Century of School Sports: Cross Country Finals Among MHSAA's Longest-Running
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 23, 2024
While we are celebrating multiple milestones this fall – the beginning of the MHSAA’s 100th anniversary, and our 50th Football Playoffs – we already can circle another notable date for the first season of the 2025-26 school year.
This time next fall, we’ll be on the cusp of our 30th Lower Peninsula Cross Country Finals at Michigan International Speedway, which has drawn an average of 9,332 fans to those four championship races since becoming their home in 1996.
Boys cross country actually was one of the first sports to have postseason events organized by the newly-formed MHSAA. Annual boys cross country championship races had been run since 1922 (according to L.L. Forsythe’s “Athletics in Michigan High Schools – The First Hundred Years”), and although the 1924 Open Class Final – won by Ann Arbor High School – was competed before the MHSAA’s official start date that December, it is counted on the list of official MHSAA championships. Cross country would be joined that inaugural school year by boys basketball, boys swimming & diving, boys tennis and boys track & field as the first sports with MHSAA-sponsored championship events. Girls cross country would be added in 1978 – the 10th girls sport introduced that decade – as the first steps were taken to provide opportunities for all high school athletes.
Several changes over the 55 years have led to a Michigan high school cross country competitive format that has remained mostly unchanged over the last four decades.
Initially, Lower Peninsula and Upper Peninsula teams ran Finals together until the break in championship meets for World War II during the 1942 and 1943 seasons. Since 1974, the Lower Peninsula has been separated into four Class (previously) or Division (currently) groupings for postseason competition, and the Upper Peninsula into three. Also, from 1971-96, two individual champions were awarded in each Lower Peninsula Class/Division – a winning runner from a race of team qualifiers, and another winning runner from a race of only those who had qualified for the Finals as individuals. The current field again includes all team and individual qualifiers in one race.
The distance of the championship race was two miles through 1969, then 2.5 miles in 1970 and 1971, and then three miles through the end of that decade. In 1980, the race became the standard five kilometers (or 3.1 miles) run today.
As noted above, the Lower Peninsula Finals moved to MIS in 1996, and annually a course is charted that begins on the stadium infield, continues into the surrounding property and concludes alongside the racetrack’s finishing stretch.
The Upper Peninsula Cross Country Finals are among the most picturesque of any MHSAA championship competitions, run in late October generally against a backdrop of reds, oranges, yellows and greens as tree leaves begin to change and fall. This past weekend, Upper Peninsula winners were celebrated at Pictured Rocks Golf Course in Munising. The Division 1 Boys Final featured the three fastest times run in the history of U.P. championship races.
Lower Peninsula teams will run their Regionals this Friday and Saturday, with Finals qualifiers convening at MIS again Nov. 2 while chased and cheered by an anticipated 10,000 fans in Brooklyn.
Previous "Century of School Sports" Spotlights
Oct. 15: State's Storytellers Share Fall Memories - Read
Oct. 8: Guided by 4 S's of Educational Athletics - Read
Oct. 1: Michigan Sends 10 to National Hall of Fame - Read
Sept. 25: MHSAA Record Books Filled with 1000s of Achievements - Read
Sept. 18: Why Does the MHSAA Have These Rules? - Read
Sept. 10: Special Medals, Patches to Commemorate Special Year - Read
Sept. 4: Fall to Finish with 50th Football Championships - Read
Aug. 28: Let the Celebration Begin - Read
PHOTOS (Clockwise from top left) The 1998 Lower Peninsula Class D Final begins at Michigan International Speedway. (2) Caro’s Yami Albrecht (542) holds onto the lead ahead of Bridgman’s Brian Njuguna during the 2016 LP Division 3 Final. (3) Eventual runner-up Leah Kiilunen of Calumet (9) leads a pack at the 2012 UP Division 1 race in Munising. (4) Runners begin the 1949 LP Class B Final at Washtenaw Country Club. (Photos of 1998 and 2016 Finals by RunMichigan.com; 2012 Finals photo by Paul Gerard; 1949 photo from MHSAA archives.)
Preview: Stage Set for Several Storylines Featuring Past Champs, New Stars
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 31, 2025
Three returning champions to Saturday’s Lower Peninsula Boys Cross Country Finals are hoping to add to title streaks that already have extended over multiple seasons.
But none of those three is considered the favorite in its respective race – and with only one 2024 individual winner back as well, title opportunities abound at one of the MHSAA’s largest championship events.
At least two contenders hope they’ll be celebrating like it’s the 1950s again – they’re seeking first championships in more than 70 years. Division 4 favorite Maple City Glen Lake is hoping to climb the MIS stage as a team champion for the first time.
See below for several 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 boys race, in Division 4, begins at 10:50 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: Northville
2024 runner-up: Saline
2025 top-ranked: 1. Ann Arbor Pioneer, 2. Northville, 3. Kalamazoo Central.
Northville can become the sixth program in Lower Peninsula history to win a fourth-straight Finals championship – and the first since Dexter won the last of a five consecutive in 2006. Four runners return from last year’s lineup including ninth-place senior Ben Hartigan and 10th-place junior Brandon Cloud. But the rankings call for Pioneer to move up from 14th last season to claim a first team championship since 2017. Five Pioneers are back from last season’s lineup, including eighth-place senior Beckett Crooks – who has run the second-fastest top time (14:48.2) in the state regardless of peninsula or division – and junior Kamari Ronfeldt, who was fourth as a freshman in 2023, wasn’t able to finish last season’s race but enters this one with the top time statewide of 14:47.9. A Kalamazoo Central championship would make for incredible headlines; the Maroon Giants have a Lower Peninsula-record 11 Finals titles in this sport but with their most recent won in 1954. They finished fourth last season and return their top four racers from that lineup, with junior Samuel Baker back after finishing 14th individually and senior Andrew Wright posting the third-fastest top time in Division 1 this fall.
Individuals: A total of 12 of last season’s top 20 placers will return this weekend, led by Canton senior Aiden Pengelly, who finished runner-up a year ago and just 6½ seconds off the lead. Milford senior Kyle O’Rourke also returns after finishing third and just a second behind Pengelly. Joining those two and the others noted above from the 2024 top 20 are Grand Haven juniors Luka Hammond (fifth) and Aron Gal (19th), Howell junior Jack MacGregor (sixth), Kalamazoo Loy Norrix senior Jackson Lam (12th), Utica senior Harper Wesley (15th) and Saline junior Jacob Szalay (16th).
Division 2
Reigning champion: Allendale
2024 runner-up: Ada Forest Hills Eastern
2025 top-ranked: 1. Flint Powers Catholic, 2. Alma, 3. East Grand Rapids.
West Michigan teams have claimed this division three years in a row, and 2022 champ East Grand Rapids is among those expected to be in the mix again. Flint Powers is seeking its first team title since 1999, which would be an incredible story as well as the Chargers sent only two individual qualifiers to the Finals a year ago. Senior Bryce Gross (20th) and sophomore Lennox Naswell (32nd) are both headed back this weekend, and Naswell has run the fourth-fastest top time in the division. Alma is seeking to make a jump from fifth last fall to win what would be a first team title since 1952. Five of the Panthers’ top six from last season will run again, including 14th-place senior Thomas Larson, whose fastest time this fall ranks sixth just behind that of junior teammate Ezekiel Baltierra. East Grand Rapids finished third last year without a senior and the entire lineup is back, paced by fifth-place senior Jonah Workman. Parma Western, ranked No. 5, has a pair of top-20 placers from last year back in senior Edison Lopeman (eighth) and junior Ryan Good (17th), and reigning champion Allendale is ranked No. 13 but also has two top finishers back in junior Mason Hill (ninth) and senior Ronnie Silveira (15th).
Individuals: Workman was the only finisher among the top seven last season who didn’t graduate, and he’ll be considered among favorites along with Whitehall junior Robert Jazwinski III, who has won all of his races this fall, has the fastest time in the Division 2 (14:56.6, with Workman second on the top time list at 14:58.8), and placed third in Division 3 for Hart in 2023. In addition to Workman and the others mentioned above, also back from last year’s top 20 are Adrian senior Moises Salazar Jr. (11th) and Ada Forest Hills Eastern junior Steven Zawacki (18th).
Division 3
Reigning champion: Traverse City St. Francis
2024 runner-up: Saugatuck
2025 top-ranked: 1. Jackson Lumen Christi, 2. Charlevoix, 3. Lansing Catholic.
St. Francis graduated six of its seven runners from last season and will enter this weekend unranked as it races for a third-straight Finals team title. Lumen Christi graduated its top two from last year’s fourth-place team but returns the other five runners as it seeks a first championship since 2012. Charlevoix is running for its first Finals win since finishing a streak of five straight in 1991, and after finishing 14th a year ago with only one senior. Five of the Rayders’ top six runners from that lineup are back, led by ninth-place junior Hunter Eaton – who has the fastest time in Division 3 this season at 15:22.4. Lansing Catholic’s most recent title came in 2015, and the Cougars placed ninth a year ago also with only one senior. They bring back their top three from that lineup and five racers total.
Individuals: Central Montcalm senior Gage Hoffman was the only non-senior among last year’s top four, finishing third, and he has the third-fastest top time in Division 3 this season. Joining him and Eaton back from last year’s top 10 are Jonesville junior Caleb Blonde (fifth), Ithaca senior Landen Styka (sixth) and Flat Rock senior Jacob Stanislawski (eighth). Junior William Ready (11th) is the only St. Francis runner returning. Manton senior Robert Dykhouse (12th), Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central sophomore Christian Craanen (14th), Flat Rock senior Lucas Taraszkiewicz (18th) and Caro junior Luke Herron (20th) also placed among the top 20 last fall, and Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest sophomore Nole Lorenzen was 21st and has the second-fastest top time (15:24.5) in the division this season.
Division 4
Reigning champion: Hillsdale Academy
2024 runner-up: Holland Calvary
2025 top-ranked: 1. Maple City Glen Lake, 2. Holland Calvary, 3. Hillsdale Academy.
Hillsdale Academy has finished first and Holland Calvary second the last two seasons, and they’re expected to be in the mix again. But Glen Lake is the favorite this time as it pursues a first Finals championship. The Lakers finished third last year and return their second through fifth runners, led by 18th-place junior Abraham Feeney, plus have one of the top freshmen in Spencer McNitt. Holland Calvary ran all sophomores in 2024 to its second-straight runner-up finish, and five are back including Noah Schipper (23rd) and Christian Getz (29th). Hillsdale Academy graduated just two runners after last season and has four runners back including fourth-place senior Grayson Rorick.
Individuals: This field is loaded, with 13 of last year’s top 20 back including the top four placers. Now-senior Marek Butkiewicz is the reigning champion after clinching last year’s race 15 seconds ahead of the field. Royal Oak Shrine Catholic senior Abenezar Cerone is the reigning runner-up, while Three Oaks River Valley senior Landon Rogers was third and Hillsdale Academy’s Rorick fourth. Petoskey St. Michael senior Cody Bradley (seventh), Whitmore Lake senior Landen Livingston (10th), Mesick juniors Kyle Redman (13th) and Ty Redman (20th), Hackett senior Sean Siems (14th), Riverview Gabriel Richard junior Jacob Ferdubinski (15th), Harbor Beach senior Brody Karg (16th), Glen Lake’s Feeney (18th) and Brown City senior Carson Burgess (19th) also are back from the top 20. Butkiewicz (14:59.4) and Cerone (15:25.0) rank first and second, respectively, on the Division 4 top times list.
PHOTO Central Montcalm’s Gage Hoffman crosses the finish line first Saturday at his Division 3 Regional at Bath. (Photo by John Johnson.)