On Saturday, November 11, local runners headed to Shepherd High School to participate in the Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches’ Association (MITCA) Cross Country Meet of Champions. Shepherd has been hosting this event for the last five years and is home to one of the state’s premier courses, featuring flat, fast, well-groomed trails wired for mile splits and speakers for music/announcements. With such a wonderful facility, runners from all over Michigan flock to the event to chase one last season's performance. Thomas Valles, a former runner and current coach of McFarland High School in California (featured in the Disney film, McFarland USA) was even on hand to speak on race day to inspire a new generation of cross country athletes.
One of the most unique features of the meet is the draft process, where sponsors from around the state (usually running shoe/apparel stores) create teams with custom names, jerseys, and swag. They scour statistics from the season to decide on their top-round pics; think fantasy football but for cross country teams. The sponsors participate in a live selection show on Facebook, where each coach/sponsor reveals what athletes they have picked for a shot at winning the MITCA team championship. There were fourteen total sponsored teams this year, including two local running shops: Hanson’s Running Shop and Elite Feet. With 140 boys registered at sub-16:12 and 140 girls under 19:30, it can be tough to decide who to select. When drafted runners arrive at the meet, they enjoy a VIP experience with a team coach and a mix of runners from various schools who become their new teammates for the day. It’s a great opportunity for camaraderie and friendly competition against many of the Mitten’s top runners, many of whom compete in separate state divisions and wouldn’t otherwise go head-to-head.
In the Girls Elite Team race, Cros-Lex’s Morgan Newton and Eva Thompson were drafted by Complete Runner and Moneyball. Newton smashed her personal best by 15 seconds and ended her high school career with her first sub-19 minute 5k, running 18:57 to place 66th. Thompson also had one of her best times, finishing 46th with a time of 18:37, helping her team place third overall. Newton’s team was fifth. Anchor Bay’s Lauren Thomas ran for Team Elite Feet and placed 137th in 20:31. To emphasize just how spectacularly speedy this race is, the top 15 finishers were all under 18 minutes.
For the Boys Elite Team race, Yale had two drafted runners: Giovanni Pardo-Keegan and Blake Ferguson. Pardo-Keegan finished 91st in 16:01 - his best ever - for Team Elite Feet in his last race for the Bulldogs. Ferguson ran for Team Gazelle and was 124th in 16:27. While not drafted into the Elite Team race, another Yale harrier had a great run at MITCA: Acer Campbell was third in the Elite Open 5K, running his personal best in 16:04. Pardo-Keegan and Campbell have been on a notable improvement streak performing at big competitions, with previous PRs at the large Portage Invitational and then the MHSAA State Finals.
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The top ten senior finishers earned the opportunity to represent Team Michigan at the Mid-East Meet of Champions in Kettering, Ohio on Saturday, November 19th, where they compete against qualifying seniors from Indiana and Ohio. Team Michigan will travel via charter bus with the Team Michigan coaching staff, and be provided lodging, food, and a custom uniform. Alongside the Elite Team race, there was an Elite Open race and an All-Comers division.
Other Area Finishers:
Girls Elite Open 5K
95: Brynn Hurley, Cros-Lex. 20:37
Boys Elite Open 5K
3: Acer Campbell, Yale. 16:04
101: Dylan Distelrath, St. Clair. 16:53
112: Greg Vogt, Anchor Bay. 16:56
120: Luke VanderHeuvel, PHN. 16:59
142: Julian Walker, Algonac. 17:06
154: Jerry Westrick, St. Clair. 17:12
175: Ethan Kreger, St. Clair. 17:22
Girls All-Comers 5K
15: Gabriella Komarowski, St. Clair. 20:56
19: Ella Thornton, St. Clair. 20:56* PR
21: Jasmine Walker, Algonac. 21:20
Boys All-Comers 5K
10: Isaac Zammit, MC Cardinal Mooney. 17:04
32: Aaron Osterman, Anchor Bay. 17:20* PR
37: Ted Rutkofske, Yale. 17:18* PR
51: Wyatt Murtos, Yale. 17:25
62: Brayden Prieskorn, St. Clair. 17:37* PR
89: Grant Gonser, PHN. 17:48
156: Carson Prone, PHN. 18:19
179: Nolan Korolden, Yale. 18:34
222: Braden Carless, Yale. 19:00
282: John Bailey, MC CM. 20:07* PR
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