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See nominees for 2021 VanDyk Mortgage West Michigan Conference girls cross country runner of year

Voting will begin later this Friday for Player of the Year in each sport in the league.

After five straight Division 3 state championships, it is safe to say that Hart’s girls cross country team has entered into an elite class among some of Michigan’s finest high school teams.

The Pirates dominated the West Michigan Conference, winning all four league meets. At the Division 3 regional competition, Hart walked ran away with the trophy after building a 24-point lead over top contender and eventual regional runner-up Benzie Central. The dominant Pirates followed suit at the Division 3 state finals, posting a 143 team score in earning the title going away over runner-up Kent City.

Hart has earned sole representation in the race to see who is named the girls cross country runner of the year in 2021 in the VanDyk Mortgage Player of the Year series. Alyson Enns, Audrianna Enns and Jessica Jazwinksi have been nominated by a CatchMark SportsNet panel as finalists for the award.

Voting for the conference player of the year in all fall sports will open this Friday, after we’ve had a chance to announce the nominees in each sport.

Fan polls of all sports will be released in one story on our site. That’s where readers will determine who earns player of the year recognition. Readers will be allowed to vote once per hour as long as the poll remains open.

Once players of the year are determined by fan votes and announced by CatchMark, we will invite the winners to our office in downtown Whitehall for an awards presentation and honorary dinner. A trophy that stays in our CatchMark office will have the names of the players of the year engraved on it.

On Thursday, a story announcing nominees for the boys tennis player of the year will publish. We’ve already published stories for football, volleyball, boys soccer, girls golf and boys cross country.

Here are the three nominees for the conference player of the year award in girls cross country, along with their season stats and achievements. They are listed alphabetically:

ALYSON ENNS

Hart, sophomore

Following an extremely successful freshman year, Enns managed to continue her dominance as the top runner in the West Michigan Conference. Enns is a member of a family tree that has represented Hart very well in cross country and track throughout the years.

Enns’ top finishes throughout the season resulted in significant success for the Pirates, ultimately in team state championship in both her freshman and sophomore seasons. She did this despite battling injury during a portion of the season.

In 12 meets this season, she walked away with six first-place finishes. The other half of her placements were all in the top five.

Enns placed first in all three WMC jamborees, second in the Pirates’ Division 3 regional, and second in the Division 3 state finals. She marked her season record during the Shepherd Blue Jay Invite with a time of 17:53.8.

AUDRIANNA ENNS

Hart, senior

You don’t have to look very far for the next nominee as she lives under the same roof as the first. The older sister of Alyson Enns, Hart senior Audrianna Enns played a fundamental role in the last four state championships for the Pirates.

The veteran runner is a pillar of Hart’s program and a role model for other athletes around the area. Enns and her teammates locked in top finishes throughout her entire career.

In 15 meets this season, Enns won one race and finished in the top 10 in every competition except for two. Most notably, she placed in the top 10 at all four state finals meets in which she participated.

This season, Enns placed second in the WMC meet, third in the regional and fourth in the Division 3 state finals, where Hart claimed a fifth consecutive title. Enns set her PR this season in the regional meet with a time of 18:00.6.

Jessica Jazwinski

Hart, freshman

As the youngest star for the Pirates during this year’s remarkable season, Jazwinski has sure hinted toward a promising future for herself. The freshman utilized the competition and influence around her to become one of the area’s top competitors.

Jazwinski improved greatly over the course of the season, moving from second-place finishes around the 19-minute mark to first-place finishes all under 18:23 to round out October.

In 14 meets this season, Jazwinski had four first-place finishes, five second-place results, in the remainder of her races she fell within the top 15 each time.

This season, Jazwinkski placed first in the WMC meet, first in the Division 3 regional and third in the Division 3 state finals between teammates Alyson and Audrianna Enns, who finished second and third overall. Jazwinski hit a personal record of 17:43.2 in her overall victory at the regional final.

MEET THE PLAYER OF THE YEAR NOMINEES IN OTHER FALL SPORTS:

FOOTBALL

VOLLEYBALL

BOYS SOCCER

GIRLS GOLF

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY

BOYS TENNIS

Lead writer for CatchMark SportsNet and Web Services leader for CatchMark Technologies.

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