Otsego’s Taylor Smith points the way for Bulldogs’ girls cross country team in Division 2 state meet – MLive.com
Otsego’s Taylor Smith points the way for Bulldogs’ girls cross country team in Division 2 state meet

Aaron Mueller | Kalamazoo Gazette, November 07, 2009 11:49 p.m.

BROOKLYN — Otsego cross country coach Steve Long said Taylor Smith’s performance in this year’s state meet was quite different than last year.

And it’s not just the fact that she improved on her run last year by 15 places, finishing third in Division 2 in 18:33.

“She’s really kind of moving into her own as a runner. Her confidence is much higher than in previous seasons,” Long said. “She ran a great race.”

Smith was beaming after the race.

“It feels really good, because my goal was top five,” she said. “I reached my goal by two places, so it was awesome.”

Vicksburg’s Mark Beams nabs third, Bulldogs boys cross country team grabs fifth in Division 2 state meet – MLive.com
Vicksburg’s Mark Beams nabs third, Bulldogs boys cross country team grabs fifth in Division 2 state meet

Aaron Mueller | Kalamazoo Gazette, November 07, 2009 11:42 p.m.

BROOKLYN — Mark Beams could not explain what happened in the last 1,000 meters of Saturday’s state championship meet at Michigan International Speedway.

After leading the pack almost the entire race, the Vicksburg senior was passed by Jacob Hord, of Linden, and Christopher Burns (Pontiac Notre Dame) to finish third.

Beams, who felt like it was his race to win, was disappointed afterwards.

“I’m not happy,” he said. “I passed everyone a little bit before the mile-and-a-half and led it for most of the way. They passed me coming down onto the track with about 1,000 left to go. I don’t know. I just let it go. I think I had enough left. I just couldn’t collect myself enough. It just didn’t work.”

Vicksburg, a team ranked second in Division 2 with strong title hopes, finished a disappointing fifth.

It didn’t help that the team’s No. 2 runner, Jake Andrews, ran into some trouble early in the race.

“Right at the beginning, about 15 meters in, I got tripped and fell flat on the ground,” Andrews said. “After that, I just couldn’t get it back. We wanted to win. I can’t even explain what happened.”

St. Louis runners Raquel Serna and CallyAnne Wyma finish all-state after qualifying as individuals for the Division 3 girls cross country finals – MLive.com
St. Louis runners Raquel Serna and CallyAnne Wyma finish all-state after qualifying as individuals for the Division 3 girls cross country finals

The Saginaw News, November 07, 2009 9:56 p.m.

St. Louis individual qualifiers Raquel Serna (19:15) and CallyAnne Wyma (19:53) did the rest of their teammates proud by finishing fifth and 25th, respectively, and earning all-state honors at the Division 3 girls cross country finals on Saturday at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.

Caro, led by Erika Roe’s 26th-place finish of 19:54 that was good for all-state, had the highest finish of any area team in ninth place at 283. Following the Tigers were Freeland (395) in 12th place and Sanford Meridian (540) in 23rd.

“Our girls could be academic all-state,” said Caro coach Jeff Schember. “That makes it a lot easier for me when you have smart athletes to coach. They do the workouts, they don’t complain and they get the job done.”

Midland Dow’s Allison White runs to All-State recognition in Division 1 cross country final – MLive.com
Midland Dow’s Allison White runs to All-State recognition in Division 1 cross country final

The Saginaw News, November 07, 2009 9:55 p.m.

Allison White (18:55) closed out her high school career as an all-stater for Midland Dow with a 16th-place finish.

Her Chargers placed 26th overall with 549 points. In a reversal of their team finishes at regionals, Midland High placed 24th on Saturday with a score of 517 to edge the Chargers.

Heritage’s Deja Wallace ran a 21:31 as an individual qualifier.

Harrison’s Blake Allison finishes runner-up at the Division 3 boys cross country finals – MLive.com
Harrison’s Blake Allison finishes runner-up at the Division 3 boys cross country finals

The Saginaw News, November 07, 2009 9:54 p.m.

Kyle Henderson (17:13) battled flu-like symptoms and a tender ankle to finish 35th overall, leading Freeland to a top-10 finish at the Division 3 boys cross country finals on Saturday at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.

“The rest of the team ran as a pack, and that kept us in the top 10 for the second year in a row,” said Freeland coach Jason Robinson, whose team placed eighth with a score of 281.

Chesaning followed Freeland in ninth place with a score of 286, while Frankenmuth (483) finished 22nd overall, Caro (552) was 26th and Clare (616) 28th.

Mount Pleasant’s Ashley Montgomery garners All-State recognition in Division 2 cross country final – MLive.com
Mount Pleasant’s Ashley Montgomery garners All-State recognition in Division 2 cross country final

The Saginaw News, November 07, 2009 9:53 p.m.
Mount Pleasant’s Ashley Montgomery (19:02) finished 10th and her all-state run helped the Oilers place 18th 455 points.

Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart’s Bridget Bennett takes second-straight state championship – MLive.com
Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart’s Bridget Bennett takes second-straight state championship

The Saginaw News, November 07, 2009 9:46 p.m.
While the rest of the field struggled with muddy track conditions and windy weather Saturday, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart senior and defending Division 4 girls cross country state champion Bridget Bennett shined, winning her second-straight state championship in helping Sacred Heart to a third-place finish at Michigan International Speedway.

“It’s one of those things where even when you’re preparing, you’re looking into the mirror and asking yourself, ‘What am I thinking? Who am I to get to do this twice?,” she said. “I got the opportunity (to run and win two state championships) and I’m still confused as to how that happened.”

Less than ideal racing conditions threatened to bog down the state finals, but Bennett transcended the conditions to post an 18:35, which improved upon her time from a year ago, while most runners struggled to finish within a minute of their mean scores.

Ionia blows away the field at Division 2 boys cross country final – MLive.com
Ionia blows away the field at Division 2 boys cross country final

The Saginaw News, November 07, 2009 9:42 p.m.
Ionia proved to be to much for the competition as they scored a 92 in the Division 2 boys cross country final to easily outdistance second place Dexter’s 184 Saturday at Michigan International Speedway. Alma was the lone area team to make the finals and the Panthers scored a 287 to finish 13th.

The Panthers were led by Alex Stahl who ran a 17:04 to finish 37th, and Derek Devine finished in 17:21 to come in 58th for Alma.

Christopher Burns of Pontiac Notre Dame ran a 15:48 to capture the individual championship.

Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart’s youth prevails for top-10 finish in boy’s cross country final – MLive.com
Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart’s youth prevails for top-10 finish in boy’s cross country final

The Saginaw News, November 07, 2009 9:13 p.m.
Normally, one would say youngsters should sit by and watch as more experienced athletes show them how to win.

Well that’s not the case with Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart boys cross country team, as the Irish, composed completely of sophomore runners, had two make All-State as the Sacred Heart capped an improbable bid in the Division 4 finals Saturday to finish 10th.

Concord scored a 109 to take the state title, while Bridgman came in second at 144. Sacred Heart was the only area team to finish in the top ten with a 293.

The Irish were led by All-State sophomores Casey Voisin and Ben Schilling who finished with times of 17:04 and 17:07, respectively.