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MIS WELCOMES ALL TEAMS TO THE MHSAAGOOD 2020 LUCK LP CROSS AND COUNTRY RUN STATE HARD! FINALS. AUGUST 20 - 22, 2021 NASCAR CUP SERIES TICKETS START AT $39. KIDS 12 & UNDER FREE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. $10 TICKETS FOR KIDS 12 & UNDER ON SUNDAY. KIDS 12 & UNDER RECEIVE A FREE PIT/DRIVER INTRODUCTION PASS COURTESY OF HENRY FORD HEALTH SYSTEM. 888.905.7223 MISPEEDWAY.COM Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn 2020 MHSAA Lower Peninsula Cross Country Finals November 6-7 Welcome Different Paths to Dominance elcome to the MHSAA Championships! This Wis a classroom like no other, and now is the time for the final exam. Like the academic classroom, some have had good fortune along the way getting here; others have overcome adversity. Even today, a good bounce or a bad bounce will occur. Your athletic skills are put to the test, but more importantly, your discipline will be chal - lenged as well. To wait for the exact moment, use the right touch, make the right cut. Discipline also means testing your people skills. To embrace our diverse opponents as equals, and to employ common decency – every – single – moment. Win or lose. That’s the beauty of educational athletics. The takeaways today are not the trophies and medals, but the life lessons learned and applied. Good luck to all! Tw4o4 dominant performances highlighted girls races at the — Mark Uyl 2019 MHSAA Lower Peninsula Cross Country Finals at MHSAA Executive Directo r Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn last November. INSIDE the mhsaa cross country finals MHSAA Programs and Scope 2019 Finals Review . .4 School Sports Editorial . .MHSAA-1 2020 Finals Schedule and MIS Information . .6 Scholar-Athlete Award . .MHSAA-2 Course Map . .7 2019 Boys Results . .14 Finals Apparel . .MHSAA-4 2019 Girls Results . .16 Fall Sports Finals on the Air . .MHSAA-5 Boys Team Champion History . .28 Student Advisory Council . .MHSAA-6 Girls Team Champion History . .30 Representative Council . .MHSAA-8 Finals Notes . .32 MHSAA Finals programs are produced by the Michigan High School Athletic Association, Inc., 1661 Ramblewood Drive, East Lansing, Mich.; Executive Director Mark Uyl. The Finals program series is designed by Rob Kaminski, and edited by Kaminski and Geoff Kimmerly. Printing by Spartan Printing, Lansing, Mich. Advertising sales by Royal Publishing, Peoria, Ill. The rest of the MHSAA staff includes: Tony Bihn, Jordan Cobb, Sam Davis, Andy Frushour, Nathaniel S. Hampton, Scott Helmic, Dan Hutcheson, Cody Inglis, John Johnson, Camala Kinder, Cole Malatinsky, Peggy Montpas, Andrea Osters, Thomas M. Rashid, Brent Rice, Laura Roberts, Adam Ryder, Jamie VanDerMoere, Faye Verellen, Tricia Wieferich, Kathy Vruggink Westdorp, Paige Winne, and Karen Yonkers. Cover Photos –RunMichigan.com MHSAA Finals 3 2019 Finals Review MHSAA Second Half Different Paths to Dominance RunMichigan.com One splashed onto the scene as a freshman. One was unknown at that age. In 2019, both dominated their races at the MHSAA Finals ofia Dudek wasn’t on anyone’s radar as a potential MHSAA champion cross country runner during her Zfreshman year. She not only wasn’t running in Michigan, she wasn’t running in the United States. Dudek was in her homeland of Poland when she was in 9th Ann Arbor Pioneer’s Zofia Dudek grade after two years in Florida and one year in Indiana wouldn’t have much company for long in because of her father’s job as a visiting professor of economics. the Division 1 meet, as she recorded the When Maciej Dudek was hired at the University of Michigan, fourth-fastest time ever in MHSAA Girls Dudek enrolled at Ann Arbor Pioneer for her sophomore year. Finals at MIS last fall. From a school that has produced some of the top distance runners in Michigan history, Dudek may be the best of them all. She won the 2019 MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 Being one of the nation’s top runners and competing in the championship with a time of 17:00.4, the fourth-fastest time by smallest division at the MHSAA Lower Peninsula cross country a girl at Michigan International Speedway. It was nearly a championships only accentuates the gap between VanderKooi minute ahead of runner-up Arianne Olson, a freshman from and her competition. Holland West Ottawa (17:53.0). VanderKooi made the Division 4 girls race a battle for sec - Dudek had the fastest time in the state last year, 16:46.9 in ond place as she repeated as champion by 1:11.7 with a time October, but the muddy conditions at MIS made it a tough day of 18:11.0. In 2018, she won by a margin of 1:15.6 in 17:47.3. for chasing personal records. So, how does VanderKooi maintain her focus in races when “I was mostly just going for place and trying to do my best there is nobody else around to push her? out there,” Dudek said after leading the Pioneers to the team “I try to recite Bible verses, and that helps sometimes,” she title as well, 33 points ahead of Traverse City Central. said. Her favorite, she said, is Philippians 4:13. “‘I can do all Dudek proved to be a solid addition to the Pioneer team in things through Christ who strengthens me.’ I like that one a lot.” 2017 when she placed 20th at MIS in 18:13.0. She improved to In the team competition, Bridgman ended Mount Pleasant third the following year in 17:59.8. Sacred Heart’s four-year run as champion by scoring 132 “My sophomore year when I got 20th place, I thought that points. Sacred Heart was second with 148. was amazing,” Dudek said. “I thought I could never be one of Karsyn Stewart was sixth overall and third among team run - the top five runners. It just feels amazing to be able to do this.” ners in 19:38.8, while Arie Hackett was 11th overall and sixth Unlike Dudek, Muskegon Western Michigan Christian’s among team runners in 19:58.2 to lead Bridgman. Abby VanderKooi made sure everyone knew her as a freshman, and then gave an even better performance last year. Boys Division 1 Afterward, she wasn’t being cocky. She was merely stating Carter Solomon could finally relax, a luxury he couldn’t the obvious. afford himself for almost 3.1 miles. The Plymouth senior had “I don’t normally have competition anywhere, so it’s really the fastest time in the state last fall, but that didn’t intimidate tough,” the sophomore said. the other two runners who clung to Solomon in pursuit of the same dream, the 2019 Division 1 medal. When Solomon had finally shaken his rivals and was in the clear, he thrust his arms in the air in a display of emotion he rarely showed while winning races all season. He had finally checked off the final box on one of the best high school cross country careers in Michigan history, winning the championship in 15:01.2, the fastest time in any division in 2019. “I think I came in as the favorite, but coming away with it still means a whole lot,” Solomon said. Solomon won a team championship with Plymouth in 2018, and placed in the top 18 all four years. The only boy to accom - plish that feat in the MHSAA’s largest classification since sepa - Muskegon WMC’s Abby VanderKooi ran away from rate team and individual races were discontinued in 1996 was the pack for the second straight year in Division 4. Rockford legend Dathan Ritzenhein, who made the top five four years in a row from 1997-2000. RunMichigan.com 4 MHSAA Finals 2019 Review Only two other boys have even been four-time all-staters in the top classification: Lake Orion’s T.J. Carey (2009-12) and Brighton’s Zach Stewart (2016-19). Running stride for stride with Solomon for much of the race were Clarkston senior Brendan Favazza and Brighton senior Jack Spamer. Favazza finished second in 15:06.0, and Spamer was third in 15:17.1. While Spamer was third in the battle for the individual Hanover-Horton won the D3 team championship, he got the prize that Solomon and his team - championship behind Garrett mates won in 2018. Melling, who was eighth overall With Spamer in third and Stewart in fourth in 15:30.7, and fifth among team runners. Brighton won its first MHSAA championship since 1995 and third overall by a 136-154 margin over Dexter. Senior Scott Spaanstra was 31st in 16:05.4; sophomore Evan Ross took 46th in 16:17.6, and senior Andrew Hanna took 114th in 16:45.8 to complete Brighton’s scoring. RunMichigan.com It was the fourth MHSAA Final meet for Stewart and Spaanstra and the third for Spamer, but the other four Brighton “I wrote out all my goals at the beginning of the season and runners were competing at MIS for the first time. the steps I was going to take to get there,” Petr said. “It’s a little bit of a weird thing, but I found it really helps. I wrote like ‘top Division 2 five.’ So, even that was a stretch.” Evan Bishop of East Grand Rapids had already established Petr first saw herself as a potential Finals champion eight a reputation that stacked up favorably with anyone’s in days earlier when she beat Theis in Regionals by 3.4 seconds. Michigan, but he didn’t have an individual MHSAA champi - Petr led another dominant performance by East Grand onship on his resume. Rapids, which repeated as Division 2 champion by scoring 36 That changed in 2019 when he won the Lower Peninsula points.