IMLAY CITY — Two sport standout McKinzie Winget was announced as Imlay City’s Top Female Athlete Award winner recently.
This past fall Winget excelled as a member of Imlay City’s cross country team, racing to a season’s-best clocking of 20:21.1 en route to an 18th at a Goodells County Park-based Division 2 regional meet.
She also claimed a second at the Genesee Invitational; obtained sixths at the Lum-based Blue Water Area Conference League Meet, Lapeer County Press Invitational in North Branch and Caro-based Thumb Area Cross Country Championship; furnished a seventh at a Goodells-based Blue Water Area Conference Jamboree Meet; pulled up eighth at a Blue Water Area Conference Jamboree Meet in North Branch; provided a 13th at the Frankenmuth Invitational; supplied a 15th at the Wagener Park Invitational; garnered 16ths at the Corunna Earlybird Invitational and Autumn Classic; plus added a 19th at the Oxford Invitational.
Imlay City standout McKinzie Winget looks to move up in the pack during a cross country meet this past fall.
Winget earned All-Blue Water Area Conference and Tri-City Times All-Area first team accolades at season’s end.
With her assistance, Imlay City ended the year with a top finish at the Blue Water Area Conference League Meet.
The previous spring Winget also made a name for herself with the Imlay City girls’ track squad.
Her best event arguably was the 1600 relay where she joined forces with Sarah Hubbard, Jessica Denver and Robin LeFevere to post a time of 4:06.9 en route to a sixth Saturday, June 1 at the Division 2 state finals in Zeeland.
For their performance, the quartet earned All-State accolades (given to the top-eight finishers in the event).
Her effort there capped an outstanding season in the event. A team consisting of Winget, Hubbard, Denver and LeFevere took first at the Kearsley Relays; a team of Ana Lengemann, Mary Lengemann, Denver and Winget wound up first at the Corunna-based True Team Invitational; a team of Ana Lengemann, Denver, Hubbard and Winget registered a first at the Armada-based Blue Water Area Conference League Meet; a lineup of Aubrie Behrick, Kayla Louwsma, Winget and Denver provided a second at the Davison Shake off the Rust Invitational; a team of Denver, Hubbard, Behrick and Winget took second at the Marlette Invitational; and a team of Winget, Hubbard, Denver and LeFevere furnished seconds at a Division 2 regional in Clio.
The successful quarter ended the season with Tri-City Times All-Area first team accolades.
Winget also ran a leg on Imlay City’s highly successful 400 and 800 relays. The former saw her team up with Jillian LeFevere, Layla Dalecke and Carlee Forsyth and the latter saw her join forces with Jillian LeFevere, Robin LeFevere and Forsyth. Those lineups logged season-best clockings of 53.64 seconds and 1:49.32, respectively, en route to Tri-City Times All-Area first team honors.
Winget was also named to The Tri-City Times All-Area second team in the 200 and 400-meter dashes.
She has signed a letter of intent to run cross country and track at Nova Southeastern University in Florida.
Winget was also recruited by St. Clair County Community College, U of D Mercy, Ursuline College, Indiana University East, and Rochester University.
Kevin Kissane has been covering high school sports for the Tri-City Times since 1985. When not standing on a field or court with his camera and notepad, he enjoys golf, travel and family. Kevin is a 1980 graduate of Capac High School, and is also a grad of St. Clair Community College and earned a degree in journalism from Central Michigan University.
