BLISSFIELD — The Blissfield girls cross country program recorded a stellar 2025 season, including a fifth-place finish at the Division 3 state meet under coach Ryan Bills, and Bills expects the Royals to pick up where they left off.
“We have a great group of girls, so whatever they put their minds to, they can achieve it,” said Bills, who begins his fifth season at the helm of the girls program.
The Royals managed 12 first-place finishes throughout the fall, including a Lenawee County championship against other county teams. They also recorded back-to-back Lenawee County Athletic Association and Division 3 regional championships in 2025.
Seniors Anna Hallett and Kaleea Braun return along with junior Revan Ricker and sophomore Mollie Yeager. Freshmen Ellie Sills and Rose Moreno are newcomers to the program.
Hallett received Division 3 all-state honors along with first-team recognition in the region, county, and league. Braun earned first-team region, county, and league honors. Ricker gained second-team county and league marks, while Yeager received first-team region and second-team county and league honors.
“As always, I want to see growth as a runner and as a person,” said Bills, whose team took the top spot in Division 3 as the best academic team.
Addison: Coach Rick Gramm begins his first season at the helm of the Addison program, a challenge for the first-time cross country coach, but he will not be alone on the courses.
“I have two experienced assistant coaches for the men’s and women’s teams,” Gramm said of Caleb Gramm and Stephanie Hernandez, who each qualified for the state meet as runners while attending Addison. “They both have a vast amount of knowledge, and they’ll help our team tremendously.”
Senior Delilah Belcher, junior Ellie Woodring, and freshman Grace Gillin are running for Addison. Woodring qualified for the state meet as a sophomore last fall.
“We have two incoming freshmen this year that are showing a lot of promise; we just have to keep working hard together with such a small squad,” Gramm said.
Adrian: The Adrian girls program has a streak similar to the boys team. The Maples would like to return to the Division 2 state meet for the fifth straight year, led by coach Tom MacNaughton.
“The girls enter the season with a four-year streak,” said MacNaughton, who begins his 11th season as coach and 14th overall. “Last year, the girls were 20th in the state.”
Senior Ayda Skeels, junior Madison Petty, junior Karina Mihai-Grammes, freshman Alexis Richards, and junior Klair Baker lead the pack for Adrian.
Skeels led the Lenawee County preview meet from start to finish on Aug. 22 at Tecumseh High School in 19:07.9, a dominating performance that led her teammates.
“We expect to have another strong season,” MacNaughton said. “Both teams have a very good chance to win regionals, and an even better chance of continuing the streaks of qualifying for the state meet.”
Britton Deerfield: The Britton Deerfield program did not field a team last season, but coach Haylie Shiels is eager to build a team from the ground up.
“I’m excited to work with the high school girls team this season and give these athletes the opportunity to grow and compete,” Shiels said. “My expectations are for the team to improve throughout the season, support each other, and establish a strong foundation for the program moving forward.”
Freshmen Remi Maynard and Peyton Shiels are newcomers to the BD program. As eighth-graders, Maynard and Shiels showed potential in the 2-mile races. Shiels had a personal record of 13:20, while Maynard clocked a personal record of 13:49.
“Remi made a lot of solid progress last year and was consistent with her times, placing well in most of her meets,” the coach said. “I’m excited to see how she continues to improve this season. Peyton is a dedicated runner who consistently competed near the front last season. I’m looking forward to seeing how she handles the jump to high school competition and continues to grow this season.”
Clinton: Kurt Hillegonds starts his 17th season with high expectations for the student-athletes in his charge.
“Academically, I would like to see them put us in the position to earn academic all-state at the end of the season,” said Hillegonds, who is joined on the courses by assistant coach Rich Dewald, beginning his sixth season with the program. “Athletically, I want them to focus on their recovery: eat healthy, hydrate, sleep a lot so they can respond to training while staying healthy.”
Juniors Ella Claus and Grace Farrell return for Clinton along with sophomore Josslyn Handy, and they will be joined by newcomers Katy Wellday and Henley Wright.
“Claus is healthy after being injured last year during the cross-country season,” Hillegonds said. Claus excelled in the spring during track and field, breaking a couple of school records and winning the 400-meter dash at the Division 3 state meet.
“Handy has been working through some minor injuries and has been training consistently in the off-season and is ready for the new season,” Hillegonds said. Handy was the squad’s most valuable athlete last fall. “Farrell had a great year last year and is looking to best her time from last year. Wellday and Wright are new freshmen, and we expect them to be competitive throughout the season.”
Hudson: Coach Angela Czeiszperger begins her seventh season at Hudson, coming off a strong team effort in 2025 and returning a solid contingent of runners in 2026.
Last season, Hudson placed fourth in the LCAA and fifth at the county meet, while they finished fourth at the Division 4 regional meet. They sent four runners to the Division 4 state meet, including Annabelle Czeiszperger, who took eighth at the regional meet in her senior year. She earned first-team all-LCAA, second-team all-county, and all-state academic honors.
Senior Miley Rising, who placed 23rd at the regional meet last fall, returns for Hudson along with senior Nora Kleinhenz, juniors Grace Brockway and Veronica Tinkey, and sophomore Ryleigh Holt.
Lenawee Homeschool: After coaching stints at Hudson and Lenawee Christian, coach Ben Bloom went on to create Lenawee Homeschool in 2025, a program for homeschooled students.
“Our girls should be able to be competitive amongst the smaller schools in the area,” Bloom said of his program.
He said the program has a strong pair of returning runners in Chloe Ruse, a junior from Morenci, and Sofia Shaw, a senior from Onsted. They will be joined by freshmen Ari Thurlow (Adrian), Evelyne Lane (Clinton), and Julia Shaw (Onsted). Juniors Bella McCune and Isabel Potter, both from Adrian, round out the team.
Madison: As Madison struggled with numbers, the Trojans still managed strong efforts at invitationals throughout the fall for coach Jim Sperling, who enters his 21st season with the Trojans.
Juniors Avery Stover and Anya McClure and sophomore Haleigh Summers will pace the Trojans throughout the fall. Seniors Alexis Velasquez and Amaris Benard, junior Meredith Miner, and freshman Tessa Trevino placed at the preview meet.
Onsted: Kevin Hall begins his first season as coach of the Onsted program and is excited to reunite with runners he coached in middle school.
“The girls finished in second place in the LCAA and fifth place at the regionals last year,” said Hall, who had been coaching the middle school program since 2020 before taking the varsity position.
Seniors Chloe Gemalsky, Jaelyn Gwinner, Mattie Hallenbeck, and Izzy Raglow return for Onsted, as Hallenbeck and Raglow each earned all-league second-team honors last season.
“My expectations for this year are simple,” Hall said. “Find the confidence from training, trust the process, and believe in the ability to grow. Run with purpose, lifting each other up on hard days. Encouragement goes a long way, not just as an athlete or a student, but also as an adult later on in life.”
Sand Creek: A second-place performance in the Tri-County Conference last year has veteran coach Mike Zyla and his Sand Creek program ready for more in 2026.
“There are nine girls on this year’s team, and they have gotten off to a great start this season,” said Zyla, whose team finished 10th at the Division 3 regional meet last year.
Senior Julianna Tanner, along with juniors Madalynn Trame, Rylee Martis, and Makayla Six, and sophomore Raelynn Steinke, return.
“The team returns three of our top five runners from last year, and with a couple of new additions, the girls have added depth and talent to the roster,” Zyla said.
Tecumseh: Coach Andy Ewing begins his fourth season at Tecumseh, expecting good things from his returning runners and building momentum toward the end of the season.
“This season is focused on setting a higher standard of daily commitment and team culture,” said Ewing, whose squad finished fourth in the SEC White Division and fifth at the Division 2 regional meet. “By staying disciplined and grinding through every mile, our primary goal is to put ourselves in position to earn a top-three finish at regionals.”
Senior captains Maya Whelan and London Landini, an SEC all-conference performer, along with junior Virginia Barrett, another all-conference honoree, return. “Maya has an inspiring work ethic that she uses to be a leader on this team,” said Ewing. “London consistently sets the standard on the cross country team. Virginia’s hard work and grit on the course help drive the rest of the team at practice and in races.”