MHSAA Vault: MIS Rose to Challenges to Host 2020 LP Finals
By
Rob Kaminski
MHSAA benchmarks editor
November 12, 2021
The “MHSAA Vault” features stories from past publications and other documents in the MHSAA Library. This issue takes a look at the MHSAA Cross Country Finals at Michigan International Speedway, which celebrated 25 years in 2020 – although it was an event that nearly didn’t happen last fall …
In 1996, the MHSAA and Michigan International Speedway began a partnership the changed the course of the Lower Peninsula Cross Country Finals – quite literally.
The land in and around the track at Brooklyn would host the Finals for all classes of runners in one place on one day, an annual festival of nearly 2,000 runners competing for the MHSAA’s top honors.
Even skeptics – and there were several among running purists who thought the course was too flat, for example – can’t deny the results.
Finals attendance nearly doubled in that first year, and crowds in excess of 10,000 have enjoyed a day of racing several times, including a record 12,153 in 2011.
Enthusiastic crowds were the norm in recent years, with 11,232 in 2017, and nearly 11,000 in 2018 (10,989) and 2019 (10,873).
In fact, attendance failed to reach at least 8,000 only twice since the move to MIS.
Of course, last year was an exception, when attendance was limited to 1,000 spectators per session due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Fans also were restricted to the grandstands rather than following the action throughout locations on the course.
To reduce the number of runners in each race, the event was spread over two days, with each Division being run in two separate “sections” with times then combined at the end to determine team and individual champions.
While not ideal, the end result was another year of fantastic efforts at MIS – both from student-athletes and those behind the scenes.
“Even at the last hour, less than a week ahead of the Finals, we were closer to not having the Finals than we were to having them,” said MHSAA Assistant Director Cody Inglis, who coordinates the cross country postseason. “Rumors and challenges of mandated shutdowns, testing and other requirements were being discussed and caused a lot of unknowns. Even at the Regional level, we had schools, Regional courses and hosts shutting down their facilities; we had to relocate four Regionals 48 hours prior to race times. That scenario just could not happen at the Finals level where far more runners and much more travel would be involved.”
Among the many last-minute hurdles was the edict from NASCAR – which owns MIS – that all persons on site be temperature checked upon entry. That meant securing thermometers that were easy to operate in short order, along with personnel necessary to conduct the readings.
The attendance limitations certainly helped to implement the temperature screening, but brought their own issues.
“Limiting spectators was not a popular decision, but it really was the only way to have a race,” Inglis said. “We were taking direction and working with policies and protocols from the MDHHS, the Governor’s office, Lenawee County Health Department, MIS and NASCAR.”
Part of the solution was to utilize the grandstands as a “barrier” between participants and spectators. The reduced number of fans were dispersed over thousands of seats while still allowing them the chance to watch their student-athletes compete.
“It wasn’t the same, it wasn’t easy or perfect, but it was what we had to do to have a race,” Inglis said. “Separating the Finals into two days and different sections also allowed us to spread out the event and limit the number of people on site at any one time. This was a key part of the plan and worked well even though it separated races within a Division.”
The MHSAA, MIS and the cross country community never lost focus of the main goal: a culmination of the season for the student-athletes, who deserved something last year more than ever. And, more than ever, MIS once again displayed its advantage as a venue that could adapt to the fluid nature of the times to pull off the event.
“There were some thoughts of using four different sites, but as we learned during the Regionals, the climate of things was so tenuous from one area of the state to another that we couldn’t be 100-percent certain that there wouldn’t again be last-minute cancelations,” Inglis said. “MIS was wonderful to work and collaborate with, and was the best option to get it done. It was never mentioned once publicly about the possibility of not having the Finals – only how we could best do it under uncharted conditions.”
The moving parts and ever-changing scenarios created more complexity than ever in finalizing a season, but every decision was made with the complete desire to conduct the Finals as close to normal as possible.
“I firmly believe that a finish to the season, no matter the differences in race formatting and fan experience, was something everyone would have taken when the season began in August,” Inglis said.
Indeed, the finish line in Year 25 at MIS might have been the most gratifying of them all.
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.)