Winners Announced for Blue Water Area Cross Country Awards

With close to 1,000 votes cast, the final results are in for the first-ever Blue Water Running Cross Country Awards!  You can read more about the athlete/team accomplishments of the winners in each category below. All of the nominees had incredible seasons: thank you for helping to recognize and celebrate our area cross-country athletes, teams, and coaches! 

FRESHMAN ROOKIE OF THE YEAR 

First-year runner who made an immediate impact.

Qualifications: ran a full season, appeared on the Blue Water Area top times list, and qualified for the state finals (with a few exceptions). 

GIRLS

Claire Albrecht, Armada

Earning over 50% of the total votes cast in this category, Albrecht was the overwhelming top pick for girls’ Rookie of the Year.  She was undefeated in all three Blue Water Area Conference jamborees and was named the BWAC MVP, along with earning Macomb-All County status in a PR of 19:46, the second-fastest frosh.  At regionals, Albrecht finished as the runner-up and was the Tigers’ top runner the entire season, finishing 2025 as the second-fastest freshman to ever come out of Armada.  

BOYS

Gavin Bowers, Austin Catholic

Bowers was the Crusaders’ top runner all season, with a PR of 17:02 at the CHSL Divisional Championships, where he finished fourth as the fastest freshman.  Bowers was 34th in Macomb County, fourth at his regional meet, and was 52nd at D4 states, finishing as the fourth-fastest freshman at the state meet in his division in 17:13.

MOST IMPROVED RUNNER

Biggest performance leap from last season. THIS CATEGORY WAS BASED ON NOMINATIONS AND MOST SIGNIFICANT GAINS IN TIME IMPROVEMENT.

GIRLS

Ava Childers, Yale

Starting the season on August 21 at the Mike Jackson Invitational at Cros-Lex, Childers ran a 24:29. By the BWAC Championships on October 14, she was in the Bulldogs’ top five scorers, finishing in ninth place to earn All-League honors and helping them to a team BWAC title.  At regionals, she ran a PR of 21:03 to finish 14th, earning an individual state qualifying place while also helping her team earn a trip to the state meet for the first time in 13 years.  Her overall season improvement was close to three and a half minutes.  

BOYS

Nolan Korolden, Yale

Another Yale athlete who started the season at Cros-Lex in 18:28 and saw over two minutes of improvement, Korolden ran as Yale's number one for approximately half the season. Fourth at the first BWAC jamboree, then second at the next two, he ran his first sub-17:00 at regionals, finishing seventh, and then set another PR of 16:41 at the state finals.

RUNNER OF THE YEAR

A consistent top runner in our area this season.

GIRLS

Samantha Whitlam, Macomb Lutheran North 

Whitlam was second at the Algonac Classic Run, 10th in Macomb County to place as the first D2/3/4 runner in the top ten, and was the D2 regional champion, helping lead her team to a regional title.  She finished the season with a PR of 19:03 at the MITCA Meet of Champions.

BOYS

Josh Macri, Macomb Lutheran North

Topping the Blue Water Area top times list all season, Macri is also the fastest to ever run at MLN, with a school record of 15:53 set at the D2 state finals to earn All-State honors in 19th place.  Macri also won the Algonac Classic and Autumn Classic, and was the defending Regional Champion, going 2-for-2 at Columbus Park to win again, as well as finishing third at the Macomb County Championship to earn All-County. Macri went on to compete in the postseason, finishing 13th at the Nike Cross Country Midwest regional, and just set the 16Ways Track Club indoor record in the 1600 in 4:28.

HONORABLE MENTION

These athletes also received high amounts of votes as Runner of the Year.

GIRLS

Saige Cole, Yale

Cole ran her first sub-20-minute 5K at the state finals to set a PR of 19:38, the top BWAC girls' finish in D2. She was second in the BWAC, 5th at regionals, won the Marysville Invite and the Brown City Invitational, and led Yale all season as their number one, clinching the BWAC team title and a regional team berth to the state meet for the first time in 13 years.

BOYS

Maxwell Durham, New Haven

With a freshman PR of 26:18 to D3 All-State as a senior and ending his career at New Haven with a high-school best of 16:15, Durham is a shining example of what patience and hard work can lead to over four years. Durham also won the MAC Blue Championship and the Marysville Invitational and earned Macomb All-County status versus much larger D1 teams.

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE

One season or race that changed their trajectory. 

GIRLS

Taylor Stanczak, Almont

Stanczak had a very consistent season of improvement, but shaved close to 30 seconds off her PR at regionals to run 20:25, and then dropped it again (20:11) at the D3 state meet to finish 60th, coming oh-so-close to a sub-20 time.

BOYS

Logan Rhodes, Yale 

With a HUGE breakthrough performance that catapulted him to regional runner-up and into the top-five times for the season in the Blue Water Area, Rhodes ran a PR of close to a minute (16:38) to lead the Yale Bulldogs to a state-qualifying team finish.

COMEBACK RUNNER

Overcame injury, setbacks, or adversity to return strong. 

GIRLS

Lillian Bender, Yale

Despite battling hip injuries since the end of her freshman year, Bender had a successful season, coming within 30 seconds of her PR in 20:38 and frequently running as Yale’s #2.  Bender still managed to run the same time or faster than she did last year in most of her races.

BOYS

Xavier Roman, MLN 

In the second race of the season, Roman was poised for a senior season of improvement, as he had already broken his previous year’s PR; he then faced illness setbacks that prolonged a month of no racing from mid-September to mid-October.  Despite the time off to recover, Roman still ran in the 16s to earn Macomb All-County honors and later help MLN win their regional team title by finishing sixth.  He sat atop the list as one of the area’s top five fastest boys all season, and has been racing indoor track for 16Ways, already coming close to last season’s PR in the 1600 in his first attempt.

BLUE WATER CROSS COUNTRY SPIRIT AWARD

Represents sportsmanship, positivity, and heart. A supportive teammate, always uplifting others. Helps grow the sport of cross country and exemplifies perseverance and determination. DESCRIPTIONS OF EACH PERSON ARE DIRECTLY TAKEN FROM THEIR SUBMITTED NOMINATION INFORMATION.

GIRLS

Abigail Denoyer, Armada

“Abby was a truly positive influence on the underclassmen of her Armada XC team. Even after finishing her own exhausting races, she was always the first to rally her teammates to cheer on other runners. Not only was Abby a great leader, but she was also All-Conference, All-Region, and qualified for the State Meet. Her fun, contagious sense of humor brought ease and joy to every practice and meet, making this season especially memorable for everyone.”

BOYS

Grayson Clark, Algonac. “He finishes almost last every race, and yet he is always kind and upbeat, always finishes, and pushes through. He shows up to help encourage and inspire others. He continues to push until the end!”

TEAM OF THE YEAR 

The program that showed excellence, depth, and consistency all season.

GIRLS

Yale Girls

BWAC champs and team state qualifiers for the first time in 13 years. 

BOYS

Lutheran North Boys

Regional champs, D2/3/4 Macomb County champs, and undefeated against Blue Water Area teams.

COACH OF THE YEAR 

The coach who led a team (or an athlete) to notable achievements and success. 

Steve Slagel, Macomb Lutheran North

Ashley Garofalo, Yale

Thank you once again for your support of Blue Water Running throughout the 2025 season. Your subscriptions and our business partners' sponsorships make coverage of our athletes possible. We are always looking for new sponsors if you are interested in advertising on BWR. Stay tuned for more indoor/outdoor track and field coverage in 2026!