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- #66 - SPECIAL ISSUE: Top XC Teams of the Decade!
#66 - SPECIAL ISSUE: Top XC Teams of the Decade!
Inside This Issue
Top Teams Of The Decade!
Victoria Garces (left) blazed the final mile to take the D1 win over Helen Sachs and Natasza Dudek. More on the individual races in the next newsletter. (Karen Hollobaugh photo)
The latest update of the Michtrack Legacy Rankings brings you the top teams of the 2020s—now that we have 5 seasons in for this decade, we have meaningful numbers to play with. But first, an explanation of how the numbers work:
For decades, coaches in our state have enjoyed seeing how their teams rank on a historical basis. For many years, the vehicle was the “Top Teams of the Decade” that had been devised by Kermit Ambrose in the early 1960s. But as our sport grew, the shortcomings of that tabulation became apparent. For instance, a team placing 11th at state (a fantastic result!) got zero points. And teams that had to move into a different class/division lost all their points, which denied recognition to programs like Saugatuck that bounce back and forth between divisions through no fault of their own.
The Michtrack Legacy Ratings debuted in 2019. They reflect the school’s legacy at the state finals over time, no matter what division they are in. The ratings include all teams that get a team score in the finals and give a truer measure of a school’s strength or dominance. The formula is simple: 1 point for competing in the finals, and 1 point for every team beaten. So the winner in a 27-team final gets 27 points, while last place gets 1 point. Very simple. And rankings can be generated for any time span: 1922 to the present, or 2000 to the present, or a decade listing—the 2020s, for instance.
Here are the current top 10s for the 2020s:
GIRLS D1: With its 3rd-place finish this year to Pioneer’s 6th, the Holland West Ottawa moved into a tie with the Pioneers for the most dominant team of the 2020-24 years. This year’s winner, Romeo, looks primed to challenge for the top spot in the near-future. And ever-consistent Saline is not far away at all.
132 Ann Arbor Pioneer
132 Holland West Ottawa
129 Romeo
124 Saline
116 Brighton
104 Northville
75 Grand Haven
66 Okemos
65 Ann Arbor Skyline
64 Oxford
BOYS D1: Northville extended its lead over Brighton, but it’s still close. This year’s runner-up, Saline, moved up 2 spots to No. 4.
123 Northville
119 Brighton
100 Ann Arbor Pioneer
97 Saline
87 Milford
86 Romeo
84 Grand Haven
84 Traverse City Central
80 Plymouth
72 White Lake Lakeland
GIRLS D2: GR Christian extended its lead over rival EGR with a 4th to 7th-place finish. This year’s champion, Goodrich, jumped up 2 spots to No. 4. Zeeland East moved up 3 spots to No. 6.
128 Grand Rapids Christian
123 East Grand Rapids
123 Otsego
98 Goodrich
92 Spring Lake
84 Zeeland East
79 Freeland
73 Petoskey
66 Forest Hills Eastern
64 Frankenmuth
BOYS D2: Pinckney, despite not having a win this decade, was on top of the ratings going in, but got caught by three great teams on Saturday. Champion Allendale only moved from No. 8 to 7. EGR’s 3rd-place finish took them from No. 3 to the top; they’ve placed 11th-8th-1st-3rd-3rd so far this decade.
116 East Grand Rapids
112 Otsego
111 Grand Rapids Christian
109 Pinckney
95 Adrian
93 Chelsea
91 Allendale
80 Fremont
78 St Johns
76 Forest Hills Eastern
GIRLS D3: No division is closer than this one! Four teams within two points of each other! Hart had a 3-point lead going into the finals on Saturday, but St. Francis placed 4th to Hart’s 8th and took a 1-point lead. Runner-up Pewamo-Westphalia pulled even with Hart and new champion Lansing Catholic lurks just one point behind.
117 Traverse City St Francis
116 Hart
116 Pewamo-Westphalia
115 Lansing Catholic
106 Jackson Lumen Christi
100 Ithaca
94 Benzie Central
86 Muskegon Western Michigan Christian
81 Grand Rapids Covenant Christian
65 Kent City
BOYS D3: St. Francis passed St Louis in a big way, taking a commanding win this year while St. Louis placed 22nd. Ithaca moved up 2 spots to No. 3. Reed City, with a 17th this year, moved into the top 10.
131 Traverse City St Francis
115 St Louis
110 Ithaca
109 Grand Rapids Covenant Christian
109 Hart
104 Hanover-Horton
69 Wyoming Potter’s House
67 Pewamo-Westphalia
65 Stanton-Central Montcalm
60 Kalamazoo Christian
60 Reed City
GIRLS D4: Hillsdale Academy transformed last year’s 2-pt lead to a 23-point margin. Despite not having won the Big Dance, the Colts have gone 5th-4th-2nd-4th-3rd so far this decade. Whitmore Lake, rated No. 4 last year, is moving up fast: dnc in ‘20, then 9th-3rd-1st-1st.
121 Hillsdale Academy
98 Whitmore Lake
97 Harbor Springs
94 Johannesburg-Lewiston
70 Ubly
65 Kalamazoo Christian
63 Auburn Hills Oakland Christian
62 Royal Oak Shrine
60 Unionville-Sebewaing
59 Lansing Christian
BOYS D4: St. Michael’s was 10th this year, barely enough to hold onto the lead. Champion Hillsdale Academy moved up from No. 3 and is just 3 points away from the lead. Harbor Springs moved from No. 8 to 5. This year’s runner-up, Calvary Christian, made a big jump into the top 10.
108 Petoskey St Michael
105 Hillsdale Academy
104 Saugatuck
101 Mason County Eastern
84 Harbor Springs
73 Whitmore Lake
72 Concord
71 Johannesburg-Lewiston
68 White Cloud
66 Holland Calvary Christian
Want more? Complete ratings for each LP division are at https://michtrack.org/top-xc-teams-of-the-2020s-2020-2024
And The Century’s Top Teams?
The rankings look a lot different if you account for 20 more years. To be among the best of the 21st Century, a team usually has a string of great coaches/support or one long-tenured coach that has mastered the art. The entire set of ratings is here, but these are the highlights:
D1 Girls: Saline, with a long tradition of great coaching, holds a 71-point lead. A 7th-place finish this year pulled Rockford ahead of Traverse City Central for the No. 2 spot. Pioneer passes Milford for No. 5.
572 Saline
501 Rockford
497 Traverse City Central
436 Brighton
391 Ann Arbor Pioneer
377 Milford
368 Clarkston
366 Northville
361 Grand Haven
311 Birmingham Seaholm
292 Troy
D1 Boys: Milford has been on top for years, thanks to some great seasons by Coach Sal’s bunch including 5 D1 titles. But Saline has been steadily gaining, and in finishing 9 places higher this year came within 2 points of the lead. Northville passes Catholic Central for the No. 9 spot.
507 Milford
505 Saline
462 Ann Arbor Pioneer
439 Rockford
398 Dexter
339 Traverse City Central
326 White Lake Lakeland
281 Lake Orion
278 Northville
257 Detroit Catholic Central
D2 Girls: A win this year put Goodrich into the top 10. Spring Lake, with its 9th-place finish this year, passes Shepherd for No. 6.
583 Grand Rapids Christian
540 East Grand Rapids
384 Otsego
348 Petoskey
325 Forest Hills Eastern
316 Spring Lake
300 Shepherd
288 Flint Powers
274 Goodrich
270 Chelsea
D2 Boys: Grand Rapids Christian remains on top. Steve Long’s Otsego crew has moved up into the No. 7 position.
493 Grand Rapids Christian
482 Fremont
448 Chelsea
445 East Grand Rapids
406 St Clair
403 Pinckney
324 Otsego
312 Shepherd
309 Flint Powers
299 Linden
D3 Girls: Mike Woolsey’s Lumen Christi squad continues to dominate, thanks to year-in-year-out consistency. The only top 10 changes come from Saugatuck, moving up to No. 6, and Hart, breaking into the top 10.
517 Jackson Lumen Christi
456 Traverse City St Francis
444 Benzie Central
422 Pewamo-Westphalia
394 Lansing Catholic
366 Saugatuck
359 Hanover-Horton
327 Clare
280 Grandville Calvin Christian
277 Hart
D3 Boys: Benzie Central holds onto its massive D3 lead, nearly 100 points! Pewamo-Westphalia moves into the top 10.
487 Benzie Central
389 Saugatuck
361 Lansing Catholic
341 Jackson Lumen Christi
320 Hanover-Horton
286 Grandville Calvin Christian
273 St Louis
266 Stockbridge
261 Pewamo-Westphalia
248 Hudson
D4 Girls: Harbor Springs, with 2 wins and 12 other top 10 finishes in the Finals, boasts a massive 132-pt lead. With an 10th-place finish this year, Ubly passes Sacred Heart for No. 2. Also moving up are Shrine and Hillsdale Academy.
463 Harbor Springs
331 Ubly
326 Mt Pleasant Sacred Heart
273 Hillsdale Academy
262 Beal City
261 Bear Lake Onekama
238 Royal Oak Shrine
234 Concord
219 Fowler
217 Kalamazoo Hackett
D4 Boys: Hillsdale Academy enters the top 10 at No. 8, but Harbor Springs still maintains a huge 62-point lead.
442 Harbor Springs
380 Bear Lake/Onekama
356 Concord
292 Potterville
285 Mt Pleasant Sacred Heart
258 Mendon
213 Kalamazoo Hackett
180 Hillsdale Academy
179 Whitmore Lake
174 Breckenridge
Complete ratings for each LP division are at https://michtrack.org/top-xc-teams-of-the-century-2000-present
The All-Time Legacy Ratings
This one is the Big Kahuna! How has your school done since day 1? We’re not talking about one great coach—we’re talking about over 100 years of excellence. It’s a tough game. Heck, many/most of your schools were not even in existence in 1922! And if you’re not near the top of this list, you’re not getting there anytime soon. It will take a lifetime of genius work to even begin to make a dent, and the absolute key is to make sure the next coach is a genius too, while making your community ultra-supportive of running. It’s a big ask.
Given all that, and given that so many schools have changed so drastically in size in the last 100 years, it makes sense that we lump everyone together in one big list. BTW, there was only one change in the top 10 this year, the Grand Rapids Christian girls passing Traverse City Central for No. 3. Here are the top 10 boys and girls programs ever:
BOYS
1232.5 Ann Arbor Pioneer D1
895 Milford D1
884 Fremont D2
759 Grand Rapids Christian D2
746 Benzie Central D3
729 White Lake Lakeland D1
671 Rockford D1
668 Saline D1
667 Jackson Lumen Christi D3
604 Detroit Catholic Central D1
GIRLS
932 Jackson Lumen Christi D3
839 Brighton D1
784 Grand Rapids Christian D2
780 Traverse City Central D1
750 Ann Arbor Pioneer D1
727 Saline D1
670 Milford D1
658 Rockford D1
614 Benzie Central D3
603 East Grand Rapids D2
Here are the complete standings, with 617 boys programs and 494 on the girls side: https://michtrack.org/top-xc-teams-all-time-1922-present
An unbelievable amount of work is represented in the numbers above, which weren’t possible until we had spent years digging in microfilm and old boxes of results to get the complete team results of every state final in cross country. Please, help us do more to preserve the history of the sport in this state.
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