Three local runners compete in state cross-country meet

It’s been a tough year for Hopkins senior ace cross-country runner Todd Henley.

Though finishing 90^th at the state meet at Michigan International Speedway near Brooklyn would be something to brag about for many, for Henley it was quite a comedown from last year, when he was 37^th in the state and flirted with breaking the 16-minute barrier for a 5,000-meter race.

Henley early in this season suffered an injury and has had to battle his way back, not reaching the heights he reached a year ago. His 90^th place was maked by a time of 17:13.1.

Henley was one of three runners from Hopkins, Martin and Wayland who competed individually in the state championships.

Wayland High School freshman Olivia Barabas finished 125^th among 246 runners in the five-kilometer race with a time of 20:35.2. She qualified for the state Division 2 meet a week ago and came in under 20 minutes for the first time in her career to place 14^th.

Martin junior Carsen Young placed 32^nd with a time of 17:26.8, just one-tenth of a second behind a runner from Petoskey who was 31^st. There were 251 runners in Division 4.