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Boyne City's Ava Maginity finds the right fit with NMU

drew kochanny, the petoskey news-review
·3 min read
Boyne City senior Ava Maginity (second from left) recently signed with the Northern Michigan University women's cross country and track and field programs. She was joined by her mother, Lisa; father, Barry; and brother, Will.
Boyne City senior Ava Maginity (second from left) recently signed with the Northern Michigan University women's cross country and track and field programs. She was joined by her mother, Lisa; father, Barry; and brother, Will.

BOYNE CITY — Every once in a while there are those athletes that come along that feel like they’ve been around a program for a decade.

Whether it’s the impact they’ve had, the records they’ve set or the sheer amount they’re willing to do to help a team move forward, they’ve made an impression that'll last around an athletic program for a while.

In cross country, Boyne City's Ava Maginity earned four straight all-state seasons, which included an 11th place finish in the state this fall.
In cross country, Boyne City's Ava Maginity earned four straight all-state seasons, which included an 11th place finish in the state this fall.

Boyne City senior Ava Maginity has been one of those athletes with the Ramblers and now she’s found a home to do the same in her next athletic career at the collegiate level.

Maginity recently signed her Letter of Intent to compete for the Northern Michigan University women’s cross country and track and field programs, joined by her family and friends at Boyne City High School.

With a lot of interest drawn, Maginity searched around for the right fit for her and what teams made her feel most comfortable and she found it all with NMU under head coach Jenny Ryan.

“I did a lot of coach shopping and their coach just stood out to me the most,” said Maginity. “I got to meet the team when I went up to my visit and I just knew it was the right fit. The atmosphere was great, everyone was friendly, everything clicked.”

She’ll join an NMU program that has made multiple NCAA Division II National Championship visits in both sports and regularly finishes top five within the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).

In her time with Boyne City, Maginity has been a member of the varsity basketball, soccer, cross country and track teams with the Ramblers.

She’s earned all-conference, all-district and all-state honors as a defender on the soccer team, she’s qualified for the state finals in track twice and will likely add a third in the spring and is a four-time all-state runner on the cross country course.

This past fall, Maginity crapped her cross country career with an 11th place finish in Division 3 and put together a season-best time of 18 minutes, 40.9 seconds at the MITCA Meet of Champions. She earned five first place finishes during the season.

As a member of the basketball, soccer, track and cross country teams at Boyne City, Ava Maginity (middle) has had quite a few teammates and friends over the years.
As a member of the basketball, soccer, track and cross country teams at Boyne City, Ava Maginity (middle) has had quite a few teammates and friends over the years.

While distance is her main event, Maginity does it all for the Rambler track and field team, which incldues running sprints and sprint relays, somewhere you won’t often find a distance runner. And, she competes, having earned a third place finish in the 200 meter dash at last year’s regional.

“The reason why I did sprints here, we don’t really have a real big women’s team here, so I kind of fulfill every spot,” said Maginity with a laugh.

The plan at NMU is to stick to the distance events and cross country, though she’s got one other event on her mind that’s not available at the high school level.

“I would like to try the steeplechase once I’m up there, just to try something new,” she said. “I just do so well with cross country, I feel like long distance is my thing.”

Maginity plans to go into Nursing at NMU and she’ll also head north with more than just athletic talents from her time at Boyne City, as she’s also been a member of the Boyne City Visual Imaging program and the Rambler Sports Network.

Through all she’s taken part in and accomplished at Boyne City, what’ll stand out most for Maginity are who she’s done it all with. From the teammates of a state-runner up soccer team, to relay partners, they’ve all played a big role in her journey.

“There’s so many teammates I’ve been with, whether it’s soccer or basketball or the cross country program and even in the (visual imaging) program; I’m going to remember all the stories and everyone,” said Maginity. “I’ll miss them all.”

It’s safe to say Maginity will be missed, as well, from the fall and winter, to the spring.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Boyne City's Ava Maginity finds the right fit with NMU