Ishpeming Sweeps UPD2 boys titles
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
October 25, 2020
Ishpeming’s boys continued their winning ways Saturday, earning their third consecutive Upper Peninsula Division 2 cross country championship with 17 points at George Young Recreational Complex.
The Hematites, who won for the sixth time in seven years, were followed by Painesdale Jeffers with 57 points and Bessemer Gogebic with 98.
Ishpeming grabbed five of the top six spots, led by senior Silas Broberg, who retained his title on the snow-covered 3.1-mile course in 20 minutes, 24.8 seconds, nearly three minutes slower than last year’s winning time amid the wintery conditions.
He was followed by classmates Jordan Longtine (20:59.6) and Joseph King (21:03.8), Jeffers sophomore Tavin Larson (21:18.7) and Ishpeming senior David Liimatta (21:23.2).
Broberg was the fourth Ishpeming runner in five seasons to win the Division 2 race, and second straight from his family. Silas' older brother Jonah won the 2019 Final, where Silas finished 11th.
PHOTOS: (Top) Ishpeming’s Silas Broberg leads the pack during the Upper Peninsula Division 2 Final at George Young Recreational Complex. (Below) The Hematites claimed their third straight team championships. (Photos by Theresa Proudfit.)
Performance of the Week: Freeland's TJ Hansen
September 19, 2024
TJ Hansen ♦ Freeland
Senior ♦ Cross Country
Despite a steamy day at Michigan State, Hansen ran a 15:24.6 to win last weekend’s Spartan Invitational Elite race by nearly four seconds. The victory came against a truly “elite” field; Hansen is the reigning Lower Peninsula Division 2 champion and was followed by Marshall senior Jack Bidwell (fourth in LPD2 in 2023) and Jenison senior Seth Conner (fifth in LPD1).
Hansen has won all but one race since the start of his junior season, and opened this fall with a 14:49.3 – just three seconds off his personal-record run and already 3.5 seconds faster than his championship time last fall at Michigan International Speedway. His 14:52.8 that day at MIS was the fastest Division 2 time in MHSAA Finals 5K history and tied for seventh-fastest for all classes and divisions. He said he’s chasing the 14-minute mark this fall; the fastest MHSAA Finals 5K time was 14:10.4 run by Rockford’s Dathan Ritzenhein in 2000. Hansen also won the 1,600 at the LPD2 Track & Field Finals in June after finishing first in the 3,200 as a sophomore, and he will run on both the cross country and track & field teams at Colorado.
@mhsaasports 🏃♂️➡️POW: TJ Hansen #crosscountry #freeland #invitational #winner #part1 #highschoolsports #tiktalk #interview #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA
@mhsaasports 🏃♂️➡️POW: TJ Hansen #tiktalk #questiontime #ronaldo #bucketlist #travel #laughing #crying #emoji #phone #part2 #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey
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Previous 2024-25 honorees
Sept. 12: Jordan Peters, Grayling soccer - Report
Sept. 6: Gabe Litzner, Sault Ste. Marie cross country - Report
Aug. 30: Grace Slocum, Traverse City St. Francis golf - Report
PHOTO Freeland's TJ Hansen surges toward the finish of this season's Spartan Invitational Elite race. (Click for more from John Brabbs/RunMichigan.com.)