Yale boys, Cros-Lex girls claim BWAC titles; Brother-sister duo crowned MVPs
Updated: Dec 6, 2022
There’s just something about rainy race days in Algonac that Camden and Brooklyn Khon seem to enjoy.
The brother and sister from Armada each claimed a regional title last fall under similar circumstances, and last night, they added another title to their resumes: BWAC MVP.
“We always run better in the bad weather,” Brooklyn Khon said.
“I was surprised honestly. I was not expecting that [time],” Camden Kohn said. “It was hard to tell how fast I was going because it was so cold that it was like, ‘Whatever pace I’m going, I’m just going to hold this because if I go any faster, I feel like I’m going to pull a hamstring or something.’”
The eight BWAC cross country teams met in Algonac Tuesday night as temperatures hovered around 40 degrees and the rain steadily streamed down. It was the final conference jamboree of the season, and the Yale boys and the Croswell-Lexington girls each claimed their respective team titles in undefeated fashion.
Camden won the boys race with a region-leading and personal-best time of 15 minutes, 47.9 seconds, while Brooklyn cruised to first with a personal best of 19:00.67. They both said they were excited about their times and thankful for fast competition.
“It means a lot [to win MVP]. I was just happy that I was able to do that and I think it’s a pretty big accomplishment,” Camden said. “[Yale junior] Blake Ferguson was on my tail, he was only like 20 seconds behind me, so he was right there.”
“I really want to get under 19 minutes. I was excited because it was a PR, but I was also mad that I didn’t break 19,” Brooklyn said. “I knew that the two Cros-Lex girls were going to be my biggest competition because every BWAC meet it’s been us, so I just knew I had to stick with them. I just wanted to win and they pushed me to that win.”
Ferguson led the Bulldogs, finishing with a personal best of 16:11.40. He was one of six teammates to finish in the top 10, totaling a season-low team score of just 25 points.
“It was awesome. I told them before we took off, ‘Hey, let’s just finish business today.’ I didn’t really want to put too much pressure on them or anything,” Yale head coach Jared Shutko said. “We had a lot of PRs, I was very surprised, so that was really cool.”
The Cros-Lex girls followed a similar trend as they recorded a season-low 26 points, a feat head coach Lisa Shaw credits to the depth of her team.
“They did a nice job. I would have to say my fourth and fifth [runners] moved up closer to my third and ran really well. The tail-end of my varsity is making gains too,” Shaw said. “Honestly, our girls were pretty relaxed and pumped on the bus ride over and I think when you do that, you run your best.
“If you can go in and just do what you’ve been doing, it just makes all the difference," Shaw added. "I think that has to do with their faith in their training and their teammates.”
Junior Morgan Newton led the Pioneers, finishing in 19:05.79 to take second. Her sophomore teammate Eva Thompson took third in 19:14.24.
Last night marked the Yale boys cross country program’s sixth consecutive conference title while the Cros-Lex girls took back the title from North Branch after having won it in 2020.
Armada finished second for the boys with 66 points, Algonac was third (97), followed by: Richmond (126), North Branch (136), Imlay City (148), Cros-Lex (157), and Almont (174).
Armada captured second as a team in the girls race as well with 52 points, North Branch was third with 89, followed by: Imlay City (92), Richmond (103), Algonac (182), Yale (192), and Almont (199).
Top 15 Finishers (Boys)
Camden Khon (Sr., ARM) – 15:47.90*
Blake Ferguson (Jr., YALE) – 16:11.40*
Acer Campbell (Jr., YALE) – 17:03.60
Giovanni Pardo-Keegan (Jr., YALE) – 17:05.40
Riley Andrews (Sr., ARM) – 17:12.30*
Julian Walker (Fr., ALG) – 17:19.80
Ted Rutkofske (Soph., YALE) – 17:27.40*
Elliot Whitney (Jr., IC) – 17:31.10
Wyatt Murtos (Soph., YALE) – 17:56.50*
Nolan Korolden (Fr., YALE) – 17:56.90*
David Clemons (Jr., ALG) – 17:57.80*
John Zakrzewski (Jr., YALE) – 17:59.20*
Steven Butler (Sr., ALM) – 18:10.30
Kaleb Manska (Soph., RICH) – 18:11.60*
Ty Taylor (Fr., CL) – 18:16.30
Top 15 Finishers (Girls)
Brooklyn Kohn (Soph., ARM) – 19:00.67*
Morgan Newton (Jr., CL) – 19:05.79
Eva Thompson (Soph., CL) – 19:14.24
Brianna Albers (Jr., RICH) – 19:59.75
Karlie Schlaud (Sr., NB) – 20:48.88
Abby Barkley (Jr., CL) – 20:51.85
Brynn Hurley (Soph., CL) – 20:55.63*
Aubrey Connelly (Sr., CL) – 20:59.48*
Darrah Mackenzie (Jr., ARM) – 21:03.86*
Ava Baltierra (Jr., ARM) – 21:14.21*
Jasmine Walker (Fr., ALG) – 21:18.52*
Jenna Denver (Sr., IC) – 21:19.94
Abigail Denoyer (Fr., ARM) – 21:35.78*
Charlotte O’Brien (Soph., IC) – 21:36.94*
Paulina Chapman (Fr., RICH) – 21:41.56
*Personal Record
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