Brandon’s varsity girls cross country team has now qualified three straight years for the state finals.
The Blackhawks held off second-place Birmingham Seaholm to capture the Division 2, Region 16 championship Friday, Oct. 27 at Clintonwood Park in Clarkston.
Brandon finished with a team score of 56 points, nine points better than Seaholm. Bloomfield Hills Lahser finished third at 109.
The Blackhawks now prepare for the Division 2 state meet, scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 4 at Michigan International Speedway. Brandon is hoping to build upon their eighth-place finish last year at the state meet, their best in school history.
Brandon girls Coach Janelle Gutzeit said the girls ran ‘outstanding? at the regional meet and is optimistic the team will have a solid showing at the state meet.
‘We’re hoping to be in the top ten at states,? she said.
Senior Kelsey Carmean led a group of three Blackhawks who placed in the top 15. Carmean placed third in 19:20, trailing Lahser’s Erin LaFave (18:23) and Seaholm’s Alex Mathews (18:37).
Sophomore Hannah Scherer placed sixth at 20:03, while junior Jamie Hendershott finished 11th at 20:10. Rounding out the Brandon scoring were: Sarah Lindsay (17th), Sarah Eldon (19th), Andrew Newcombe (22nd), and Jenna Ehde (30th).
In the boys regional final, the Blackhawks placed fifth out of 13 teams, compiling a team score of 159. Lahser won the regional with a team score of 47.
Nicola Grupido was the lone Blackhawk to place in the top 15, finishing 14th overall at 16:53. Grupido qualified for the state meet on an individual basis by finishing in the top 15 at regionals
Brandon boys Coach Gary Medland said all the Brandon runners in the meet, for the most part, achieved personal best times.
The Blackhawks had two other runners place in the top 25. Adam George finished 19th in 17:14, while Steve Sanday placed 21st with a time of 17:19.
Medland said he hopes Grupido can do well enough at the state meet to finish in the Brandon all-time top 10 as far as boys cross country performances are concerned. In order to do so, Grupido will have to finish with a time of at least 16:43.