St. Johns' Smith Finishes Final Pursuit
November 1, 2014
By Bill Khan
Special for Second Half
BROOKLYN — Karrigan Smith of St. Johns had been closing the gap on Kenzie Weiler of Cedar Springs the past three years.
Smith finally caught her and passed her Saturday to win the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 2 cross country championship at Michigan International Speedway.
Smith won a kick to the finish to edge Weiler by 2.5 seconds, posting a time of 18:11.0. Weiler, the defending champion, took second for the third time in her career in 18:13.5.
"Kenzie is a really great competitor," Smith said. "I wasn't confident I would win until I crossed the pads at the end. I can't even describe it. It's so unreal right now. I know this state title means so much to me, my team and my community. They've been behind me the whole time through this whole process. I can't think of a better way to end my senior season."
It was a process that began Smith's freshman year when she placed seventh in the MHSAA Final in 18:23.0, 48.9 seconds behind second-place Weiler.
Smith dropped to 17th place in 18:30.0 the following year, but cut the margin between her and Weiler to 40.9 seconds.
The big jump came last year when Smith took third in 18:04.0, just 8.9 seconds behind Weiler.
Smith came to MIS on Saturday believing it could be her day.
"I definitely trained my mind to think that," Smith said. "Running is such a mental sport. You have to believe what you can truly do. Today it happened for me. You really have to believe it."
Smith ran second behind Weiler for most of the race, using her rival to block some of the heavy wind.
"Going into the race and seeing the conditions, I knew I was going to need some help from the lead pack to get me through the race," Smith said.
Morgan Posthuma of Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern was third in 18:24.4.
Grand Rapids Christian added to its dynasty status, winning its fifth championship in the last 10 years by outscoring runner-up Otsego by an 87-145 margin. The Eagles have finished in the top five the last 13 years.
Christian's only graduation loss from 2013 was its No. 7 runner. Although the top six returned, three newcomers cracked the lineup Saturday. The Eagles had three runners in the top 10 among team runners, with Claire Brouwer taking sixth (18:52.6), Lindsey Fox ninth (18:59.1) and Rachel Warners 10th (19:00.8). Completing the scoring were Michelle Koetje (26th, 19:27.0) and Megan Schenkel (36th, 19:39.6).
Otsego's Megan Aalberts was third among team runners in 18:34.5, but her team’s No. 2 runner didn't cross until 27th place. Second place is the best finish in school history, eclipsing last year's third-place showing.
PHOTOS: (Top) St. Johns’ Karrigan Smith holds off Cedar Springs’ Kenzie Weiler during the final stretch of Saturday’s Division 2 race. (Below) Otsego’s Megan Aalberts works to stay ahead of Spring Lake’s Erin O’Keefe as they race for fourth place; Aalberts held on to help her team to its best Finals finish. (Click to see more from RunMichigan.com.)
Schroeder Surges To Front Near Finish, Lansing Catholic Pulls Away in Repeat
November 1, 2025
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.
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.)