Distance runners will be looking to have their best performances of the season June 1 at the state finals.
In Division 2, Megan O’Neil of Chippewa Hills is ranked fifth in the 1,600-meter run at 5:09.19 and eighth in the 3,200-meter run at 11:25.10. The top two runners in the 3,200-meter run are Katie Weiler of Cedar Springs at 11:05.9 and Meg Darmofal of Mason at 11:07.10.
Weiler is second in the 1,600-meter run at 5:08.40
“This season, I’ve been focused on trying to run multiple events in a meet,” O’Neil said. “At Alma, I ran the 4 by 8, the 1,600, and the 3,200. I just worked on running it all in one day. There was some good competition there.”
O’Neil said it hasn’t been running one or two events that have been a strength. Running multiple event has been more like it.
“I like the relays,” she said, acknowledging that this has been her best season while preparing to run the MITCA state meet on May 25 and the MHSA meet on June 1.
O’Neil’s Chippewa Hills team was third at the MITCA state finals and also won a regional crown this season. “This is definitely the biggest team I’ve been on,” she said. “We barely fit the whole team on a bus.”
Raquel Serna, a senior from St. Louis, had the sixth best qualifying time in Division 3 for the 800-meter run at 2:24.20 and has the top time in the 1,600-meter run at 4:58.60. She ran a 10:40 in the two-mile at Shepherd but has a 10:53.60 regional time that qualified her for state.
“Last year, I did pretty bad; I fell apart a lititle bit,” Serna said. “Besides that, I’ve done pretty well.”
She’s cautiously optimistic about her chances at state finals. “This season, I’m not going to go by rankings, because rankings don’t matter anyplace you go,” Serna said. “I’m going to go out there and I know I won’t be the leader at first, but I’m going to try to stick with them.”
Her best events have been the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs, and she plans on running cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track at Michigan State University.
Kirsten Olling, a junior from Breckenridge, has the top qualifying time in the 3,200-meter run at 11:19.4 and is No. 2 in the 1,600-meter run at 5:17.9. She’s also in the 3,200-meter relay as the anchor. Last season, Olling was Division 4 state champion in the 3,200-meter run in 9:50.86.
“From last year, I haven’t ran any impressive times for me yet,” she said. “This year, I’ve been mainly focusing for me on pushing myself past certain obstacles. I’m still dealing with my iron deficiency…I’ve been trying to push past that and start racing smarter and leaving it all out there.”
Olling said she has two goals for the state meet. “My first goal is to be able to break 11 again,” she said, referring to the 3,200-meter run. “Last year at the state meet, I ran 11-flat. My second goal is to go as fast as I can and leave it out there.
“I think the competition will be harder than in years past. Last year in the 3,200, I won by over 200 meters. This year, it will be a closer race which is good for me and everyone else. It helps us push each other and run better and faster times. It makes it a great watch for spectators.”
Olling said she’s improved over the course of the season. “I’ve dropped 10 seconds [in the 3,200,]” she said.