Last track season, Cros-Lex’s Connor Pepin saw huge gains in his performance, going from a 2:14 to a 2:02 in the 800, a 4:46 to 4:31 mile, he won the Thumb Meet of Champs 3200 in 10:15, a 17-second PR, and also helped his 4x800 and 4x400 relays qualify for the state finals: the 4x800 won the Bluewater Meet of Champs (as did the 4x400), the BWAC Title, Marysville Invitational, and Regionals. Connor then opened his senior cross country season with a big statement, running his first sub-17 minute race in 16:48 to take second, over a minute improvement from the 18:03 he opened with last fall on his home course at the Mike Jackson Invitational. That was faster than any time he ran last season and his overall PR by 16 seconds. He doubled down on that Wednesday, dropping another six seconds and running 16:38, winning the Cass City Invite. This was Pepin’s first career victory individually, and his low-stick scoring was enough to push the Pioneers to the team win as well, edging out EPBP Laker by eight points.

For his efforts, Pepin earned the first Blue Water Running Athlete of the Week nomination for the 2026 cross country season. Join us as we chat about the season, Connor’s goals for the future, and get to know him personally as a Blue Water Area athlete.

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August 19, 2026 kicks off the official MHSAA competition date for high school cross country, and it’s time for the 2026 Blue Water Running Cross Country Preview! The preview is based on last season’s performance statistics, and a survey is sent to all the area coaches, providing a brief overview of the local teams and highlighting some key athletes to watch. Whoever responds has their quotes and info added into the preview, which is why some teams’ write-ups are significantly longer than others. Unless a coach specifically mentions an incoming freshman (last year’s 8th graders) or they are relevant to roster numbers, they are not usually included in the preview, since it's more difficult to predict runner performance without any high school experience.

Blue Water Running covers Algonac, Almont, Anchor Bay, Armada, Austin Catholic, Capac, Cros-Lex, Dryden, Imlay City, Kimball New Life Christian, Kimball Landmark Academy, Macomb Lutheran North, Marine City, Marine City Cardinal Mooney, Marysville, Memphis, Michigan Athletic Club for Homeschoolers, New Haven, Port Huron High, Port Huron Northern, North Branch, Richmond, Saint Clair, Yale, and the two local area community colleges, which include SC4 and Macomb Community College.

A few interesting notes about this year’s season:

• Algonac leaves the BWAC for the MAC Blue, while Macomb Lutheran North enters the BWAC.
• BIG REGIONAL CHANGES…The majority of Blue Water Area teams race in the D2-17 regional at Columbus Park. It’s not hard to imagine that regional race times will need to be much faster this year to earn a state qualification. Why? Read on...
  • Holly High School was added to D2-17, which was in a much tougher team regional last year. The top three girls there were sub-18, and an 18:58 was 15th place. Holly’s girls were second (17:39) and eighth (18:38). For comparison, 19:40 won our regional, and 15th place was 21:04.
  • Holly’s top three boys ran 16:01 (14th), 16:17 (22nd), and 16:18 (23rd), while our boys’ regional winner ran 16:18, and 15th place was 17:27.
  • Marian (Bloomfield Hills) is an all-girls school joining our region, and they have a pack of three girls in 20:24, 20:28, 21:05, and 21:09, very comparable to the girls' teams already in our area. So does Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, with runners at 20:58, 21:02, and 21:31.
  • While one could argue that a course’s difficulty and technicality affect times across various regionals elsewhere, the Columbus course has already been notably fast: 60% of both race fields set personal bests in the regional races last fall, and almost 75% in 2024.
• Remember: This is just one perspective of potential outcomes for the season. It’s not a perfect prediction or any type of expectation; it’s just a summary of what the season might hold and helps coaches, athletes, and fans of the sport keep up to date on area teams.
  
  DISCLAIMER: After days…weeks…months of studying stats, names, and numbers, I will inevitably make a mistake in spelling or time accuracy: it is not intentional, and I apologize in advance for any errors.

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In this episode, we have Coach Matt Fecht, the head cross country and track coach at Macomb Community College. We will discuss a smorgasbord of running topics and themes, such as:

• Will Coach Fecht remain the reigning team putt-putt champion?
• What advantages does community college offer their student athletes?
• Where are some of the unique places the Monarchs will be running this season?
• How does the team build camaraderie and have fun?
• What are the team goals as they enter competition season?
• And many, many more interesting (and sometimes random) running-related items.

If you are a local coach who would like to join me for an episode to chat about your team, please reach out at bluewaterrunning.org or on our social media sites. You can also submit your input on the upcoming season for the written article, as well.

Thank you so much for listening to the podcast: please share an episode to help spread the word about Blue Water Running’s mission, which is to feature and celebrate the achievements of high school and collegiate cross country and track/field athletes from our area. You can follow Blue Water Running on Instagram, X, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube, along with athlete and meet reports and photos on the website at bluewaterrunning.org.

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Welcome to another episode of The Blue Water Running Podcast, where we feature and celebrate the amazing high school and collegiate cross country and track and field athletes and their accomplishments from the Blue Water Area. In this episode, we kick off our 2026 cross country season preview with SC4 coach Andrea Rheaume. She’ll give us some insight into the new women's roster, what summer training looks like for the Skippers, their team culture, and what’s on their future checklist of goals as we enter competition season. If you are a local coach that would like to join me for an episode to chat about your team, please reach out at bluewaterrunning.org or on our social media sites. You can also submit your input on the upcoming season for the written article, as well.

Please share an episode to help spread the word about Blue Water Running’s mission. You can also follow Blue Water Running on Instagram, X, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube, along with athlete and meet reports and photos on the website at bluewaterrunning.org.

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Welcome to another episode of The Blue Water Running Podcast, where we feature and celebrate the amazing high school and collegiate cross country and track and field athletes and their accomplishments from the Blue Water Area.

On Saturday, May 30, Algonac sophomore Jenna Dobbs earned her first All-State track and field medal by placing fourth at the Division 3 state finals in the 400-meter dash, running 59.36. After chasing a sub-60-second time all season, she broke the school record, which just happened to belong to her own mom. Jenna now sits at number six all-time in the Blue Water Area and has the current number one time in the area from this 2026 season. Along with trying cross-country for the first time last fall and dropping her 5K time by nearly two minutes, she is also a competitive gymnast balancing multiple high-level sports.

Join us as we chat about her season, her goals for the future, and get to know her personally as a Blue Water Area athlete.

“Hard days are the best because that’s when champions are made.” – Gabby Douglas

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On Saturday, May 16, North Branch’s ladies claimed the team regional crown, just edging out Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, 102-98. Leading the way was the double-sprint champion Penelope McNutt, running qualifying state spots by winning the 100 in 13.04 and placing second in the 200 in 26.69. Penelope teamed up with Aubree Deshetsky, Lily Hurd, and Sydney Bailey to win the 4x100 in 50.47, and also qualified in the 4x200 in 1:47.

McNutt has dominated the Blue Water Area sprints this season: she was a four-for-four BWAC champ, winning the 100, 200, 4x100, and 4x200, and also did the same in all four events at the Marysville Invitational. She hit an Early Qualifying mark in both sprint events and has bests of 12.48 and 25.92, and is the only area girl to have run sub-26 in the 200. Other than the preseason invitational opener and the large Davison Twilight Invitational, the Broncos’ 4x100 has remained undefeated. McNutt is ranked 10th in the D2 100 and 13th in the 200, with the relays currently ranked 5th and 11th, so an All-State finish is looking probable for McNutt.

Join us as we chat about her season thus far, her upcoming goals, and get to know her personally as a Blue Water Area athlete.

“You will never know how good you might have become unless you try”- Mike Mentzer

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In this episode, we have our first guest from Imlay City High School: junior sprint sensation Brett Lestage. Brett has had a fantastic season, hitting early qualifying marks in the 100 and 200-meter dash, and coming very close in the 400 meters in his first attempt at the distance. Brett set his PR in the 100 on April 25, running 10.78 to join the elite sub-11 club and currently ranks fifth in the event statewide in Division 2. His 200 best is 22.25, and his 400 PR is 50.67. He won all three sprint events at the BWAC Championships on May 5, along with the 4x200 relay, making him four-for-four in league titles. We’ll chat with Brett about his training, season goals, and what he hopes to accomplish during his first appearance at the state finals, and get to know him personally as a Blue Water Area athlete.

"The only impossible journey is the one you never begin." - Tony Robbins

Thank you so much for listening to the podcast: please share an episode to help spread the word about Blue Water Running’s mission, which is to feature and celebrate the achievements of high school and collegiate cross country and track/field athletes from our area. You can follow Blue Water Running on Instagram, X, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube, along with athlete and meet reports and photos on the website at bluewaterrunning.org.

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Today’s guest is North Branch senior Aubree Deshetsky, an incredibly versatile and accomplished athlete. Aubree has dominated the throwing events in the Blue Water Area Conference, her D2 regional, and is one of the best discus and shot put athletes in the state, with current bests of 42’-4” and 136’-5”. Currently undefeated in any throwing event yet this year, she’s been All-State in both throwing events since her sophomore year for a total of four state medals. At the 2025 state finals, she was second in shot put and third in the discus, and is looking for a state title to wrap up her final high school season.

While primarily known for throwing, Aubree is also a very accomplished high jumper and runner, jumping 5-1, running a low 13 in the 100-meter dash, and an integral part of the record-breaking sprint relays at North Branch: she’s even run a 2:27 800.

We will chat with Aubree about her training, recent performances, and goals for the season, and get to know her both on and off the track. James 1:2-3, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

Thank you so much for listening to the podcast: please share an episode to help spread the word about Blue Water Running’s mission, which is to feature and celebrate the achievements of high school and collegiate cross country and track/field athletes from our area. You can follow Blue Water Running on Instagram, X, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube, along with athlete and meet reports and photos on the website at bluewaterrunning.org.

Send Blue Water Running a Message

Support the show

https://www.bluewaterrunning.org/
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• Instagram and X @bluewaterrun
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