BROOKLYN, Mich. — Jackson Lumen Christi junior Samantha Schroeder never lost confidence, even as the gap began to seem insurmountable between her and the fastest girl in Division 3 cross country this season.

Schroeder was in fourth place at the mile and two-mile marks during the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 3 Final, trailing leader Hailey Creisher of Leslie by 8.8 seconds at the first split and 9.2 at the second at Michigan International Speedway.

She would not only have to make up a sizeable amount of distance to win the championship, but she would have to pass three runners in the process.

“I visualize a lot of things,” Schroeder said. “At the beginning, before the gun went off, I visualized her being a good amount in front of me and being able to catch her.”

With time nearly running out, Schroeder unleashed a furious kick to win the race with a time of 18 minutes, 7.0 seconds. Creisher finished second in 18:11.2.

Schroeder ran the third mile in 5:46.7 and the final tenth in 30.7 seconds. Creisher was 5:54.9 for the third mile and 35.9 for the last tenth.

“It was really exciting, because I really like having competition,” Schroeder said. “It pushes me to do things I never thought I could do. I don’t think I would be able to get that much of a kick if I was by myself.

“I had no clue if I was going to catch her or not, because she was still a good distance in front. My confidence was pretty good, though.”

Creisher came into the meet with the fastest time in Division 3, having run 17:51.9 on Oct. 11 at the Greater Lansing Cross Country Championships. She won 14 of 16 races coming into the Finals, including a showdown with Schroeder at the Jackson Invitational on Sept. 20.

Creisher won handily that day with a time of 18:10.0. Schroeder was second in 18:42.2.

Schroeder learned something about how to approach a race against Creisher from that meeting.

“She goes out in the beginning really fast and goes back into even pace,” Schroeder said.

The team competition wasn’t nearly as close. Lansing Catholic repeated as champion by 69 points to win by 110 over Pewamo-Westphalia.

The Cougars put four runners on the all-state (top 30) podium. Josie Bishop was sixth in 18:38.4, Grace Wonch seventh in 18:38.7, Anna Drauer 11th in 18:51.1 and Isabelle Currie 17th in 19:06.0. Frances Melinn was 42nd in 19:49.1 to complete Lansing Catholic’s score.

It was the third Finals championship for the Cougars, who also won in 2017.

Pewamo-Westphalia, which was second to Lansing Catholic by only 11 points last season, finished runner-up for the third time over the last four seasons and fourth time in 10 seasons. 

The Pirates were led by fourth-place Alyssa Kramer, who finished in 18:27.5. The Cougars had all five scoring runners across the line before Pewamo-Westphalia had four finishers.

Click for full results.

PHOTOS (Top) Jackson Lumen Christi’s Samantha Schroeder (866) pulls past Leslie’s Hailey Creisher during the closing stretch of Saturday’s Division 3 Final at Michigan International Speedway. (Middle) Lansing Catholic's Josie Bishop (874) and Grace Wonch (880) and Roscommon's Alaina Civinskas (1194) surge toward the finish line.  (Click for more from RunMichigan.com.)