Newberry's Taylor Speeding Through Senior Season Among UP Finals Favorites
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
October 16, 2026
ESCANABA — Abby Taylor is trying to make the most of her final year of high school cross country.
The Newberry senior, who runs an average of 45 miles per week, is fresh from winning the second leg of the Eastern Upper Peninsula Conference jamboree schedule, Monday at Rudyard School Farm in a time of 19.26.9. She also won the first leg of league competition, on Oct. 5, which was her fourth race in seven days. Taylor had just won the Negaunee Invitational on Sept. 29, the Great Eskymos Chase in Escanaba on Oct. 1 and placed 14th in the Elite division at the Oct. 3 Shepherd Invitational.
She was clocked in 20:06.8 at Negaunee, then improved to 19:27.6 in Escanaba and 19:21.9 at Shepherd.
At Escanaba, she was followed by Superior Central freshman Edye Burdett in the latter’s personal-best 19:32.5, Kingsford junior Maria Murvich (19:50.8) and sophomore teammate Molly McNamara (20:02.9).
“It felt like I was pretty tired at Negaunee,” she said. “I felt better and a lot stronger (at Escanaba). Having that competition helped. This was my first time running against Maria this year. I think it was exciting. I’m glad I had somebody here to push me.”
McNamara was runner-up at the opening EUP jamboree at Naubinway in 20:35.
“I think Abby is probably the best teammate I’ve had,” McNamara said. “We train together quite a bit. Samantha (Taylor) was here last year and was also a good leader.”
Samantha Taylor, Abby’s older sister, was the Upper Peninsula Division 3 Finals champion as a freshman in 2022, and with Abby helped Newberry finish runner-up as a team in 2023. Samantha also helped Newberry’s track team set the UPD3 Finals record in the 3,200 relay (10:15.39) this past spring and has moved on to competing for the cross country team at Central Michigan.
“After Sam joined cross country, I got interested,” Abby said. “She was good, and I figured I could be good at it, too.
“It’s really a mental game. After you have a bad race, you really have to push yourself. We really have a stronger schedule this year. I’m excited about running in the bigger meets. It’s good to have that competition.”
Taylor challenged herself with another strong test at the East Jordan Invitational on Sept. 2, finishing third in the Division 1-2-3 race behind a pair of 2025 Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals qualifiers from Traverse City Central.
Newberry returns to action Saturday at the Rudyard Fall Classic before finishing up EUP competition Monday at Pickford.
The Upper Peninsula Finals will be run Oct. 24 in Houghton. Taylor finished third as a freshman, second just ahead of her sister as a sophomore, and then third again right behind Samantha as a junior last fall.
Abby Taylor also is deciding which college she wants to attend. She said at the Negaunee meet that she’s been in contact with CMU and Northern Michigan University.
John Vrancic has covered high school sports in the Upper Peninsula since joining the Escanaba Daily Press staff in 1985. He is known most prominently across the peninsula for his extensive coverage of cross country and track & field that frequently appears in newspapers from the Wisconsin border to Lake Huron. He received the James Trethewey Award for Distinguished Service in 2015 from the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.
PHOTOS (Top) Newberry's Abby Taylor runs to a first-place finish Aug. 28 at the Dale Phillips Invitational held at Presque Isle in Marquette. (Middle) Taylor crosses the finish line in first place at the Negaunee Invitational. (Photo by Cara Kamps.)
Sacred Heart, Strenge Surge Again
November 5, 2016
Second Half reports
BROOKLYN – Ava Strenge and Bailley McConnell both got what they came for Saturday.
Strenge, a Battle Creek St. Philip senior, reclaimed the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 4 individual cross country championship with a powerful front-running performance at Michigan International Speedway.
McConnell, a distant individual runner-up, helped her Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart team post another record-breaking point total en route to the team championship.
Strenge led from start to finish, winning the race in 18:27.2.
McConnell was second in 18:55.6, leading a dominant Sacred Heart team that had six all-state runners and a seventh who missed by one place.
The Irish broke the Division 4 record of 52 points they scored last year by scoring 34, beating runner-up Pewamo-Westphalia by 82. Sacred Heart’s total ranks sixth all-time in any division and is the lowest since Rockford won Class A with 25 points in 1998.
“It’s awesome,” said McConnell, a junior. “It’s good to be a team and work together, cheer each other on and be really close to each other. Sometimes we get to run with each other during the race.
“We were hoping to make another record. We’ve had some injuries and sicknesses, so we were just hoping to maintain that.”
There have been some great sister acts in MHSAA cross country history, but nothing like the McConnells.
Not only was Bailley second, but senior Alexis McConnell was fourth in 19:09.1 and sophomore Cammie McConnell was fifth in 19:10.6.
“I went out with my sisters,” Bailley said. “They like to pace me a lot and I like to pace with them, so we just kind of stayed back. Each mile, we’d see the time and I’d push harder so I could keep a constant pace.”
Also scoring for Sacred Heart were sophomore Lauren MacDonald (11th, 19:41.0) and sophomore Scout Nelson (20th, 20:09.8). No. 6 runner Desiree McConnell’s place didn’t count in the team score, but she was still all-state with her 26th-place showing in 20:14.2. Even No. 7 runner Rowan Fitzpatrick almost made all-state, missing by one spot by placing 31st in 20:28.0.
Strenge was the Division 4 champion two years ago. She led most of last year’s race before being run down by Tessa Fornari of Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes.
“It was kind of a shock to me,” Strenge said. “I was disappointed, but I still had next year.”
Strenge was determined not to be caught again, charging to the front and pushing a hard pace. The way she pumped her arms was more in line with a middle-distance runner on the track than a cross country runner.
“I like to get out in front of the pack,” Strenge said. “Our start was way in the far corner. I wanted to get in the front as soon as possible. I’m not really a good sprinter, so I wanted a lead before they could pass me on the straightaway.”
The MHSAA Cross Country Finals are sponsored by the Michigan National Guard.
PHOTOS: (Top) Sisters Alexis McConnell (1857) and Cammie McConnell run to top-five finishes in the Division 4 girls race Saturday. (Middle) Battle Creek St. Philip’s Ava Strenge sprints the final stretch to win her second individual title in three seasons. (Click to see more from RunMichigan.com.)