Preview
The 6th annual Portage
Invitational is once again packed with talent and often thought of as
a pre-state finals meet. Last year 6 of Michigan's 8 champions won division
titles. This year, the out-of-state invasion is coming, as teams Ontario,
Ohio, and Indiana are competing. Over 160 high schools and middle schools
will be in attendance, with 4200 registered runners competing in 14 races.
As in the past, the weather looks like it could make the day very interesting,
as rain could be a possibility. The question will be if the rain will
slow the course down or not. Past results have indicated that this will
most likely not happen. Once again, the Portage Invitational is the only
meet in Michigan to time every runner using the ChampionChip timing system,
including middle school runners. We hope you enjoy the meet, and have
your best race of the year, so far.
Division
1
Men
Jeff See (interview)
of Middletown, Ohio looks to be the top individual in the men's race.
Frank Tinney of Ann Arbor Huron will be locking horns with Dustin Voss
and Neil Atzinger of Saline for the second time this year, with Voss and
Atzinger going 1-2 on Tinney. Voss and Tinney finished 2nd and 3rd at
the state finals last year, and look to be the top contenders for a state
title this year, along with Atzinger. See beat Voss and Atzinger at the
Midwest Meet of Champions earlier this season. See broke Alan Webb's national
mile record for sophomores this past track season.
The team race looks
like its first out-of-state team could win it. As Middletown, Ohio (US
18th ranked) finished fourth at the Midwest Meet of Champions, ahead of
2nd ranked Rockford and 4th ranked Saline. Indiana is sending a contender
in Ft. Wayne Snider, as they are ranked 10th in their state rankings,
as well as 20th ranked Huntington North. Huntington North knocked off
Snider at the Snider Invitational this past weekend. Other Michigan teams
contending for the title will be 5th ranked Bedford, 6th ranked TC Central,
9th ranked AA Pioneer, and 10th ranked Grandville.
Women
Nikki Bohnsack and Rachel Wittum from Rockford have to hold off Portage
Northern's Elisa Zemlick and Alyson Kohlmeier from Sarnia Athletics. Bohnsack
is the defending state champion in Division 1 and will be looking for
her second Portage Invitational title this year. Although, Bohnsack may
be sitting out as she is trying to mend a nagging injury. Wittum looks
to be Michigan's top runner for the next four years. Zemlick has placed
third in the state the last two years, and hopes to challenge Bohnsack
for the title this year. Kohlmeier was runner-up to her sister last year,
clocking a time of 17:49.
The team race looks
to be one of the strongest races ever held in the state. The field is
filled with 14 state qualifying teams from 2002. Rockford, ranked 9th
in the nation, is the early favorite, but looks to have a strong challenge
from Cincinnati St. Ursula, and Sarnia Northern. Sarnia Northern won the
2002 Ontario championship title and is led by Marie-Louise Asselin. Indiana's
top entry is Portage, as they are 24th ranked in Indiana.
Division
2
Men
First ranked and 2002 state champion Dexter will look to defend their
invitational title by running two teams in the varsity race this year.
Their stiffest competition will come from 4th ranked Grand Rapids Christian,
and 5th ranked Fremont. Other top teams looking to get on the podium are
8th ranked Gull Lake, 9th ranked Grand Rapids Catholic Central, and honorable
mention Mattawan.
Fremont's Riley Klingel is back to defend his individual title, but will
have some stiff competition this year. Mike Claeys, from New Prairie,
is one the early favorites, as he is coming off a victory at the New Prairie
Invitational. Dexter looks to have Dan Meyer and Tony Nalli in the hunt
for the title. Jarod Kelsh from Chippewa Hills finished 5th last year,
and should be running up front again. Dan Roberts, national champion in
the freshman mile at Adidas Outdoor Championships, is one of the local
favorites and looks to improve his 12th place finish last year.
Women
The division 2 race could be one of the most hotly contested races of
the day, as 8 of the top 10 ranked teams in Michigan will be competing
against each other. This very well could be a state finals preview, as
Battle Creek Lakeview, defending state champions and Portage Invitational
champions, look to have a serious challenge on their hands with East Grand
Rapids. Unranked and under-rated EGR knocked off first ranked Lakeview
at the Jackson Invitational by 7 points. EGR is led by the strength of
Laura Malnor and Nikki Brown. Malnor was the runner-up in the D2 state
finals last year. Other ranked teams looking to challenge Lakeview are
Dexter(#2), Chippewa Hills(#3), Grand Rapids Christian(#4), St. Joseph(#5),
Milan(#6), Gull Lake(#8), and Middleville(#9). Do not forget about New
Prairie, as they are ranked 25th in the Indiana polls. One note is that
Indiana only has one poll ranking all the teams in Indiana, regardless
of school size.
For individual honors,
Malnor will be locking heads with Kelly Sampson, of Detroit Renaissance.
Sampson is the defending invitational champion in D2. EGR has another
contender in freshman Nikki Brown.
Division
3
Men
First ranked Williamston should be the early favorite to win the division
3 race. Although they may be holding out their top runners, and saving
them for the Greater Lansing Championships the following week. If so,
then 4th ranked Hillsdale, 5th ranked Stockbridge, and 8th ranked Jackson
Lumen Christi look to be challenging for the title.
Josh Perrin looks
to be one of the top runners in the entire meet, as he has already clocked
a 15:29 at the Jackson Invitational. If Williamston runs their top runners,
then David Bills will be challenging Perrin. Bills finished 4th in the
MSU Division 1 race, while the rest of his team dominated the division
3 race.
Women
Four of the top five ranked teams will be battling for the team title.
Second ranked Hillsdale, the defending state champion and invitational
champion, is the early favorite, but will have to contend with third ranked
Williamston, fourth ranked Jackson Lumen Christi, and fifth ranked Elk
Rapids.
Nicole Bush of Kelloggsville,
should be the heavy favorite to win her fourth invitational title. Allendale's
Jaime Watson will continue to challenge Bush for the title. Williamston's
Kate Rice, Hillsdale's Nicole Batt, and local favorite Leah Reames from
Kalamazoo Christian will be runners looking to repeat this year with high
finishs.
Division
4
Men
The men's race should be a match-up between third ranked Vandercook Lake,
8th ranked Ann Arbor Greenhills, and Central Lake. Stephen Shay leads
Central Lake. Shay's older brother, Ryan, is the US National Marathon
Champion and was the NCAA 10,000 meter champion in 2000. Stephen Shay
has already clocked several races under 16:00 this season and should be
the favorite to repeat as the D4 champion.
Women
Ann Arbor Greenhills are the only ranked team in this race, but you never
know who might be a surprise to challenge Greenhills. Glen Lake has Cassidy
Edwards looking to take the individual title and possibly lead her team
to a victory this year. Edwards has won three invitational titles, including
last year, as a sophomore. Alexa Glancer will lead Greenhills and challenge
Edwards.
Portage Invitational
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