#28 - State Finals Cooldown

Inside This Issue

• State Finals Stuff

• Rachel Forsyth Interview

• The Fastest-Ever at MIS

• Major Records Broken at MIS This Year

• Three-mile records

• College Signings

• Little Things

What a State Finals!!

Saturday was a good day. The nicest weather we’ve had at MIS in a long time, and that means a lot personally, as all too often after 8 races in the golf cart announcing the action, I have had to deal with windburn and frostbite (not really, but close!).

Thanks to the dry conditions in the week leading up to the Big Dance, the course was running fast. And if you weren’t there for the morning session, you missed the D4 girls race, which started the action with a bang as we watched one of the closest battles in state history. Aiden Harrand ran tough as nails and she had to to beat the challenge of Kaylie Livingston.

It’s hard to call out every athlete that impressed me out there. There were oodles. Being a tough competitor is the name of the game in Michigan in November. So instead, let me just note a few things that surprised me.

August Rohde, for one. The runner-up in D3 wasn’t even on our radar as we watched the battle for the lead play out for the first 2.8 miles. At the 2M mark, the Reed City junior was clocked in 10:22.0 in 12th place, some 17-seconds behind leader Collin Farmer. From the cart, we did not see him tearing past the crowd on the big infield turn. At the 3M mark, he was still only 5th place. By the time I jumped out of the cart to announce the top finishers, he was in 2nd and flying like a rocket. His final 172-meters took just 26.9 (31.2 pace for 200). I haven’t done all the math, but I bet that was the fastest of the day for the 2,002 finishers.

Look at Thomas Westphal if you want inspiration. The Anchor Bay senior, now MSU-bound, placed 2nd in D1, breaking 15. He wasn’t always that good. As a frosh he ran just 19:44. The next year, 17:26. Last year he placed 4th at MIS in 15:42 before running 15:00 at Shepherd. Quite an impressive progression! (And I was tipped off to it by a social media post that I now can’t find, so thank you to whoever posted it!)

The overall 9th-grade records fell for both boys and girls. Annie Hrabovsky of Romeo sliced 5 seconds off Karenna Duffey’s old best with her 17:29 (all course records rounded up). On the boys side, Kamari Ronfeldt took a massive 32 seconds off Cole Johnson’s old best with his 15:09. His 4th-place finish is possibly the best by a 9th-grader in D1/Class A boys in the 100-year history of the meet (don’t quote me on that—I need to do a deep research dive still). It’s one place better than freshman-version Dathan Ritzenhein ran in 1997 with his 16:23 on the day the course was a quagmire.

Emily Tomes, the D2 champion from Grand Rapids Catholic Central, is another great story. As her coach, Jackson Fox, told me, she’s in the same conference as D1 runner-up Selma Anderson, so all season she’s faced tough competition. At MIS, facing a terrific challenge by St. Joe’s Gail Vaikutis and Elena Figueroa, she handled their moves like a pro and timed her kick perfectly, as if she’s cruised to victory a hundred times before. She hasn’t. When she crossed the line, it marked the first win of the year for Emily, and the second of her career!

Michtrack Interview:
Rachel Forsyth — “You are never going to hit your fullest potential unless you try to go beyond what you think you can do”

The performance of the weekend – and the greatest girls performance of all time at MIS – belonged to Ann Arbor Pioneer senior Rachel Forsyth. In her fourth and final run on the fabled course, she demolished the overall course record by 24 seconds with her 16:28.5. It was her third win there, but only her second title. As a 9^th grader, pandemic measures led to there being two races in every division. Forsyth won the second section in 17:55.6 but couldn’t match the 17:46.1 that Seaholm’s Audrey DaDamio ran in the first. The next year she scored a clearcut victory in 17:09.4. Last year, though, Forsyth was in the process of running herself back into shape after a devastating health scare and finished 62^nd as the Pioneer 3-meet winning streak ended. She came public about her bout with an eating disorder last spring in an interview here. Now healthy and happily improving once more, the Michigan State-bound runner shares with us what a successful comeback feels like.

Michtrack: Now that the dust is all settled on the big weekend, how do you feel about recapturing your state title on Saturday?

Forsyth: It feels really good. I was really proud of my whole team because we had a really good day as a group, which made it more special. So we all celebrated together and it was a really fun day.

Michtrack: What was going through your head as you were racing out there? You were basically alone from just about the start to the finish.

Forsyth: I kind of had an idea that I might just be pushing myself, so I really wanted to get the record and so I was just trying to push my way, especially through the middle. The hill was pretty tough, and then I just tried to finish it off strong.

Michtrack: When you're out there, do you focus on the time and splits? Do you do that kind of math in your head or is it just focusing on yourself and your effort?

Forsyth: No, I don't do any math or anything like that. I just try to get out hard and then keep it up as much as I can.

Michtrack: After all you've been through the last couple of years, when you crossed the line, what emotion hit you?

Forsyth: The first emotion that hit me was turning around and hoping to see my teammates coming to the line. But after all that, it sank in what had just occurred and I was honestly just really proud of myself. And knowing that the work that I put in paid off was a really good feeling.

Michtrack: Was there a feeling of redemption or a weight off your shoulders?

Forsyth: Yeah, I would say so. Especially because my worst race I've ever had was probably last year at the state meet. So knowing that is now behind me is really a really good feeling.

Michtrack: I know that talking with me last spring about your health situation, that was a big step, but now the world knows. Did it feel weird to have various reporters asking you about it all over again on Saturday?

Forsyth: Yeah, it's definitely not my favorite thing to talk about, but I know that me speaking out… me and my parents talked about it ahead of time, whether it was a good idea for me, but we've gotten positive feedback that it really does help other people. So it was definitely worth it, even if in the moment it's not very comfortable or fun for me.

Michtrack: Yeah, it definitely does help. On another note, I’m curious. I’ve seen you race a zillion times and the way you finish, you're absolutely drained every time. You can barely stand up usually. I've seen just a few other athletes like this in my career. It's like you are able to push into a zone that most athletes can't. What is that like?

Forsyth: It's kind of hard to put into words, but basically my whole goal when I race is to get to that place. And if I don't get there, it's pretty disappointing. I feel that my body can do more than what my mind is telling it. You are never going to hit your fullest potential unless you try to go beyond what you think you can do, I guess.

Michtrack: What's your next race?

Forsyth: NXR. So Sunday. My whole team is going to go.

Michtrack: A couple of years ago, NXR nationals were canceled after you won the regional and then you made Foot Locker, but you finished 33rd and I'm sure that probably wasn't the experience you were hoping for. Is there a big motivation for a do-over on all of that stuff this year?

Forsyth: Yes. I would say definitely because sophomore year I was having a really good season and then for whatever reason it just didn't go my way. I'm not really sure why, but this year I'm definitely hoping to put that behind me and just kind of do a do over, like you said.

Michtrack: At regionals and State, and I’m sure at all your meets, you're waiting for your teammates, cheering them on, et cetera. I realize that's a huge part of your experience. Does it feel weird when you qualify for a nationals, going to meets without them?

Forsyth: Yeah, it's very weird. I mean, when I was making my decision for college, a huge part of it was because my sister is going to State. It makes the whole experience like 10 times more fun to enjoy it with people you care about. That's why I also love doing relays because the moment is shared with multiple different people. It's very special.

Michtrack: Was MSU a tough decision?

Forsyth: It was a very hard decision for me to make because I was looking at a couple different schools that were very different in a lot of ways, but also similar in a lot of ways. So I was kind of hard to weigh the pros and cons because of how different they were.

The Top 40 All-Time Performances at MIS

(times rounded up, as there are minor changes to the course every year)

Major Records Broken At MIS This Year

GIRLS
Overall & D1 12th grade - 16:29 Rachel Forsyth (AA Pioneer)
(old overall best 16:53 Olivia Theis-Lansing Catholic 2017)
(old D1 & 12th grade best 16:55 Megan Goethals-Rochester 2009)
D1 9th grade: 17:29 Annie Hrabovsky-Romeo
(old best 17:34 Karenna Duffey-L’Anse Creuse North 2012)
D3 overall & 11th grade: 17:09 Jessica Jazwinski (Hart)
(old bests 17:13 Abby VanderKooi-Muskegon WM Christian 2020)
D4 overall & 12th grade - 17:39 Aiden Harrand (Buckley)
(old bests 17:45 Kirsten Olling-Breckinridge 2012)

BOYS
All Division & D1 9th Grade - 15:09 Kamari Ronfeldt (AA Pioneer)
(old best 15:41 Cole Johnson-Rockford 2014)
D2 Overall & 11th grade - 14:53 TJ Hansen (Freeland)
(old D2 best 15:03 Kurtis Marlowe-Gull Lake 2000)
(old D2 11th grade best - 15:13 Connell Alford-Chelsea 2022)
D4 9th grade - 16:18 Kyle Redman (Mesick)
(old best 16:23 Spencer Nousain-Concord 2008, Josiah Ottolini-Concord 2012 & Mason Sumner-Breckenridge 2018)

Wait a Second - Three Mile Records?

When I saw this Instagram post from the Northville team I did a double-take. Three mile records? I seriously hadn’t realized that anyone was still keeping track of them. Does anyone else do it?

I don’t have a problem with it—as a numbers geek I find it fascinating. Kind of like if a school were to keep track of its 100-yard record into the modern era. And why not, if you have an extra FAT camera, put it at the 100-yard mark in the big meet? (Remember your wind gauge!) It’s actually done at occasional professional meets, including an annual one in the Czech Republic.

For the record, the MIS record for 3M would be Dathan Ritzenhein’s 13:40.7 from 2000. For the girls, it would have to be Rachel Forsyth’s 15:53.6 from Saturday. (On the 100 yards, there was never an FAT time taken of a major Michigan HS race back in the day. The hand state best is 9.4 shared by 6 athletes.)

College Signings

It’s that time of year—suddenly athletes and colleges are talking about their futures together. Here are a few that have crossed my desk lately—this is by no means a complete round-up. To report more commits, email us at [email protected]

• Connell Alford (Chelsea) - Syracuse

• Selma Anderson (GR Ottawa Hills) - Syracuse

• Tarick Bower (Corunna) - Saginaw Valley (football)

• Wyatt Bower (Corunna) - Saginaw Valley (football)

• Ella Christensen (Northville) - Michigan State

• Idrys Cotton (Plymouth) - Northwestern (football)

• Emma DeVries (West Michigan Aviation) - Wake Forest

• Zoey Dood (Grandville) - Virginia (volleyball)

• Iain Forrest (Davison) - Grand Valley

• Rachel Forsyth (AA Pioneer) - Michigan State

• Megan Germain (Otsego) - Michigan State

• Pierce Gryzmkowski (White Lake Lakeland) - Oakland

• Shamar Heard (Clinton Twp Chippewa Valley) - Tennessee

• Brendan Herger (Northville) - Michigan

• Clara James-Heer (Forest Hills Central) - Michigan

• Makenzie Johns (Cadillac) - Michigan State

• Braydon Kennedy (Milford) - Michigan

• Ava Kurczewski (Walled Lake Northern) - Western Michigan

• Nathan Levine (Canton) - Duke

• Victoria Miller (Country Day) - Ohio State (soccer)

• Madi Morson (Salem) - Central Michigan (basketball)

• Drew Muller (East Grand Rapids) - Virginia

• Ethan Muraszewski (Utica) - Wayne State

• Seth Norder (Grand Haven) - Michigan State

• Alisia Olteanu (Walled Lake Western) - Central Michigan

• Madison Paten (Frankenmuth) - Oakland

• Mary Richmond (Frankenmuth) - Tampa

• Abigail Russell (Allen Park) - Michigan

• Ethan Sandula (Pinckney) - Oakland

• Payton Scheffler (Woodhaven) - Michigan State

• Allison Shelton (Ortonville Brandon) - Oakland

• Luke Suliman (Ann Arbor Skyline) - Miami

• Emma Thomas (Midland Dow) - Michigan

• Emily Tomes (GR Catholic Central) - Michigan

• Gail Vaikutis (St Joseph) - Michigan

• Natalie VanOtteren (GR Christian) - Michigan

• Addison Washler (Forest Hills Eastern) - Grand Valley

• Thomas Westphal (Anchor Bay) - Michigan State

• Amanda Williams (Portage Central) - Purdue/Fort Wayne

Little Things

Ericka VanderLende: The former Rockford and Michigan star is now a grad transfer to Notre Dame.

Nathan Martin: The Three Rivers/Spring Arbor grad was No. 4 American at the NYC Marathon with his 2:16:16.

Money Talks: A year from now (if not a lot sooner), NIL will probably be a reality for high schoolers in Michigan. I just had a crazy thought about MITCA’s Meet of Champions race this weekend, where the top runners are drafted by various running-related businesses and organizations to run on teams wearing a corporate name/logo. Will this still be a thing next year? How many athletes are going to say, “You want me to put your name on my chest? Show me the money!” Once the athletes are legally allowed to bargain, the economics might change a bit.

Update Your Course Records! Every year that I publish an updated version of XC! High School Cross Country in Michigan, I include a list of all of the course records from the state (that I have tracked down). I’m going to go over it again soon, but please help out by taking a look and letting me know if your own course now sports a faster record. Overall, the listing needs serious work, with no updates from the last two years.