake, who was last year’s D4 state meet runner-up (and Whitmore Lake won the team state championship in 2023). It was a battle through the first mile, but Livingston pulled away and won in 18:27 - she opened her season in 18:17 and has a PR of 17:39. Thompson was second in 19:02, a big season’s-best, which puts her at the top of the area performance list. Alannah Wessel of MACH, who previously held the top time spot in the area, finished sixth in 19:38. Samantha Whitlam of Macomb Lutheran North led her team in ninth in 20:17, while Brynn Hurley of Cros-Lex earned a top-ten award in 20:40.
While many other athletes medaled, here are the top Blue Water Area finishers for each respective team not mentioned above: Ian Potts 17:25.9 MACH Connor Pepin 17:49 PR Croswell-Lexington Oliver Howie 17:52 Port Huron Northern Logan Romain 17:52 PR Dryden Mason Pietrykowski 18:30 Richmond Brendan Koza 18:34 PR Marysville Robert Carrigan 19:03 PR Armada Liam Knuth 19:04 Cardinal Mooney Catholic Earl Beattie 19:12 Marine City Kai Fisher 19:12 Memphis Max Durham 19:47 New Haven Liam Bhatti 20:07 PR Imlay City John Goodwin 20:35 PR Port Huron | Official Team Scores - BOYS
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Other top Blue Water Area finishers for their respective teams not mentioned above: Samantha Langolf: 20:52 Port Huron Northern Allie Komarowski: 20:56 St. Clair Saige Cole: 21:01 PR Yale Lillian Rutallie: 21:01 SR Marysville Brooklyn Khon : 21:04 Armada Pauline Chapman: 21:31 PR Richmond Julia Rogers: 21:49 Kimball New Life Christian Charlotte O'Brien: 21:51 Imlay City Stella Behnan: 21:59 Cardinal Mooney Catholic Cara Prusakiewicz: 22:44 Dryden Jasmine Walker: 22:57 Algonac Aubrey Pilon: 23:04 Marine City Emma Reimer: 23:23 PR New Haven Livia Kuecken: 24:45 Blue Water Christian Academy Lucilia Cordle: 30:05 Kimball Landmark Sophia Lawrence: 26:53 PR Memphis | Official Team Scores - GIRLS 1. Rochester Adams 45 2. Macomb Lutheran North 138 3. Lake Orion 159 4. Whitmore Lake 170 5. St. Clair 171 6. Port Huron Northern 188 7. Macomb L'Anse Creuse North 218 8. Croswell-Lexington 249 9. Warren Regina 260 10. Royal Oak Shrine 283 11. Marysville 305 12. Armada 311 13. Yale 330 14. Michigan Athletic Club for Homeschoolers 383 15. Imlay City 428 16. Macomb Dakota 444 17. Dryden 456 18. Warren Mott 459 19. Caro 484 20. Marine City 484 21. Richmond 487 22. Brown City 527 23. Algonac 553 |
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