Troy High's boys cross country team has qualified for the MHSAA Division 1 state finals after placing third at the Region 8 championship Friday, Oct. 30, at Clintonwood Park in Clarkston.

The Colts scored 67 points in the varsity boys race, securing one of the region's automatic team berths at the state championship. Highland-Milford won the regional with 35 points, followed by White Lake Lakeland with 53.

Junior Asa Konwinski led Troy with a sixth-place finish in 16 minutes, 2.3 seconds, according to the published regional results. Seniors Jack Witt and Henry Witt finished 11th and 12th in 16:14.1 and 16:16.7, respectively.

Charles Zhang gave the Colts a fourth runner among the top 20, placing 16th in 16:25.3.

Troy teams compete at Clintonwood Park

Both Troy High and Troy Athens competed in the regional, which brought Division 1 programs together for the final qualifying opportunity before the state championships.

Troy Athens placed eighth in the boys varsity competition with 215 points. Colin Blachford led the Red Hawks, finishing 20th in 16:34.8, followed by Derek Groen and Eddie Nolan.

Troy High's girls finished seventh with 196 points. Hailey Lan led the Colts in 19:22.9, followed by Avery Strom in 20:06.6 and Lauren Giroux in 20:41.7.

Athens' girls placed 10th with 263 points. Clare O'Reilly led the Red Hawks in 18:46.4.

State finals ahead

The regional result marks an important achievement for Troy High under first-year head coach Grant Ehlert.

The Colts entered the postseason after placing second at the Oakland Activities Association Red championship Oct. 22. Their boys team had also won the Dow Chargers Invitational and the city meet against Troy Athens earlier in October.

The top three teams in each regional automatically qualify for the state finals, making Troy's third-place finish enough to advance.

The MHSAA Division 1 state finals are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 7, at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.

Troy High's boys will represent the school at the statewide championship after earning their place through the regional meet.