News

MCC freshman Abby Davis (Vestaburg, Mich.) made history on Nov. 8, 2025, after finishing 12th at the NJCAA DII National Championship cross country meet in Iowa, becoming the first All-American in the history of MCC athletics. 

Now, Davis is eyeing a bigger stage. 

On Dec. 16, Ferris State University’s official track and cross country social media account announced that Davis had signed her letter of intent to join both the track and cross country teams for the Bulldogs next fall. Despite her freshman status at MCC, Davis, a student in the Early College program, will be graduating from MCC this spring. 

“What made Ferris State the best choice for me was that it had a little bit of everything I was looking for,” Davis said. “The location is under an hour away from my hometown, it’s one of the few schools in Michigan that has the degree I wanted and it is an easy transfer for my MCC credits. 

“There were other schools in mind before committing but, for me, Ferris had more of what I wanted, both academically and athletically.” 

Davis saw tremendous success in her lone season as a Centurion, taking first place in three of the six races she competed in, reaching the No. 5 individual ranking in NJCAA DII and helping to the lead women’s cross country team to compete in the national championship race. 

While she shined the brightest in the 5K races of cross country, Davis will take her running back to year-round competition as she’ll also compete for Ferris State’s track team. Her track experience at Vestaburg High School was also highly decorated, qualifying for the MHSAA Division 4 state finals eight times in four different events from her sophomore year to her senior year. The distance specialist finished her track career with four All-State medals — two in the 1,600-meters and two in the 3,200-meters. 

MCC cross country coach Nate Van Holten believes Davis will fit into Ferris State well and she should be able to immediately contribute to the team, despite the tougher competition at the NCAA DII level. 

“She should be top three right away,” Van Holten said. “She enters a very challenging conference and national division, and having Grand Valley State University as a juggernaut of the conference is a tough starting point. She’ll need to add more volume to her training to be able to achieve the continual improvement it will take to make the national meet. But if she continues to train hard and adds some confidence, she should be able to accomplish some solid things. I’m hoping for the best for her.” 

As she turns her attention to her next chapter, Davis is thankful for the experience MCC athletics provided for her to take the next step in her running career. While she undoubtedly left a lasting impression on MCC athletics, the college did the same for her, in return. 

“I think this past season at MCC helped me gain more experience running competitively and training at a higher volume, which will help me adjust to the competition," Davis said. “I have enjoyed how easy it is to get college credits and college running experience, while having my own life at home. I also enjoyed the friendships and connections I made at MCC.” 

Davis plans to major in Diagnostic Medical Sonography at FSU as she works toward becoming an ultrasound technician.