Litzner Sets UP Finals Record, Jeffers Reigns Again & Engadine for 1st Time

By John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com

October 19, 2024

MUNISING — It was a cross country race for the ages here Saturday as nine boys runners broke 16:30 at the Upper Peninsula Division 1 Finals.

Sault Ste. Marie junior Gabe Litzner set the U.P. Finals all-class/division record, covering the 3.1-mile course in 15:14.4. He was followed by Marquette seniors Seppi Camilli (15:34.7) and James Barch (15:57.8).

“I came into this race very nervous,” Litzner said. “I knew Seppi was going to give me a good race. I felt the way to beat him was to stick with him in the first mile. I didn’t want to wait until the last mile or 800 meters. He’s very fast. I knew he would kick it in during the last mile.

“Adrenalin got me through the whole race, especially today. I knew it was going to be hard. It’s exciting to be part of U.P. history. It feels really great. I love running with these guys.”

Marquette captured its sixth consecutive title with 20 points, followed by Sault with 56 and Houghton with 89.

“We had a great season as a team,” Litzner said. “Marquette is just a great team. They’re real tough to beat. They’re one of the best in the state. I’ll never forget this U.P. Finals. It was a great time.”

Camilli’s time was the second-best in U.P. history, and Barch finished with the third best.

“I wish it would have been a little more exciting (individually),” Camilli said. “It was close through the first mile. I ran a 4:45, and I think it caught up with me in the end. It’s a little disappointing in a way, but it was still a good race. I was six seconds off my PR (personal record) at two miles and fell off a little in the third.

“Winning as a team was exciting for sure. It’s high pressure and exciting.”

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Rudyard's Steven Kirschner (347) and Jeffers' Cameron Anderson (288) are in the second and third position, respectively, after about one-third of the Division 2 race.

Division 2

Painesdale Jeffers collected its fourth-straight Division 2 championship with 33 points, followed by Rudyard’s 81 and Ironwood’s 84.

Munising senior Dan Goss earned the top individual honor at 16:43. He was followed by Jeffers’ junior Cameron Anderson (16:55.2) and Rudyard junior Steven Kirschner (17:23.4) on a sunny and mild day at the Pictured Rocks Golf Course.

“Winning on our home course is awesome,” Goss said. “I definitely had special motivation. There was a lot of pressure, but our coaches are very supportive. We couldn’t ask for better.

“This happened to be my mom’s birthday, which also motivated me. I didn’t want to let her down. We had plenty of community support, which we appreciate.”

Ironwood senior Zach Smith was fourth (17:26) and Jeffers junior Landon Larson took fifth (17:30.9).

“The race was pretty good, but my legs weren’t feeling up to snuff,” Larson said. “It felt awesome to win as a team. We were going for a four-peat. I just ran fast and hard. Training during the summer helps. We came into the season in good shape.

“We have no seniors this year. We have a lot to look forward to.”

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Chassell's Kalvin Kytta crosses the finish line first in the Division 3 race at Pictured Rocks Golf Course in Munising.

Division 3

Engadine was crowned U.P. Division 3 champion for the first time with 62 points, followed by Stephenson with 82 and 2023 champ Dollar Bay at 106.

“It’s pretty awesome,” Engadine coach Tracy Germain said. “As we were coming through the line, I knew we had it. There’s always little bit of doubt until it happens. This is a real boost for our program. We put a lot of work into it. It’s not a given.”

Chassell senior Kalvin Kytta earned his second U.P. individual title at 16:10.2.

“That was close to a PR,” he said. “I’m pleased with how the race went. I knew it would be a battle with myself for time and set goals for my split times. I fell off a little in the last mile, but I’m still pleased. When the gun went off for the Division 1 race, I got more excited for my race.”

Engadine senior Dakota Taylor was runner-up (17:22.2), with Ewen-Trout Creek freshman Brody Majurin third (17:28).

“We’re very grateful,” Taylor said. “It’s rewarding, and we feel very accomplished. I’m thankful to Tracy for everything she does. It’s so hard to get that first one.

“Last year we had a small group. It’s good to reach personal goals, but it’s even better with a great group of guys. I think Kalvin had 4:57 in the first mile. He ran a great race.”

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PHOTOS (Top) Marquette's Seppi Camilli (227) and Sault Ste. Marie's Gabe Litzner (361) run together during the Division 1 Final on Saturday. (Middle) Rudyard's Steven Kirschner (347) and Jeffers' Cameron Anderson (288) are in the second and third position, respectively, after about one-third of the Division 2 race. (Below) Chassell's Kalvin Kytta crosses the finish line first in the Division 3 race at Pictured Rocks Golf Course in Munising. (Click for more from Cara Kamps/RunMichigan.com.)

Marquette, Jeffers Repeat While Stephenson Earns 1st Title Since 2012

By John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com

October 22, 2022

FLAT ROCK — It seemed very little, if anything was going to separate the Marquette boys from their fourth straight Upper Peninsula Division 1 cross country title here Saturday.

Despite missing a couple of its top runners, Marquette placed five among the top nine and scored 29 points. They were followed by Sault Ste. Marie with 83 and Houghton at 97.

“The guys push one another and Brady Ketzenberger had a great race,” said Marquette coach Derek Marr. “This envisions the concept of being a team. It’s awesome to see how both teams support each other.”

Litzner crosses the finish line first in the D1 race. Sault Ste. Marie freshman Gabe Litzner recorded the day’s fastest time, covering the 3.1-mile course in 16 minutes, 41.55 seconds on a sunny and mild day on the Richer farm property, home of the Farmhouse cross country course, near Gladstone. He was followed by Gladstone senior Drew Hughes (16:48.83) and Ketzenberger (16:58.61), also a senior.

“I tried to lay back for two miles, then I tried to reel people after that,” said Litzner, who made his move approximately 400 meters after the two-mile mark. “At that point I felt real good and thought to myself, ‘I have a chance to win this.’ I ran a 16:30 at Rudyard (on Oct. 15) which gave me a lot of confidence. Our team also did real well. I think this will motivate us.”

This marked the first time Hughes broke 17 minutes in a U.P. Final.

“I’m happy with the way everything went,” he said. “I’m glad I got into the 16s. It has been fun running with everybody. I’m happy with how my four years of high school cross country have gone. I set a lot of goals and achieved nearly all of them.”

Freshman Peter Argeropoulous was fourth for Marquette, with sophomore Chase Thomsen sixth, senior Colin VanderSchaaf seventh and junior Cullen Papin ninth.

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Division 2

Painesdale Jeffers grabbed the top three places and retained its Division 2 title with 27 points, followed by Ishpeming with 70 and Ironwood with 78.

“We came in with a real solid game plan and were as ready as we could be,” said Jeffers coach Sam Kilpela. “We really worked on pace in practice and came through exactly where we should be.

Painesdale Jeffers’ Tavin Larson (186) wins Division 2 with freshman brother Landon Larson (185) a close second.“Going 1-2-3 was unexpected. Brit (Heinonen) had a real bad cramp halfway through the race, but still ran a solid race. This was just a rewarding day. The guys are talented. They work together.”

Senior Tavin Larson was crowned champion for the first time in 17:43.83. He was followed by freshmen Landon Larson (17:44.4) and Cameron Anderson (17:53.34).

“This was my best race of the year,” said Tavin. “Once I got into first place (after the first mile), I tried to hold off my brother. Our top four runners always run as a pack, and we’re always within 30 seconds of each other. Our top runner from last year missed this season with a broken leg, but we have two freshmen who are fast. We have a lot of good middle school runners coming up. The future looks bright.”

Ironwood coach Ben Schmandt said he was pleased with his team’s effort.

“We kind of finished where we expected,” he added. “The guys left it all on the course. They worked hard all year long and had a nice finish. We’ll keep working at it. We’ll miss our seniors. Hopefully, we’ll keep working hard and stay in competitive mode.

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Division 3

Stephenson captured the Division 3 crown with its first Finals title since finishing a streak of three straight in Division 2 in 2012. The Eagles were Division 3 runners-up last season.

Stephenson's Griffin Brown races to a fourth-place finish in Division 3.The Eagles scored 77 points and Engadine edged Republic-Michigamme 86-89 for its first runner-up trophy.

“We ran a lot of races with Munising, and they really pushed our boys,” said Eagles coach Kate Kuntze. “I’m really proud of our boys. They performed on a day we really needed them to. In D-3 there’s so many schools without full teams. We couldn’t settle for passing just one runner. The weather was perfect and the boys came in with a good mindset.”

Dollar Bay senior Amos Norland was the top individual finisher in a school-record 16:44.18, followed by Pickford’s Hayden Hagen (18:00.14) and Munising sophomore Trevor Nolan (18:04.1).

“Getting a lot of sleep and eating healthy were keys in the last two days,” said Norland. “I did 1-K repeats in practice and tried to keep a steady pace today. I got the school record by 21 seconds, which was unexpected for sure. I knew I had a chance, but I thought I’d get it by just a couple seconds.”

Seniors Griffin Brown in fourth and Jacob Ross in ninth set the pace for Stephenson.

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PHOTOS (Top) Gladstone's Drew Hughes (27), Marquette's Carson VanderSchaaf (78), Gladstone's Aaron Hughes (26), Sault Ste. Marie's Gabe Litzner (117) and Cody Aldridge (112), and Negaunee's Judge Anderson (98) lead the start of Saturday’s Upper Peninsula Division 1 Final. (2) Litzner crosses the finish line first in the D1 race. (3) Painesdale Jeffers’ Tavin Larson (186) wins Division 2 with freshman brother Landon Larson (185) a close second. (4) Stephenson's Griffin Brown races to a fourth-place finish in Division 3. (Photos by Cara Kamps.)