GOODELLS — In a cross-country season full of frequent changes, the most important one for the Clarkston Everest Collegiate girls team was its ability to win a Catholic League title.

Frustrated after finishing second to Royal Oak Shrine in 2019 via the narrowest of margins, the Mountaineers were able to distance themselves from the rest of the pack Saturday to take the Cardinal Division championship — the first in the team’s five-year history — at Goodells County Park near Port Huron.

“They definitely were energized because they lost in a tie-breaker last year,” coach Mary Williams said. “They knew they could do it; they saw we were really close to having something, but at the same time the landscape was very different.”

As it turned out, Everest placed all five of its scoring runners among the top 16, finishing with a low total of 44 points. Grosse Pointe University-Liggett pushed Everest with 55 to finish as runner-up. Allen Park Cabrini (74), Royal Oak Shrine (112) and Madison Heights Bishop Foley (119) also were among the top five teams.

Everest was led by sophomore Alyse Felix (7^th, 21:11.8), sophomore Caroline Cross (8^th, 21:13.1) and senior Theresa Waller (9^th, 21:13.9). Freshman Eve Hergott was close by (11^th, 21:24.3) and junior Avery Hergott closed out the scoring (16^th, 21:57.1). 

“Alyse Felix has consistently been our No. 4 or No. 5 (athlete) for us and she moved up to No. 1,” Williams said. “If I could give every runner on our team her motivation to pass people, we would be unbeatable. She took 30 seconds off her (personal record), and that’s one of the best moments I’ve had as a coach this season.”

It’s been common to see the Mountaineers — who are ranked third in the state — run as a tight-knit crowd this fall. Everest had a spread of just 46 seconds among its top pack of runners.

“This group has somehow managed to have the tightest time gaps in Division 4 in the state. My varsity squad is amazing,” Williams said. “Our program is only five years old, and I can remember the days when I had to beg them to stick together and do a group run.”

Cabrini freshman Ava Teed led the race from start to finish, completing the 5-kilometer course over gently-rolling fields and wooded trails in 20:16.8. Bloomfield Hills Academy of the Sacred Heart senior Avery McNally was second, 25 seconds back (20:41.4).

This was the first time the Catholic League cross-country championships were conducted at two different sites, due to the race limit of 70 runners suggested by Michigan High School Athletic Association’s return-to-play guidelines. For that reason, the Intersectional Division was split in two for regular-season races.

But some things didn’t change this fall — the other three Catholic League champions defended the titles they won in 2019.

For the boys Cardinal Division competition, Bishop Foley won its second straight title, and fourth in the last five years, by totaling 55 points. Riverview Gabriel Richard (64) was the finalist (runner-up) and Shrine (69) was third. Ann Arbor Greenhills (103) and Cabrini (120) closed out the top five.

Bishop Foley coach Anthony Donald said pack running was the key to the Ventures’ victory. Senior Mitchell Mandziuk was third in 17:37.4 while teammates Zander Munk (5^th, 17:48.6) and Max Mader (6^th, 17:49.2) weren’t far off his pace. Just 14 seconds separated the other four Foley runners, who placed 20^th, 21^st, 22^nd and 24^th.

Gabriel Richard sophomore Alexander Meszaros opened up a sizable lead in the first mile, yet Shrine junior Jonah Cerone ran him down in the final half-mile to win, 17:00.0 to 17:01.8. This is Cerone’s first season of high school cross-country.

In the Bishop Division championship meet held at Kensington Metropark near Milford, Dearborn Divine Child’s girls won for the fifth time in a row, fending off a challenge from Warren Regina, 41-60. Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard (94) was third, narrowly ahead of Birmingham Marian (95). Farmington Hills Mercy (124) was fifth. 

Regina junior Grace Zdankiewicz defended her individual championship, finishing in 18:58.5, comfortably ahead of Marian senior Maya Harb (19:47.2). Divine Child had four out of the top eight runners: Erin Hegarty (3^rd, 19:52.6), Kirsten Koss (5^th, 20:28.0), Lyndsey Aho (6^th, 20:28.3) and Nina Pizzo (8^th, 20:33.9).

Hegarty was a part of Divine Child’s championship squad in all four of her seasons, finishing fourth, sixth and third prior to this year. 

Meanwhile, Catholic Central made it three straight titles. Coach Tony Magni’s Shamrocks only had two runners in the top 10 — senior runner-up Brett Leidal (15:52.6) and sophomore fourth-place finisher Matthew Atkinson (16:37.9), yet the team had superior depth. The remaining Shamrocks varsity athletes were 11^th, 15^th,16^th, 17^th and 21^st, while no other squad could get even their top five scoring racers among the top 21.

Catholic Central scored 48 points, while Birmingham Brother Rice (69), Divine Child (70), Warren De La Salle (86) and University of Detroit-Jesuit (89) rounded out the top five teams. 

Divine Child sophomore Michael Hegarty was the individual champion (15:15.8), placing just ahead of Leidal at the finish chute. As a freshman last year, Hegarty came in fourth, behind three seniors.