Michigan cross country: Downriver schools secure 23 state finals berths

Twenty-three athletes and three teams from the Downriver area have earned spots in the upcoming Michigan high school cross country state finals following regional competitions held this weekend. The qualification process at Lake Erie Metropark and other sites determined which runners and squads would advance to the Michigan International Speedway complex in Brooklyn.

The regional races served as the final gate for teams and individuals to secure a place in the championship field. Rules for the event require teams to have at least five runners finish to score, with the top three teams at each regional advancing automatically. A fourth team can qualify if its top four runners place in the top 20 and at least eight schools score. Individual qualifiers are drawn from the top 15 overall, with additional spots available for runners finishing just outside that range if necessary.

Brownstown Woodhaven’s girls team qualified for the Division 1 finals for the fourth consecutive year. The Warriors finished second in their regional with a team score of 61 points, trailing only Ann Arbor Pioneer. Junior Charley McKay placed sixth overall in her race with a time of 18:23. Three of her teammates, Annabelle Chan, Alexis Kmiecik, and Jaelynn Green, finished in 10th, 11th, and 12th place respectively. Hope Noal rounded out the scoring line in 22nd place.

Wyandotte Roosevelt secured the final team spot for the boys’ Division 1 final with a score of 103 points. The Bears edged out Woodhaven’s boys team, which scored 108 points. This marks the first time Roosevelt has qualified as a boys’ team since 2013. Junior Zachary Greene led the group with a ninth-place finish and a time of 16:00.

Nine additional local runners qualified as individuals for the Division 1 finals. Vincent Jones and Zawadi Mwathi from Woodhaven both finished in the top 15. Jones, a senior, is making his third straight state finals appearance. Wyatt DelValle of Gibraltar Carlson and Jaden Hill of Allen Park also advanced. On the girls’ side, five local runners finished consecutively from 15th to 19th place, including Joy Schuck and Ava Brancheau of Southgate Anderson, who become the first solo qualifiers from their school since 2023.

In Division 2, New Boston Huron’s girls team qualified for the second straight year. The Chiefs scored 63 points to finish second to Adrian. Sophomore Zoey Cheney led the team in sixth place. Individually, Huron senior Cameron Crane won his regional race to secure a third consecutive state finals appearance. Grosse Ile’s Nicholas Ranka and Trenton’s Jackson Satterfield also qualified on the boys’ side, while Jamie Glatfelter of Trenton and Marina Werner of Grosse Ile earned spots for the girls.

Division 4 competition produced further qualifiers for local schools. Riverview Gabriel Richard’s boys team finished third in their regional to advance to the finals. The team scored 81 points, led by senior Jacob Ferdubinski, who won the regional title. Allen Park Cabrini will send three individual runners to the state finals, including Deirdre O’Connell, who is making back-to-back appearances.