We are kicking off the first-ever Blue Water Running Cross Country Awards, and we value your input in recognizing deserving local high school cross country runners for their accomplishments in 2025! Nominations can be made by athletes, coaches, parents, fans, and community members. You can nominate runners in our coverage area for any or all of the following categories: Rookie of the Year (must be a freshman) Runner of the Year Most Improved Runner Breakthrough Performance

Cross-country postseason racing continued over the last week and a half, with high school athletes competing in the MITCA Meet of Champions on November 8 at Shepherd High School. Macomb Community College and SC4 women sent their squads to the NJCAA National Championships in Iowa on Nov. 8, with several collegiate runners earning All-American honors.

On Saturday, November 1, runners from every Lower Peninsula division across Michigan converged at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. Nearly 100 athletes from the Blue Water Area capped off the 2025 cross country season with their performances at the state finals. What it took to be All-State (top 30 finishers): Division 1 Girls : 18:12.  Winner: Natasza Dudek, Ann Arbor Pioneer. 16:09*. *Currently the nation’s fastest time. Division 1 Boys : 15:46.2.  Winner: Kamar

Many local runners punched their tickets to Brooklyn next week for the cross country state meet, as regional qualifying meets took place Friday through Saturday. When a trip to the state finals is on the line, personal bests abound: the majority of the top 30 Blue Water Area cross country times were run at regional competitions: 19/30 for girls, 18/30 for boys. Macomb Community College and St. Clair County Community College also raced in regional meets on Friday at Goodells

Saige Cole wins the Marysville Invitational on Oct. 2. Yale sophomore Saige Cole had a successful cross country debut last season, running her PR of 20:05 to place eighth at regionals and earn her first trip to the state meet as a freshman. One of the returning favorites in the league and region this year, she won the Brown City Invitational, the Marysville Invitational, and was BWAC runner-up, leading the Bulldogs to a league title. She was runner-up at the Dave Patterson