2020 Season Wrap-Up – High School Composite State Champs

All good things come to an end! The 2020 season started with questions about whether or not we’d even get to race, with socially distanced practices in June, questions about all sports, and a hope that we’d get to do any racing this year. The full, uninterrupted, cancellation-free season wrapped up this weekend with an exciting day of racing at Bloomer Park in Rochester Hills. Be sure to see the Bloomer race recap for those details. This article provides season-ending standings in both Individual and Team series points.

Graduating Senior Alert! – Nathaniel Vogler

Nathaniel finishes his MiSCA racing career this year, and we’re really sad to see him go. A perpetual smiling face at practice, a ripper of the first degree, and a consistent performer in races these last few years, Nathaniel leaves the team having helped build something special in West Michigan.

Now, for more great news!

For the second year in a row, your Coyotes are High School Composite State Champions!

Our middle school team put up a valiant effort this year and finished second in the state as well!

Individual Series Podiums

MiSCA presents podium awards to the top 3 in each race class at the end of the season. This year, the race series only counted 3 races due to restrictions related to maximum race numbers and COVID.

High School Series Podiums

Anabel Miller – Varsity Girls – 2020 State Champion

Anabel raced varsity for the second time this year, finished in a three-way tie for first place with Katherine Droese from Brighton and our own Madine Whitmer, winning on the tiebreaker of most recent head-to-head performances. After a runner-up finish in Varsity last year, this year saw a consistent improvement throughout the season after coming back from a brief injury in August. Her best finishes were 1st at Bloomer Park, 1st at Merrell, and 2nd at Cannonsburg. She’s a sophomore at East Grand Rapids High School.

Kyan Olshove – Varsity Boys – 2nd Overall

Kyan joined the team late in the season but made a quick splash. His best finishes this season were 1st at Merrell, 2nd at Bloomer and 2nd at Cannonsburg. He also snagged a 2nd in the mud at Milford, but we’re partial to the West Michigan races. 😉 Kyan is a high school Senior in Traverse City.

Madine Whitmer – Varsity Girls – 3rd Overall

Madine raced varsity for the first time this year, and in her inaugural season in the top flight, finished in a three-way tie for first place. She made her biggest splash with wins at Hickory Glen and Cannonsburg, with 2nd place finishes at Merrell and Addison Oaks. Madine is a sophomore at Forest Hills Eastern H.S. in Ada, Michigan.

Luke Zuelke – Varsity Boys – 3rd Overall

Luke Zuelke raced varsity this year as one of the top returning talents in the league. His best races were 2nd at Hickory Glen, 2nd at Addison Oaks and 3rd at Cannonsburg. Luke has been the Coyotes top performing Varsity Boy each of the last 2 years. He is a junior at Spring Lake High School where he is also a Varsity swimmer.

Eric Hoffman – JV Boys 11/12 – 3rd Overall

Eric Hoffman made huge gains this year, finishing 3rd overall in the JV 11/12 class after finishing 16th last season in JV 9/10. Eric’s best finishes were 2nd at Merrell, 2nd at Bloomer and 3rd at Hickory Glen, book-ending the season with points! Eric is a junior at Spring Lake High School.

Flo Loewen – Novice Boys 10/12 – 2020 State Champion

Florenc Loewen joined the Coyotes this season as a complete novice to XC riding, but with a knack for jumping (anything that can be jumped). Flo won four races this year: Hickory Glen, Addison Oaks, Cannonsburg and Merrell en route to his state title. Flo is a junior at Forest Hills Central High School in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Middle School Series Podiums

Freida Kincaid – Advanced Middle Schools Girls – 3rd Overall

Freida catches more air than just about anyone and would beat most adults in a race on a downhill track. She also happens to shred her way to XC podiums at MiSCA events. Her best finishes this year were 2nd at Cannonsburg and 2nd at Merrell. She finished 3rd in the other four races for an incredibly consistent season. Freida is an 8th grader at Forest Hills Northern M.S. in Grand Rapids.

Olivia Miller – Middle School Girls – 2020 State Champion

Olivia employed unorthodox training for a XC racer, training primarily in the pool as a swimmer. The experimental training method paid off this year as she posted victories at Addison Oaks, Cannonsburg and Bloomer. An aficionado of singletrack and lane lines, Olivia also swims for the EGRA Waves and East Grand Rapids Middle School. She is an 8th grader.

Brevin Martin – Middle School Boys – 3rd Overall

Brevin trains with kids several years older than him and it shows on the trail where he handles obstacles and tough trails with confidence. His best finishes this year were 2nd at Hickory Glen, 2nd at Cannonsburg, 3rd at Addison Oaks and Milford. Brevin is a 7th grader at Spring Lake Middle School.

Elementary School Series Podiums

Luke DeWall – Upper Elementary Boys – 3rd Overall

Luke joined the Coyotes as one of the inaugural members of our Elementary Team. He rips unbelievably fast, training with the girls varsity team a few times for good measure. Luke broke his foot, and to qualify for podiums raced his final race in a giant plastic boot. To be honest, I’m not sure how he pulled that off! His three finishes were: 2nd at Hickory Glen, 2nd at Cannonsburg and 4th in the boot at Bloomer (see the third picture below).

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