TECUMSEH — Blissfield junior Michael Weidmayer emerged from the top pack of boys to capture the opening race at the Lenawee County Cross Country Preview Meet at Tecumseh High School on Saturday, Aug. 22. Meanwhile, Ayda Skeels, a senior at Adrian, led from start to finish on her way to the girls’ individual title.
Adrian captured the boys meet with 33 points, while Blissfield edged Tecumseh, 51-58, for second place. Clinton (127), Sand Creek (128), Hudson (143), Madison (200), Onsted (232), Lenawee Homeschool (271), and Addison (273) rounded out the 10-team field.
In the girls’ meet, Adrian edged Blissfield, 36-40, and won the race. Tecumseh finished with 69 points. Clinton (117), Onsted (149), Sand Creek (181), Madison (181), Lenawee Homeschool (183), and Hudson (200) completed the 9-team field.
Weidmayer battled Adrian sophomore Parker Smith, Tecumseh junior Eli Morris, Adrian senior Landin Fisher, and junior teammate Noah Sills throughout most of the race. But as Fisher and Sills fell back, the others moved further ahead, and it was not until the final stretch that Weidmayer gained control, edged his competition, and claimed the 3.1-mile race.
“I was going for first,” Weidmayer said of his pre-race strategy. “I was pretty surprised when I got passed at a certain point. I didn’t realize I was going to still have that much competition. I knew there was going to be some people, but I didn’t realize there was going to be that many people close to me, right?”
Weidmayer won the race in 16 minutes, 42.2 seconds, edging Parker, who finished second in 16:42.7, and Morris, who placed third in 16:49.0, for the individual championship.
“Michael puts all the effort into his running,” Blissfield coach Ryan Bills said of Weidmayer. “He works really, really hard at what he does. He trained all summer, trained really hard, and is prepared for his races.”
Meanwhile, Skeels set her sights high and dominated the competition, taking an early lead from the start of the race and never relinquishing control. She crossed the finish line in 19:07.9, as her teammate junior Madison Petty placed second in 19:24.0.
“Her goal is to run 17:45 this year, and she’s so goal-oriented that she’s probably going to make it,” Adrian coach Tom MacNaughton said of Skeels. “She’s had a very, very solid summer of training.”
MacNaughton said Skeels had a strong spring as a member of the Maples’ track and field team, and her effort continued into her first cross country meet of the season.
“We really wanted to bring home first place today, and that was our goal,” Skeels said of the group effort from her teammates. “I hope to drop my time into the seventeens. I think I’ve had a pretty good season of training, and the same with my teammates.”
After Smith, Fisher took fourth in 16:55.0, while junior Easton Coscarelli (sixth, 17:03.6), senior Carter Fenner (eighth, 17:28.5), and junior Lucas Zeckner (13th, 18:06.4) placed for Adrian.
Behind Weidmayer, Sills placed fifth in 16:58.30, while junior Brady Bills (12th, 18:05.7), sophomore Bryson Pooley (16th, 18:13.1), and sophomore Cameron Jordan (17th, 18:44.4) finished for Blissfield.
After Morris, junior Harrison Stamper finished ninth in 17:48.3, while junior Dempsey Barrett (10th, 17:50.1), junior Carson Scholz (11th, 17:51.1), and freshman Mason Kleinow (25th, 19:25.0) placed for Tecumseh.
Sophomore Haiden Bennett placed seventh in 17:21.2, while freshman Owen Claus (20th, 19:04.1), senior Austin Strand (26th, 19:26.8), senior Lucas Goetting (29th, 19:46.2), and sophomore Dylan Gurica (50th, 21:32.6) finished for Clinton.
Sophomore Blake Root placed 15th in 18:12.5, while senior Silas Daniels (18th, 18:48.0), senior Tre Fluker (22nd, 19:14.0), sophomore Alec Parker (31st, 19:57.7), and sophomore Luke Meckley (45th, 21:13.6) placed for Sand Creek.
Sophomore Blake Aube placed 14th in 18:11.0, while sophomore Haven Kohlruss (23rd, 19:14.4), freshman Sawyer Franke (32nd, 20:33.1), sophomore Elijah Worrell (34th, 20:37.7), and junior Isaac Wilson (41st, 21:04.1) finished for Hudson.
Junior John Verlinde placed 24th in 19:17.4, while junior Alize Ramirez (35th, 20:41.4), sophomore Aiden Legg (42nd, 21:05.0), sophomore Emerson Snyder (57th, 21:52.0), and freshman Carson Schlieger (62nd, 22:08.3) placed for Madison.
Senior Nicklas Holmes was 30th in 19:55.6, while sophomore Alex Hunt (38th, 20:55.6), sophomore John Pfeffer (60th, 22:03.2), senior Joel Sniegowski (71st, 22:43.8), and freshman Carter Holtzbauer (72nd, 22:47.9) finished for Onsted.
Eight-grader Joshua Gulotta took 37th in 20:48.0, while freshman Evan Tedora (59th, 22:00.9), eighth-grader Jaden Ruse (83rd, 23:46.6), sophomore Ben Havens (86th, 24:03.9), and eighth-grader Landon Bloom (92nd, 25:07.7) placed for Lenawee Homeschool.
Junior Tony Gudakunst placed 40th in 21:02.8, while sophomore Connor Evans (64th, 22:15.4), sophomore Alex Snapp (78th, 23:21.2), sophomore Daniel Old (81st, 23:39.2), sophomore Ruben Thomas (99th, 28:05.9) finished for Addison.
Lenawee Christian freshman Keighyn Taylor finished 68th in 22:36.9. Britton-Deerfield freshman Clayton Roe was 94th in 25:33.0, while senior Andrew Calvert took 97th in 26.30.7 and junior Logan Hilyard was 104th in 34:01.0.
Behind Skeels and Petty, junior Karina Mihai-Grammes (fifth, 21:45.8), freshman Alexis Richard (seventh, 22:03.2), and junior Klair Baker (21st, 23:46.7) scored for Adrian.
Senior Anna Hallett took third in 20:57.7 for Blissfield, while freshman Ellie Sills finished fourth in 21:15.5. Senior Kaleea Braun (eighth, 22:05.6), sophomore Mollie Yeager (ninth, 22:08.4), and junior Revan Ricker (16th, 23:13.5) finished for Blissfield.
Sophomore Opal English took 10th in 22:26.2, while junior Virginia Barrett (13th, 22:53.4), senior Maya Whelan (14th, 22:55.5), junior Morgan McMichael (15th, 22:58.7), and senior Camryn Nowak (17th, 23:18.1) placed for Tecumseh.
Junior Ella Claus finished sixth in 22:00.2, while sophomore Josslyn Handy (11th, 22:39.5), freshman Katelynn Wellday (27th, 24:57.6), junior Grace Farrell (29th, 25:03.7), and freshman Henley Wright (50th, 27:02.8) finished for Clinton.
Freshman Stylar Ross took 12th in 22:49.8, while senior Izabel Raglow (28th, 25:01.0), senior Jaelyn Gwinner (34th, 25:36.1), senior Mattie Hallenbeck (36th, 25:42.4), and senior Chloe Gemalsky (44th, 26:36.9) placed for Onsted.
Junior Madalynn Trame was 20th in 23:31.8, while senior Julianna Tanner (35th, 25:40.1), junior Makayla Six (38th, 26:11.1), junior Haily Baker (48th, 26:57.7), and sophomore Raelynn Steinke (52nd, 27:44.2) finished for Sand Creek.
Senior Alexis Velasquez placed 25th in 24:42.2, while junior Avery Stover (31st, 25:13.0) freshman Tessa Trevino (43rd, 26:36.0), senior Amaris Benard (47th, 26:57.5), and sophomore Haleigh Summers (51st, 27:24.2) placed for Madison.
Freshman Arianna Thurlow took 24th in 24:36.0, while junior Chloe Ruse (30th, 25:09.3), freshman Evelyne Lane (45th, 26:46.2), senior Sofia Shaw (46th, 26:53.4), and freshman Julia Shaw (54th, 30:09.1) finished for Lenawee Homeschool.
Freshman Maisen Schaedler finished 19th in 23:31.2, while junior Grace Brockway (26th, 24:49.5), senior Miley Rising (53rd, 29:15.7), junior Veronica Tinkey (57th, 30:34.3), and senior Nora Kleinhenz (65th, 36:15.0) placed for Hudson.
Britton-Deerfield freshman Peyton Shiels took 37th in 25:54.1, while freshman teammate Remi Maynard was 49th in 26:58.9. Addison freshman Grace Gillin finished 42nd (26:32.6), while senior Delilah Belcher was 68th (44:18.5).
