Caro, Albrecht Celebrate D3 Sweep
November 3, 2018
Second Half reports
BROOKLYN — Caro senior Yami Albrecht has secured a special place in Michigan high school cross country history.
Albrecht won a kick to the finish with Jeremy Kloss of Harbor Springs for the second straight year to win his third MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 3 individual championship with a time of 15:40.8 on Saturday at Michigan International Speedway.
Albrecht tied a record by becoming only the seventh boy in MHSAA history to post the fastest time in a Finals meet three times.
The others are Vicksburg’s Stephan Bishop (1962-64, Class B), Cadillac’s Mark Smith (1978-80, Class B), Central Lake’s Ryan Shay (1994-96, Class D), Benzie Central’s Jake Flynn (1997-99, Class C), Ovid-Elsie’s Maverick Darling (2005-07, Division 3) and Concord’s Jesse Hersha (2012-14, Division 4). Shay won the 1993 Class D individual race as well, but didn’t have the fastest overall time of the meet when there were separate team and individual races.
“It definitely is an accomplishment to have three state titles in a row,” Albrecht said. “I’m definitely going to remember that for the rest of my life, for sure.”
All three championships required a strong finishing kick to overcome a tough challenger.
Albrecht won by three seconds over Brian Njuguna of Bridgman in 2016 and by 2.4 seconds over Kloss last year. Kloss was side by side with Albrecht coming down to the finish before coming up 4.6 seconds short this time.
“We were coming into the stadium, we were next to each other the whole way around,” Albrecht said. “At the three-mile mark, Jeremy stepped in the mud and he got stuck. I saw his leg got stuck in there. I went for it at that point.”
Albrecht wasn’t at all disappointed to see somewhat muddy conditions when he arrived at MIS.
“Honestly, the last two years before this was all sloppy and muddy, so I was kind of happy that’s how it was today, so I could run the same way I did the past two years,” Albrecht said.
A new experience for Albrecht was having the opportunity to celebrate two championships at MIS. Caro finally completed its four-year march to the top of Division 3 by winning its first MHSAA team title since 1980 by a 61-100 margin over Pewamo-Westphalia.
The Tigers were 14th in 2015, fifth in 2016 and second to Hanover-Horton last year.
Backing up Albrecht’s performance for Caro were senior Caleb Cotton (12th,16:38.3), sophomore Logan Brown (15th, 16:42.5), senior Bryden Miller (28th, 16:54.5) and senior Aaron Hulburt (33rd, 17:00.4). It was the fourth Finals meet for Albrecht, Cotton, Hulburt and Miller.
Pewamo-Westphalia was led by seventh-place Hayden Germain (16:21.3), 14th-place Ashton Walker (16:40.6) and 20th-place Mitch Nurenberg (16:45.9).
PHOTO: Caro’s Yami Albrecht stays a step ahead of Harbor Springs’ Jeremy Kloss at the 2-mile mark of Saturday’s Division 3 Final. (Middle) Bryden Miller (426) leads another pack on the way to helping the Tigers to the team title. (Click for more from RunMichigan.com.)
Butkiewicz Closes Hackett XC Career No. 1 Again, Holland Calvary Clinches 1st Title
November 1, 2025
BROOKLYN, Mich. — There’s a history of soccer players turning into great cross country runners in the state of Michigan, most notably Grand Blanc’s Grant Fisher.
Fisher played soccer his first two years at Grand Blanc, even missing the MHSAA Cross Country Finals his sophomore year because the Bobcats reached the Division 1 championship game in soccer. He went on to become a two-time MHSAA Finals champion and win two bronze medals in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep senior Marek Butkiewicz is the latest in a line of former soccer players who have become champion runners.
He didn’t even run cross country until his freshman year of high school, but has developed into a two-time MHSAA Division 4 Finals champion.
Butkiewicz won his second title Saturday at Michigan International Speedway with a time of 15:27.0. He won by 10.6 seconds ahead of Harbor Beach senior Brody Karg.
“I knew I wanted to be great,” Butkiewicz said. “I knew I wanted to go out and do something special. Actually putting it into action, you can’t think about what it feels like before you actually do it. It’s just so amazing to be able to say, ‘Wow, I actually did that.’”
Butkiewicz gave up soccer in ninth grade and threw himself into his new sport. He was 52nd at the Division 4 Final as a freshman in 17:42.2 before moving all the way up to sixth as a sophomore in 16:12.2.
On the track, he was the Division 4 Finals champion in the 3,200-meter run and second in the 1,600 as a sophomore. He swept those events as a junior.
As a junior in cross country, he set the Division 4 Final record by winning in 15:09.7.
“My middle school didn’t have cross country or track, so I was just running on my own,” said Butkiewicz, who will run at Michigan State University. “Going into high school and having actual structure was super beneficial. I’m super thankful to everyone at Hackett who has gotten me to where I am. It’s not just a one-way street. There’s a lot of things that go into it behind the scenes.”
Butkiewicz was aiming for a sub-15 time Saturday, but chilly conditions resulted in slower times for most of the contenders in the morning races.
“It was kind of cold,” he said. “Last year was like the perfect temp. This year I couldn’t feel my nose. I’d try to breathe out of my nose and there would be like slot bubbling. It was a good day overall. I’m not displeased with it by any means.”
In the team race, second-ranked Holland Calvary scored 110 points to outpace top-ranked Maple City Glen Lake by 21. The Crusaders were Division 4 runners-up the last two years.
Christian Getz was eighth in 16:13.9, Noah Schipper 18th in 16:29.5, Gibson White 27th in 16:46.4, Brody VanTuinen 43rd in 17:05.2 and Regan Downing 70th in 17:29.5 for Holland Calvary.
Hillsdale Academy was also in the mix, placing third with 158 points.
PHOTOS (Top) Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep’s Marek Butkiewicz races toward the finish line and a repeat championship Saturday at MIS. (Middle) Holland Calvary’s Christian Getz (1372) pulls nearly even with Hackett’s Sean Siems (1382). (Click for more from RunMichigan.com.)