MUSKEGON – Cross country is one of the few sports given the green light from the start in Michigan during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Facial coverings or not, runners continue to focus on the finish line: PRs and the state finals, set for Nov. 7 at Michigan International Speedway.
That’s a long ways off, however, so for now let’s take a look at some of the Muskegon area’s top performers for this fall.
Here are 15 runners to watch on the Muskegon-area girls cross country scene. They are listed alphabetically:
Lynae Ackley, Hart
The Pirates senior ranks ninth in the state among Division 3 runners as of times posted by Sept. 8. Ackley finished the Benzie Central Pete Moss Invitational Aug. 29 with a time of 19:15.1. She is a three-time all-stater already and she’s looking to help lead Hart to a fourth-straight Division 3 state championship. Her personal record is 18:41.0 at the Allendale Falcon Invite in 2017.
Savannah Ackley, Hart
The Pirates senior ranks in the top 10 in the state for all divisions based upon times posted through Sept. 8. In her team’s lone competition so far this season, Ackley finished third in her session at the Benzie Central Pete Moss Invitational Aug. 29 with a time of 18:26.0. She is aiming to become a four-time all-state runner, having placed sixth, seventh and fourth at the finals in helping Hart win three-straight Division 3 state titles. Her personal record is 18:09.6 at the Pete Moss Invite in 2018.
Ava Buitenhuis, Grand Haven
The Buccaneers sophomore ran to a first-place finish in her team’s lone competition so far this season, coming in at 20:58.4 in a dual meet against Zeeland East on Aug. 24. Buitenhuis' personal record came last year at the Division 1 regional, where she turned in a time of 19:24.9 en route to a 20th-place finish.
Alyson Enns, Hart
The Pirates freshman ranks No. 8 in the state for all divisions for times posted as of Sept. 8 with her effort at the Benzie Central Pete Moss Invitational on Aug. 29. In her first and only high school race so far, she turned in a time of 18:18.3 to finish second in her Pete Moss Invite session. Traverse City Central junior Julia Flynn won that race, setting the pace in the state so far this season with an eye-popping effort of 16:51.27.
Audrianna Enns, Hart
The Pirates junior ranks sixth among the state’s Division 3 runners as of Sept. 8 with her time of 18:51.3 at the Benzie Central Pete Moss Invitational on Aug. 29. As a sophomore, Enns placed fifth at the Division 3 state finals (18:56.2) in helping Hart win its third-straight state championship. Her personal record is 18:26.5, which she ran at the regional last year en route to winning the event. Enns also was all-state as a freshman, placing 10th in the state finals.
Payton Hosley, Grand Haven
The Buccaneers freshman made a strong high school cross country debut, placing third with a time of 21:11.7 in a dual meet against Zeeland East on Aug. 24. That’s been Grand Haven’s lone competition so far this season, but things look to pick up for the Bucs. They are scheduled to run a dual against Grandville on Thursday and in the Laker Invitational in Spring Lake on Saturday.
Robyn Hunt, Mona Shores
The Sailors sophomore started this season strong with a first-place finish (21:16.5) in the Trojan Division of the Trojan/Eagle Invitational Aug. 24 at Fruitport Calvary Christian. In her next race, Hunt bettered that time by more than 30 seconds (20:43.3) at the Benzie Central Pete Moss Invitational Aug. 29. Her personal record is 20:35.5, set at the Division 1 regional last season as a freshman.
Ryann Jibson, Whitehall
The Vikings junior will miss the majority of the season with a stress fracture in her leg, but she is one of the top returning runners in the Muskegon area. Jibson earned all-state honors last year with a 15th-place finish at the Division 2 state finals (18:53.9). She ran a personal-record 18:27.0 in finished third at the regional last fall. Whitehall coach Courtney Snyder said that despite the injury, Jibson is “still being an amazing leader and part of the team.”
Layla Martini, Kent City
The Eagles senior is coming off a memorable 2019 season, in which she earned all-state honors with a 16th-place finished in the Division 3 state finals (19:30.8). She took first place in seven events last season and her top time of 2019 was the 19:25.9 she turned in at the Portage Invite. Her personal-record time came during her sophomore season (19:05.9). She’s placed first in both of Kent City’s competitions so far this season, including a time of 20:24.1 in the Kent City Tri Sept. 1.
Taylor Mater, Fremont
The Packers junior enjoyed an impressive 2019 season, highlighted by her personal-record time of 18:33.3 in the Division 2 regional at Benzie Central and her 22nd-place finish at the state finals (18:57.2) en route to all-state accolades. She broke the 20-minute mark in her final five races of the season, per Athletic.net, and placed first in Fremont’s Hill and Bale invite, the Ludington Cross Country Invitational and CSAA Gold Jamboree at Grant. Fremont’s Hill and Bale event is scheduled for this Saturday.
Lily Parker, Spring Lake
The Lakes sophomore started her 2020 season in fine fashion, running a personal-record time of 20:17.4 en route to placing first in the Spring Lake Lead off Quad on Aug. 29. Her best time last season with a 20:19.3 she ran at the Allendale Falcon Invite. She was a Division 2 state finals qualifier as a freshman.
Eliza Taylor, Grand Haven
In the Buccaneers' lone competition of the season so far, the senior posted a time of 21:12 to place fourth in a dual meet against Zeeland East on Aug. 24. Her personal record came last year in the Division 1 regional at Benzie Central, where she finished with a time of 20:12.4. She also placed second in the Allendale Falcon Invite last season with an effort of 21:04.5.
Ariana Treat, Whitehall
In her team’s lone competition of the season so far, the Vikings sophomore turned in a time of 22:44.8 to place third in the Trojan Division of the Trojan/Eagle Invitational Aug. 24 at Fruitport Calvary Christian. Last year, Treat posted a personal record of 19:27.1 for a 13th-place finish in a Division 2 regional at Benzie Central. She went on to place in the top 90 at the state finals with a time of 20:16.0.
Abby Vander Kooi, Western Michigan Christian
The Warriors junior is not only one of the top runners in the state, but she’s among the best in the country. Vander Kooi finished third in the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships during her freshman and sophomore years, and she’s 2-for-2 in posting dominating Division 4 state-title runs. She did not run in Western Michigan Christian’s first meet this season because she’ll likely be running in December again at the Foot Locker nationals and her coach is trying to protect her from burnout, according to her mother, Dawn Vander Kooi.
Gabriella Wingard, North Muskegon
The Norse junior won the Eagle Division of the Trojan/Eagle Invitational on Aug. 22 at Fruitport Calvary Christian with a time of 22:36.98, then followed up by dropping her time nearly two minutes with a 20:43.0 to finish second in her session at the Benzie Central Pete Moss Invitational on Aug. 29. Her personal record was a 20:17.9 she ran in last year’s Pete Moss Invite.
Western Michigan Christian's Abby Vander Kooi leaves the pack behind during the Division 4 girls state finals at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn on Nov. 2, 2019. She is the two-time defending state champion.Mary Lewandowski | MLive.com
Read more:
Top 2020 girls cross country times in Michigan as of Sept. 8
Top 2020 boys cross country times in Michigan as of Sept. 8
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September 09, 2020 at 07:00PM
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15 runners to watch on Muskegon-area girls cross country scene in 2020 - MLive.com
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