BEWARE of Bears: Finals Champ Harrand Pacing Buckley's Team Title Pursuit
By
Tom Spencer
Special for MHSAA.com
August 25, 2023
Over the years at Buckley, Aiden Harrand got pretty used to running alone.
It is unknown how often she thought about encountering a bear. It is also uncertain how much she dreamed about running with Bears — the Buckley Bears.
Harrand, now a senior, is surrounded by Bears – teammates. She had only one teammate as a freshman. There were no other girls on the team her sophomore year. Buckley fielded an entire team her junior year last fall, and the Bears placed eighth at the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 4 Final. Harrand won the individual championship that day to lead them to that best-ever girls cross country finish.
She also won the three LPD4 track individual distance championships last spring in helping the Buckley claim the first team Finals title in any sport in the school’s history.
Harrand is starting this fall campaign Saturday at the Benzie Invitational. They’ll hit the Benzie course with their two team themes in mind – “We’re on Fire” and “Watch out for Bears.” If the competition doesn’t heed the theme warning posted on their T-shirts, they likely note them in the results.
And with individual and team state championships on their mind, the Bears are also looking for another possible first. They have high hopes of picking up the school’s first Northwest Conference championship. The league has been dominated by Benzie Central and Kingsley, schools with rich cross country histories.
“Watch out for Bears” just may have been set with the conference in mind. The recent track and cross country success won’t allow the Bears and Harrand to sneak up on anybody, pointed out second-year coach Jolie King.
“We didn’t ever have a chance because we’re competing against Benzie and Kingsley,” admitted King, who also has coached track and cross country for Bay City Western, Traverse City St. Francis and Kingsley. “They draw from 300 kids, and we have 118.
“We have a chance this year,” she continued. “(But) Benzie is going to be tough. You know Mylie (Kelly) is going to be amazing.”
The Regional and Final is really where the Bears have their sights. Kelly – who finished eighth in LP Division 3 last fall as a junior – and Benzie, along with Kingsley, will compete in Division 3. The Bears will see other conference teams, Frankfort and Glen Lake, in the Division 4 Regional the Bears are hosting Oct. 28.
By then, Buckley hopes to be on fire as demonstrated by its preseason team picture taken on a fire truck. The training plans are set with the Regional and Final meets in mind.
King said September’s plan is learning to run as team and focus on pacing as the Bears take on some pretty tough competition, including Hart and Traverse City St. Francis, two more top Division 3 teams in Northern Michigan. October will include speed work and seeing what the Bears are made of at the Portage Invitational, the coach revealed.
Harrand, the most decorated runner in Buckley’s history, has 11 teammates this fall. All the Bears are back from last year’s eighth-place finisher, plus they’ve added freshmen. They have been training all summer, meeting – and in many cases – exceeding King’s expectations.
Needless to say there is lots of excitement in Bear country. The season kicked off with a Glow Run, a team training experience commencing 12:01 AM on the first day MHSAA allowed practice for this season.
“I am giving myself goosebumps,” King noted as she talked about her 2023 team tapping its potential. “The girls have a goal to make the (Finals) podium this year.
“After (Harrand) winning the state title last spring, they know it is in their wheelhouse,” she continued. “They know they are capable of doing it.”
Harrand, of course, is expected to be the top runner again this fall. King is looking for sophomores Kayla Milarch, Brooklynn Frazee and Kinsey Peer to battle for the team’s 2-4 spots every meet. Addison Harrand, Aiden’s younger sister — also a sophomore— is projected to round out the team’s scoring regularly in the fifth spot.
Senior Natalie Halloway, junior Autumn Kelsey, sophomores Maddie Chilson and Allie Brimmer, along with incoming freshmen Kaylee Swanson and Mykayla Kulawiak, are also expected to figure in the Bears’ championship drive.
The Bears only boys team runner, sophomore Matthew Bentley, will train with the girls, giving the senior sensation the most cross country teammates she’s ever had.
“I used to say I guess I’ll go run by myself,” Aiden Harrand recalled. “Now I have 11 others to go run with me – this is kind of awesome.”
Harrand is expected to be challenged at Michigan International Speedway this fall, and she will welcome the competition as she focuses on a bigger personal goal – leading the Bears to the team championship.
“I have my work cut out for me, but I want it so bad,” the senior said. “I want to continue this trend.
“I want to do it for my girls and my team,” she continued. “I am going to be putting my best foot forward.”
If she had to accept either an individual or team Finals championship, she knows which one she’d take.
“I want the team one,” she said. “I think it is a bigger deal to be a part of a team to accomplish so much than to just do it individually.”
Harrand is very special to her coach.
“Every coach deserves an Aiden Harrand on their team,” King said. “She is bubbly … she makes everybody come together as a team … she demonstrates hard work … she’s really been such a leader … she encourages everybody.”
Harrand took fifth in the Division 4 Final as a freshman and was the runner-up as a sophomore. Across her 11 victories last season, Harrand had an average margin of victory of 34.5 seconds. She took the Division 4 top spot by nearly 15 seconds after winning her Regional by 49 seconds.
Last spring she finished first in every track event she entered, with Finals, Regional and Northwest Conference championships in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs.
Not surprisingly, Harrand owns an endless list of course and Buckley school track and cross country records.
But again, to her, team matters most.
“Her job for the team is to win meets,” King said. “But when she is done, she is on the line. She is coaching constantly. … She rubs off.”
And the sophomore Harrand really looks for her older sister to lead the team to success.
“It is really cool watching my sister do this and being able to support her at what she does,” Addisen pointed out. “Knowing she is going to be in the top five, and just having her do that goal and us follow, pushes us to be so much better as a team.”
Tom Spencer is a longtime MHSAA-registered basketball and soccer official, and former softball and baseball official, and he also has coached in the northern Lower Peninsula area. He previously has written for the Saginaw News, Bay County Sports Page and Midland Daily News. 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) Buckley runners joke with coach Jolie King, far right, before a training run earlier this month. From left: Kinsey Peer, Brooklynn Frazee, Kayla Milarch, Aiden Harrand, and Addisen Harrand, with Allie Brimmer behind King. (Middle) The Bears’ team photo with a fire engine this fall is symbolic of the team’s “We’re on Fire” theme. From left: Coach Jolie King, Aiden Harrand, Natalie Halloway, Kinsey Peer (standing) Allie Brimmer (kneeling), Maddie Chilson (standing), Addisen Harrand (inside fire truck), Kayla Milarch (sitting), Matthew Bentley (standing) Autumn Kelsey (sitting), Kaylee Swanson (on truck), Mikayla Kulawiak (seated leaning forward) and Brooklynn Frazee (standing). (Below) The team takes a photo in front of a new course marker. From left: Kinsey Peer, Addisen Harrand, Brooklynn Frazee, Mikayla Kulawiak, Allie Brimmer, Kayla Milarch, Aiden Harrand, Kaylee Lown and Autumn Kelsey. Missing: Maddie Chilson, Natalie Halloway and Matthew Bentley. (Top photo by Tom Spencer. Fire engine photo by Amanda Patterson/Pattersnap. Course marker photo by Jolie King.)
Preview: Pair of Reigning Champions Racing to Extend Successful Streaks
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 31, 2025
A pair of two-time reigning champions will attempt to join an even more exclusive list of title winners at Saturday’s Lower Peninsula Girls Cross Country Finals at Michigan International Speedway.
Romeo in Division 1 and Whitmore Lake in Division 4 will enter their championship races both seeking to become the 10th and/or 11th Lower Peninsula teams to win at least three straight Finals championships.
Whitmore Lake also is led by Kaylie Livingston, who is joined by St. Johns’ Ava Schafer as returning individual champions seeking to repeat.
See below for several more team and individual contenders. 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 girls race, in Division 4, 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 the NFHS Network: Divisions 1 & 2 | Divisions 3 & 4.
Division 1
Reigning champion: Romeo
2024 runner-up: Saline
2025 top-ranked: 1. Ann Arbor Pioneer, 2. Brighton, 3. Romeo.
Romeo is seeking to become the 10th Lower Peninsula program to win at least three straight Finals championships and will return to MIS with four racers from last year’s top seven including sixth-place senior Natalia Guaresimo and 11th-place junior Annie Hrabovsky. Pioneer is forecast to win its first title since claiming three straight from 2019-21, and after finishing sixth last season but returning four of their top five from that race including third-place sophomore Natasza Dudek and 15th-place sophomore Sienna Klemmer. Brighton finished fifth last year with only one senior, and four of its top six placers will run again this weekend after the team won a Regional that also included No. 6 Ann Arbor Skyline and No. 11 Okemos.
Individuals: Dudek is the highest returning placer as four of the top five last season graduated, and she has the fastest 5K time in the state this fall (16:11.2) across either peninsula and all divisions. Hrabovsky ranks second on the Division 1 list of season-best times this fall, and Okemos sophomore Rachel Smith has the third-fastest on that list after finishing 10th at last year’s Final. Total, 10 of last season’s top 20 will be back this weekend, including as well Rockford seventh-place junior Daisy Cox, Midland Dow eighth-place sophomore Emilia Garces, Ann Arbor Skyline 12th-place sophomore Lucia Llanes, Rochester Hills Stoney Creek 13th-place junior Leah Corby and Rochester 19th-place senior Ella Abraham. Pioneer freshman Keira Von Blon also has run one of the top 10 times in Division 1 this fall, and Zeeland East sophomore Adalyn Raab finished 11th in Division 2 in 2024.
Division 2
Reigning champion: Goodrich
2024 runner-up: Zeeland East
2025 top-ranked: 1. Otsego, 2. Grand Rapids South Christian, 3. Grand Rapids Christian.
Goodrich last season won its first championship in nearly two decades, and is ranked No. 5 heading into this weekend. Otsego finished fifth a year ago but is the favorite after also finishing second in 2023 and most recently winning the title in 2022. Three of last season’s top four are back this weekend for the Bulldogs – including the reigning runner-up, senior Emma Hoffman – and they are bolstered by four freshmen including three whose top times this fall rank among the top 40 on the Division 2 season bests list. South Christian is expected to make a jump from 13th a year ago as it pursues its first Finals team title after previously finishing a program-best second in 2005. The Sailors return three runners from last year’s lineup as well, with four freshmen providing a boost. Grand Rapids Christian is another regular in this conversation, finishing fourth with no seniors a year ago after winning the title in 2023. Five of last year’s seven Finals racers are back for the Eagles this weekend.
Individuals: Only five of last season’s top 20 were seniors, and St. Johns junior Ava Schafer is running for a repeat after winning last year’s race by 10 seconds. Hoffman has the fastest time in Division 2 this season (16:20.6), with Gaylord senior Katie Berkshire’s season best (16:32.0) ranking second in Division 2 after she placed third at last year’s Final. The other 11 non-seniors from last season’s top 20 (with Raab running in Division 1) all will be back as well, including Holland Christian fourth-place sophomore Avery Engbers, Freeland sixth-place junior Clara Kaczor, Ludington eighth-place junior Annabelle Lowman and Frankenmuth ninth-place senior Natalie Foltz. Pinckney junior Jaelyn Ray finished 12th last season and has the third-fastest top time in Division 2 this season, and Ludington freshman Eliza Schwass has posted the fourth-fastest top time in the division.
Division 3
Reigning champion: Lansing Catholic
2024 runner-up: Pewamo-Westphalia
2025 top-ranked: 1. Lansing Catholic, 2. Pewamo-Westphalia, 3. Jackson Lumen Christi.
The top two from last season are predicted to finish that way again, with Lansing Catholic returning its top six runners from last year’s championship lineup and P-W four of its seven – with both teams also featuring one of the fastest freshmen in the division. Pirates junior Alyssa Kramer finished 14th individually a year ago and has the second-fastest top time this fall in Division 3, with Cougars junior Grace Wonch and sophomore Josie Bishop (20th last season) also ranking among the top seven on the division’s top times list. Lumen Christi finished ninth a year ago led by now-junior Samantha Schroeder, who finished eighth individually. She’s one of three runners back from last season’s Finals lineup and has the third-fastest top time in Division 3 this fall.
Individuals: The top five and eight of last season’s top 11 graduated, with Leslie senior Hailey Creisher the highest returning placer at sixth a year ago and also entering with the fastest time in Division 3 this season at 17:51.9. Following her and Schroeder among returning placers is Lakeview junior Kamryn Salladay, who was 10th and is back as an individual qualifier. Blissfield senior Hope Miller (12th), Grand Rapids Covenant Christian junior Shelby Kuiper (13th), Kramer (14th), McBain sophomore Caelyn Torry (16th), Kent City sophomore Elliana Max (18th) and Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central senior Bella LaFountain (19th) also are back from the 2024 top 20. Expect some new names as well: Six of the top 23 top times run in Division 3 this season have been run by freshmen.
Division 4
Reigning champion: Whitmore Lake
2024 runner-up: Auburn Hills Oakland Christian
2025 top-ranked: 1. Whitmore Lake, 2. Buckley, 3. Maple City Glen Lake.
Whitmore Lake also is running to become the 10th Lower Peninsula girls program to win three straight Finals titles, and the Trojans are once again paced by junior Kaylie Livingston – last year’s individual champion and holder of the fastest time in Division 4 this fall at 17:45.0. Total, Whitmore Lake returns six racers from last year’s title-winning lineup, with senior Carina Burchi finishing 11th individually a year ago and senior Elodie Weaver back after placing 24th. Buckley impressively placed 11th as a team last year after graduating two-time individual champion Aiden Harrand and without a senior. The Bears return four of their top six racers from 2024. Glen Lake didn’t run at the Finals as a team last season, but now-sophomore Carmella Julian placed 20th as an individual qualifier and is back as the Lakers pursue their first team title since 2000. Glen Lake will run three freshmen, three sophomores and a junior after finishing second at its Regional to Buckley.
Individuals: Livingston and Gobles third-place junior Libby Smith are the only two from last year’s top seven racing again, and they could make this a classic. Although Livingston won last year’s race by 14 seconds and finished 20 ahead of Smith, Smith’s top time this fall (17:46.8) is just two seconds off Livingston’s division-best pace. Harbor Springs junior Stefi Reskevics (eighth), Onekama sophomore Callie Sinke (ninth), Burchi (11th), Breckenridge senior Ally Schmitz (14th), Grand Traverse Academy junior Amelia McKinney (15th), Ubly senior Katie Sweeney (16th) and Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep senior Emma Riker (18th) also are back from the top 20, and three freshmen and an eighth grader have run top times among the top 17 in Division 4 this fall. Leland sophomore Sophia Grinage finished 51st in her Finals debut last year, but has run the third-fastest top time in the division.
PHOTO Several teams, including this weekend's expected Division 2 contender Grand Rapids South Christian, take their opening strides during the Otsego Invitational Division 2 race on Sept. 27. (Photo by Gary Shook.)