Troy High Cross Country: Boys Second in the League, Regional Next

Troy High's boys cross country team placed second of seven at the OAA Red championship Thursday, Oct. 22, behind Lake Orion, after winning the Dow Chargers Invitational in Midland and the city meet with Athens. Troy's boys and girls run the MHSAA Region 08-1 meet at Clintonwood Park in Clarkston Friday, Oct. 30.

The league championship

At the OAA Red Championship at Bloomer Park in Rochester Hills on Thursday, Oct. 22, Troy's boys scored 64 points, second of seven teams. Lake Orion won with 36, ahead of Rochester (83) and Clarkston (84). Clarkston junior Cooper McNaughton won the race in 15:51.4.

Junior Asa Konwinski was fourth in 16:19.2. Senior Jack Witt was sixth in 16:20.8, a personal best, and his twin, senior Henry Witt, was 11th in 16:38.2. The league awards medals to the top 15. Junior Charles Zhang (21st, 17:13.4), senior Andrew Svoboda (22nd, 17:20.2), sophomore Aarush Arora (24th, 17:27.6) and junior Alex Perez Dottor (31st, 17:46.5) rounded out Troy's top seven; senior William Austin was 37th (18:18.3).

In the girls race, Troy placed seventh of seven with 165 points; Rochester Adams won with 38. Junior Hailey Lan was 14th in 20:00.0, a medal finish. Junior Avery Strom was 31st (21:25.0) and senior Lauren Giroux 34th (21:40.1).

Source: official results on athletic.net; medals from the OAA Red Championship meet sheet; the Witts are twins, per coach Grant Ehlert, Oct. 19

The league title

The OAA Red title combines two meets. The league's championship meet sheet weights the first jamboree at 30% and the championship at 70%, with points by place in each. On the Oct. 19 call, before the championship, coach Grant Ehlert described the split as 40% and 60%, with Troy second to Lake Orion going in.

Lake Orion won both races: at the first jamboree at Lake Orion High School on Tuesday, Sept. 15, it scored 37 to Troy's 69, and at the championship 36 to Troy's 64. Troy was second in both. Under either split, that gives Lake Orion the title and Troy second.

Source: OAA Red Championship meet sheet; official results on athletic.net; coach Grant Ehlert, Oct. 19

Konwinski and the Witts

Konwinski and the Witt twins have been Troy's top three boys at all eight varsity meets this season. Jack Witt was Troy's first finisher at the first three; Konwinski has been first at the last five, including a win in the junior and senior race at the second league jamboree on Wednesday, Sept. 30, and at the city meet.

Konwinski's best 5,000 meters this season, 16:09.67, came in second place at the Dow Chargers Cross Country Invitational at Northwood University in Midland on Saturday, Oct. 10, where Troy's boys won with 31 points among seven teams. Ehlert said on Oct. 19 that Konwinski was about seven seconds off Troy High's top-10 record board. He called the Witts consistent all year and “real, real strong runners.”

Source: official results on athletic.net; coach Grant Ehlert, Oct. 19

Lan and Giroux

Lan has been Troy's first girl at all eight meets. Ehlert called her the girls' strongest and most consistent runner all year. She won the Clawson Popsicle Invite, the junior and senior race at the second league jamboree and the city meet, and ran her best, 19:27.25, for fifth at Midland, where Troy's girls were third of eight.

Giroux, a senior and a captain, has been among Troy's top three girls at all eight meets. Ehlert said on Oct. 19 that she was running the fastest she had in her three years on the team, and that she has been a leader for the team. She ran a personal-best 20:35.09 for 12th at Midland.

Source: official results on athletic.net; coach Grant Ehlert, Oct. 19

The season

• Tuesday, Aug. 25: Clawson Popsicle Invite, Clawson City Park. Boys 1st of 4, girls 1st of 4.
• Tuesday, Sept. 15: OAA Red Jamboree #1, Lake Orion High School. Boys 2nd of 7, girls 6th of 7.
• Saturday, Sept. 19: Holly-Duane Raffin Festival of Races, Division 1 races, Springfield Oaks County Park. Boys 4th of 23, girls 16th of 20.
• Wednesday, Sept. 30: OAA Red Jamboree #2, Stony Creek Metropark, junior and senior races. Boys 1st of 7, girls 1st of 5.
• Saturday, Oct. 3: Oakland County Championships, Kensington Metropark. Boys 5th of 31, girls 17th of 30.
• Tuesday, Oct. 6: Troy City Meet, Firefighters Park. Troy's boys beat Athens 15-48, taking the first six places; Troy's girls won 16-47.
• Saturday, Oct. 10: Dow Chargers Invitational, Midland. Boys 1st of 7, girls 3rd of 8.
• Thursday, Oct. 22: OAA Red Championship, Bloomer Park. Boys 2nd of 7, girls 7th of 7.

Source: official results on athletic.net

“States or Bust”

Ehlert is in his first season coaching Troy cross country. He coached track with the previous coach, who led the program for about 15 years, which he said made for an easy transition. “It's a good group of kids. They all work hard,” he said. Ehlert said the boys are stronger than the girls this year, with more depth.

He said Troy normally sends one or two individual runners to the state meet rather than a full team, and has not sent a team in a few years. He said the team had that goal in mind from the start of the season, with a group chat called “States or Bust.” At Midland, five Troy boys ran under 17 minutes: Konwinski, Henry Witt (16:20.92), Jack Witt (16:33.19), Zhang (16:34.36) and Perez Dottor (16:49.00).

Source: coach Grant Ehlert, Oct. 19; official results on athletic.net

Regional next

Troy's boys and girls run the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 Region 08-1 meet at Clintonwood Park in Clarkston on Friday, Oct. 30. The host's meet sheet lists 16 schools, Athens among them, with the varsity boys race at 3 p.m. and the varsity girls at 3:40 p.m. Athens' athletics site lists the regional at 2 p.m. and at 3 p.m.; Troy's lists no time.

The top three teams in each race qualify for the state finals, with a fourth team possible under the meet rules, along with every top-15 individual. On Oct. 19, Ehlert said he expected the boys to go as a team and that one or two girls might qualify on their own. Troy's calendar also lists the MITCA Meet of Champions on Saturday, Nov. 14.

Source: Region 8-1 meet information from host Clarkston; Troy's 2026 calendar on athletic.net; Athens and Troy athletics sites; coach Grant Ehlert, Oct. 19