Fisher Chases History, Reigns Again in D1
November 1, 2014
By Bill Khan
Special for Second Half
BROOKLYN — Grant Fisher's only competitors in Michigan are ghosts from the past.
While the state currently has a strong crop of cross country runners, they can't even stay close to Fisher, the Grand Blanc senior who ended his MHSAA cross country career Saturday with one of the fastest times in Finals history.
The only question heading into the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 meet was whether Fisher could threaten the seemingly untouchable Michigan International Speedway record of 14:10.4 set by Rockford legend Dathan Ritzenhein in 2000.
High winds — the only thing that could touch Fisher on this day — ruled out that possibility before the race started. It would take perfect conditions for such a quest to be plausible.
Those hoping to see history had to "settle" for a dominating 14:52.5 effort by Fisher, well off the record but still one of the greatest performances the state has ever seen. His time ranks third in the 19-year history of racing at MIS behind Ritzenhein and former Rockford teammate Jason Hartmann, who ran 14:51 in 1998.
Ritzenhein is a three-time Olympian who once held the American 5,000-meter record. Hartmann finished in fourth place as the first American at the 2012 and 2013 Boston Marathons.
"Dathan is Dathan," Fisher said. "He's the best high school runner ever. For people to compare anything I've done to him, in my mind I shouldn't be compared to him ever, as nobody should. Dathan's in a class of his own.
“You can look at his professional career and it speaks for itself. I've met him a few times. He's a great guy and definitely someone I look up to."
Ovid-Elsie's Maverick Darling (14:52.8 in 2007) and Saline's Dustin Voss (14:54.45 in 2003) are the only other runners to break 15 minutes at MIS.
It was only the second time Fisher has broken 15 minutes. The first time came under ideal conditions in the Portage Invitational on Oct. 4, when he came within a second of Ritzenhein's course record with a time of 14:43.
"To do it at this venue means a lot," Fisher said. "You can look back, as everyone has recently, at some of the fast times people have turned in here. You see some of the big names that have gone on to do some pretty incredible things. To do it on this course with so much history and to do it with my teammates next to me means a lot."
Here's the scary part: Fisher still had at least one more gear in him.
His race plan was to cruise through the first mile, go hard in the second, cruise through a downhill stretch, then go hard down the final stretch. He took a look back while going around a curve just after the two-mile mark. He couldn't see anybody approaching, so he followed through with the plan.
"If someone was right on my heels, the race plan would've gone out the window and I'd have gone into race mode," said Fisher, who also is the reigning Foot Locker national champion after defeating a field in San Diego last winter.
The race for second place was much more exciting, with only 10.6 seconds separating the next eight finishers. Saline senior Logan Wetzel emerged from the battle as the runner-up in 15:19.2, 26.7 seconds behind Fisher. Anthony Berry of Traverse City Central was third in 15:21.1. Waterford Mott's Ryan Robinson, who was in second much of the race, took fifth in 15:25.4.
Junior Isaac Harding of Rockford was fourth in 15:23.2, leading Ritzenhein's former school to its first team championship since 2002.
The Rams won a tight three-way battle, scoring 140 points to edge White Lake Lakeland by six. Mott, the runner-up the last two years, was third with 148.
Rockford didn't have a senior in its lineup last year when it finished 12th in LP Division 1. Five of those seven runners were in the lineup Saturday, with one noteworthy addition. Freshman Cole Johnson was the team's No. 2 runner, placing 16th in 15:40.9. That's faster than Ritzenhein ran during his freshman year at Rockford, though his 16:22.3 was good for fifth place on a slow, muddy course in 1997.
Also scoring for Rockford were Paul Burke (57th, 16:13.2), Grayson Harding (58th, 16:13.5) and Grant Gabriel (102nd, 16:30.1).
Lakeland and Mott had five runners cross before Rockford, but the strength of its top two runners carried the Rams.
PHOTOS: (Top) Grand Blanc’s Grant Fisher finishes his second MHSAA Finals victory Saturday all alone on the final stretch. (Below) Saline’s Logan Wetzel and Traverse City Central’s Anthony Berry lead a tight pack racing for second place. (Click for more from RunMichigan.com.)
As Race Times Fall, Centreville Sophomore's Profile Rises, Goals Grow
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
October 14, 2025
CENTREVILLE – Will Hulin reported to his first high school cross country practice last fall as a freshman at Centreville without logging any summer mileage.
Hulin's lack of preseason training wasn't his choice though.
"My left knee became inflamed, and there was a bunch of liquid in it so I wasn't able to run the entire summer,” he said. “They removed the liquid, and I was cleared to start running the day before our first practice. I went into the season without any miles under my belt."
Despite the late start in his training, it didn't take Hulin long to work himself into shape – and he blossomed into the Bulldogs' top runner with rapid success.
Hulin ended his freshman cross country season as a 2024 Lower Peninsula Division 3 Finals qualifier at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, where he achieved a then personal-best time of 16:56.1 – good enough for 83rd place.
Also a guard on the Bulldogs' basketball team, Hulin additionally competes in track & field. Last spring he was part of Centreville's Finals-qualifying 3200-meter relay team. He also competes in the 1,600, 800 and 3,200-meter races.
"I missed going to state in the 1,600 by a half second,” Hulin said. “My success in track last spring helped get me prepared for my sophomore season in cross country. The sprints we do in basketball practice, I feel, make me a strong sprinter at the end of my track and cross country races.”
Hulin spent most of June attending open gyms and lifting weights for basketball. He increased his daily mileage base and attended a summer running camp at Grand Valley State University a few weeks before the start of this cross country season.
"At the cross country camp we had our toughest workouts of the day at 6 a.m. every morning. After breakfast, lunch and some free time we'd do further training in the afternoon,” he said. “It was a lot of fun. We had guest speakers come in and talk to us about nutrition, proper running shoes and mechanics to help improve us as runners. I found the nutrition part most beneficial because I learned what kind of food you need to have in your body before and after a run."
Will's parents, Shawn and Kim Hulin, are both former runners who later coached track & field in Centreville at the high school and middle school levels.
"I was always at practice with them every day when I was younger, so running was kind of born into me," Hulin said.
Fifth-year Centreville cross country coach Alicia Schmidtendorff stated that Hulin has some big goals he’s been working to attain since he joined the program back in middle school.
"Will has been running fantastic times this fall. He ran in some different races over the summer and came into this season with the mindset of going after some school records and placing among the top runners in the state. Last year he had to deal with a few injuries, so this is an exciting time for him,' said Schmidtendorff, who ran at Three Rivers High School and Spring Arbor University.
Centreville has more depth, especially on its boys team this season, prompting the Bulldogs to set a team goal of qualifying for the Finals. The Bulldogs' roster numbers 16 runners on the boys side and 13 on the girls.
"Our goal this year is to qualify as a team for state, and we might still accomplish that. It helps to have other guys with the same goals as I have. It pushes me to run faster and do whatever I can to help our team,” Hulin said. “I've been around most of these guys since elementary school. Our coaches have a good workout program for us every week. Everyone makes things fun at practice, and that's always enjoyable."
A quick start during the first mile of every race is a big part of Hulin's strategy.
"I always run my fastest in that first mile and it fades off from there, which I think is typical for most people,” Hulin said. “I like somewhat hilly courses, like the Big Hill Invite at Meyer-Broadway Park in Three Rivers. I really enjoyed that course because this year I was in better shape."
Hulin has turned in consistent times all season as the Bulldogs prepare for their most important meets over the next few weeks. Centreville’s No. 1 runner has finished first in eight of the Bulldogs' 13 races, including winning all three Southwest 10 Conference jamborees. He finished third in the Division 3 boys race at the prestigious Portage Invite on Oct. 4 with at time of 16:12.5. He clocked his all-time personal-best with a fourth-place time of 16:03.8 on Aug. 27 at the Southwest Michigan Rustbuster XC Invite at the Warner Camp in Grand Junction.
"It's been exciting to see Will's mental and physical growth as a runner this season. He's a very driven person who puts the work in on his own schedule along with what we're doing in practice,” Schmidtendorff said. “Will is very good at communicating how much he's able or not able to handle during workouts. I like knowing as a coach where my athletes are (in terms of) what they are capable of handling each day."
"We have a lot of seniors who are great leaders, but also great racers,” she added. “There are also several young runners who have strong work ethics, and our upperclassmen have been very welcoming to them. This group knows they have to be competitive not only with opposing racers but also with people on their own team. It’s been beneficial to Will to have other guys on his team who can push him in practice. Everyone has their strong suits, and they know what it takes to get the job done. It's a team effort, and we have a coaching staff that has a competitive mindset."
Hulin's goals for the remainder of this season include winning his Regional, qualifying for MIS, earning all-state honors with a top-30 Finals finish, and breaking Logan Weis' 2022 school-record time of 16:01.9 in the 5,000-meter (3.1-mile) race.
"I just try and run as fast as I can every race. I'm chasing Logan's record every meet and getting close to breaking the 16-minute barrier and getting into the high 15s," Hulin said. "It would be really cool to win Regionals as a sophomore. I don't think that many people are aware of me yet."
Hulin feels his biggest strengths as a distance runner are his determination and endurance.
"I always approach every race with some sort of strategy depending on who I'm running against,” he said. “I already know most of the guys I am competing against, so I just try to plan out my strengths to work against their weaknesses.”
Scott Hassinger is a contributing sportswriter for Leader Publications and previously served as the sports editor for the Three Rivers Commercial-News from 1994-2022. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Centreville’s Will Hulin sprints the closing stretch Oct. 4 at the Portage Invitational. (Middle) Centreville cross country coach Alicia Schmidtendorff, left, is pictured with Hulin at the school's Fall Sports Media Day. (Below) Hulin stretches out prior to the start of the Division 3 boys race at Portage. (Race photos by Scott Hassinger. Media day photo courtesy of the Centreville athletic department.)