Stellar Debut, 4-Peat Kick Off Girls Finals
November 3, 2018
Second Half reports
BROOKLYN — Other states have reputations for producing great athletes in other sports, but Michigan is known for cranking out elite high school cross country runners.
The latest running phenom to come out of the state is freshman Abby VanderKooi of Muskegon Western Michigan Christian.
VanderKooi could turn out to be the best female runner to come out of Michigan if she’s able to continue progressing on an already incredible ninth-grade season.
VanderKooi ran the fifth-fastest time ever by a freshman girl at Michigan International Speedway, winning the MHSAA Division 4 individual title in 17:47.3 on Saturday.
It was a solo coronation for one of the top freshmen in the nation. She won by 1 minute, 15.6 seconds over Madison Volz of Lansing Christian, the largest margin of victory ever in a girls MHSAA final meet. It edged out the 1:15.5 difference between Rochester’s Megan Goethals, who went on to win the Foot Locker national championship that year, and Hartland’s Avery Evenson in the 2009 Division 1 meet.
VanderKooi is the first freshman in United States history to break 17 minutes three times. She did it in her second high school meet and posted her personal best of 16:57.3 in the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association meet Oct. 12 at University Park Golf Course in Muskegon.
The muddy conditions at MIS made it difficult to chase personal records Saturday, but her time still is second all-time in Division 4. Breckenridge’s Kristen Olling won her fourth MHSAA title in 2013 in 17:44.9.
The incredible part is VanderKooi is in only her second year of competitive running. She began running for fun as an 8-year-old, but didn’t begin racing until eighth grade.
“I knew I had a good chance to win it, but in my whole life I never thought I’d get to this point,” VanderKooi said.
It was her first race at MIS, but not her first trip to the site of the Cross Country Finals. Her brother, Nick, was a four-time all-stater at Fremont Providence Christian, running the Division 4 meet from 2009-12.
“My brother, Nick, is graduated now and on to college,” she said. “I’ve been coming here since he was a freshman in high school, so I’ve been coming here since I was very little. It was more fun watching it, because you’re not as nervous.”
VanderKooi’s performance helped Western Michigan Christian place third with 199 points, the best finish in school history.
In the end, Division 4 continued to be the domain of Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart.
The Irish won their fourth straight team championship, holding off a strong Saugatuck squad by a 69-82 margin.
Desiree McConnell was sixth in 19:44.7, Scout Nelson was eighth in 19:50.1, Lauren MacDonald was 10th in 19:50.7, Cammie McConnell was 18th in 20:13.3 and Hannah Wilkinson was 55th in 21:26.5 for Sacred Heart.
Nelson and MacDonald ran at MIS for all four championships.
PHOTOS: (Top) Muskegon Western Michigan Christian freshman Abby VanderKooi charges through the finish of her first MHSAA Finals championship run. (Middle) Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart’s Desiree McConnell (1789) and Lauren MacDonald push through a straightaway in helping the Irish to another team title. (Click for more from RunMichigan.com.)
Match Race Makes for Intriguing Change, but Favorites Still Find Ways to Front
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
September 17, 2025
HOUGHTON — After following the traditional format for several years, organizers of the Bill Fezzey Memorial Invitational cross county meet decided to do something a little bit different for their races Sept. 4.
They elected to host a match race, formerly known as fox and hounds, on the cloudy and cool day in the Copper Country.
“We decided to make it different this year,” Houghton coach Traci Welch said. “Our kids were really upset about it at first. Although they were apprehensive, I think this brought out the best in them. Some of them ran significantly better times.
"This was the first perfect score ever for our girls. I was a little worried about the boys because we knew (Painesdale) Jeffers was going to be tough.”
The Houghton girls grabbed the top five places in their race and scored 15 points, followed by L’Anse with 49 and Calumet at 74. Jeffers squeezed past the Gremlins 27-28 for the boys title, and third-place Dollar Bay scored 88 points.
Runners followed a 20-second stagger, starting with the No. 7 runners from each school and working their way toward the top. The first one to cross the finish line in each race was the winner regardless of starting position.
Houghton senior Tessa Rautiola was clocked at 22:14.1 in winning the girls race.
“I’ve never done a race like this before,” she said. “All varsity runners go out at once in other races. It’s just a matter of getting into a good mindset.
“This is a learning curve for me. I should be happy I’m still running. I was just trying to catch other people during the race, which added to the intensity somewhat.”
Houghton sophomore Sela Niska was runner-up (22:23.4), and senior teammate Jovie Williams took third (22:38.8).
Jeffers senior Cameron Anderson was the boys winner at 18:33.4, followed by Houghton sophomore Xavier Hutchinson (19:08.3) and freshman Cole Ceane (19:08.8).
“Cam started last and came in first,” Jets coach Sam Kilpela said. “We had him timed at 16:31. It’s so easy to start out fast, which in a way is the hardest part. Once the guys settled in, they knew their job and got it done. This is a big win for us.”
Anderson said he didn’t mind the new format.
“It wasn’t bad,” he added. “I wouldn’t mind doing it again. It made me push myself and want to catch the other guys. You had to make sure you held your pace.”
Hancock senior Lydia Pelli took 18th (24:12.9) among the girls.
“(The match race format) gives the people who are usually first more of a challenge,” she said. “I think I like the regular races better because I’m more familiar with them. You have a better idea of what to expect.”
Ironwood senior Jaelyn Novasconi previously played volleyball but decided to go out for cross country this year. She finished 37th (27:48.8).
“This was a hard choice because I love volleyball,” she said. “I also love basketball, and this will get me in better shape.
“This was my (second) meet since middle school. This is also a great opportunity to compete with kids from other schools. The start was definitely different, but I ran faster than in my first meet.”
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) Houghton senior Tessa Rautiola runs to the Upper Peninsula Division 2 Finals championship last season. (Middle) Painesdale Jeffers’ Cameron Anderson moves toward the front of the lead pack at last year’s UPD2 Final. (Photos by Cara Kamps.)